Paradise found!

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The harrowing bus drive that took us to Loja from Cuenca is indescribable. There were parts where the narrow road could only hold 1 vehicle, yet we were facing another bus! (It was the other bus that backed up to let us by...) And these roads (actually the Pam-Am highway!) have no shoulder, let alone guard rails! Winding slowly through the Andes, the autobus worked the switchbacks up to 11-12,000 feet, above the tree line as we looked down at the river below. Then the bus would meander down to the river bottom before heading up and around the next mountain. Holy Moly! But the vistas were breathtaking and the bus at least had banos so no complaints here. Although the bus driver stopped and handed out "barf bags" and when the little girl to my right took one, breaking out into a sweat and began panting, I looked the other way and focused on the beauty instead. Halfway we stopped at a town called Saraguro. (We stopped frequently and in the middle of nowhere; persons would show up like a magic show, after trekking up or down the mountain to get to the road where the bus would be...the bus, their lifeline to the outside world..) The Saraguro are most recognized for wearing black ponchos & shawls, and both men and women wear their long black hair in one long braid down their back. And a black broadbrimmed hat to boot! Some hopped the bus there and I noticed the women also wore beautiful beaded necklaces. The story goes that they wear black in memory or in mourning of when Atahualpa, the Inca King, was murdered by the Spaniards back in 1533. So the story goes... In Saraguro, the church and other buildings are built with stones the Incas cut, carved and transported from Cusco. THAT'S A LONG TIME AGO! 148 miles...6 hours later we arrived in Loja so we could hop another bus to Vilcabamba, our destination.
Vilcabamba is known for its great balance of ions in its air & pure water & low key lifestyle resulting in astounding number of 100+ year old people whom they call "The Ancients". Whatever it is, the air I breathed did feel to be of deeper quality and the landscape, incredibly beautiful! Mountains all around the 4,900' town, the cash crop is sugarcane and when you walk by a sugarcane mill, the smell is notably sweet. The town is small having the main downtown area only 5 square blocks surrounding the common central plaza. There is a landmark mountain called Mundango, a quite challenging hike, and the Pedocarpus Nat'l Park is right outside town. Next trip we're planning on a 2 day horseback riding trip where you stay the night in a cabin. How fun does that sound! The weather here is fabulous! 70-80 degrees year round. Birds and butterflies galore! We woke up every morning to the sound of this black bird that had its mud nest in a nearby tree right off our terrace. The nest looked like a termite nest I saw last year in Belize; it is similar to a barn swallow nest but 3x larger. A favorite bird of mine looks like a robin but instead of a red breast, it is flaming orange including its wings. You really notice it when it flies- a blur of orange catching the corner of your eye. Oh, and the hummingbirds are numerous too! Sometimes you feel like you have to shoo them, and other times you are sitting over coffee and your eyes begin to adjust and you see them right there in the tree or bush next to you.
We stayed at Madre Tierra which has a spa, an organic garden in a lovely garden setting with waterfall ponds and pool. They served us breakfast and dinner offering us a meat and/or vegetarian entree. I really enjoyed their homemade (everything is homemade daily) multigrain bread, hummus, and aji hot sauce! ...The owner told Greg if we looked hard, we would see UFO's in the sky. They are known to like this area as well, I guess. Do you hear the Twilight Zone melody?
We continue to meet wonderful new friends to hang with for a matter of days or over a meal. What fun we're having!
We arrived back into Quito tonight, Friday, to catch some of the area around the capital we've previously missed. I hope to find an Evangelical Church for Easter...

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