Today was kick ass, in every positive sense of the expression! We slept in and independently managed to find our way to Loja’s centre square where we enjoyed the best breakfast we’ve had to date at Topoli Cafe. If you’re ever passing through Loja, you MUST GO THERE. It is owned by a lovely Iranian man, who came to Ecuador some 30+ years ago as a child. He speaks Farsi, English and Spanish. Here the girls were able to dig into some homemade waffles and I savoured an incredible cup of Loja cafe con leche. Joaquin met up with us after having to get his 4×4 oil changed; I gather all the ups and downs of the drive here were pretty hard on his ride!

With full bellies, we loaded up once again to make our way to Vilcabamba, situated at a slightly lower elevation around 1,700M. I was dying to see the town known for the longevity of its inhabitants, its tranquility and overall “chill” vibe. It did not disappoint! A quick 45 minutes drive south was all it took and we were all pretty fired up about this special place. We walked around the quiet centre square for a bit and then made our way to Hosteria Izhcayluma. On the recommendation of our friend Alli who had raved when she was here last fall, I knew a stay here was an absolute priority. And, Oh. My. Gosh. We’ve officially found heaven on earth and it’s right here, in Ecuador!

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Beautiful church in Vilcabamba.

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Gorgeous view from the drive up here. 

Izhcayluma is a place where you leave all your stress behind. I know this, because the sign told me so.

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As a good little Capricorn, I shall obey the sign. 

It is a series of little casitas built into the hillside with unsurpassed views of the town below, and obvious care was taken to ensure the natural environment was both left unspoiled and also highlighted in every way possible. For $59/night, our family is enjoying a room with bunk beds, a queen for us, a gorgeous bathroom with a walk-in, stone-covered shower and a hammock on the deck. There is yoga in the mornings, a beautiful pool and we’ve already enjoyed a game of chess with the over-sized pieces in the games area. Incidentally, the Gamer beat me. Actually, she walloped me!

It is a series of little casitas built into the hillside with unsurpassed views of the town below, and obvious care was taken to ensure the natural environment was both left unspoiled and also highlighted in every way possible. For $59/night, our family is enjoying a room with bunk beds, a queen for us, a gorgeous bathroom with a walk-in, stone-covered shower and a hammock on the deck. There is yoga in the mornings, a beautiful pool and we’ve already enjoyed a game of chess with the over-sized pieces in the games area. Incidentally, the Gamer beat me. Actually, she walloped me!

And as one would expect with any establishment run by Germans, it’s impeccably clean and well-organized. Honestly, if you come to Ecuador and DON’T stop here, well, you suck. Like seriously SUCK.

After all the gushing and oohing and ahhing over this place, we debated whether or not we should stay 2 nights or 3. We are leaning towards 3 as there simply is too much heavenly exploration to tackle and a whole lotta nothing to do. Eventually, we found one of the trails and did our first family “hike” — though this is a strong word, because it was more like a little walk if you ask me, ha ha. Alvi wasn’t sure he was up for it, but we convinced him it wouldn’t be far and the views would be incredible. It was all that and more. Every few feet we would stop and marvel at some of the plant life — orchid species of all kinds, just as an example — or take note of the crazy insects they have here. Wild limes, eucalyptus, mandarin oranges were everywhere. We even shook Piper out of her comfort zone by busting through a barbed wire fence so that we could see where the road would lead. (Piper is NOT a rule breaker, which we are naturally quite fine with; but convincing her to go off the beaten path sometimes takes serious effort!)

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A much cooler climate here in the mountains.

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Everywhere we looked, there was beauty.

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I cannot tell a lie. Kids were hankering for the wifi. Lord have mercy.

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Sweet little birds hanging around the reception area.

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Cool flowers discovered along the way.

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Joaquin took great pride in teaching us about the different plant species.

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Alvi captured the light shining on the mountains during our hike.

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Piper getting into the spirit of hiking.

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I think we might be looking at orchids here, that have not yet opened up. Joaquin????

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Bird of paradise, in their natural environment.

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A tangled mess of roots and cactus stems.

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Exploring everything.

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Niña #2

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Niña #1

Tonight’s sunset seemed as though it had been custom ordered for us. Even Alvi who is not one to dole out the compliments found himself in complete awe over the beauty. The mountains surrounding the valley were illuminated by the setting sun and as if on queue, a rainbow appeared. Like, really???! Everything was bathed in this reddish/pink hue and I found myself feeling overwhelmed with gratitude for life in general. Note: these pictures do not do what we saw any justice at all.

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The town of Vilcabamba below.

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Somebody ordered us a rainbow.

Tomorrow, Joaquin, Piper and I plan to tackle a 5-hour hike up to this sharp rock ridge, while Saffy and Alvi will go horse-back riding to a waterfall area, where, apparently, they can also swim! I promised Pipe if she came with us that she and I would horse-back ride the following day. She needs to do this, especially if she expects to handle Machu Picchu. Well, that is all for now. We miss everyone a tonne.