It was not your average Saturday market.

One lane was replete with shops selling scarves and sweaters ranging the entire gamut of colors. The next was bright sheets and linens made from the regional favorites - alpaca wool and sheep wool. A third was fruits and nuts from the equatorial mountains of Equador. And interspersed in-between were tiny shops selling colorful handicrafts, local farmers selling their wares, weavers selling baskets, bags and shawls, and intricately designed native artwork.

This was the Otovalo Saturday market, one of the largest Saturday markets on the continent, attracting buyers and sellers from all over the country, and its neighboring one (Colombia and Peru). Buyers arrive by the bus loads on Saturday morning, hoping to catch some great deals. And by 11am, the entire market is thronging with foot traffic.

Having stayed the previous night, I got to experience the market in the wee hours of the morning, just as the stalls were setting up. And I got to witness some solemn scenes of the market-life, including this tired owner catching a quick nap while waiting for business to pick up.

Otovalo

Ecuador