Anybody living in Vilcabamba or Loja?

Thank you Susan F. Anyone have recommendations for Must See or Must Do while in Vil and Loja?

En la ciudad de Loja es una ciudad tranquila , yo vivo en catamayo un pueblo de loja calido y tranquilo, muy bonito, encuanto a las serpientes muy poco no hay peligro, aui ien una familia de usa tienen su casa y gallinas etc.

Gracias. I will look for you little town when we are on the road. Perhaps we will stop and walk around a bit.

nick497777,

I am also looking into Loja and I will definitely check out that community, Catamayo.

Thank you for the information,
Mary

I just found out by a reliable sources that lives in Loja that Malacatos is a party town. That's good if not good depending on various factors.  Vilca is a New Age town, Zaruma seems good but kinda outta the way to reach others, so Loja seems the most likely choice in that area for me. We will be there  Jan 31 to Feb 10, 2015.  You can email me afterwards for my assessment at  [email protected]

aterosin y MByerly
Hola seria un placer que nos visiten y poder compartir un hermoso día en el campo, tenemos una granja agrícola cerca de donde vivimos, cualquier información podría darme su correo por mensaje privado por favor, este es mi correo [email protected], disculpe pero no me deja este sistema enviar mensajes privados, por eso le envié por aqui.

Hi nike497777,

As this is the anglophone forum could you please post in English?

Thanks
Armand
Expat.com Team

Muchas gracias! Nosotros (4 de nosotros) estaremos llegando al sur de Cuenca el 18 de octubre (provisional) en dirección a Loja. Mi correo electrónico es [email protected]. Vamos a correo electrónico por algunos detalles, así que sé dónde conseguir junto a la autopista 35 para encontrarte. Gracias!

Sorry ARmand, I saw your post after this...

nike49: your email did not work. Please try mine

I am a retired Canadian pensioner so to speak (will never retire) . I want to move to Ecuador to live in Loja, Vilcabamba, or Cuenca.At least that where my research to date has led me.I am a Global Agro-Ecology/Permaculture Consultant. I scientifically design, innovative, hyper abundant, organic/natural food production systems and self sustaining communities.

I am hoping to find a nice comfortable spacious secure casa on a piece of property owned by Ecuadorians or expats. In exchange for designing building and maintaining their own self sustaining organic garden. If I cant find that I will settle for an apartment in a casa or apartment block in the interim.

I am hoping to found, design and build an Agro-Ecology Research Institute, Demonstration, Educational Center & Extension Services. I have the model infrastructure laid out And have a auto cad drawing to build an intentional community from several to dozens of homes should it be possible to pursue that intentional community concept.

And perhaps work with a bio chemists and poorer farmers/or more affluent party interested  to make a medicinal plantation plant to produce a line of organic health nutritional/medicinal products to sell country wide and export into neighboring countries. Products

Any comments ideas or suggestion are sincerely appreciated. However I am 67 and well educated so dont need suggestion like contact government universities etc. However potential personal like minded people would be of interest.

Aterosin, I only have friends who know much about Loja, but in Vilca, I suggest you might go for a spa day - there are plenty of them in Vilca! Spend time walking the streets of the town and getting used to the laid back vibe. Also, you might want to hike up Mandango with a guide or walk in the outlying areas with a guide who can explain the local flora and fauna.

In truth, many people prefer places with more things to do. But, for me, I prefer a quieter life gardening and working in the house more than I do hanging out in towns. I have some friends who are in the process of moving to Loja from El Salvador where they previously lived on a beach. They have chosen Loja because it has so much to do there. It all sort of depends on who you are and what you prefer to do.

Hi Everyone, I just returned from my month (too short) driving around EC. GYE, Cuenca, Loja, Vil, Machala, GYE, The Beaches up to Canoa, Bahia, Quevedo, Latacunga, Ambata, Banos, Puyo, Tena, Ambato, Guaranda, Salinas de Guraranda, Chimborazo, Riobamba, Chambo, Guamote, Incapurcca, Cuenca, GYE.
Whew!
We like the temperate climate of Vilcabamba and did a 2-3 hour hike all over town.
My only regret is that I couldn't meet with Nike497777. Big disappointment due to schedules.
Thanks for all your input on our itinerary. We had a great time (3rd visit) and are looking forward to our future in EC.

