Rain at Otavalo

Today we started off from Center #2 At 9am on the cmt bus with Guillermo. We headed off with the Gonzaga group (Washington DC) and the Fordham prep (Bronx, NY) for Laguna de Cuicocha and Otavalo. On the way, we stopped for a snack of bizcochos and queso (bizcochos are a native snack, sort of like a biscuit, meets a savory biscotti) that are eaten with a type of string cheese.
We drive through Cotocachi, a town known for its leather, and in to Laguna de Cuicocha. It's a crater lake that we took a boat ride on. The boat takes you to the middle of the lake where volcanic gases rise to the surface in bubbles. The area is protected for the wildlife, so there are rabbits, the birds, guinea pigs, etc. at the end of the ride, there is a snack bar that serves free canalazo - a cinnamon tea. Very yummy!
Back on the bus to Otavalo. We arrived at about 2:40, so had until 5pm to shop. Otavalo is a town with a large open air market, the largest in south America, of indigenous handicrafts and food. The boys went off by themselves, Fr. Craig and Chris paired up and Lena and Maggie hung out with Maria and I. All of a sudden, thunder struck and rain started pouring down! Not just a little rain, but a real downpour. We decided to go back to the bus to wait it out. We half expected the others to come back too, but only our group did. After about 30 minutes, the rain stopped so we decided to go shop more. We met back at the bus at 5, to head home. The roads were wet, but Guillermo kept us safe. We got home just in time for dinner, our prayer, and now bed so we can be up early for the minga.