Hi!

I'm a mom to three boys (10, and 15 month old twins). I love the new series, and my husband and I are hosting an au pair from Ecuador. We watched the episdoe with her and we learned a lot, and it was fun because she knew all the places that Samantha visited on the show. :-)

My au pair is travelling home to visit her family and she was going to pick up a few gifts for us and bring them back. I just loved the leather purses that Samantha looked at, but I can't remember the name of the Artisan and where her shop was located. Can anyone help me out? I would be forever grateful -- my au pair is leaving on 1/25 to go home for a week and I really wanted to have her stop there if possible to shop for me.

Thanks!!

Kim
Mom to 3 Future Spartans, Go Green!

Kim,
I don't think Samantha bought a purse from an artisan in Quito, but she did in Cusco, Peru.
Perhaps you are confusing the episodes?
In Quito, her guide takes her to explode the myth about Panama hats coming from Panama after taking her to "one of the many hidden courtyards" near Independence Square. After the scene showing the weavers making hats, we very briefly see some sweaters and handbags, which Samantha does not talk about or do anything with. The location is not mentioned. The credits don't list a shop or artisan, as far as I can tell. Your au pair might have a hard time finding the same place but I'm sure she can find a nice leather purse somewhere.
The information about the artisan in Cusco who made purses is in the Peru/Machu Picchu thread started by scottish2.
Good luck with your quest and with your future Spartans.

Thanks for your reply. Since I'm sleep deprived so much of the time, I'm not surprised that I confused the two. Through a little internet research it sounds like the Otavalo (may have spelled it wrong) is a good market not far from Quito for bags, sweaters, hats, etc. Maybe I can even have her find a few alpaca teddy bears for me (my parents raise alpacas and my mom loves these teddy bears - they are so soft!)

Anyway, I'll check the thread you mention. Our previous au pair is Peruvian and she travels home to visit her family so maybe she can hook me up. :-)

Kim

I have a shopping question. During the Quito program, I watched many women and men wearing hats of a fedora or stetson style. I'm not referring to the panama hats. these are the darker colored hats, that are also seen in Peru. Do you know the name of the hat? Thanks.

mesafire,

This question is harder than it seems.
In the Ecuador episode of Passport to Latin America, Samantha joked that Panama hats should really be called Ecuador hats. That might be exactly what the hats you are referring to are called. I asked a relative who lived in Ecuador for a year, and she had no idea what they call them.
At www.thebestofecuador.com, it is written that all indigenous folks within the regions and provinces will have similar hats, sometimes referred to as the “Charlie Chaplin style of headgear.” There are several websites that deal exclusively in hats, with hundreds of fedora styles that look similar to those seen on the heads of locals in Peru and Ecuador. Good luck with your shopping spree.

I'm not sure if this is what you're talking about, but there's a hat in Equador called JIPIJAPA that might be what you're looking for. Good luck.