Hello Joseph,

Just read your reply to 'whatz up in Loja' from 18 months ago. Nicely done and very informative. It sounds very much like what I am looking for. Although I have been an expat for many years housing was always arranged up front by the local dealer or agent. So finding temporary place is of concern. 'Temporary' from landing to receiving my resident Visa (6 to 9 months). My second and final concern is breathing at 6,800'. I have had COPD (diagnosed in 2008) but has been improving since 2012. My breathing Doctora (F) is just what this stubborn old Mc needs she is with me but shows no love ... lol. She claims IF I do as told that 6,800' will be no problem. A little gizmo they clamp on your finger tells the story. It reads the % of oxygen in your blood via the cuticle. It has been as low as 88% (while sick in the hospital) but has slowly climbed up ward. First office visit it was 92% and three years is 96%. The 'Bull Dog' is shooting for 98%.

Can you think of any way start the search a week or two before I arrive? An ad in the local news paper? Or 100 well placed fliers distributed by the employees at the hostel I plan to stay at. Paying a finders fee. Thoughts, ideas or suggestions greatly appreciated.

I hope to arrive the first week of August 2015. I will be traveling light and looking for a small studio or 1 BR furnished apartment. A room in a home with bath and kitchen privileges would also be acceptable.

How long have you lived in Loja? What type of Visa? Anything new in the past 18 months?

Regards, Tom (never used - all but one in México calls me 'Che' short for José [Joseph] or Chema short for José Maria [my conformation name] and since I turned 55 the call me Don Chema / Chemom / Chemari / or / or. They spin it dozens of ways.

Keltic Tom wrote:

final concern is breathing at 6,800'. I have had COPD (diagnosed in 2008)...My breathing Doctora is just what this stubborn old Mc needs she is with me but shows no love....She claims IF I do as told that 6,800' will be no problem. A little gizmo they clamp on your finger tells the story. It reads the % of oxygen in your blood via the cuticle. It has been as low as 88% (while sick in the hospital) but has slowly climbed up ward. First office visit it was 92% and three years is 96%.

I hope to arrive the first week of August 2015.

Tom, at your age of 72 and having shared that you experienced breathing problems above 3,500' in the USA, I don't know why you're fixated on Loja.  Or why you'd be willing to obsess about this for another ten months, when the whole EC coast -- at sea level -- is open to you.

What if you get sick again at altitude the first month, which is bound to be a stressful time for you regardless....  Do you really want to be stuck at almost 7,000' and breathing hard, when you could have been relaxing with a marguerita at the beach....

You're planning a new life.  You don't have to be a "stubborn old Mc" any more.

Wishing you good health...

cccmedia, Quito

Keltic Tom wrote:

housing was always arranged up front by the local dealer or agent....

Can you think of any way start the search a week or two before I arrive? An ad in the local news paper? Or 100 well placed fliers distributed by the employees at the hostel I plan to stay at. Paying a finders fee.

When you get to Ecuador, Tom, whether it's Loja, the coast or Jipijapa, look in the local papers for rental ads...and ask around on the ground in neighborhood(s) that interest you.  When you have some leads from the ads or decide on areas of interest you can ask a taxista to take you around for part of a day on an hourly rate. 

I don't think that expecting landlords to track you down off a flyer "distributed by the employees at the hostel" is the best idea.   "Tampoco": a finder's fee should not be necessary.

cccmedia, Quito

Is there a large population of expats in Loja? Is the group official or non official? How many expats are there? Who might be the longest living expat in Loja?

Regards ... Tom   aka   Don Chema

Keltic Tom wrote:

Who might be the longest living expat in Loja?

Really, Tom...really...this is the sort of question you're focusing on, concerning your decision to move to Loja, Ecuador, at almost 7K altitude....

Face the realities.

