Hiked yesterday through a nature reserve, ran by some dredded expats. It was beautiful, and then out of no where we hiked up to a "home."
This home was a giant stucco white beehive that looked like something out of star wars! Not really sure who lives there or why but thought it was interesting.
Also had an amazing smoothie from the "juice factory" though it was delicious, I did not feel like I was in Ecuador. From kale chips to vegan truffles, definitely more American than rural Ecuador.
So why!!? Why are so many people coming here and drawn to this place?
Potential reason number 1:
Vilcabamaba is called the valley of eternal youth and people here seem to live longer than others. In fact, the mascot of the town in an 100 year old man you can see around the square, and on all the " vilcagua bottles"
Potential Second Reason:
the "godfathers" of the raw food movement all live in giant mansions out of town, one even with its own water park! I even had a waiter from Vermont!?
Mark something or other is the main celeb here, but others soon followed in his footsteps.
Reflection:
" all who wander, are not lost"
Half of my travel memories have been the people I've met along the way and their stories. Some are searching for the unknown and themselves, others solely seeking adventure and a select group are those who have a vivaciousness and passion for life.
Lucky for me, I met most of these kind of individuals in Vilcabamba. To be inspired and truly blessed to be the presence of people you may only encounter once in your life is the most bittersweet of experiences.
Bitter, because it is only a moment, one snippet of time. Sweet, because these short seemly inconsequential moments have an enormous impact.
To share every story, every meaningful moment would take days, even years because there have been that many " ahh hah!" fist pumping moments. In fact, much of what I take away from this experience will not be the things I saw, but the people I met.
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