Vilcabamba, Ecuador: The Raw Food Valley of Longevity.. Some raw food friends of mine recently moved to Vilcabamba, known to many as the “Valley of Longevity,” and after years of hearing about the place (especially after Mike Adams, Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes moved there), I decided to finally go for a visit and check it out for myself. The main road entering Vilcabamba, Ecuador aka The Valley of Longevity. My boyfriend and I spent 2. Vilcabamba. We stayed at the Meditation Center in town for the first 2 weeks until we found a furnished house available for short- term rent. We found a place with gorgeous mountain views and a lot of space (2 bedrooms, an office loft, 2 full bathrooms, a large living area and kitchen) for $9. USD per month. It was less than a 1. This was perfect for us because we didn’t want a car and we could easily walk to town and buy whatever we needed. Our home for 2 months. This was our main goal in renting a house for 2 months – to take a break from all the traveling we’d done through Costa Rica, Guatemala and South America, and to have some quiet time surrounded by nature to fast and rest. What better place to do a detox than in the Valley of Longevity itself? My first meal (pureed cucumber) after water fasting for 2.
You will definitely notice a weird vibe when you arrive to town. It’s a small place, everyone knows each other, and clearly you are the newcomer when you get there. We experienced a lot of long uncomfortable stares from the local “gringos”, to the point where we even googled something like “why is everyone so weird in Vilcabamba” and we actually had a good laugh when we read several travel blogs that reported having the same experience as us. There is definitely a lot of conspiracy theory talk going around about. It’s almost impossible not to overhear at least one major conspiracy theory conversation per day, especially if you go the the Juice Factory, the main hang- out in the town square where all the gringos converge for a juice, smoothie, salad or the ongoing end- of- the- word discussion. I even heard a story about how the Jesus on the cross was fake, and that the real Jesus was hiding under a pyramid in Egypt? It could be true! Odd conversations aside, the Juice Factory has an awesome juice, wheatgrass and smoothie menu! Admittedly we were a bit disappointed over the lack of normalcy in the people we met. It didn’t take us long to start keeping to ourselves, putting our energy into our preparations for fasting and trying to be friendly as much as we could. Rabbi Gabriel Cousens M.D., M.D.(H.), N.D.(h.c.), D.D., Diplomate Ayurveda, Diplomate American Board of Holistic Medicine Gabriel Cousens. Over the course of 2. My best advice in experiencing Vilca is to have an open mind and be patient. There are some really cool people living there; it just might take a bit of time to find them. People aside, there are a few key practical things that bring expats to Vilcabamba to live. One is the cheap cost of living. Most people are renting houses for about $3. Our house was considered to be very expensive, but we wanted to be in a gated community for safety and security. BY KEVIN & ANNMARIE GIANNI Over 50 Delicious Fresh Juice Recipes Inside! The Healthy Way.The other main attraction is the ability to grow your own organic food because there is plenty of land and plenty of water. There are also some people looking to live in a healthy and natural healing environment with a strong sense of community, and although it’s not fully there yet, this movement in Vilcabamba is definitely growing. And many people just want to be “away from it all,” living as far away as possible from the television, media, and “Big Brother” feeling in the Western world. A 5- star view from our veranda, in Vilcabamba Ecuador. That’s the short of it. Here’s my full list of the Pros and Cons of Vilcabamba: Vilcabamba, Ecuador: Pros. Affordable Organic Food. This was a main attraction for me. Every Saturday there is a great organic market run by Kitzia Kokopelmana where you can find all kinds of fruits, veggies and greens at fantastic prices. Of course, if you stay longer, you would have the option to grow your own. There are many expats selling non- GMO seeds and swapping crops with each other. Organic produce from Kitzia’s weekly market in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. Affordable Housing. There are many options available. Check the notice board at the Juice Factory for postings. We also really enjoyed staying at the Meditation Center in town; it has a great outdoor kitchen and very clean rooms. Bernie, the owner, is a really nice guy and he also happens to be a real estate agent in case you are looking for a home to buy! Nice locals. The Ecuadorian people are very sweet and we really enjoyed speaking our broken Spanish when we could. International delivery is ok. I met some people who ordered supplements from Vitacost and everything seemed to arrive ok. I had a few packages sent from USA that arrived safely (it does take longer than other places, up to 3 weeks for airmail). This becomes very important when you actually decide to live in a place. Relatively Safe. More on this below, but for the most part when comparing to Central America or Colombia, I would consider Ecuador to be much more politically stable and crime- wise a safer choice. Mountain views, rainbows, peaceful feeling. Aren’t we all hoping for more of that in life? Nice rainbow view from our house in Vilcabamba Ecuador. Good climate. It’s not too hot or too cold year- round. You don’t need air- conditioning or heat and that means more fresh mountain air and negative ions for your health! Easy to Get Residency. If you have $2. 