Life is good

Life in Vilcabamba is good.

Lots of walking, hiking, talking, time without the internet.

I, Kristine, go to the meditation center most days 12 - 1.  I also attend conversation Spanish classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

There is a lot that we do in and around the town - hiking the numerous trails through hills, valleys, river beds, etc.  It is endless here!  Today, we hiked for about 12 km finding along the way new plants, trees, ways of being.  It was beautiful!  Also, we go to movie nights hosted at neighbors houses.  We watch people, talk to people.  We cook good food.

At our house and on our street we have 2 cats, multiple dogs, lots of chickens (1 that comes around daily is now named Goldy Locks) lots of insects, spiders, strange creatures... and a donkey.

Here are photos:

This is my walk back to the house from the meditation center.

Another part of my walk home from meditation.

The river by our house

Looking from our driveway toward town

Our driveway

From the hike today - direction is SE of Vilcabamba

While walking, a running cow.

Hiking today

Donkey on hike, packing dirt

In Vilcabamba!

We have arrived in Vilcabamba, and within 24 hours of being in town we have an apartment and are moved in!  It is a small village... we have great neighbors... and there is a lot to do for a town this size!  Here are photos of where we are living and the a little of the town.  More to come later.

Visiting the Orchidarium - Cuenca

Today we went to the Orchidarium.  We walked down the main river a few miles, and then started asking around for the location, we found it eventually and weren't far off.  For $1 we got a tour of the whole facilities by the doctor himself.  There are multiple green houses for different stages of the orchids.  The even harvest the soil with tweezers from tree trunks.  There is one plant here which is the last of it's specific kind. It is very precise, and I understand why people working there wear lab coats!  Here are some of the beautiful orchids we saw, and some photos of our visit.

The Doctor of Orchids

Monkey Face Orchid

In one of the greenhouses

Lady Slippers

Raw material for planting

La Mercado - especially Feria Libre in Cuenca!

MERCADO DAY!!

So, we do about 90% of our grocery shopping at the Mercado, which is a lot like a gigantic farmers market.  I am so sorry to say, but the markets in Latin America really do put to shame any Portland Farmers Market.  The reasons are because of availability, bargaining power, and accessibility (money). To buy 90% of your grocery at a farmers market in the states, we would have been broke and in the red.  I still love them, but it's all about accessibility.  What is typical of a grocery store in the states, here, is called a maxi, tia, or supermaxi.  They often won't have fruits/vegetables/meats, only the really big ones.

Here, in Cuenca, (and Latin America in general) you go to the Mercado to get you fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, seafood, meats, animals, etc.  They have the stalls elaborately set up with beautiful color arrangements and buckets of produce ready for you to take home.  It's local, it's usually the farm's family selling, and it's fresh.  Onions skins are peeled off, garlic cloves separated and peeled, corn husked, peas shelled, fava beans shelled, and the fruit tastes unbelievable!

We wanted to share our list from the market shopping yesterday.  This was our 'big' market day (Wednesday) when the market is the biggest (at least the size of a football field jammed with food and people).  We also cook almost every meal for ourselves, going out only once every 5/6 days, and that's really just for the social and learning aspect.

Here's our "Gringo" Pricelist, based on yesterdays market trip, pictured above:  (since being here, some prices have been cut in 1/2 or reduced by some cents, and we think it's because we don't appear so 'green'... also it helps to go back to the same people)

There are even daily markets JUST for flowers!
This one is about 200 feet from our front door.

Walking to Baños

We walked to the next town over, Baños, the other day.  It took about 2 hours to get there, but it was a great way to learn the city more.  Every day we go out just a little further, in one direction or another (like rabbits do).  

Baños is known as a small town for having healing mineral waters, the source are volcanoes.  There are several soaking pools in town that also have mud baths, steam rooms, saunas, etc.  We did not try the waters out this time, but will go another time to have a nice soak and scrub. 

We did take the bus back home, 25 cents.  

And, after getting home we went and said hi to the llamas!

Welcome! Where we are and what we are doing...

3 weeks ago we landed in Ecuador, not knowing what we were getting into.  We had tickets to Panama 11 days after we landed, but we couldn't see ourselves leaving, so we didn't!  We stayed.  We are exploring Ecuador for the next 6 months (as per Visa's).  Researching farms, farmers, land, growing season, water supply, climate concerns, etc.  Where will our future farm be?  Who are we post-grad school?  What will we do from here?

We have been loving Ecuador, it's lush lands, plentiful foods, and kind people.  From the coast to to the amazon, Ecuador changes greatly between.  We have based ourselves in Cuenca in a apartment that overlooks the Catedral Neuva... or the big church with blue domes.  It has been wonderful being in Cuenca for 2 weeks now.  High up in the Andes, where rolling hills of green surround you, and rivers roll through the city center.

We have walked to (little) Banos, hiked through Cajas, walked all over Cuenca itself, finding and discovering something new every day.  Looked at gardens, met people, got an apartment (best place is in the local newspaper... not online English advertisements).

At Cajas National Parque, walking around the lake by the Refugio.

(Llama in the background)

At the Pumamungo grounds, their garden, birds eye view

In Cuenca

Just a sample of the vegetables you find at the huge daily farmers markets (Mercados)

Cuenca.

View from our apartment.

Walking the garden at the Pumapungo gardens.