Cotacachi Photographs

Aug 22nd, 2008 by Gary

Cotacachi photographs below describes in pictorial form what what one travel writer wrote about Cotacachi Ecuador.

Cotacachi is a wonderful village filled with happy people and wonderful tastes, sights, sounds, smells and a great feel.

Here is what one travel writer at www.goecuador shared about our Cotacachi hotel El Meson de las Flores.

“We departed the park and headed for the town of Cotacachi. Cotacachi lies in a dry, temperate valley 100 kilometers or so from Quito. The town has recently been blessed with a makeover of sorts, mainly due to Auki Tituaña’s vision and efforts. Early in his tenure, Tituaña identified tourism as a means for the town’s economic development, and, as a result, one can notice a difference in the town’s presentation. Cotacachi is well-organized, clean and marked with plenty of informational signs.
“It was around 2 in the afternoon when we pulled up into a municipal parking lot located in the heart of Cotacachi. Famished from the morning’s activities, we looked for a restaurant. To our delight, we found El Meson de las Flores located on a street bordering the Cotacachi cathedral. An open-air courtyard beckoned us in. Once inside, we were impressed by its well-maintained Spanish architecture and floral arrangements. The ambiance of the restaurant reflected its advertised motto: ‘A place where time stood still, and where peace has turned into a flower.’ The service was friendly and efficient, and the food was authentically delicious. To boot, we got to meet the owners, a delightful couple, of the landed gentry sort, they treated us like old friends. We were invited into their home, which is part of the larger Hosteria Meson de las Flores which is basically an old hacienda handed down over generations and eventually converted into a guest house.
After lunch, which had extended to a leisurely two hours, we decided to visit the local leather markets located only a few blocks away. Given our time limitations, we only stopped at the one store. Sufficiently impressed with the merchandise, we spent over $200 USD on various leather bags- a garment bag, a carry-on luggage piece and two computer bags. Given the high quality and bargain prices, I am sure that if we had stayed longer, we would have purchased a few of the sharp-looking leather jackets hanging near the entrance. Yes, my companion had that look in her eye.

After piling our merchandise into the car, we realized it was already 5 PM and time to head home. Our only lament of this outing was being unable to visit the town’s museum and historic sites. Given it was a Sunday, most of the sites had only limited morning hours anyway. The cultural exploration of Cotacachi would have to wait for another day. We left Cotacachi satisfied; We had partaken in the region’s unique outdoor recreational activities and enjoyed its urban appeal.”

Here are photos of Cotacachi and the surrounding area.