Thursdays are market day for a lot of the expats living in Cotacachi. There is a very well attended market held in an outdoor parkade next to one of the central squares in town. Since the weather has dried out a bit, I went today to get a loaf of the great sourdough bread from my friend Yanneck, among some other things.
I got there early and people were still setting up, but here are some pictures so you get an idea of the variety of what is available.
I picked up some BBQ pork, fresh locally grown coffee and some asparagus along with the bread. Then I took a walk up Leather Street because I wanted to check out a store that had some very nice leather riding jackets displayed in the window. The owner was just opening up the store when I walked in. The jackets are hand made to order here in Cotacachi and she said she could make up a Honda logo jacket for me in red and white with my Eagle Wings Chapter logo on it for $180.00. I am thinking about that very seriously.
Further up the street is CooCoo’s Nest, an expat restaurant. Every Thursday they host an indigenous market with locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables. I was wanting breakfast, but the place was packed so I didn’t bother to go in.
Further up the street was a small tienda offering some fresh fruit, vegetables, grains, spices, etc. I bought a couple of pepinos, 2 avocados and a pineapple for $2.00. The English translation for pepino is cucumber. This yellow fruit with brown markings is part of the cucumber family, but is sweeter and eaten just like it is. Some peel it, some don’t. I haven’t had any before so thought I would get adventurous and try it.
Next up was a visit to a wine shop – Fonda. They have a weekly wine tasting on Thursdays so I went in for a look at what they were offering. A nice Argentinian Merlot from Mendoza – $8.00 I couldn’t say no after a taste and bought a bottle along with some frozen corvina (sea bass) that I plan to cook for dinner tonight to go along with the asparagus.
Shopping in Cotacachi is easy. Everything is within walking distance and you can get everything you need to live comfortably here. For stuff you can’t get, Ibarra is a 20 minute bus ride away. That will be another post – using the busses!