Ecuador Archives - bbxmusic Ecuador

Huaquillas Ecuador – right on the border with Peru

Español AQUI
Español AQUI NO es una traducción humana!

Content: Varadero Seafood Restaurant – L’Moned Hotel – La Habana Hotel and Restaurant

If you live in Loja, enjoy the sea and want to put your feet in the water without going too far, Jambeli is your best option.

Jambeli is actually not just an island, it is an archipelago, meaning it is a group of islands, just like the world famous Galapagos. One of the islands is also called Jambeli and that is where most tourists go. We have already published some information about the island of Jambeli on bbxmusic.com HERE.

However Jambeli is not the only island on the archipelago. This time I decided to take a look at Costa Rica which I had heard was also quite beautiful. While Jambeli is easily accessed from Machala, to access Costa Rica one best option is to go to Huaquillas. Below is an orientation map

Going to Huaquillas from Loja is easy by bus. I happen to be in Guayaquil, so I went straight from Guayaquil to Huaquillas. This took about 5 hours if I remember correctly.

Once in Huaquillas, all it takes is a short taxi ride to Puerto Hualtaco (I did it for $1 in a moto taxi, it is more fun).

And then take a boat to Costa Rica.

Well that was the plan anyway. There is just, I found out, a small problem. There ain’t no boat ! I was expecting something like Puerto Bolivar from where every hour a boat takes tourists to the island for $2 a head. Not so in Puerto Hualtaco. There is no such service. I was told that if you want to go to the island you have to charter one boat for the day which is what people do. They come in groups of 10 or more, pay something like $5 per person and spend the day. For one single person it is however not economical to pay $50 for a passage.

So I was stranded.

A bad situation in my opinion can most often than not be turned into a good or at least decent one if you have a bit of patience and some social skills. Ecuador is a brilliant country for that. My slogan would be “In Ecuador expect the unexpected”. I looked around and saw a nice looking place called Varadero, right on the port.

Varadero Puerto - Puerto Hualtaco - Huaquillas Ecuador — Varadero Puerto – Puerto Hualtaco – Huaquillas Ecuador

Varadero Puerto – Huaquillas – Fantastic seafood

It was about 11 AM, the owner was present and I introduced myself. I explained that I was interested in tourism and wanted to find a way to go to Costa Rica. His name is Dalton Otero and he is a very nice man. We ended up spending two hours together and I ended up eating some of the best seafood I had in Ecuador.

Dalton Otero - Varadero Puerto - Huaquillas — Dalton Otero – Varadero Puerto

He offered me some coffee which was excellent, strong the way I like it, and with this, some delicious appetizer. These were cups made out of platano verde stuffed with mushrooms in a garlic sauce.

His restaurant is quite stunning I must say, made out of a tasteful combination of bricks, stones, bamboo and straw, all open space and very bright. People can sit and enjoy watching the mangrove.

Varadero Puerto - By the mangrove — Assuming they can leave their phones

Well, assuming that they can put their phones away…

A couple from Guayaquil arrived while I was chatting with Dalton. They drove all the way from Guayaquil only to have lunch and then go back. That is about 5 hour drive each way. Impressive.

The food is equally impressive, simple, nothing complicated but all excellent and fresh. Below is a new creation of Dalton’s: raw fish in a sauce, avocado, olives.

Varadero Puerto - Simple and delicious — Varadero Puerto – Simple and delicious

Going to Costa Rica island

The president of the gobierno parroquial of Jambeli dropped by and joined us. He lives on the island and was just about to go back so he invited me to join him and also to stay on the island for the night. Just what I said earlier, a little bit of patience and things turn around. Not only did I get a delicious meal (for free, thank you Dalton) but now I was invited on a private tour by someone who knows the place in and out.

Miguel Cruz - Presidente del gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Parroquial Rural del archipiélago Jambelí — Miguel Cruz – Presidente del gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Parroquial Rural del archipiélago Jambelí

What happened next deserves an other article, so I shall leave Costa Rica for a little later. It was most interesting and Miguel is a very nice man indeed. I met his family and talked to several people on the island. All were warm, courteous and generous people. More on Costa Rica later.

For now and to finish this article, let’s go back to Huaquillas, where it all started. It is important because a person who wants to visit Costa Rica will most likely stay in Huaquillas at least for one night.

Staying and eating in Huaquillas

When I arrived in Huaquillas by bus from Guayaquil, my first thought was “Pierre, what have you done to yourself again?“. The place is not pretty by any standard, just one of the many concrete jungle towns that abound in Ecuador, even more so on the coast. Below is a typical street view.

Huaquillas Ecuador Street View — Huaquillas Ecuador – Street View

I was getting worried about finding some decent accommodation. The place was quite noisy, it was getting late, I was tired and had heavy bags and I did not want to run around town too much. I asked a moto taxi driver for a quiet place, meaning without a bar, a disco or something similar next door. He indicated me a hotel 100m from the Loja International bus terminal and that is where I stayed

Hotel L’Moned – Huaquillas

This hotel is basic, modern and clean. Rooms have hot water (and it works), Flat screen TV, good wifi, a small fridge. It is only a short stroll from the Loja International terminal, no need for a taxi.

What I liked most is that the hotel is not noisy because it is not right in the center and that the rooms have a modern almost completely silent air conditioning system. Most often than not one has the choice between not sleeping because it is too hot or not sleeping because the airco is too noisy.

Prices are reasonable at $22.80 per person not including breakfast (at the time of this writing Nov 2016).

One can see the Peruvian border from the hotel window. It is only a few hundred meters away.

Huaquillas Ecuador - Peru — Huaquillas Ecuador – right on the border with Peru

The lady at the reception is Peruvian and was friendly and helpful. She gave me some tips about going for a stroll in Peru, which is something that I wanted to do.

Going to Peru is just a matter of walking 10 minutes down the street and crossing a bridge. The place is absolutely packed. There is police but no border control. People just walk back and forth between the two countries. You can pay in dollars or you can change your dollars if you prefer.

You can buy clothes and shoes and alcohol. Clothes are supposedly cheaper in Peru. However I must say that all the T-shirts that I bought in Peru a few years ago are completely disintegrated today. So you have to be wary of the quality you get for your money.

Crossing the bridge to Peru, I had a look at the “river” and it was filthy. I understood why they call Loja an “ecological city”. It is all relative I guess.

The white herons did not seem to bother. They seem to like it dirty.

Where to eat in Huaquillas

I would definitely recommend going to Port Hualtaco to try the Varadero’s seafood. It is only a dollar away by moto taxi. See our comments above about the Varadero.

Hotel La Habana - Huaquillas Ecuador — Hotel Restaurant La Habana – Huaquillas Ecuador

However, if you want to stay in Huaquillas, I had a nice and inexpensive meal at hotel La Habana on the central square.

The hotel is nice, a little more expensive than the L’Moned, I would say one category up. I have not tried it so I won’t comment. I only tried the food and it was excellent and quickly served.

Comments

Do you wish to comment or share some experience? Please leave your message in the section below. You can also contact us through our web page here.

Subscribe to our newsletter

If you wish to be informed about what goes on at bbxmusic.com and receive quality information about Vilcabamba, the city of Loja and the entire Loja province in Ecuador, please do subscribe here.

#HechoConAmor #TodoLoja

GAS – Lo que se destaca en Ecuador – Gentileza

Versión Español

English HERE

(Gringo Al Sur – Nov 2016) Este es el primer relato de lo que espero serán muchos. Por favor, primero lea mi introducción AQUÍ para entender mejor el ángulo que deseo enseñar.

Puesto que soy una persona positiva, voy a empezar con lo positivo. Hay tantas cualidades positivas de este país que se podría escribir un libro sobre lo positivo. Este no es mi objetivo. Me gustaría dar algunos consejos y espero que la gente comente en la sección de abajo para compartir sus propias experiencias y puntos de vista.

Para aquellos que están buscando artículos de alta calidad recomiendo revisar los siguientes que contienen información sobre todos los aspectos de la cultura ecuatoriana. Visiten este sitio web everyculture.com mediante el siguiente enlace. Es el mejor análisis que he encontrado hasta ahora. Para las personas de habla hispana también se proporciona una traducción de Google.

https://bbxmusic.com/ecuador/es/link?l=http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Ecuador.html&plang=en

En lugar de escribir una larga lista de todo lo que creo que es correcto y otra lista de lo que creo que no es tan correcto, voy a proceder de forma incremental y descomponerlo en partes. En cada parte me limitaré a hablar solamente sobre uno de los temas.

Hoy hablare de la dulzura y la no agresividad.