5,0. USD in an Ecuadorian bank or the equivalent value in property in Ecuador, you can apply for a resident visa and stay permanently. There seems to be a lots of hoops and paperwork to make this happen, but many people succeed and it’s certainly a reason why a lot of expats move to Ecuador. Many Interesting Activities. Check the notice boards and ask around; you’ll quickly see that there are a lot of good workshops and activities being offered on everything from energy healing to women’s circles to essential oil lessons and much more. Vilcabamba, Ecuador: Cons. Slow internet. This is true for all of Vilcabamba and can really be a problem if you work online (like me!). Expensive Internet. We were shocked how much we paid for a few mice to spin us a connection. Household items are Very Expensive. Things like pillows, sheets, kitchenware, plastic bins, shower curtains, etc. We were really shocked to see this because everyone told us how cheap it was! A plastic bucket could easily cost $5 or $6. That really adds up when you are buying for an entire home! Superfoods and Supplements are Extremely Expensive. So much for the cheap cost of living! Once you get outside of the inexpensive rent, things can start to become expensive in Ecuador. While some superfoods and herbal supplements are available at the Juice Factory, they are really expensive, up to 3x the normal price. Your best bargain at the Juice Factory is the green juice shot made from wheatgrass, kale, parsley, fennel, celery and whatever other local organic greens are in season. Dennis, the owner of the Juice Factory, is a super- nice guy and very helpful by the way. It’s simply difficult to find a good source of organic raw nuts, seeds and dried basic raw food essentials. Difficult to Find Work/Make Money. This is really a problem for a lot of gringos that don’t have an outside source of income. We saw many people trying to sell homemade raw food cookies, cakes and chocolates and hippie jewelry as a way to make money. The high cost of raw food ingredients makes the profit margin for food very low. Your best bet is to arrive with money or have a way to make money outside of Ecuador. The town’s main square in Vilcabamba, Ecuador. That can be a pro or a con depending on the individual! It’s a 1- hour drive to the nearest town, Loja, where you can find a large supermarket and the bigger shops. In Vilcabamba itself, there is really nothing but a few cafes and small shops selling essential items. Not much to do in downtown Vilcabamba. Weird- vibes from certain Expat Locals can bring you down. As with any small town, there is a lot of gossip, rumors and even jealousy between gringos. This has a lot to do with #6 (isolated). If you’re prepared for this, you will be fine! Increase in local crime, break- ins and robberies. This goes slightly against #5 of the Pros, but there I compare Ecuador to other countries in Central and South America. You are not likely to get robbed at gunpoint in Vilcabamba, and that is re- assuring. But, burglaries are on the rise. We heard of many break- ins while we were there; most occured while the residents were out to dinner and usually laptops, electronics and cash were stolen. Just before we arrived, there were at least 2 Western women who had been raped (in different incidents). It’s important to be careful. This is one of the main reasons why we chose to pay more money to live in a gated community. Definitely look at the security of your house before you decide to rent. Vilcabamba can still be a great place to live and a positive experience as long as you stay street- smart and take advantage of all the good things it has to offer. A lot of people ask me what I thought about Vilcabamba. Many young raw food, vegan and vegetarian couples and families consider moving there because of the ability to live relatively cheaply and still have access to organic food (most of the health- oriented people in Vilcabamba grow their own vegetables, fruits and greens). It’s not easy to describe my experience to others because everyone has different expectations when they travel to a new country to start a new life. The house had a main living area, 2 separate bedrooms and an upstairs office/loft. Quiet bedroom and lots of nature, ideal for a long water fast. Great place for meditation or yoga as well! I really liked Vilcabamba for the few months that I was there, but long- term, I don’t think it’s the place for me, at least not at this stage in my life.
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