You'll be coming to Ecuador next year at age 73 along with the breathing monitor prescribed by your specialist after you had breathing difficulties above 3,500 feet altitude in the U.S. a few years back.

You've been living in San Antonio, Texas, altitude 772 feet.

Can you or your doctor say with confidence that you'll be OK shifting your home from that lowlands city to the Ecuadorian highlands, the altitude well above even the Mile-High City of Denver....

I don't think so.

Do we need to do an online intervention to persuade you to do the sane, healthy, right thing -- move to an altitude appropriate to your age and health issues....

Wishing you good health and clear thinking,

cccmedia in Quito

Please save your ink. Your sir are rubbing me the wrong way.

Don Chema

Again CCC has good advice. Loja is I believe 2 to 3 hours over land from Cuenca. No 911. No life flight helicopters. Am not surprised that your COPD has improved in Texas and would be exacerbated at the elevation cited. Likely you would have a lot less energy. If you really are that "stubborn" (your words) and need a Bull Dog doctor to make you tow the line with regards to your health I can understand why there is no love lost. On another thread you mentioned smoking pot. What about cigarettes? Did you? How many years? If you subscribe to the eat, drink and be merry philosophy I can assure you that COPD is not a pleasant way to go. What if there are no Bull Dog doctors in EC?

If you do go to EC some of the things you might consider researching would be places with decent medical care at lower elevations. Even in some of the smaller coastal cities (Manta, Salinas) the medical care is reported to be primitive. Another thing to consider is medical insurance. There is great disparity in the quality of care between public and private health care in EC.

Also you might consider buying your own "gizmo" and learn the translation for pulse oximeter . Maybe they are not available where you ultimately light. That you know Spanish is a big help should you get a doctor or end up in an ER. It actually has nothing to do with your cuticle rather it is an infrared reading of blood oxygenation ( should be  100%) based on what flows through your fingertips. A similar technology exists for diabetics to monitor blood sugar and for years has been available for home monitoring

Don't mean to be a wet blanket but CCC is right about facing reality. There are ways it could be done. Maybe Guayquil, which doesn't sound like a particularly pleasant place either. Breathing in that kind of humidity would also be difficult. You spoke fondly of your time in Mexico and Southern CA. Is that still possible?

My 2 cents. None of my business but ....

sfd

So my first question is why anyone would pick Loja or Vilcabamba....
my first impressions, based on my brief stint in the area include
- nothing attracted me to Loja. But others may feel differently. My focus was on Vilcabamba because of the legendary long livelihood of locals.
- I only stayed in Vilcabamba for a week. Stayed by the market by the bus terminal the first night, $6 a night. The German expat staying in the same place I met made ersatz jewellery for the market sale on the weekend then retreated to his finca in the mountains
- then I relocated to a very nice spot, $15 per night. Lady at the same place was planning to buy property and build nearby. She spoke no Spanish. I wished her luck...
- highlights for me:nice pizza spot, great coffee place by American expats, horse ride into Podocarpus Parque ($40, sore ass not included)
- encountered 2 hippies from Slocan Valley, B C who had relocated permanently after liquidating in Canada to start new life in Vilcabamba.
- weather perfect in this small town, be careful ladrones ( thiefs) if you want to hike on your own.
Bueno suerte

Lighten up, man. Could save your life...just sayin'

One of the greatest scenes in "The Sopranos," one of the greatest TV series, had mob wife Carmela Soprano talking to a psychiatrist about her husband and what he did.  Amid her angst about Tony and how his life is affecting her and the kids, she begins to rationalise to the psychiatrist....
The doctor stops her in mid-sentence (and) advises her to take the children and leave Tony immediately.  She begins to protest...

The psychiatrist ends the session, and her denial, by saying: "One thing you can never say is that you haven't been told."

--  Jeff Buff, Poughkeepsie (N.Y.) Journal

Agree with the advice cccmedia has offered, but having a laissez faire mentality, and respecting Tom's right to do as he pleases (good or bad), will offer this link just for you Tom. Might be what you are looking for.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3151782?s=m9Ue

Would it be possible to try it out say for a month's vacation?

