Cuicocha and Otavalo

We left at 830am to start our quest to Cuicocha which is about two hours away from the center. Cuicocha is a big crater lake created by a volcano. We drove up to the visitors center and took a boat ride around the islands of the crater. The start of the boat ride was quite comical, given the fact that we all piled into a tiny motor boat and once we had floated about 20 yards away from the dock, our guide realized the motor was broken and wouldn't start. We were honestly having a blast despite this minor incident. We changed boats and we were on our way! We were given cinnamon water after the ride which was warm and absolutely delicious. After Cuicocha we drove to leather town and spent about a half hour there looking at all the leather goods. Once we finished up there we went to Otavalo. Otavalo is the famous market in Ecuador where you can buy all sorts of goods from scarfs to blankets. We had a good time bartering with the locals. After a long day of very touristy activities, we are all back at the center, well fed, and ready for bed.