Vilcabamba

Vilcabamba literally translates to ¨the Sacred Valley¨, but is best known as the ¨Valley of Longevity¨. Vilcabamba is said to have some of the oldest living inhabitants than any other city in Ecuador or the continent for that matter. Doctors have summed it up to their year-round warm climate, the clean air in which they breathe, their healthy diets, tranquil lifestyle, and daily exercise.

Arriving in Loja around 8:00am on Saturday morning, I shared a taxi to the bus terminal with 3 others - two Ecuadorians and an American doctor doing working in Quito. The taxi ride is maybe 30 minutes to the bus terminal, the road resembling the twists and turns of Highway 2 going over Stevens Pass. The taxi driver, crossing a double yellow line multiple times, trying to pass others, almost hit a cow crossing the street and I noticed the Ecuadorian man next to me, Joe, performing the sign of the cross, sending a prayer up to heaven a number of times.

They all dropped me off at the bus terminal, wishing me the best of luck in my travels (I just love how friendly everyone seems to be here in Ecuador). Grabbing a chocolate lollipop before jumping on the little short bust to Vilcabamba, I had a two seat row to myself - one seat for me and one for my backpack. Well, that didn´t last too long. A man, with the breath of a night and/or morning of drinking and a gold star imbedded into his front tooth, asks me to kindly move my backpack so he could sit down. Of course, plenty of other seats on the bus and this joker wants to sit by me. I have learned that harmlessly harrassing female travelers is a sport for some of the locals here and I looked at it as another challenge to endure.

Safely arriving in Vilcabamba, I was more than pleased with the hostel a friend had recommended to me. Izhcayluma, meaning between two hills, is a Dutch owned hotel and restaurant - speaking English, Spanish and Dutch. I splurged and told myself I deserved my own little cabaña. Here, I have my cabin with a personal porch and hammock.

Izhcayluma is 2k south of town, nestled in the hills, surrounded by lush gardens and english speaking tourists. It is sunny one minute when a burst of thunder and lightening will evoke the most incredible downpour. It doesn´t last long, but it is evident the sudden downpours are how Vilcabamba keeps its 360 degrees of green panoramic views.

We are so close to the Orient down here, with rainforests at a distance of maybe 30 minutes or so. I should have known the bugs would follow. Some interesting creepy crawlers have joined me in my cabin, the most pleasant being the little frog which greeted me, perched on the faucet handle, when I went to brush my teeth. I turned around, closed the door, and 30 minutes later, mini frog was no where to be found. I am not sure where he escaped to, but every time I open the bathroom door, I expect him to show up, uninvited, again.

I adore Vilcabamba. Time really does stop here. I awake to roosters and cows around 6:30am, I enjoy the birds' songs by day, and then by 10:00pm, I am ready for the crickets and frogs to put me to bed. By day, I have found myself wandering the gardens at the hostel. There are charming cobblestone walking paths everywhere, lined with some of the prettiest flowers I have seen.

The town itself is small and is, for the most part, contained within a quadrant of shops and restaurants.

Outside, into the hillside, the tranquil and friendly people of Vilcabamba reside. This is a typical home you would see. It clearly isn´t much, but it seems to be all they need - a roof to keep the rain out and a place to call home for their family.

Most have a shed for the roosters. I wish you could have seen them poking their heads from underneath the blue doorway.

Almost all are enclosed by a fence made of broken branches and barbed wire. I can´t imagine this is to keep people out, but maybe keep the animals in?

The most memorable thing I have done here this weekend and, quite possibly, my favorite thing I have done during these past 4 weeks, was my horseback ride. Renee, my guide, picked me up at the hostel at 10:00am sharp, suited me with rubber boots, and introduced me to Indigo, my horse for the next 4 hours. I remembered how to mount a horse from my week-long horseback riding camp I attended at the age of 11 and was able to get myself up without any problems. I am not sure if this signaled to Renee that I had experience with horses, because that couldn´t be anything further from the truth, but we were off and galloping 1 minute into the ride. I can´t tell you how many times I tried to kick my horse, while my camp instructor wasn´t looking, to put some pep in his step, quickly being told to bring it back down to a walk. Apparently, all you have to do is travel to Vilcabamba and you will get more than what you pay for and, quite frankly, are experienced for.

Just me, Renee and our two horses traveled up and across the ridges of the mountainside, every minute of the four hours, I took in some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. We crossed rivers; climbed up steep rocky hillside, paths carved out by what seemed could only be from the hooves of many horses; traveled along the thin ridgeways of the hills; passed cows grazing and the whole time, beautifully colored butterflies, decorated in shades of blue, purple, red, yellow and orange, constantly float around you. I am usually one who feels most comfortable filling in moments of silence with conversation, but not this time. Four hours passed by so quickly and I think my mind has never been so silent and still.

Renee, my guide, father of two and brother to 13. Renee has lived his whole live in Vilcabamba, riding horses since he was old enough to walk.

Back to Quito tomorrow and then on to high energy Buenos Aires, but for now, tranquilo from head....

....to toe.