A couple of friends of mine just spent almost a month at this place and loved it!

Hello Randy and Natilia,

Have you moved to Loja? How is your basic Spanish working out? The best way to learn is by making mistakes and being corrected. The people of Ecuador will appreciate your interest and trying. Some will be very helpful ... go for it!

Best of Luck.   Tom

Hi Tom,
You might enjoy this blog. These guys are living in a BIG city (Cuenca). His post might give you an idea of what life could be like with the altitude, difference in culture and more.
Good luck on your journey.

http://www.ecuadorgeorge.com

Hola, me puede dar mas información de Cata mayo, el clima durante el ánio, el costo de vida etc. comparativamente con Loja. Si Dios permite esperamos visitar en la primer semana de Feb 2015. Joe.  Muchas gracias
Hi, can you provide me with more info comparing Catamayo and Loja? Joe. Gracias

Joe GringoTino wrote:

Hi, can you provide me with more info comparing Catamayo and Loja?

Here's a possible "find" for GringoTino and other folks visiting the Catamayo-Loja area.  ("Cata" is about 11 miles west of Loja and evidently much smaller.)

Hosteria Quinta Montana has a large swimming pool, sauna and hot tub, and apparently is in a beautiful setting, with rates starting at $22 per night.

According to the listing at booking.com where they show over 20 photos, this hotel with cottages is three miles from Loja town center.

For Cata climate data, you'll probably have to check the weather websites for Loja numbers.

cccmedia, Quito

nike497777 wrote:

vivo en catamayo un pueblo...calido y tranquilo, muy bonito, encuanto a las serpientes muy poco no hay peligro.

OK, GringoTino, here's a comparison of Loja and Catamayo that may interest not only you but anyone concerned about the health effects of living at altitude;-)

The average altitude in Cata is 1,382 meters* or 4,534 feet -- meaning it's better than 2K lower than Loja's 6,750-foot altitude.

In case you didn't follow Nike-Sevens' post above, the translation is:
"I live in Catamayo, a warm and peaceful town, very pretty, don't encounter too many snakes, there's no danger."

* statistic provided by science and conservation news website mongabay.com

cccmedia in Quito

Nike49 lives in Catamayo....

And if you're still paying attention, GringoTino...

just found a population comparison:

Loja             181,000 (in 2010)

Catamayo     17,140 (from 2001 census)

(Stats courtesy of Wikipedia.)

For an aerial-type photo of Cata, see:
en.wikipedia.org(forward-slash)wiki(forward-slash)catamayo

cccmedia in Quito

There I was today, GringoTino, taking the long taxi ride (almost an hour in the rain today from El Centro) to the U.S. Embassy here in Quito to get some notary endorsements*, and I so I got to spend some quality time with my taxista, who is from the Loja-Catamayo area.

He said there's plenty of transportation between the two places (11 miles apart) with buses going by every ten minutes.

He said he thinks the population in Cata is down significantly since that 2001 census number, and there may be only 10,000 living there now.  The reason, in his opinion:  lack of jobs in the pueblo.  Folks there have been moving to Loja, Cuenca and other cities.

He agreed with Sevens' report that there are a lot of chickens walking around in Catamayo.

cccmedia in Quito

* The U.S. Embassy is technically on U.S.A. soil, so apparently is the only place where U.S. passport holders can get a valid U.S. notary endorsement in the EC capital.

Are there any expats with years of living in Loja and still there?

Looking for up to date information.

Regards ... Tom

Hi, Tom

I am in Vicabama right now. Apparently there is Facebook group called Vilca people... And one more, not sure what it is called... Loja is 40 minutes drive, everyone now and then goes there.. May be contacting Facebook group could be helpful?

Hola TOm :

I live in Quito for three years and know the country and Loja quite well. Or so I thought.

