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.