AlmostFreeFamilyTravel.com : Day Trip Out Of Quito

Much of the handicrafts you see in Quito are made in a town called Otavalo. We decided to take a daytrip out of Quito to visit this town and the largest open market in South America. The best day to visit is Saturday. The market actually starts early around 6am with a live animal market. I have heard that this is not for the faint of heart, these animals are being sold for food. We decided to skip this part of the market and arrive later around 11am.
You can get a public bus to Otavalo from Quito for just a few dollars, but I have heard that it is often very full. Otavalo is a 2 hour bus ride so be prepared if you go by public bus.
We booked a one day tour with Ecuatraveling.com. They have 5 stars on Tripadvisor and replied to my email within minutes. Betsy was excellent at answering my questions and sending me an invoice so I could book online.
We left Quito at 7am from Plaza Foch. The bus was small with just 17 people from all over the world; Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and the United States. The bus was new and very comfortable. One driver and a bilingual guide named Omar. Omar had a lot of stories and good information. There was also a supply of fresh water on the bus.
The first stop was at Mitad del Mundo. There are several Mitad del Mundos near Quito. This is the scientific or real one. The one closer to Quito we are told is for tourists.
We paid $1-$2 for an informative tour about the equator and astronomy. No demonstrations of water spinning different directions, but good information about how we all see the world the wrong direction.
Second stop was in Cayambe, a town known for biscochos or biscuits that you eat with dulce de leche and cheese that comes wrapped in a banana leaf. It is delicious and I highly recommend stopping here.
Next, we stopped at a vista Mira Lago to see the view and to purchase Panama hats for cheaper than in the market. They demonstrated how they make the hats and the different types of hats.
Then it's off to the Otavalo market for shopping. Bargaining is a must here and it's a great place to buy all your souvenirs to take home. There are jackets, scarves, mittens, socks, hats, hammocks, jewelry and much more. You could spend hours here shopping. Be sure to take an extra bag to bring home all your goodies.
After the market, we headed to the town of Cotacachi for lunch. Cotacachi is known for its leather shops and all along the main street are leather shops. Lunch was included on our tour which was a nice touch. It was a traditional Ecuadorian meal with a soup, entree (chicken, fish or meat) and juice. There was also a bowl of popcorn on the table to munch on.
Our guide, Omar, suggested buying some ice cream at the local shop after the meal. The ice cream is more like a sorbet. We tried Taxo flavor which is a local Ecuadorian fruit. It was delicious.
Last stop on this tour was Cuicocha lagoon. It is a volcano that erupted 300 years ago and then filled with water and fell in on itself. It exploded again 100 years ago and two islands appeared in the middle of the lagoon. I wouldn't make a trip out of Quito just to see the lagoon, but it was a nice stop.
The day tour cost $50 per person which included lunch. We had to pay for the entrance to Mitad del Mundo and for the bizcochos which cost $4 approximately depending on what you ordered.