Loja is a city and it is obvious that classifying Loja under Vilcabamba's "neighbouring
towns" is to be taken with a smile. In the context of this "Vilcacentric" web site,
this is where we want Loja to be, at least for now.
Someone once told me when I first got here in Ecuador that all the junk, surplus
stock, left over stuff from America ends up in Ecuador. I am kind of inclined to
agree with this.
Loja is like a big flea market: locally made goods are great, anything that is not
locally made is …….. I’ve seen OLD manual typewriters for sale, something that you
stopped being able to buy in New Zealand probably 20 years ago. I’ve seen
CD walkmans for sale, again something that you can no longer buy in New Zealand.
Is this good or bad? I think it is good that Ecuador is behind the rest of the world,
otherwise we wouldn’t be coming here to live as it would be as controlled as our
home lands. It also helps you break the shopping addiction (if you have one) as
you just don’t want to shop here unless it is for local products or unless you absolutely
need something!
Having said that, I need to add that Loja is a place that one discovers little by
little, not at once. I have a great time when I go to Loja because I like to stick
my nose into new places and talk to strangers although my mother always told me
not to :-) There are some real jewels in Loja but it takes time and determination
to find them. For example, it is only 6 months after we emigrated to Vilcabamba
that I discovered a state of the art ceramic factory where you can buy incredible
diner sets and other things at incredibly low prices..
Read on...
Zamora