Algo en los genes

Mi conclusión después de algunos años de haber estado inmerso en la cultura ecuatoriana es que hay un factor profundamente genético que hace que el pueblo ecuatoriano sea lo que es.

Mayoritariamente aquí las personas son “mestizas”, lo que significa (en Latina América) la mezcla de los españoles (europeos) con los indios (incas). No soy un experto en el tema pero creo que esto sería acertado acerca de los colombianos y los peruanos también. Sin embargo, debe haber algo específico sobre la mezcla ecuatoriana que hace que la gente sea muy linda.

Lo que quiero decir con “linda” es que son una raza gentil, amable, pacífica y fundamentalmente feliz. Por supuesto, la cultura juega un papel igualmente importante. Está más allá de mis habilidades hacer un análisis pertinente y preciso de cómo siglos de cultura podrían haber dirigido al pueblo Ecuatoriano a ser lo que hoy en día son. No soy más que un humilde observador, que hoy vive aquí y mi deseo es solamente compartir algunas de mis observaciones con otras personas que podrían considerar la posibilidad de vivir aquí y también con los propios ecuatorianos que a menudo no son conscientes de estos rasgos de su propia cultura.

Por supuesto, uno puede encontrar esta bondad natural con más facilidad en los pueblos que en las ciudades. Las ciudades son ciudades en cualquier parte del mundo, no se debe esperar la misma amabilidad de un taxista estresado en el centro de Quito o incluso de Loja que de un campesino tranquilo en medio de su huerto de bananos. La foto de abajo fue tomada recientemente en Mercadillo (Cantón Alamor – Provincia de Loja). Como habrá notado la dama no usa zapatos.

Para mejor comprensión, yo diría que en comparación con las personas de Norteamérica son totalmente lo opuesto y por las mismas razones, una combinación de la genética y la cultura. Son conflictivos, agresivos y generalmente infelices. Hablo en general, no hablo de nadie en particular. Uno sólo tiene que mirar la situación del mundo para ver quienes son los agresores. Una vez más, está más allá de mis habilidades y mi alcance para analizar las razones históricas de este fenómeno. Y antes de que la gente quiera estrangularme, permítanme decirles que los europeos y Australianos (Oz y NZ) no son mejores, sólo un poco diferente. De hecho, hay algo en el hombre blanco, en general, que lo hace fundamentalmente agresivo. Debe ser algo que ver con el ego.

Ecuador es un gran laboratorio de observación del comportamiento humano y Vilcabamba (o Cuenca) en particular debido a la alta presencia de personas emigrantes blancos. No puedo contar el número de historias en las cuales he sido involucrado, donde los expatriados simplemente no pueden llevarse bien. No tienden a luchar en las calles.

Ellos discuten mucho por mensajes de correo electrónico. En una ocasión fui lector de un grupo de yahoo llamado “ecuador expats”. Las conversaciones eran invariables y con facilidad los intercambios eran muy groseros. Hoy en día continua la misma situación a pesar de que ya no es muy activo parece ser que esta dando su último aliento, la mayoría de las personas se han trasladado a Facebook.

Facebook es lo mismo. Tenemos el Boletín Vilcabamba y Vilcabamba community. 99% de tiempo son tranquilos y educados, pero de vez en cuando estallan y la agresividad natural de la gente viene a plena luz. Nada es diferente.

los ecuatorianos son diferentes.

Su cultura es verbal más que escrita. Incluso los abogados no se comunican bien a través de mensajes de correo electrónico. La mejor y única manera eficaz de comunicarse con la gente es cara a cara y verbalmente. Confía en mí Yo sé de lo que estoy hablando.

Cara a cara, se encuentra esta bondad, la no agresividad de la que estoy hablando. Por supuesto son latinos, lo que significa caliente. Pueden hablar mucho, pueden mirarte enojados, pueden gritar. Sin embargo, esto no significa mucho generalmente. Las cosas a menudo se suelen solucionar después de que la sangre latina se haya enfriado un poco.

Yo personalmente prefiero esto a un rencor reprimido a sangre fría que las personas de diferentes culturas pueden exhibir. Naturalmente, es más saludable dejar salir el vapor y luego empezar de cero.

Incluso la policía

Tal vez nada revela más a cerca de un pueblo que la actitud de las autoridades del orden, en particular de la policía. Podría escribir muchas cosas positivas sobre la policía, otras negativas estoy seguro. Alguna persona que lea esto podría haber tenido alguna no muy buena experiencia.

Mi experiencia después de años de vivir aquí, y de nuevo resaltar mi tema principal, que es la no agresividad de la población ecuatoriana, es que todavía no he visto a un policía agrediendo a alguien. El otro día, tuvimos la oportunidad de charlar sobre este tema con dos policías y el teniente político de San Pedro mientras disfrutábamos de un jugo natural de maracuyá en el corredor delantero de mi casa.

GAS - Lo que es correcto sobre Ecuador - Gentileza — GAS – Lo que es correcto sobre Ecuador – Gentileza

Los tres fueron en todo momento muy amables, tranquilos y realmente tratan de ayudar. Parece que su lema “Proteger y Servir” no son sólo palabras vacías. Me explicaron que pueden portar armas, pero solamente se les permite utilizarlas en casos extremos. Compare esto con lo que leemos acerca de la policía norteamericana: disparar primero – hablar después.

Los niños sienten y los niños no mienten

Cuando los acompañamos a la salida espontáneamente sin que nadie se lo diga nuestra hija de 4 años agarró la mano del oficial para caminar. Los niños sienten y los niños no mienten.

Les pedí que me dieran una entrevista y parecieron contentos de tener la oportunidad de explicar la forma en que operan. Esto será muy pronto en bbxmusic.com.

Incluso en la carretera

¿Cómo conducen los ecuatorianos? Conducen rápido, no toman las señales muy en serio, pasan en la línea amarilla sólida, rebasan el vehículo en marcha rebasan otro vehículo en marcha, crean el tercer carril cuando hay sólo dos etc …

Sin embargo, a pesar de eso, no son conductores agresivos.

He visto un montón de conductores agresivos, en Europa, de donde soy y también en la tranquila Nueva Zelanda. La gente conduce lentamente a causa de las restricciones de velocidad y las cámaras ocultas. Sin embargo dada la oportunidad, pueden llegar a ser agresivos.

Solía conducir una motocicleta de 150cc en Nueva Zelanda y cada luz roja del semáforo era un estrés, porque como motociclista estaba haciendo lo que todos los motociclistas hacen trataba de ponerme en la parte delantera. Casi siempre en cuanto el semáforo cambiaba al verde, el primer coche arrancaba tan rápido como podía para evitar que yo vaya en primer lugar. Esta actitud era generalizada. Resolví el problema cambiando mi 150cc por una 900cc de Kawasaki y a partir de entonces ya me dejaron en paz 😉

En Ecuador, conduzco una moto de 250 cc, no es para nada rápida y lo que les mencionaba anteriormente nunca me ha pasado acá y cuando digo nunca me refiero a que ni una sola vez. La gente siempre me deja pasar. Es mucho más seguro para una moto estar en frente de los carros o alternativamente detrás de los carros, pero nunca en el medio de los carros.

Con respecto a los accidentes, no estoy en condiciones de proporcionar estadísticas, pero puedo decir que no he visto más accidentes en Ecuador que en los “límites de velocidad obsesionados” de Nueva Zelanda. Creo que la no agresividad inherente de la población ecuatoriana es un factor importante. Conducir rápido es una cosa, la conducción agresiva y enojada es otra.

No todo es perfecto

Existe la agresión en la sociedad ecuatoriana. La mayoría de ellos son delitos menores, robos. Vilcabamba ha tenido su parte. Todos somos conscientes de algunos ataques bastante brutales que tuvieron lugar aquí.

Ver https://bbxmusic.com/ecuador/es/prensa?p=44109

para más información sobre este tema

Sin embargo esto no es una reflexión sobre la cultura general. Son eventos aislados. Una vez es necesario mantener las cosas en perspectiva y comparar con el número de ataques mortales en sus países respectivos.

En pocas palabras, la gente es gente. Los seres humanos han sido siempre una especie agresiva. Ecuatorianos apenas parecen estar en la parte inferior de la escala. Yo nunca he estado en nuestro país vecino del norte, Colombia, pero me han contado que tienden a reaccionar de manera más agresiva ante los mismos estímulos. He estado en Perú dos veces y he observado la misma tendencia.

conclusión

Como siempre, mi conclusión es que no existe una conclusión y no hay necesidad de una. Me encanta vivir entre gente amable no agresiva. Si eres como yo y odias cualquier forma de agresividad, Ecuador puede ser tu lugar de elección. Este tipo de rasgo ecuatoriano yo diría que es el que más me gusta. Hay otros rasgos positivos que voy a revisar en las próximas partes de esta colección de artículos.

