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)