"b1bob goes country ..." a Provincia de Imbabura Travel Page by b1bob

The Province of Imbabura is only 80 km. (50 miles) north of Quito on the Pan American highway. However, it was a world away from the daily rush of urban life. Early one Saturday morning, Sergio, Christina, Thea, and I left Cumbayá for a day trip to the countryside. I am going to include a few things from the rural parts of Pichincha in this page because Quito is my town page and this is my country page. When I think of Imbabura, five things come to mind:

- Native Americans
- lakes
- textiles
- woodwork
- cuy

As suburbia gives way to the countryside, the first thing you notice are the hot houses in which Ecuador’s rose industry thrives. Northern Pichincha and Ibambura are also dairy country. There is a special cheese here called queso de hoja. As you go down along the Pan American highway, you begin to see the lakes. On the way to the market in Otavalo, you pass by Lago San Paulo. Clothes in the city are very expensive, but the textile mills here make the savings well worth the price of petrol driving from the city. If you are interested in woodwork, the village of San Antonio de Ibarra is home to expert wood carvers. All along the road are fritaderías and cuyerías, restaurants that only specialise in pork and guinea pig. You can get both delicacies in the city, but you pay half in the countryside of Imbabura. Sadly, this was only a day trip, but going here had more impact than anything else in the entire 10 days I was in Ecuador.