Ecuador - Gente dulce y tranquila — Ecuador – Gente dulce y tranquila

Manténganse al tanto.

SIGA GRINGO AL SUR EN FACEBOOK

Gringo al SUR - Living at the boundary between two worlds — Gringo al SUR

GAS – Lo que se destaca en Ecuador – Gentileza

Tags: Ecuador Loja Vilcabamba Cultura Extranjero Gringo

GAS – What is right about Ecuador – Gentleness

English version

Español AQUI

(Gringo al SUR – Nov 2016) This is the first write-up of what I hope will be many. Please do read my introduction first HERE to understand where I am coming from.

Since I am a positive kind of guy, let’s start with the positive. There is so much positive about this country that a book could be written on the positive alone. This is not my goal. I wish to give a few pointers and I hope that people will comment in the section below to share their own views and experience.

For those who want a high quality in-depth article about all aspects of the Ecuadorian culture I recommend to read this one from the web site everyculture.com using the link below. It is the best analysis that I have found so far. For Spanish speaking people a Google translation is also provided.

https://bbxmusic.com/ecuador/en/link?l=http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Ecuador.html&plang=en

Instead of writing a lengthy list of all that I believe is right and another list of what I believe is wrong, I will proceed incrementally and break it down in parts. In each part I will restrict myself to one and only one topic.

Today we talk about gentleness and non-aggressiveness.

something in the genes

My conclusion after years of being exposed to the Ecuadorian culture is that there is something deeply genetic that makes the Ecuadorian people who they are.

Most people here are “mestizos”, meaning (in Latin America) people of mixed race, especially the offspring of a Spaniard and an American Indian. I am no expert but I guess this would be true about the Colombians and the Peruvians as well. However, there must be something about the specific Ecuadorian mix that makes the people so nice.

What I mean by “nice” is that they are a gentle, non-confrontational, non-aggressive and fundamentally happy race. Of course the culture plays an equally important role. It is beyond my skills to make a relevant and accurate analysis of how centuries of culture might have lead the people of Ecuador to be who they are today. I am only a humble observant, living here today and my scope is only to share some of my observations with others who might consider living here and also with the Ecuadorians themselves who often are not aware of these traits of their own culture.

Of course, one will find this natural kindness more easily in the villages than in the cities. Cities being cities all over the world, one should not expect the same kindness from a stressed out taxi driver in the middle of Quito or even Loja than from a tranquil campesino in the middle of his banana plantation. The photo below was taken recently in Mercadillo (Canton Alamor – Provincia de Loja). As a side note the lady never ever wears shoes.

To bring things more into scope, I would say in comparison that the North Americans people are essentially the opposite and for the same reasons, a combination of genetics and culture. They are confrontational, aggressive and generally unhappy. I speak in general, I don’t speak about you in particular. One only has to look at the world situation to see who the aggressors are. Again it is beyond my skills and my scope to analyses the historical reasons for this. And before people get at my throat, let me say that Europeans and Australasians (Oz and NZ) are not any better, just slightly different. In fact, there is something about the white man in general that makes him fundamentally aggressive. Must be something to do with the ego.

Ecuador is a great human behavior observation laboratory and Vilcabamba (or Cuenca) in particular due to the high presence of white people expats. I cannot count the number of stories that I have been exposed to where expats can simply not get along. They don’t tend to fight in the streets. They fight by emails. Once upon a time, I was a reader of this yahoo group called “ecuador_expats”. Conversations would invariably turn into beside topic rude and some times very rude exchanges. It is still the case today although this once very active group appears to be now on its last breath, most people having moved to Facebook.

Facebook is the same. We have the Vilcabamba boletin and the Vilcabamba community. 99% of the time things are quiet and polite but from time to time they explode and the natural aggressiveness of the people comes to full light. Nothing is different.

Ecuadorians are different.

They have a verbal rather than written culture. Even lawyers don’t communicate well at all through emails. The best and only effective way to communicate with people is face to face and verbally. Trust me I know what I am talking about.

Face to face, you will find this kindness, non aggressiveness that I am talking about. Of course they are Latinos, meaning hot. They can talk a lot, they can look angry, they can yell. However, this does not generally mean much. Things can most often be sorted out after the Latin blood has settled a bit.

I personally prefer this to a bottled up cold blooded rancor that people from different cultures can exhibit. It is naturally healthier to let the steam out and then move on.

Even the police

Maybe nothing reveals more about a people that the attitude of its law enforcement authorities, in particular, the police. We could write many things about the police, some negative I am sure. People who read this might have had some not too good experience.

My experience after years of living here, and again sticking to my main topic which is the non-aggressiveness of the Ecuadorian people, is that I have yet to see a confrontational policeman. The other day, we had the opportunity to chat about that very topic with two sergeants and the San Pedro teniente politico while enjoying a natural jugo de maracuya on our front porch.

GAS - What is right about Ecuador - Gentleness — GAS – What is right about Ecuador – Gentleness

All three of them were at all time extremely courteous, calm and genuinely trying to help. It seems that their slogan “proteger y servir” is not just empty words. They explained to me that they do bear arms but are not even allowed to pull them let alone use them unless in extreme cases. Compare this with what we read about the north American police: shoot first – talk last.

I asked them to give me an interview and they seemed happy about being given the opportunity to explain how they operate. This will come soon on bbxmusic.com.

When they left, we walked them out to our gate and spontaneously without anyone saying anything our 4 year old daughter grabbed one of the officer’s hand. Kids feel and kids don’t lie.

Kids feel and don't lie — Kids feel and kids don’t lie

Even on the road

How do Ecuadorian drive? They drive fast, they don’t take the rules very seriously, they pass on the solid yellow line, they pass the car passing the car passing the car, they create the third lane when there are only two etc…

However, despite of that, they are not aggressive drivers.

I have seen plenty of aggressive drivers, in Europe where I am from and also in peaceful New Zealand. People drive slowly because of the speed restrictions and the zillion cameras. However given the opportunity, they will become aggressive.

I used to drive a 150cc motorcycle in NZ and each red traffic light was a stress because as a motorcyclist, I was doing what all motorcyclists do which is to move to the front. Almost always, as soon as the light turned green, the first car took off as fast it could to not allow me to go first. This attitude was widespread. I solved the problem by swapping my 150cc for a Kawasaki 900cc and they left me alone from then on 😉

In Ecuador, I drive a 250 cc bike, not fast by any mean and this has never and I mean never happened to me once. People always let me pass. It is much safer for a motorbike to be in front of the cars or alternatively behind the cars but never in the middle of the cars.

With regard to accidents, I am not in a position to provide statistics but I can say that I have not seen more accidents in Ecuador that in “speed limit obsessed” New Zealand. I believe the inherent non aggressiveness of the Ecuadorian people is an important factor. Driving fast is one thing, driving angry and aggressively is another.

Not everything is perfect

There is aggression in the Ecuadorian society though. Most of it is petty crime, robberies. Vilcabamba has had its fare share. We are all aware of some pretty brutal assaults that occurred here.

See https://bbxmusic.com/ecuador/en/press?p=44101 for more on this topic

However this is no reflection on the general culture. They are isolated events. Again one needs to keep things in perspective and compare with the number deadly assaults in their own respective countries.

Bottom line, people are people. Humans have always been an aggressive species. Ecuadorian just seem to be on the lower part of the scale. I have never been to our northern neighbor country Colombia but I was told that they tend to react more aggressively to the same stimuli. I have been to Peru twice and have observed the same tendency.

conclusion

As always, my conclusion is that there is no conclusion and no need for one. I just love living among gentle non aggressive people. If you are like me and hate any form of aggressiveness, Ecuador may be your place of choice. This is the one Ecuadorian trait that I would say I love the most. There are other positive traits that I will review in the next parts of this collection of articles.

Ecuador - Sweet and gentle people — Ecuador – Sweet and gentle people

Stay tuned.

FOLLOW GRINGO AL SUR ON FACEBOOK

Tags: Ecuador Loja Vilcabamba Culture Expat Gringo

Notaria Quinta Loja – Excelente atención y profesionalismo

Versión Español

English HERE

Introducción

Ir a ver a un notario es un asunto serio. Allí es donde las transacciones importantes se sellan de manera irreversible. Sin embargo, esto no quiere decir que tiene que ser una experiencia aterradora ni que no se pueda hacer de una manera relajada y con una sonrisa.

