Simón Bolívar

Many people, even if they have heard of the name Simón Bolívar, will not know much of him. I did not either, until recently. In order to improve my Spanish and understand the nuances of Latin America, I tried to watch some Latin America based movies recently.  One of them was The Liberator. (Picture above is a snapshot from the movie). It is based on the life of Simón Bolívar. I read that this movie was the movie that six countries in Latin America had been waiting to see. So, what's so special about Simón Bolívar? Well apparently, this dude "fought over 100 battles against the Spanish Empire in South America. He rode over 70,000 miles on horseback. His military campaigns covered twice the territory of Alexander the Great, But his army never conquered – it liberated" . That’s why he got to be known as the Liberator.

Since, I am also planning on visiting/staying in Medellin, Colombia I also watched Escobar: Paradise Lost. It is not entirely a true story of Pablo Escobar. For some reason, they decided to revolve the movie around a fictional character.

UPDATE: This post ends my posts on Ecuador. Moving forward, I will be posting using Wordpress that allows you to sign up with your e-mail so that you are automatically notified each time there is a new post. The link to the new site:  https://thehappyminimalist.wordpress.com/

MY APARTMENT for now

I have uplaoded a video taken with my camera phone. I get to see both the sunrise and sunset from the apartment.

Click here to view the video of the apartment

BUS RIDE ALONG THE CURVY COAST

I had always wanted to live in a place with a view & sound of the ocean. I found such a place in Olón . It is nice to be greeted by the waves of the ocean when you enter your room. It is even nicer to be lulled to sleep with the sound of waves and wake up to its sound as well.  Olón was my first stop along my coastal trip – which has now landed me in Bahía de Caráquez. I did not do the entire ~ 200 km/ 124 miles in one stretch. I stopped along the way to check out some of these towns along the coast. 

Olón is the one with the red dot. Virtually all of these places are under developed by Western standards. But of all the places along the coast that I stopped, I liked Bahía de Caráquez the best. So, I have just arranged to rent a penthouse with a view of the Pacific Ocean for two weeks. All the pictures that I have taken of this place with my phone's camera did not do justice to what you actually see. So, below is a picture from Wikipedia on  Bahía de Caráquez.

If any of you feel like making a trip here –  you will enjoy free lodging besides the view J

OFF TO THE COAST

Picture above taken during a morning walk.

Among the “interesting people” that I got to meet while here is Buddy Winston. He is a former staff writer for THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO. An American couple who recently had bought a property in Vilcabamba invited a few of us to their place. On the way back home, I shared a cab with Buddy and we had some good laughs with some of Seinfeld jokes. Buddy is among the several Americans who have relocated to Ecuador. Apparently, Matt Monarch, CEO of The Raw Food World lives in Vicabamba. Besides Americans, the next largest group here appears to be the Germans.

Tonight I’ll be taking an overnight bus to Olón – a beach town. After about 1.5 months in Vilcabamba, it is time to explore other parts of Ecuador.

COST OF LIVING - PART 2

Someone asked me via e-mail what is the typical food here. I hope the above gives an idea. Plus the earlier post on cost of living also provides an idea on some of the foods that are found here. With globalization, one can almost find anything anywhere. 

I have lived in Vilcabamba for more than a month now and hence have a better sense of what my monthly cost of living here is. It is 30% of what it was in Santa Clara.  That is considering that I had some unexpected onetime costs while here.  A typical lunch as shown in the picture above which consists of soup, rice with meat and vegetables and a drink will cost US$3 (US$ is used in Ecuador).

There is a laboratory here that is able to do all kinds of blood tests, poop tests etc. I was actually impressed that they were able to do that given that Vilcabamba is such a small town.  In fact, when I was in Singapore the last time, I wanted to do a fasting insulin test and the doctor told me (in a condescending manner) – “There is no such thing as fasting insulin test. There is only fasting glucose test”.  Of course you can get this and others tests that I am looking for in the US. But they cost more. If a cost of a test is $100 in the US – it is $20 here. Yes, medical tests costs based on the specific tests that I am looking for are 20% of that of the US. In any case, I did some of these tests since I have not done them before.  Some of the results are ready that very afternoon and the others I have to wait three days. I am positively surprised by the results I have received so far. They are not just good. They are exceptionally good. :)

UNWRITTEN LAWS 

My landlord lent me a book: UNWRITTEN LAWS - THE UNOFFICIAL RULES OF LIFE by Hugh Rawson

It contains laws from various famous people – some of which many of us are already familiar with. Below are some that I was unfamiliar with that I think is worth sharing:

It is easy to be brave from a safe distance.

