Saturday morning we had the perfect start to our day. We ate breakfast at the Kookaburra where we are staying and then Cameron Kayce one of the local Expats came in and gave Mom and myself a chair massage to start our day off right. We found out that Cameron gives full body massages for $20.00 an hour at her house and promised her we would be calling her for an appointment.
Carmen Giving Mom A Chair Massage
Maca and Felipe picked us up for a day of sightseeing in the Tarqui region of Ecuador about 45 minutes outside of Cuenca. We drove through beautiful rolling hills of dairy land and stopped at a very important battle site on top of a mountain. We climbed a steep embankment of stairs to get to the top where you could see for miles and miles.
1829 Battle Between Peruvians & Ecuadorians
In 1829 there was a battle for land between the Peruvians and the Ecuadorians. This was one of only two battles that the Ecuadorians won, but they were outnumbered by more than two times. The site that we were standing on was a great vantage point for the Ecuadorians as they could closely watch the Peruvians as they advanced and then strategically plan their moves. Maca said that every year on February 27th officials and honor students visit this site to pay tribute.
After taking in the stunning views, we headed to a small village that housed the “Casa De Los Tratados” or “The House Of The Treaties.” Our tour guide told the story of how the Peruvians and Ecuadorians fought the battle and then when the Peruvians retreated they signed a treaty with the Ecuadorians in this very house.
Casa De Los Tratados
We looked at weapons, uniforms, documents and many paintings. The thing that really surprised me was that the artifacts were not really protected. They may have been in a case of some sort, but it was not totally enclosed and climate controlled as it would be in the U.S.
Our Tour Guide
One Of The Uniforms
Portraits Of Generals And Important Documents
Maca, Felipe, Mom and myself continued on and arrived at the first waterfall within minutes. It was well worth the climb as the waterfall was beautiful. It must have been 100’s of feet tall and there was a beautiful pool at the bottom. Unlike the waterfall in the Amazon, this wasn’t as strong and rather than the water thundering down, it came down more in a spray. You could feel the mist on your face as you stood on the bridge before it.
ChorroWaterfall
We stood and watched as four young people made their way behind the falls for a photo op. It was a little nerve wracking as the rocks were slippery and Maca had told us that just last year someone had drowned at this waterfall. There were two more waterfalls above this one, but the second one was and hour and a half hike and the third one took four hours to get to.
After we hiked back down the trail, we met Rod and went to the restaurant that was on site. It has been surprisingly cool while we have been visiting this time and we decided to get a local drink to help warm us up after our hike. Maca told us the name of the drink was Canelazo and it was made with cinnamon and fire water, in other words moonshine. It warmed us up alright. I only drank about half of mine for fear of the consequences. The drink was very sweet and very strong.
At lunch time we stopped at a charming restaurant called Bambu. It was part restaurant and part plant nursery. The grounds were beautiful and we dined outside. The server brought out bowls of popcorn, dried corn and banana chips for an appetizer. This of course made Rod quite happy. The food was very good and as usual we ate more than we should have.
Rod’s Favorite Appetizer
Nursery at Bambu Restaurant
Pond At Bambu Restaurant
Maca And Mom
After lunch we headed back to Cuenca, but our trip was not complete until we stopped at a local ice cream shop called Helados La Tienda. Maca and Felipe explained that this particular ice cream shop had been in business for 40 + years and it was very well known. The locals would line up for this ice cream and park up and down the street squeezing in to any place they could. There was no place to sit, so you either sat on the sidewalk or in your car to eat your ice cream.
Cars Lined Up For Ice Cream
When we arrived we saw the cars lined up on both sides of the street and a long line that had formed in front of the order window. When it was our turn we all ordered our ice creams, which were really nothing more than a frozen treat that had been made in a paper cup and frozen on a stick, but it was delicious. Some of the ice creams were made with sweetened condensed milk and were very tasty, others were made with real fruit and equally as good. We stood and ate our ice creams on the sidewalk as everyone else did. I don’t know if we could ever find this ice cream shop on our own, but we were thankful Maca and Felipe shared this Cuenca tradition with us.
The Line At The Order Window
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