Hay un buen número de notarios para elegir en Loja. La mayoría están convenientemente situados en el centro de la ciudad a unas pocas cuadras de la plaza central. Cual eligir ? Importa ? ¿Habría alguna diferencia? ¿Los precios son diferentes tal vez? Y para empezar, es permitido elegir un notario en lugar de otro, o tenemos que dejar que nuestro abogado decida por nosotros?

Antes de abordar estas cuestiones, vamos a aclarar algunas cosas. Un notario es un abogado calificado, él o ella debe obtener una cualificación en abogacía en este país, y a su vez pasan a ser funcionarios públicos y está prohibido para ellos dar asesoramiento jurídico de la manera que lo hace su abogado. Su función es dar fe a un acuerdo existente y no dar consejos sobre qué acuerdo es mejor para usted. Dar fe consiste en la comprobación de la validez de los documentos que se le presentan, la verificación de la identidad de las partes, cerciorarse de que todas las firmas requeridas estén presentes, cerciorarse que todo vaya en conformidad con la ley, etc …

“Nosotros damos fe publica de los actos y contratos que la ciudadanía requiere” Dr. Rodrín Palacios – notario.

La imparcialidad es la clave. El notario tiene que permanecer objetivo en todo momento y en caso de desacuerdo entre las partes, el debe enviarlos de vuelta a solucionar los asuntos con sus respectivos abogados. En un escenario típico, el contenido del acuerdo será preparado por su abogado, tal como por ejemplo una declaración jurada, un acuerdo de compraventa, un testamento, un poder de representación, etc … y luego este contenido sera validado, sellado, legalizado, en una palabra “notariado” por el notario en presencia física de todas las partes involucradas.

Una vez dicho esto, no significa que no se pueda buscar un poco de, digamos, “orientación” de parte de un notario público. Que clase de “orientación” es exactamente la que se le permite dar ? Bueno, yo simplemente le recomiendo ir y preguntar y si el tipo de pregunta que usted hace es realmente fuera de lo que se le permite al notario de discutir, el se lo dirá con honestidad.

Notaria Quinta

Tengo que decir que pedir algo a un notario público puede ser una experiencia un poco intimidante. En Ecuador los lugares tienden a ser llenos de gente y es a veces difícil acercarse al doctor o a la doctora, menos pedirle algo. Algunas notarías en realidad me parecen diseñadas para que la gente transite de un escritorio a otro y pase por varios filtros humanos antes de que puedan llegar al escritorio del doctor. Es sólo en la etapa final, cuando todo está listo para las firmas que el cliente se guía hacia donde se encuentra la oficina del doctor.

En Notaria Quinta, es distinto. Si necesita, usted puede caminar directamente hasta el escritorio del doctor y nadie lo detendrá. Por el contrario, el Dr. Palacios le ofrecerá la mano y le invitará a sentarse frente a su escritorio.

El diseño de la oficina es una ambiente todo abierta sin puertas ni paredes, en el cual el notario se sienta en un nivel igual entre sus asistentes. Este tipo de diseño facilita la comunicación y hace al cliente sentirse mas cómodo y con la posibilidad de ver que los tramites se están realizando…

Diseño espacio abierto (open space) — Diseño en forma de planta abierta (open space)

El doctor

En la foto a continuación vemos al notario público, “el doctor”, como todos lo llaman. Su nombre es Rodrín Palacios Soto . Es un hombre tranquilo con un tono de voz suave y que amablemente invita a la gente a tomar asiento frente a su escritorio.

Notaria Quinta in Loja - Dr Rodrin Palacios — Dr Rodrin Palacios

“Primeramente nosotros somos muy cordiales, damos una atención personalizada… Damos atención prioritaria a las personas que lo necesitan como por ejemplo gente de tercer edad …”

“Nuestra atención básicamente es asesoramiento…”

Sin embargo, el notario aclara que no estamos hablando de dar asesoramiento jurídico, como hacen los abogados, sino más bien asegurarse de que la gente entienda completamente lo que están a punto de firmar .

Puede sonar obvio para algunos, pero no lo es. Existen personas que desconocen por completo sobre el tema o puede ser que por cualquier razón tengan dificultades para entender el contenido de un acuerdo legal. O también podrían haber sido presionados por los miembros de la familia o por la pareja. Un buen notario pasara el tiempo y hará el esfuerzo de poner a una persona en una posición en la que él / ella realmente entienda las consecuencias de lo que esa persona está a punto de firmar.

“Por eso, cuando hay un extranjero, nosotros pedimos un interprete…”

Dr. Palacios tiene 17 años de experiencia de la que ha invertido 14 como abogado y los últimos 3 como notario.

El personal

A su lado derecho se encuentra Guadalupe

Ella es abogada calificada y es el brazo derecho de Rodrín.

La parte restante de la planta abierta es utilizada por el personal encargado de dar la bienvenida a la gente, escuchar sus peticiones y hacer la preparación de los documentos. El lugar estaba bastante ocupado en el día que yo estaba allí, pero sin embargo todo el mundo parecía relajado, los clientes y el personal por igual, fluyendo con la corriente.

Notaria Quinta Loja Ecuador - Todo el mundo parecía relajado — Todo el mundo parecía relajado

En la planta baja trabajan 5 personas. También hay un segundo piso, donde mantienen los archivos y hay algunos miembros más del personal que trabajan en ese piso. Notaria Quinta cuenta con un equipo importante de profesionales que trabajan juntos en armonía.

Comentarios de los clientes

Les pregunté a algunas personas como es o come fue su experiencia en la Notaria Quinta.

Permítanme decir que mi visita no fue planeada, o para ser más preciso, el doctor me esperaba pero los clientes no tenía idea de lo que estaba haciendo allí. Simplemente me acerque a ellos y les pregunte su opinión.

Algunos eran clientes habituales y todos dijeron que el servicio era muy bueno.

“Es una notaria que tiene prestigio … la situación es que trabajan bien .. cuando nosotros abogados les pedimos que nos ayuden, que nos colaboren, porque el cliente muchas veces esta apurado, entonces nos atienden cuando les pedimos…” Dr Luis Alex Guarnizo.

El escritorio de Cecilia Espinoza esta justo a lado de la puerta y ella es naturalmente el primer punto de contacto del cliente. Ella estaba atendiendo a dos señoras que son clientes habituales que han hecho todo tipo de transacciones en Notaria Quinta y no irían a ningún otro sitio. “Muy contentas. Excelente atención “ fueron sus palabras espontáneas.

Notaria Quinta - Excelente atencion — Muy contentas, Excelente atención

Pensamientos finales

Tengo la esperanza de que la información anterior responda a las preguntas antes planteadas en este artículo de por qué se podría optar por un notario en lugar de otro, y si tiene importancia. ¿Es permitido elegir un notario que no es necesariamente el notario donde el cual su abogado le recomienda ir? (Tal vez por conveniencia personal o por costumbre). ¡Por supuesto que si! Nadie puede obligar a una persona a firmar un documento en presencia de un notario que no le inspira confianza. La confianza y el consentimiento informado son claves.

Con respecto a los precios, me dijeron que deberían ser exactamente los mismos, independientemente de la notaria. En Notaria Quinta tienen una gran pantalla en la pared con los gastos de notaría para cada tipo de transacción.

Costos de los actos notariales (Septiembre 2016)

Conclusión

En la Notaria Quinta de Loja el ambiente es a la vez profesional y relajado. El notario es una persona amable y accesible quien con mucho gusto les ayudará dentro de los limites que le permita la ley. El personal es cordial, el servicio es rápido y excelente según los clientes con los que hablé. Además el espacio es abierto y luminoso, con muchas ventanas que dan a la calle Bolívar, en el corazón de la ciudad de Loja. Hay muchos asientos cómodos para las personas que esperar mientras está siendo atendido.

Sólo falta una cosa: la máquina de café y algunas galletas caseras. Y por qué no un pequeño rincón infantil con algunos libros y juguetes. Tal vez algún dia 😉

Nos vemos en la Notaria Quinta.

Contactos

Dirección : Calle Bolívar y Rocafuerte
Tel : +593 (0) 72573743
Email : notariaquintaloja@gmail.com

Comentarios

¿Quiere comentar o compartir alguna experiencia? Por favor deje su mensaje en la sección de abajo. También puede ponerse en contacto con nosotros a través de nuestra página web aquí .

Suscríbete a nuestro boletín

Si desea estar informado sobre lo que sucede en bbxmusic.com y recibir información de calidad sobre Vilcabamba, la ciudad de Loja y toda la provincia de Loja, en Ecuador, por favor, suscríbase aquí .