Almost anything is easier to get into than out of. The easier it is to do, the harder it is to change. It is easier to take apart than it is to put together. Once the toothpaste is out of the tube it’s going to be very tough to get it back in.

Necessity knows no law.

A single man in possession of good fortune must be in want of a wife.

A falling body always rolls to the most inaccessible spot.

As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been excess of demand.

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.

The efforts we make to escape from our destiny only serve to lead us into it. 

The lucky person passes for a genius.

Don’t ask a barber if you need a haircut.

If you have enough meetings over a long enough period of time, the meetings become more important than the problem the meetings were intended to solve.

The usefulness of any meeting is inversely proportionate to the size of the group.

When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.

It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.

Friends may come and go but enemies accumulate.

90% percent of our lawyers serve 10% of our people.

Those who don't study the past will repeat its errors. Those who do will find other ways to err!

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

Look around the table. If you don't see a sucker, get up, because you're the sucker.

The higher a monkey climbs, the more you can see of its ass.

In matters of conscience, the law of the majority has no place.

If a dog jumps into your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because your lap is warmer.

When life gives you bitter chocolate make hot chocolate

When I was working at HP, one of the partners I worked with gave me a white shirt. Unfortunately, one day my pen leaked and stained the pocket beyond redemption. At that time I also had T-shirt that had a very nice motif but the color of the T-shirt really did not go well with my skin color. So, when I was in Mexico, I found a tailor and with my limited Spanish was able to tell her to stitch the two together such that it ended up with a unique combination that one will not find anywhere. I did not let either the stained shirt or T-shirt go to waste. Before leaving for Ecuador, I donated it to the Goodwill store.

Back in California, I have tried 99% dark chocolate. I had searched high and low for 100% chocolate but have not been successful till now – here in Vilcabamba. Organic 100% Raw Chocolate is bitter. I was wondering how I was going to finish it. Yesterday, at the Farmer’s market I bought the ginger soda, which Adrienne had made for me at my request. It was however a bit too sweet for me. Hmm! What should I do? Well, I boiled some water and poured it over some of my raw chocolate. As it was melting under the heat, I poured the refrigerated ginger soda. The result: Heaven in a cup! To drink it alone will have been selfish. So, I shared some with my neighbors – Jane & Peter. They both loved it & were inspired to try making some themselves. Perhaps you will be inspired to make yourself a cup too.

Side note: Adrienne who made the ginger soda for me mentioned that the ginger here is very potent compared to back in California. She said her eyes were burning as she prepared the ginger for the ginger soda.  I also noticed that the egg yolk here is bright orange just like the ones I had in Australia. Makes you wonder why the yolks in either US or Singapore are not that way…

MOVED TO A NEW PLACE

This week I moved to the “hacienda”. The above is a picture of my room. From my desk, I have a view of the sacred Mount Mandango (the Sleeping Inca), whose presence is said to protect the area from earthquakes and other natural disasters. The good thing about this hacienda is it has an organic garden where I am allowed to pick any herbs I need for cooking. Most folks here do not have a dryer. They dry the clothes the traditional way as seen in the picture below. I will be staying here for a month before moving on to the coastal area.

In my morning walk today, I encountered a pair of peacocks.

INTERESTING PEOPLE - PART ONE

On Saturday, I attended the Farmer’s market here in Vilcabamba. One of the “farmers” that was selling her goat cheese and kale was a young lady from Oakland. Her mom lives in Sunnyvale. Naturally, we felt connected and I ended up chatting with her (Adrienne) for a while. Adrienne and her husband left California about four years ago. They were first living in Chile but did not like the pollution and weather there. They then moved to Ecuador and have been living here for the last three years or so. They bought a 3.5 hectares farm for $30K and have been developing it. Adrienne mentioned that the proceeds from their farm are able to cover their expenses. I believe with time, they will be able to generate income that more than covers their monthly expenses. She said that she definitely prefers the quality of water, air and food here compared to back home. I really admire folks like Adrienne & her husband who are working on something real – as opposed to products and services that are mere distractions and not a true need for a good life. I have met several other interesting people so far. The other day, I got to meet Anja, a German lady who discovered this valley 20 years ago. She loved its peace and nature & hence decided to settle here. Anja owns a beautiful home/hotel called Avalon and is also a yoga teacher. I happened to be at her place at the right time, that she offered me a free Kundalini Yoga class. This was my first time I have tried Kundalini yoga and I must say it was quite a workout. Anja also introduced me to Air Yoga.  Finally, there is Claire – an English geologist who used to work in Brisbane, Australia. She quit her job about a year ago and has been exploring Central America/South America via her motorbike. There were several other people that I have met so far that have quit their jobs and are traveling across Latin America for months. The best part of traveling for me is not the places that I get to see. Rather, it is the people that I get to meet and to be able to hear their stories. 

FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION by readers of this blog:

How long do you intend to live there? Did you move permanently to Ecuador?

An English guy that I got to know at the hostel left to travel to other parts of Ecuador. He recently returned & told me he knows what the secret for the longevity of the residents of this valley is: The weather. (He has been living in Peru for the last two years or so). The last couple of days have been cloudy (see picture). Somehow, despite its cloudiness, the weather here is still great! I have decided that Vilcabamba is a good enough place to stay for another month. Consequently, I have rented a room from a fellow American for a month. I shall l be moving out of the hostel to his place next week.  Depending on how the month goes, I may extend another month.

What I like about Vilcabamba:

-          People are very nice – both the locals and gringos.

-          The weather is so mild aka eternal spring. Just love it.

-          The elevation here is 5000 feet. That should trigger the adaptation mechanisms within me such that the amount of hemoglobin in my blood should increase. :)

-          The hilly terrain provides ample opportunities to get my heart rate up whenever I have to walk up.

-          A lot of ‘boutique” restaurants that serve good food.

-          My cost of living is a fraction of what it was in California.

What I don’t like:

-          The vehicles use diesel. You may be walking up a hill and a vehicle passes by and you end up inhaling the diesel fumes L

-          Not all the roads are tarred. Again, when vehicles pass by, the dust rises. I like to think that I am been prepared for a mud bath…

CONCLUSION: Nothing is permanent. At this point, the maximum amount of time I intend to stay in Ecuador is 90 days (per my tourist visa). Following that, I intend to check out Medellín, Colombia. Everyone that I have met here who have been there rave about it.

P.S. Instead of individually answering e-mails, I will attempt to answer via this blog instead.

(Picture below: Main highway/road of this city)

COST OF LIVING

Not everything is cheap when compared with prices in US. Overall, if one considers housing, cost of living is still a fraction of  that in the US. Hence the reason why many Amercians have retired here.

Personal pizza with 10+ vegetables (see picture)...........$6
A bowl of soup.................................................................$1
A cup of home made ice-cream.......................................$0.5
A bunch of broccoli.........................................................$0.4
A bunch of chard.............................................................$0.25
A kilo of wild black berries..............................................$1
Pasta (400g)....................................................................$1.25
To wash+dry your laundry/kilo........................................$1

(I will be unable to respond to everyone's e-mail. I will attempt to answer them via the blog post. Internet is not that reliable here).

A Tale Of Two Dogs

Both dogs live in Vilcabamba, Ecuador.
One is Lucky & the other Unlucky.
Lucky (see below) does not have to worry about food, water or shelter.

Lucky has all the love and attention from both the owners and guests. It takes siestas whenever it wants. It knows how to bask in the sun & enjoy the scenery - a skill that some humans have forgotten. Lucky gives a different perspective to the idiom:  It's a dog's life. 

Unlucky's life is diametrically opposed. Unlucky looks under nourished, dirty and perhaps even stuck on top of a roof of an abandoned building.

Dispatch from Ecuador.

Arrived at Vilcabamba aka Valley of Longevity on July 15th 2015. Slept very well that night and woke up to a gentle morning breeze, with roosters crowing and birds chirping. As I stepped out of my room to attend the Yoga class, I smelled the fresh air and said to myself – Today is going to be a great day – and it did turn out to be a great day
The hour of yoga was performed in front of stupendous views. 

After the yoga class, I enjoyed a sumptuous breakfast of fruit salad and granola – again in front of a stupendous view. Add to that, I was lucky to share the meal with two wonderful friends that I made on the trip to this valley - Nicole & Sonja.

After breakfast & checking & responding to emails, I headed  downtown to checkout the city center. It is literally downtown, because it is about 20 minutes or so walk down a hill. The walk back up provides good exercise. In fact there are ample opportunities to integrate exercise into daily walking in this valley because of the terrain of the valley.

Will update next when I get the chance.