October 2015 - Page 2 of 2 - bbxmusic Ecuador

The Vilcabamba Survival Guide takes a new turn and a fresh look

This guide was created in 2009. It started as a unambitious web site, the aim of which was to share our own experience as gringos in Vilcabamba and help other expats find their way around the village. We had pages for restaurants, shops, hotels and for activities and tours. We also had a few pages on the surroundings, Loja city of course but also Zamora and Quinara. We also had a resources section with articles that we and others wrote as well as a journal that Anita Evans published while she was living here.

A lot of water has flown under the bridge and I, Pierre Volter, aka “Gringo al SUR”, have become more and more integrated in the Ecuadorian society due to a new lifestyle. My wife is from Loja and we have a little daughter, 2 1/2 at the time of this writing. She has kids of her own. they go to school. None of them speak any English. We spend a lot of time in Loja. Our friends are there. I got involved in some TV program on Ecotel TV. I go filming in the pueblos surrounding Loja. I attend meetings and conferences in Spanish. I meet with presidentes de junta parroquial and alcaldes. I started composing songs in Spanish and performed them live in Vilcabamba and Loja. My integration has gone from superficial to rather deep indeed.

I now see life rather differently from before and I want this site to reflect that. From just a resource for newcomers and people who are thinking of coming, I wish this site to contain a lot of information on what “real living” is in this part of the world and from an insider’s point of view that is. This will be the purpose of the new Living section in this guide. Of course the gringo al SUR documentaries are part of it but not all of it by any mean.

This guide will no longer be limited to Vilcabamba but will include as much as we can fit on the entire LOJA REGION and LOJA PROVINCE.

You too can be part of it

If you have a business, a commercial activity, a service, that would benefit from some good publicity, please do contact us. At a very reasonable cost we will include you and promote you.

If you are one of the (lucky) businesses that have been in the guide for years and there are many, I do hope that it has been of benefit to you and I wish it to remain that way. You may find that your info is not up-to-date and you may wish to refresh your presentation with a new photo, a change of phone number or web link or some change in the write up. Or you may wish to improve your visibility with a photo and a link on the front page. Please do contact us. We have very affordable options for you too.

Our offers go beyond mere conventional publicity. the impact of a well done small documentary with interviews, testimonies, good music and humor… has far more impact.

Gringo al SUR – Exploring the Loja province in Ecuador

English version

Versión Español AQUI

Gringo al SUR is a character that was created for a TV program on Ecotel television in Loja Ecuador. Loja is situated in the southern part of Ecuador hence his name “gringo al SUR”.

He is an expat from Belgium who embarks on a discovery trip around the Loja province and its numerous “pueblos”.

He likes talking to the people. He is very curious by nature and wants to know everything.

He is not scared of asking silly questions and make people laugh.
His ambition is to help the people living here rediscover the beauty of their own country and province, to show them things from the perspective of an outsider..

Follow him on bbxmusic.com and www.gringoalsur.com

Living in the Loja province of Ecuador

Gringo al SUR on Ecotel TV in Loja Ecuador

So you made it to Vilcabamba or Malacatos or the city of Loja or some other place in the south of Ecuador. Congratulations and welcome!!

But what is it really to be LIVING here as opposed to visiting or spending time with other expats drinking beer and eating pizzas which in my view is not really the epitome of what I call “integration”?

In this section of our seekvilcabamba.com web site, we will focus on just that. I am very well positioned to embark on the project of filling up these new web pages. I am from Belgium, I have been living here for 6 years. I speak very good Spanish now and most importantly I have an Ecuadorian family. I am the happy father of a 2 year old, half Ecuadorian half European. My partner has two kids of her own. So my “integration” is total.

In January this year, with a friend of mine who owns a TV program called “Video Show” on Ecotel TV in Loja, we created a character named “Gringo al SUR” and so I became a reporter. I go with my cameraman explore everything in the beautiful south of Ecuador. I talk to people, try to understand their culture, watch what they do for a living etc… So far I have filmed and edited 7 episodes of the program. More information on this topic on the Gringo al SUR page here.

This is only the beginning. The task is immense as the Loja province has so much to offer and let’s not even mention the rest of Ecuador. There will be much to write and I will be seeking help from other people who are living here and have something to say. Please contact us from the contact page on this site and I will be more than happy to include your contribution in this web site.

For now, please enjoy the episodes of Gringo al SUR which are on Youtube and can also be found HERE. They are in Spanish. Of course, English subtitles will be more than welcome, another task ahead. Contact me if you want to help.

To be continued ….

GRINGO AL SUR