Síguenos en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/todoloja

#HechoConAmor #TodoLoja

Notaria Quinta in Loja – Fast, Professional and Friendly

English version

Español AQUI

Introduction

Going to the notary is serious business. This is where important transactions are irreversibly sealed. Nevertheless, this does not mean that it has to be a scary experience nor that it cannot be done in a relaxed manner and with a smile.

There are quite a few notaries to choose from in Loja. Most are conveniently located in the center of the city no more than a few blocks away from the central plaza. So which one do we go to ? Does it matter ? Would it make any difference ? Are the prices different ? And to start with, are we even allowed to choose one notary rather than another or do we have to let our lawyer decide for us ?

Before we address these questions, let’s clear a few things out of the way. A notary public is a qualified lawyer, he or she has to be in this country, but he is also a public officer and it is prohibited for him to give legal advice the way your lawyer does. His role is to give faith to an existing agreement not to give advice on what agreement is best for you. Give faith means checking the validity of the documents presented to him, verifying the identities of the parties, make sure all required signatures are present, assure strict adherence to the law etc…

Notaria Quinta in Loja - Fast, Professional and Friendly — Dr Rodrin Palacios

“Nosotros damos fe publica de los actos y contratos que la ciudadania requiere” Dr. Rodrín Palacios – notary public.

Impartiality is key. The notary has to remain neutral at all times and in case of disagreement between the parties, he has to send them back to sort things out with their respective lawyers. In a typical scenario the content of the agreement would be prepared by your lawyer, such as an affidavit, a sales and purchase agreement, a testament, a power of attorney etc… and then this content would be validated, sealed, legalized, in one word “notarized” by the notary public in the physical presence of all the required parties.

Having said that, this does not mean that one cannot seek a little guidance from a notary public. How much “guidance” exactly is he allowed to give you? Well, I would simply recommend to go and ask and if the type of question you ask is really out of what the notary is allowed to discuss, he will honestly tell you. No harm is done asking.

Notaria Quinta

I found that asking something to a notary public can be an intimidating experience. In Ecuador the notary offices tend to be packed and it is sometimes hard to even approach the doctor let alone ask him (or her because there are female notaries public) something. Some notary offices are actually designed to make people transit from one desk to another and pass through several “human filters” before they can even reach the doctor’s desk. It is only in the final stage when everything is ready for the signatures that the client is guided to a back room where the doctor’s office is located.

At Notaria Quinta, it is not like that. If you so desire, you can walk directly to the doctor’s desk and nobody will stop you. On the contrary Dr Palacios will shake hands and invite you to sit down at his desk.

The office design is an open plan where the doctor sits on a peer level among his assistants.

Notaria Quinta in Loja — Notaria Quinta Loja – Conviviality through Open plan design

El doctor

On the photo below we see the notary public, “el doctor” as everyone calls him. His name is Rodrín Palacios Soto. He is a soft-mannered, gentle-spoken man who kindly invites people to sit at his desk.

“Nosotros primero somos muy cordiales, damos una atención personalizada… Damos atención prioritaria a las personas que lo necesitan como por ejemplo gente de tercer edad …”

We try first and above all to be cordial and give personalized attention… We also give priority to the people with special needs such as the elderly …

“Nuestra atención básicamente es asesoramiento…”

“Asesoramiento” means “Legal advice” in English. However, the doctor clarifies that we are not talking about giving legal advice like lawyers do but rather advising people to make sure that they understand fully what they are about to sign.

It may sound obvious to some but it is not. People could be old or may for whatever reason find it difficult to understand the content of an agreement. People could also have been pressured by family members or partners. A good notary will spend the time and make the effort to put a person in a position where he/she really understands the consequences of what that person is about to sign.

“Por eso, cuando hay un extranjero, nosotros pedimos un interprete…”

For this reason, we find a translator in the case it is a foreigner who uses our services.

Dr Palacios has 17 years experience of which he has spent 14 as a lawyer and the 3 years as a notary.

The staff

On his right side by the window sits Guadalupe

She is a qualified lawyer and is Rodrín’s right arm.

The remaining part of the open plan is used by the staff in charge of welcoming the people, listen to their requests and preparing the documents. The place was quite busy on the day I was there but nevertheless everyone seemed relaxed, customers and staff alike, flowing with the flow. It was a beautiful sunny day in Loja.

I counted 5 people working on the ground floor. There is a second floor where the archives are kept and there are a few more staff members working on that floor. Notaria Quinta has a significant team of professionals working harmoniously together.

Customer feedback

I asked a few people what their experience was or had been with the Notaria Quinta.

Let me state that my visit was not planned, to be precise, the doctor was expecting me but the clients had no clue what I was doing there. I just walked to them and asked their opinion.

Some were regular clients and they all said that the service was outstanding.

“Es una notaria que tiene prestigio … la situación es que trabajan bien .. cuando nosotros abogados les pedimos que nos ayuden, que nos colaboren, porque el cliente muchas veces esta apurado, entonces nos hacen cuando les pidemos…” Dr Luis Alex Guarnizo.

Cecilia Espinoza’s desk is right by the door and she is naturally the client’s first point of contact. She was taking care of two ladies who also happened to be regular customers who have done all type of transactions at Notaria Quinta and wouldn’t go anywhere else. “Muy contentas. Excelente atención” were their spontaneous words.

Final thoughts

It is my hope that the information above answers the questions at the top of this article of why one would choose a notary rather than another and whether it matters. Is one allowed to choose a notary who is not necessarily the notary his lawyer invites him to ? (maybe for personal convenience or through habit). Yes it goes without saying. No-one can force a person to sign a document in front of a notary he does not trust. It is all part of due process. Trust and informed consent are keys.

As per the prices, I was told that they should be exactly the same regardless of the notary one decides to go to. At Notaria Quinta they have a large display on the wall with the notary fees for each type of transaction.

Conclusion

At Notaria Quinta in Loja I found the atmosphere to be both professional and relaxed. The notary is a gentle-spoken and approachable person who will gracefully assist you to the extend he is allowed by the law. The staff is cordial, the service is fast and excellent according to the clients I spoke to. As a plus the space is open and bright, with many windows opening onto calle Bolivar in the heart of the city of Loja. There are many comfortable seats for people to wait while being looked after.

Only one thing is missing: the espresso machine and some home made cookies. And why not a little children corner with a few books. Maybe one day 😉

Bye for now and see you at Notaria Quinta.

Contacts

Address: Calle Bolivar y Rocafuerte
Tel: +593 (0)72573743
Email: notariaquintaloja@gmail.com

Comments

Do you wish to comment or share some experience? Please leave your message in the section below. You can also contact us through our web page here.

Subscribe to our newsletter

If you wish to be informed about what goes on at bbxmusic.com and receive quality information about Vilcabamba, the city of Loja and the entire Loja province in Ecuador, please do subscribe here.

#HechoConAmor #TodoLoja

Why should Venezuela and Brazil matter to Ecuador

Español AQUI
Español AQUI NO es una traducción humana!

There is so much propaganda and misinformation nowadays that even with the internet it is getting harder and harder to know what’s what. Social medias with the large number of trolls polluting them play an important role in brainwashing the masses. Let’s not even mention the mainstream media like CNN or the BBC.

My audience is not the people who still rely on this type of media for information. My audience is for people who rely on social media and the so-called “alternative media”. I find that often this type of media also falls prey to financial interests and publish propaganda verbatim and without analysis. Is it innocent, because they did not read the material they published? Is it lack of time and resources to apply some critical thinking to what they publish ? Or is there a darker agenda? Hard to know.

Look at Infowars.com for example. This morning they published an article with this title:

Revolution Rising: Colossal Protests Rock Socialist Venezuela

Millions rise up against socialism
Jamie White & Kit Daniels | Infowars.com – September 1, 2016

Impressive photo !

Although the title is factually correct, its implications that millions are rising up against [the economic disaster caused by] socialism could not be further from the truth. This is all so obviously orchestrated and it is so easy to do when the power of money and the power of the media are in the same hands. All it takes is:

Create chaos through economical crisis, in the case of Venezuela which depends on oil sales, by lowering the oil price and taking various measures to reduce food supply and make ordinary people suffer in long queues at the supermarket, we have all seen the pictures.
Use the media to convince the people that their suffering is the consequence of the “failure of socialism”.
Get the brainwashed masses to protest against their socialist government and make sure the protests are well covered in the press with great photos of large groups of people.

And voila! Just wait for the government to fall and leave room for the elite to take the power back. In effect, this is using the people to act against their own interest. No need for war. The people wage it themselves from the inside. This is brilliant !

And this is what happens today in Venezuela. Brazil is a variation on the same theme using slightly different tools to achieve the same goal. I am appalled to read about what is currently happening Brazil, our neighbor. The people of Ecuador seem to have no idea and little interest. They are too busy with their phones, their latest apps and the latest football match.