Here's my experience --I was in Loja last week simply to look for living accommodation for January -- I am flexible and was looking for a rather simple apartment for one --somewhat away from el centro. Not a high maintenance person  and .I have applied for work in the area.  First, have you been to Ecuador?   I accept Ecuador as part of the developing world.  It is not, in many places "set up" for people to arrive with expectations of first world accommodation and lifestyle.  Loja is one of those places and I have spent a month previously "looking" around on three occasions--- with January looming around the corner, I was apartment hunting ONLY and came up totally EMPTY.  I was very surprised but think now I have a grasp on this city's development and where it is right now ... 

If you are thinking about coming here to do the same search. here are some facts -- from just last week.

#1 I had paid someone ( $40. ) to help me but she had only ONE UNFINISHED apartment to show me in two and one half days . It was rather pitiful as she is Ecuadorian and referred to me as very connected as a Lojana in the community. SO there was lots of chit chat but zero delivered.
#2  My last day there after meeting a gringo referred to me from friends in CUenca ---living in Loja  for almost a year, he reinforced all of my perceptions over breakfast.  It is a tough place to find a place to live, he told me and took him several months, and perceptions of foreigners are different in the SOuth than from Cuenca (very gringoized) or QUito, a city used to foreigners for many years.

#3 Loja is no longer a place I am considering for me.  I am happy I did the due diligence I did and it was very much a discovery process.  THe city will not work for me and I found another share place outside CUenca where i know quite a few people and have work options too.. I am single in this country  And I recommend you totally see for yourself and take whatever time it takes to do that. 

More anecdotal info for you:
Loja  is a small, poor city in the South Andes of the country with a rich culture and tradition. Great place to visit and enjoy but there are reports of lots of unemployment and domestic violence from savvy friends in QUito, I am a psychologist and understand that probably means there is a lot of social change and poverty in this area. For example if you know a small city in SPain around the same population,--200K  Loja is similar. Rather old world, traditional and pretty conservative agricultural roots and in five more years, they may get it right . Things are changing.  August 2014  I visited one week walked around, and talked with locals, and some of the few gringoes I could find in Loja.  Loja is a very unfinished piece of work and you have to do due diiligence and see for yourself if it is what you want and perceive your future to be in Ecuador.             j

Hope this helps you out, Tom.

Sue in Quito

Forgot to add --local Facebook groups may be very helpful, Tom. There is QUito local Gringo FB group that is fun.  Sorry I don't use social media and don't know any but you can probably find one for Loja ( Loja is nothing like Vilcabamba nearby -- Loja is the area market town, you could say.)

Suerte, .
sue

Exellent post on Loja from Sue
Vilcabamba is a total countryside. I just rented a place for a few months..but actually getting a sixth sense feeling that foreigners are not that welcome... Met a number of nice, talented people from us, russia, ukraine.. Very nice people..

OGA: 
Thanks for your compliment -- and your remarks further on Vilcabamba.

From what I know from expats formerly living in Vilcabamba, foreigners are not welcomed but tolerated and very poorly understood--your 6th sense is very right-on correct.  6th sense is for learning, in culturally different, very settled country communities all over the world,like you point out.

The best behaviours you can exhibit are to listen and learn from others you trust and be respectful as this valley is ancient and special to Ecuadoreans...and they have been threatened by this "takeover" -- I have seen this in even the 3 years I have been around this country -- and the inmigrants has grown and grown -- buying and building gated places unknown to the simple Ecuadoreans.  I may be overstating this but you get the general idea.
Anyway, we all have to learn a lot about the general community feel for the onslaught of population this beautiful little valley has endured for the past 10 years , maybe more --U.S. or European "political correctness" and types of people, drug users, hippies originally settlers some of them --  who the locals perceive as interlopers in their sacred space for centuries. ( which we are!!).  We have different cultural values and motivations, one from another that Ecuadoreans always question ( even here in big, fairly tolerant Quito).  SO you learn  to appreciate and have respect for this country's people all over Ecuador -- develop patience,  LEARN THE LANGUAGE IN YOUR OWN time and style and learn to keep an open mind , take it easy and enjoy...!  These attitudes have changed my life in my time here -- attitudes are a critical part and important secret to making it better for Ecuadoreans and all of us expats

GOne on long enough.  sue in quito
Suerte, sue in Quito
.