It's a Zoo: The Animal Market in Saquisili

Finishing our journey around the Quilotoa Loop, our last stop was the famous Thursday morning market in the little town of Saquisili. There's a produce market and a textiles market, but these were similar to markets everywhere in South America. However, the animal market was like nothing I'd ever seen. It was almost enough to make me go back to being vegetarian.

We set out from Chugchilan at the yawn-inducing hour of 6 am. The sun was just coming up, and the views were fantastic.

Two hours later, we pulled into Saquisili. The first sight that greeted us was an impressive cloud of dust and a large gathering of people and animals milling around; it looked like an early morning rodeo. As we drove into the market, we saw a farmer being pulled along by his cow, running to keep up with the mooing animal's frantic bid for freedom. Finally, a truck blocked the path and the cow pulled up short, and the farmer was able to regain control and lead it into the market.

Bound sheep waiting to be loaded onto a truck

After we got out of the car, we could see that the animals had been divided into different lots: pigs in one corner, sheep and goats in another, cows in the back. The smell was impressive, but the sounds were truly remarkable. Words simply cannot describe the chaos of noise that reached my ears: terrified animals mooing and bleating, farmers bargaining in rapid Spanish and Kichwa, a man extolling the benefits of whatever snake oil he was selling. Above all, and impossible to block out, was the terrible squealing of the pigs.

You might be a vegetarian after hearing these squeals

Piglets were being shoved into sacks. Babies and adults alike were being vaccinated on the spot. Bound pigs were pushed, pulled, or thrown onto truck beds after being sold, and others were simply picked up by a hind leg and carried that way. Not surprisingly, the pigs didn't take kindly to this treatment and let out shrill, pathetic squeals that sounded like they belonged in a slaughterhouse. The locals, being accustomed, didn't react at all.

These were the least unhappy pigs at the market

I know that this is much more natural than superfarms and mega-slaughterhouses, but I can tell you that I didn't eat pork for lunch that day.