I have no intention to become a political writer and extensively cover topics such as these on a web site like bbxmusic.com. Our focus is Ecuador, tourism, culture and life. The reason we publish this is to help our readers who live here in Ecuador to become more conscious of the nature of the game that surrounds us because it will affect us directly sooner or later. Indeed tourism is directly and negatively affected by the type of events that occur in Venezuela and Brazil. Ecuador is currently trying to recover from this terrible earthquake that shook it recently. It would not take much to bring its economy to its knees, organize a few protests with good media coverage and turn it into another Venezuela.

What is happening today in Venezuela is what will happen tomorrow (and is already happening today) in our beloved country of Ecuador. Ecuador and Bolivia are on the same list of “ill-behaved countries” (meaning countries that do not behave as American stooges and, god forbid, try to make their people benefit from their own resources) as Venezuela and Brazil. So beware of the propaganda. It is everywhere, on all social medias and on alternative medias.

I spent half an hour this morning looking up information on this massive protest in Venezuela and it was hard to finally get to a web page where someone says something intelligent about it.

Venezuela’s Opposition: Attacking Its Own People

The corporate media would have you believe that Venezuela is a dictatorship on the verge of political and economic collapse; a country where human rights crusaders and anti-government, democracy-seeking activists are routinely rounded up and thrown in jail. Indeed, the picture from both private media in Venezuela, as well as the mainstream press in the U.S., is one of a corrupt and tyrannical government desperately trying to maintain its grip on power while the opposition seeks much-needed reforms. In fact, the opposite is true.

We invite you to read the article above using the link provided. Next time you see a protest in Ecuador against Correa you will think about it and be better equipped to understand the game that is being played, by whom and for what purposes.

For a broader perspective, you can also read this article:

Regime Change throughout Latin America: The Monroe Doctrine Becomes the “Obama Doctrine”

Any comments? Want to share some experience? Please post here below.

Appreciated.

Síganos en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/todoloja

#HechoConAmor #TodoLoja

Salud y Vida SPA – Natural therapies in Vilcabamba

English version Español AQUI

Relaxation therapies – Body Massage – Steam Baths – Reflexology – Clay exfoliation – Hair removal – Facial care …

Health is a pervasive topic in the so-called “Valley of Longevity”, Vilcabamba, a small town in the Ecuadorian Andes mountains. Many people have come from abroad and have settled in Vilcabamba precisely to seek a better quality of life. In fact many of them are professionals engaged in one or another form of natural therapy: massage, reflexology, acupuncture, osteopathy, yoga, bio-magnetism, Rolf therapy and more … Vilcabamba has it all.

Mariana Avila is a native of Vilcabamba. We visited her center of natural treatments called “Salud y Vida SPA“.

Introduction

Many of you living here in Vilcabamba already know Mariana and perhaps already felt her magic hands … I met her when she had a vegetarian restaurant. I must confess that was my favorite at that time.

However, we have now discovered other qualities and skills that she possesses. Mariana is a sweet and spontaneous person, inspires confidence, she carries within herself what I would call “the angel”, something that I immediately felt when I saw her. The persons who possess “the angel” have something special that other people don’t have, the true vocation of caring for others and do it with love, patience and sweetness. Mariana has that and it makes you want to stay there forever in a never ending massage.

She told us that her attraction for alternative therapies and natural medicine was born when she was still very young. It is something genetic in the Avila Cabrera family. She explained that several close family members favored the branch of medicine both eastern and western. She also has an uncle who is a shaman and her daughter Ruth is studying child psychology at the university. They are a long chain of guardians of health …

And before you ask, her prices are very affordable too.

The place is simple without fuss and quite cozy indeed, adorned with many beautiful plants and flowers of various colors. Every corner is well designed so that when one enters this place, one feels comfortable and relaxed.

Salud y Vida SPA Vilcabamba - The place is cozy and well decorated — The place is cozy and well decorated

Mariana told us that her customers usually ask for suggestions on which therapy to attend and she advises them depending on their ailments. However, the “baño de cajón” (in English literally “the bath in a drawer”) is always the recommended first step in order to detoxify the body and at the same time get the person to relax. She then continues with either a massage or an exfoliation, a mud bath, a reflexology etc …

Mariana has been trained through workshops, courses etc … about therapies that she performs in its SPA. It is evident that she loves doing these activities and this makes it different.

To let go in Mariana’s hands

As is our custom at bbxmusic.com, we want as much as possible to only talk from experience. For the purpose of this article, Mariana offered me to do me a treatment and I asked her which one she would recommend. We talked a little about my health and my ailments, she asked me a few things about my life. I have a tendency to be a little over stressed and nervous which in my case manifests itself in the skin. Because of this she recommended a steam bath and a clay exfoliation.

It is something that Martha has already mentioned above in her introduction but I wish to reiterate it because it is important. The therapist’s personality, her “energy”, her “aura” is an essential part of the patient’s experience, is it not? This is something that cannot be explained but rather felt. I felt immediately relaxed with Mariana and had no issue surrendering myself to her capable hands.

Baño de cajón (steam box)

Salud y Vida Vilcabamba - Baños de cajón — Salud y Vida Vilcabamba – Baños de cajón

This is basically a steam bath, similar to a Turkish bath but performed in a custom designed cupboard or “drawer” (hence the name “cajon” in Spanish which means drawer) inside which the person sits leaving only the head outside. I read that it is inspired from Ayurvedic medicine. The advantage of leaving the head outside is that one can still breathe comfortably “up here” despite the heat and heavy body sweating “down there”.

So I took off my clothes, put my belongings in a cane basket that she gave me and put on a white dressing gown.

It was then time to sit in the steam box that I distractedly was about to walk into with the gown still on. Mariana gently told me to take it off. “Of course“, I thought, “Silly me, I am not going to get in there with the dressing gown on, am I?”

However, I felt a little shy I confess. I heard myself saying, “What? I have to take it all off?“.

She laughed and replied:

“That’s right. The body is the body.”

I sat in the steam box and slowly felt the heat all over my body and the nice scent of the plants while I started to sweat a lot, which is good because the objective is for the heat to open the pores and allow the body toxins out. I had to stay 15 minutes inside the box.

From time to time Mariana approached to ask how I feel, wipe my face and put a wet towel on my head. Also when the heat became unbearable, we opened the lid a little to have a pause. I must say that she did the whole process very sweetly, nothing by force, nothing uncomfortable. After the treatment, looking at the photo below and remembering the heat and the cool “life saving towel” that Mariana put on my head, I had to laugh while thinking about those famous biblical words:

Clay Exfoliation

Salud y Vida SPA Vilcabamba - Exfoliacion con arcilla caliente — A sheet of plastic and a good blanket to continue perspiring

Fifteen minutes later I felt totally relaxed. Mariana then covered my whole body with warm clay including the face and wrapped me in a sheet of plastic and a good blanket to continue perspiring for about 20 minutes.

In this process I felt quite hot and thirsty, Mariana gave me to drink a refreshing mint tea, then she made an exfoliation with a glove to remove the wet clay, gently massaging the whole body.

Salud y Vida SPA Vilcabamba - Exfoliation — Salud y Vida SPA Vilcabamba – Exfoliation

Finally I took a shower, not too cold not too hot. Perfect ! And it was easy to take the clay off my body because the clay had not been allowed to dry out. I then leaned back in a long chair and felt like a fresh lettuce … well actually I wish I could have stayed right there to sleep overnight since I felt so comfortable and relaxed.

Reflexology

“Reflexology is the application of appropriate pressure to specific points and areas on the feet, hands, or ears. Reflexologists believe that these areas and reflex points correspond to different body organs and systems, and that pressing them has a beneficial effect on the organs and person’s general health.” Wikipedia.

We did not do a reflexology session. While she was briefly explaining us how it works, Mariana took my feet and applied pressure to different points. When she made me cringe or even jump she explained that the pain was not something normal but rather the reflection of a problem in some area of my body.

Salud y Vida SPA Vilcabamba - Reflexology mat — Reflexology mat

Talking about reflexology, Mariana had something interesting. She showed us a mat made in such a way that it stimulates the reflexology points of the feet, allowing to reach excellent therapeutic results.

My feet are very sensitive so I could not even stand for a minute on the carpet. It is like walking on pebbles but worse. Martha, who is native from here had no problem at all standing on it. “She is a river girl” I thought.

Actually, Mariana recommended me to take shoe-less walks on the river bank.

Massage

We did not have time for a massage. It must surely be excellent and we’ll try to include information on this topic some time on the bbxmusic.com web site.

