Cayambe and Cochasqui

The beautiful part of the city, Cayambe.

Cayambe is the name of the city southeast of Otavalo and also the name of the snow-capped volcano(5790meters, Ecuador third highest peak).

Last Saturday, we went to explore the area abound this city. We used about 45mins to get there, then took 10 more mins on another bus to Tabacundo. From where, we wanted to find a bus or pickup to Tolas de Cochasqui, which is an archaeological area of the 15 pre-Inca clay pyramids.

But we were told by local people there was no bus going there, and as written by the book, there was only pickup in the morning by the local workers. So we tried to check what was the price of the taxi.

Then I did one thing really stupid, which was taking the taxi though the price I thought was very expensive. We checked some and found the price going (it took about 25mins), returning and waiting for us for one hour was 25 dollars. As we only have 2 people, so each of us had to pay 12.5 dollars. Though later my teacher told me the price was reasonable, I still thought the taxi drivers here really earn a lot! Because with the same price, I can go to the airport or go to Tin Shui Wai from city center. But here is Ecuador, but not HK.

As our bargaining was not successful, we could only get 30mins for waiting.

Anyway, we went by taxi and I really didn't regret for going there as the site was really splendid. The only thing I would regret was I should go there in the morning or I should go there with more people, so we could share the fees.

Orginally, I thought the 'Pyramids' here was similar to those in Egypt, which should be triangles. To my surprise, they were totally different. These pre-Inca pyramids were covered with grass, so they were just looked like small hills.

Entrance of the pyramid Later I know how clever the people at that time were. Because these pyramids were not only the tombs of people, but also accomondating the living people and for military purposes. As they just looked like hills, so the enenmies would not discover where they were.

Moreover, this site is located 3100 meters above sea level, so the people at that time were able to know if there were any attacks coming. And nowadays, the site offers us a wonderful view of the surrounding areas, including as far as Quito (which is about one hour away by bus). We could even see the shape of the El Panecillo(which I mentioned before).

The wonderful view of the site.

The site is really quiet and beautiful, there are even many Ilamas hoping around. The guide also introduced us lots of interesting plants in the area, including Lemon leaves, lavenders and other 'unknown' plants which can be eaten and function as hand cream.

The typical animal in South America, Llamas

I would also love to work here.

After visiting Cochasqui, we went back to Cayambe and had my most awful set lunch that I ever had in Ecuador. Normally, I finish all the food in my plate and nothing is left. But this restaurant gave me an unforgettable memory as I barely ate.

We went to a coffee shop after that, so as to try the famous snacks here. They were Bizcochos (a typical biscuits here) and Queso de Hoja (string cheese). With dips of Bizcochos into the hot chocolate, the taste was wonderful. Maybe it was also because I ate an awful lunch before, so the taste of Bizcochos and Queso really drive me into heaven.

Thanks for the awful lunch, Bizcochos and Queso for giving me a happy ending.