Cameron and I made it to Cotacachi on our last full day.  She had read about it on Ecuador Living, a online newsletter published by Gary and Merri Scott, expats who own a hotel here and run seminars on real estate available in the area.  We caught a taxi from Otavalo for $5, and the street at the entrance to Cotacachi is lined with flags, signalling an upscale area.  It´s a very small town, known for its main street filled with leather shops.

We enjoyed lunch with a live music from an Andean band off the courtyard of the Scotts lovely hotel, and joiined a couple of British origin who now have a business in Florida.  They are with a group of foreigners exploring the possibility of investing and living in Ecudador some months of the year.  

We headed down to the 5 star hotel, The Mirage.  This town like many others in Ecuador is filled with contrasts - rich foreigners, fine hotels, and the local natives, most of whom are reserved, and wearing traditional clothing, but we did see a man lying on the sidewalk, and a woman doing her business in the street.  The Mirage might be a place where Cameron would look for possibllities to work doing massage if she lived in the area. 

The Northern Sierra is said to be one of the most beautiful areas of Ecuador, (according to Dr. Ormazo, our dentist in Quito who gave us extensive treatments over several days while we were in the capitol - the savings paid for our trip!).  We agree.