In the mean time, if you are reading this article and have already experienced a massage at “Salud y Vida”, please leave your comment in the section below.

Conclusion

In her Vilcabamba natural treatment center, Salud y Vida SPA, Mariana knows her subject. She has a lot of experience dealing with both locals and foreigners. She works with sweetness, love and respect. The place is cozy and has good energy. We recommend it to anyone who wants to relax, relieve stress and improve his or her physical and psychological health.

Salud y Vida SPA - Natural therapies in Vilcabamba - Mariana Avila — Salud y Vida SPA – Natural therapies in Vilcabamba – Mariana Avila

Visit the center of natural treatments Health and Life the next time you are in Vilcabamba.

Contacts

Address: Valle Sagrado y Diego Vaca de Vega, Vilcabamba Ecuador (opposite to restaurant Mexibamba)
Tel: +593 (0)9 86782084
Email: marianaavilac@gmail.com
Opening hours: please call for an appointment

Comments

Do you wish to comment or share some experience? Please leave your message in the section below. You can also contact us through our web page here.

Subscribe to our newsletter

If you wish to be informed about what goes on at bbxmusic.com and receive quality information about Vilcabamba, the city of Loja and the entire Loja province in Ecuador, please do subscribe here.

#HechoConAmor #TodoLoja

Salud y Vida SPA – Tratamientos Naturales en Vilcabamba Ecuador

Versión Español

English HERE

Tratamientos para relajación – Masajes Corporales – Baños de Cajón – Baños de Pitón – Reflexología – Depilaciones – Exfoliaciones – Tratamientos Faciales…

La salud es un tema extremadamente importante en el así llamado “Valle de la longevidad”, Vilcabamba, un pequeño pueblo de los Andes Ecuatorianos. Muchas personas han llegado del extranjero y se han establecido en Vilcabamba justamente para lograr una mejor calidad de vida. De hecho muchos de ellos son profesionales que se dedican a una u otra forma de terapia natural: masajes, reflexología, acupuntura, osteopatía, yoga, bio magnetismo, terapia Rolf y mucho mas… Vilcabamba lo tiene todo.

Mariana Avila es Vilcabambense. Hemos visitado su centro de tratamientos naturales “Salud y Vida SPA”.

Introducción

Estoy segura que muchos de ustedes ya tienen el gusto de conocer a Mariana y quizá ya se han confiado en sus manos mágicas…Yo la conocí cuando tenía un restaurante de comida vegetariana. Debo confesar que era mi favorita en aquel tiempo.

Sin embargo ahora hemos descubierto una más de sus cualidades y habilidades que ella posee. Mariana es una persona espontanea, inspira confianza, tiene el “ángel”. Es ese algo que a la gente tanto gusta y se siente a gusto, es de esas personas que apenas las ves te caen bien, que se ven simpáticas y que tienen una personalidad destacable…que tienen algo especial que no tienen las demás personas… Tiene la verdadera vocación de cuidar a los demás, lo hace con amor, paciencia y mucha dulzura que hace que sus clientes deseen quedarse en su casa por siempre en un masaje interminable.

Nos comentó que su inclinación por las terapias alternativas y la medicina natural nacieron desde que ella era muy joven. Algo genético en la familia Avila – Cabrera, nos explicó que varios miembros cercanos de su familia se inclinaron por la rama de la medicina tanto oriental como occidental, también tiene un tío Chaman y su hija Ruth está estudiando en la universidad Psicología Infantil. Son una larga cadena de guardianes de la salud…

Los precios son muy asequibles a tu bolsillo.

El lugar es bastante acogedor adornado con muchas lindas plantas y flores de varios colores. Cada rincón está bien diseñado de tal manera que cuando uno entra en este sitio se siente cómodo y relajado.

Salud y Vida SPA Vilcabamba - Lugar bastante acogedor — El lugar es bastante acogedor

Mariana nos comentó que sus clientes le piden una sugerencia sobre que terapia realizar, ella les aconseja una terapia según sean las dolencias de cada uno de ellos. Sin embargo el baño de cajón se recomienda siempre para empezar desintoxicando el cuerpo y al mismo tiempo relajando para posteriormente continuar con un masaje, exfoliación, baño de fango, reflexología etc…

Mariana se ha capacitado mediante talleres, cursos etc… sobre las terapias que realiza en su SPA. Es evidente que ella ama hacer este tipo de actividades y esto la hace diferente.

Rendido en las manos de Mariana

Como es nuestra costumbre en bbxmusic.com, tanto como sea posible, queremos hablar de lo que hemos experimentado personalmente. Entonces este día le pedí a Mariana que me haga un tratamiento y cual de los que ofrece me recomendaría hacer. Hablamos un poco de mi salud y de mis dolencias, me preguntó algunas cosas sobre mi vida. Tengo una tendencia a estar estresado y nervioso lo que en mi caso se manifiesta en la piel. Entonces me recomendó un baño de cajón y un baño de arcilla caliente con exfoliación.

Es algo que Martha ya mencionó en su introducción pero que quiero reiterar porque es muy importante. La personalidad del terapeuta, su “energía”, su “aura” es una parte esencial de la experiencia del paciente, no es cierto? Es algo que no se puede explicar pero que se siente y con Mariana uno se siente inmediatamente tranquilo.

Baño de cajón

Un baño de cajón es un procedimiento natural de limpieza para dolores del cuerpo y desintoxicación inspirado en la medicina Ayurveda y la tradicion Andina.

Así es. El cuerpo es el cuerpo! — Así es. El cuero es el cuerpo!

Así que me quite la ropa, puse mis pertenencias en una canasta que me dio Mariana y me puse la bata.

Llego el momento de sentarme en en el cajón de vapor y Mariana me dijo simplemente de quitarme la bata. “Por supuesto” pensé, “Tonto, no voy a entrar con la bata puesta“.

Sin embargo, me sentí un poco tímido lo confieso. Me escuche diciendo: “Que? Tengo que quitármelo todo?“.

Ella se rio y respondió: “Así es. El cuerpo es el cuerpo.”

Me senté dentro del baño de cajón y de a poco fui sintiendo el calor en todo mi cuerpo y el aroma de las plantas se esparcía por todo el lugar mientras ya empecé a traspirar mucho pues el objetivo consiste en que el calor hace que se abran los poros y de esta manera se eliminen las toxinas del cuerpo. Yo debía permanecer 15 minutos dentro del cajón.

De vez en cuando Mariana se acercaba para preguntarme como me siento, secarme la cara y ponerme una toalla húmeda en la cabeza. También cuando el calor se volvía insoportable, destapábamos un poco la tapa del cajón para hacer una pausa. Debo decir que todo el proceso de la terapia lo hizo con mucha dulzura, nada a la fuerza, nada incomodo. Después del tratamiento, mirando la foto a continuación y recordando el calor y la toalla fresca salvadora que Mariana me ponía en la cabeza, yo me reí pensando en esas palabras bíblicas famosas :

Exfoliación con arcilla

Bueno, cuando se cumplieron los quince minutos, salí totalmente relajado. Inmediatamente Mariana me cubrió de arcilla caliente todo el cuerpo incluido el rostro y con una sábana que ya estaba previamente caliente me enredó conjuntamente con una manta térmica para continuar traspirando por unos 20 minutos más.

En este proceso sentí bastante calor y sed, Mariana me dio a beber un refrescante té de menta, posteriormente me realizó una exfoliación con un guante de cabuya natural para remover la arcilla aun húmeda masajeando suavemente todo el cuerpo.

Salud y Vida SPA Vilcabamba - Exfoliación — Salud y Vida SPA Vilcabamba – Exfoliación

Finalmente me tome una ducha con agua caliente y fue muy fácil sacar la arcilla de mi cuerpo gracias a la exfoliación, luego me recosté en una perezosa y me sentí como una lechuga fresca…bueno en realidad me hubiera gustado quedarme a dormir allí mismo me sentí muy relajado.

Reflexología

En la terapia de reflexología Mariana estimula las capacidades del propio cuerpo para equilibrar las energías del organismo mediante masajes en los pies, siendo estos el lugar donde se encuentran los reflejos de cada zona de nuestro cuerpo.

También me topé con una pequeña sorpresa, una alfombra elaborada de tal manera que estimula los puntos reflexológicos de los pies, permitiendo alcanzar excelentes resultados terapéuticos.

Mis pies son muy sensibles así que no pude mantenerme ni por un minuto de pie en la alfombra. Por el otro lado, Martha quien es nativa de aca se paro sin sentir ningún dolor (“Es una chica del rio” pensé)

Mariana me recomendó caminar sin zapatos en la orilla del rio.

Masaje

No tuvimos tiempo para un masaje. Seguramente debe ser muy bueno y trataremos de incluir información sobre este tema próximamente en las páginas de bbxmusic.com.

Mientras tanto, si usted que esta leyendo este articulo ya ha experimentado el masaje de Salud y Vida SPA, por favor deje su comentario en la sección de abajo.

Conclusión

En su centro de tratamientos naturales, Salud y Vida SPA, Mariana sabe muy bien cómo manejar la situación. Tiene mucha experiencia tratando tanto con gente nacional y extranjeros. Trabaja con tranquilidad, cariño y respeto. El espacio es acogedor y tiene buena energía. Lo recomendamos a cualquier persona que desee relajarse, aliviar su estrés y mejorar su salud tanto física como psicológica.

Visite el centro de tratamientos naturales Salud y Vida la próxima vez que este pasando por Vilcabamba.

Contactos

Dirección: Valle Sagrado y Diego Vaca de Vega, Vilcabamba Ecuador (frente al restaurante Mexibamba)
Enail: marianaavilac@gmail.com
Tel: +593 (0)986782084

Horario: por favor llame para tomar una cita

Comentarios

¿Algún comentario? ¿Desean compartir alguna experiencia? Por favor, dejen su mensaje abajo. También pueden contactarnos por correo electrónico y por la redes sociales en nuestra pagina de contactos aquí.

Suscríbase

Si desean recibir correos electrónicos con noticias de bbxmusic.com, nuevas publicaciones o reportajes, información de alta calidad sobre la vida en Vilcabamba, la ciudad de Loja y toda la provincia, suscríbase a nuestro boletín aquí.

Síganos en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/todoloja

#HechoConAmor #TodoLoja

Una pequeña gran farmacia en Loja Ecuador

Versión Español

English HERE

A tan sólo unos metros de la entrada principal del Centro Comercial de Loja, hay una farmacia. El lugar es pequeño, de hecho tan pequeño que puede ser que nunca lo hayas notado pero su dueño no es pequeño y no me refiero a su talla. Ramiro Delgado es en mi opinión un gran hombre.

Farmacia del pueblo en Loja – Por el pueblo y para el pueblo

Ramiro ha desempeñado varios papeles en su vida y ha ocupado importantes cargos de trabajo. Por ejemplo, se vio involucrado en la escritura de la Constitución de la República del Ecuador en el año 2008 en Montecristi (Manabí) y con modestia me dijo “como alterno“. Colaboró en la primera alcaldía del Chato hace 25 años atrás. También ha sido el propietario de un negocio de 5 plantas en el centro de Loja con una heladería, un restaurante, un salón de juegos infantiles, una discoteca… pero este lugar, esta pequeña farmacia, él explica que es en este pequeño lugar donde puede ser simplemente el mismo.

“¿De que vale tener 10 empresas? ¿Tener un grado de estrés de 500 por-ciento? Es mejor tener el placer de poder saludar con libertad a un amigo u amiga. Darle la mano a un anciano para que cruce la calle. Ser el individuo que siempre he sido“.

Pharmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador - Ramiro Delgado — Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador – Ramiro Delgado – Ser el individuo que siempre he sido

“Mi padre era sabio y el decía una frase que ahora veo salomónica: el dinero sólo tiene dos virtudes: envenena el alma y mata los sentimientos. Porque crees que todo lo puedes comprar … pierdes el amor, pierdes el afecto, el respeto, la dignidad.”

Así que una vez más en este pequeño país llamado Ecuador, me encontré intercambiando ideas profundas con un hombre grande y sabio en un lugar común y corriente a lado de un mercado popular donde la gente va a comprar sus papas y su pollo. ¡Qué hermoso contraste! ¡Me fascina!

Ya les voy a contar sobre el lugar donde Ramiro trabaja. Es una farmacia, “la farmacia del pueblo” es su nombre, pero vamos a ver que es mucho más que una farmacia.

Por supuesto dispone de todos los productos farmacéuticos que se espera de una farmacia, pero también una gama de productos naturales. Me enseñó algunos productos a base de plantas como la valeriana o el agua del Carmen para ayudar a dormir mejor. Ademas me indicó una pasta dental de Forever sin flúor. No tenemos el espacio para enumerarlos a todos. Recomendamos al lector que le haga una visita para descubrirlo por sí mismo.

Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador - Farmacéuticos y Productos Naturales — Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador – Farmacéuticos y Productos Naturales

En segundo lugar, se trata de un pequeño banco, dos bancos para ser preciso: el Banco de Guayaquil y el Banco de Pichincha. En esta farmacia la gente viene a hacer depósitos y realizar otros tipos de transacciones bancarias sin tener que hacer cola en una matriz y con el placer de hablar con un ser humano de carne, hueso y corazón en lugar de un “robot”.

Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador - Banco de Guayaquil y Banco de Pichincha — Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador – Banco de Guayaquil y Banco de Pichincha

En tercer lugar, allí se hace copias de la mayoría de los tipos de llaves con una maquina automática.

Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador - Copias de llaves — Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador – Copias de llaves

Por último y no menos importante, este es un lugar donde todo el mundo sonríe, lo que es una terapia que ninguna medicina en el mundo pueda superar!

Una pequeña gran farmacia en Loja Ecuador - Por el pueblo y para el pueblo — Una pequeña gran farmacia en Loja Ecuador – Por el pueblo y para el pueblo

Así que les recomiendo que lo visiten la próxima vez que vayan al mercado o cuando tenga la necesidad de comprar algún medicamento o producto natural.

Comentarios

Suscríbase

Síganos en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/todoloja

#HechoConAmor #TodoLoja

Pharmacy in Loja – By the people and for the people

English version

Español AQUI

Only a few meters from the “centro comercial” main entrance in Loja, there is a pharmacy. The place is small indeed, so small that you may never have noticed it but his owner is not small and I don’t mean size-wise. Ramiro Delgado is what I would not hesitate to call a “great man”. On this beautiful sunny day I truly enjoyed spending a couple of hours with him.

Ramiro has done many things in his life and occupied important functions. For example, he was involved in writing the Ecuadorian constitution in 2008 in Montecristi and he has been the owner of a 5 floor business in central Loja with an ice cream parlor, a restaurant, a children playground, a dance club… but this place, this small pharmacy is truly his and he explains that it is in this place that he can truly be himself.

“Why own 10 businesses? To live with a level of stress of 500% ? No. It is better to be able to freely say hello to a friend, lend a hand to an elderly to help him cross the road. And be the person I have always been“.

“My father was a wise man and he used to say that money only has two virtues: it poisons the soul and kills the feelings. Because when you have money you think that you can buy it all, you lose the capacity to love, you lose the capacity to respect and fell compassion.”

So once again in this small third-world country called Ecuador, I found myself exchanging profound ideas with a great and wise man in the middle of a nothing place next to a popular market where people go to buy their potatoes and their chicken. How amazing!

Let’s take a look at the place this man is running, shall we? It is a pharmacy, “the people’s pharmacy” is its name, la “farmacia del pueblo”, but we shall see that it is much more than just a pharmacy. It has all the expected pharmaceuticals for sure but also a range of natural products. We don’t have the space to list them all here and I strongly advise the reader to pay Ramiro a visit and check him out. Below is an example of a popular plant-based products that help people sleep better.

Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador - Pharmacueticals and Natural Products — Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador – Pharmaceuticals and Natural Products

Secondly, it is a small bank, two banks more precisely: Banco de Guayaquil and Banco de Pinchincha. In this pharmacy people come to make deposits and perform other types of transactions without having to queue in a main branch and with the possibility to talk to a real flesh-bone-and-heart human being instead of a human-like robot.

Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador - Banco de Guayaquil y Banco de Pinchincha — Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador – Banco de Guayaquil y Banco de Pinchincha

Thirdly, Ramiro makes copies of most types of keys with an automatic machine.

Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador - Key cutting — Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador – Key cutting

Finally and just as importantly, it is a place where everybody smiles and just that is a therapy that no medicine in the world can beat !

Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador — Pharmacy in Loja – By the people and for the people

So check him out next time you go to the market or have a need for medicinal products. His English is not great he does admit but he can understand you if you speak slowly.

Comments

Do you wish to comment or share some experience? Please leave your message in the section below. You can also contact us through our web page here.

Subscribe to our newsletter

If you wish to be informed about what goes on at bbxmusic.com and receive quality information about Vilcabamba, the city of Loja and the entire Loja province in Ecuador, please do subscribe here.

Síganos en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/todoloja

#HechoConAmor #TodoLoja