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Crepes n Coffee – American Breakfast in Loja Ecuador

English version

Fancy a genuine American breakfast or brunch with pancakes, waffles, maple syrup, coffee, eggs and bacon, you name it … the real thing ?

Head for the street where the Property Register is located (ask any taxi) and opposite to the Howard Jonson hotel is a small, cozy and beautifully decorated place called Crepes N Coffee.

Crepes n Coffee - American Breakfast in Loja Ecuador — You can sit outside and enjoy some delicious pancakes

For tourists and people not familiar with Loja, this part of the city, close to the university UTPL is nicknamed “la pileta” (the fountain). It has an abundance of cafes, bars, restaurants and discotheques and contributes to Loja vibrant night life especially on week-ends.

Note that this is not a place for lunch, it is open from 8AM to 12PM and then from 4PM until 22PM.

The owner

Denis is a young entrepreneur who has the essential and complementary qualities to make it: a background in marketing, the ability to think big and aim at the sky while at the same time rubbing shoulders with his staff in the kitchen to learn the ropes. His enthusiasm is obvious and contagious.

“I love being with the people and learning … at my age I want to learn … ” at this moment Denis stops in mid sentence and leaves his chair to go help a client with the front door. This is the right attitude !

Denis and his wife opened their cafeteria a merely 7 months ago, in July 2016 to be exact, after doing a proper market study in order to carefully and correctly craft their product and their brand. The results are extremely promising. The place is alive.

Crepes n Coffee also provide a delivery service, “servicio a domicilio”. Just call, make your order and they will deliver to your door in Loja.

Please check their latest offers on their Facebook page /crepesn.coffeeloja

The clients

“Our clientele starts in the womb“, he explains with a grin on his face. Pregnant women come here to satisfy their sudden craving for a pancake or a cappuccino ! We have students, young and not so young professionals, tourists, people of all ages …

“The client comes with this anxiety, this hunger, this craving for something sweet or savory, whatever that might be… I see sad faces like this [Denis makes a long face] when they arrive and faces like this [Denis makes a big smile] when they leave !”

Smiles and well being I have certainly witnessed first hand on the day of my visit.

The food

Crepes n Coffee - Genuine American Breakfast in Loja Ecuador — A variety of sweet crepes and waffles

Crepes n Coffee main focus is on the so-called “American breakfast”, not what most places call “desayuno americano”, which means that they just add an egg to whatever they normally offer (juice, bread, coffee and cheese). Here we are talking about the full breakfast with a variety of crepes and waffles served with fruit, maple syrup, nutella or oreo on the sweet side or with chicken, bacon, meat, eggs, cheese on the salty side. A good looking presentation and everything spotless adds another touch of professionalism.

Loja is building an international reputation for its quality coffee. At Crepes n Coffee you will find the expected choice of popular espressos (short, cappuccino, mochaccino … ) as well as the traditional filtered coffee (cafe filtrado o cafe pasado), all made with pure Arabic coffee harvested in the mountains of the Loja province and freshly roasted in Loja.

Of course I could not resist.

What are you waiting? Go indulge yourself next time you are in Loja.

Contacts

Address: Zoilo Rodriguez (frente al Howard Johnson)
Tel: 07 606 1389
Email: crepesncoffeeloja@gmail.com
Facebook: /crepesn.coffeeloja

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Notaria Primera – A model of excellence in Loja

English version

Español AQUI

Legal Security – Integrity – Honesty – Service – Amiability

Seldom can we see a person who fits so perfectly in her job as Dra. Gina Margot Calva Tapia. To a person like me who has used her services on several occasions and who has watched her attend the many people entering her office every day it is obvious that she was born for what she does, understands it, thrives at it and as a matter of course provides the best possible service to her clients.

We are talking business excellence here !

Notaria Primera Loja Ecuador - Dra. Gina Calva — Dra. Gina Margot Calva Tapia

What is Business Excellence?

Please do take the time to read our introduction to this important topic HERE (article in Spanish with Google translation).

Also, please do give your vote (1 to 5) using the stars at the top of the article and do leave a comment at the bottom to share your experience.

What is a notary and what do they do?

In very simple words accessible to all, let’s try to demystify this subject.

A notary public is an attorney to whom the state has invested public faith (licensed by the government). In other words, it is a lawyer whose intervention in various legal acts has a guarantee of legal security for all parties involved. The notary is the lawyer responsible for administering the “notaries”, places where legal procedures of diverse nature are carried out, as we will see below.

The tasks performed by public notaries are diverse, and are included in several areas. Among these activities are its participation in legal acts such as sales and all types of real estate investments, wills, powers, certification of copies, incorporation of companies, among others.

In addition to the enormous professional preparation that a professional must have to become a notary public, it is necessary to be a person with a great heart, optimistic and above all with a great patience to listen to their clients and to be able to explain in a clear way the legal issues of what they ask for, but above all the above must be a professional with a high sense of ethics and honesty, placing these values always in front of any problem that a client presents, and so as to safeguard the legal security of all.

It should be clearly understood that the function of a notary public is not the same as that of your preferred lawyer. While your lawyer can advise you as he pleases, including subjectively, down to unethically or even in the margin of the law, the notary public gives you a guarantee of legal security. It is obvious that a lawyer always tries to “stretch” things a bit on the side that is beneficial to his client (that’s why the client pays him or her). The notary absolutely can not do this and must maintain absolute neutrality.

Hence comes patience. The notary public has to listen and listen again and explain and explain again when and how and why things are not as the customer always wants them to be. In case of disagreement between the parties, he should not hesitate to send them all back home until they solve their differences. Because the principle number one is that if there is disagreement it will not be solved at the notary but in court. Mutual agreement is indispensable.

That’s where the great heart part also comes into play. Because the notary public deals with human beings in the face of sometimes serious and complex problems. A notary at heart will always try to help his clients find the path of peace.

Why choose one notary rather than another?

Aren’t notary publics just paper pushing bureaucrats with an addiction to putting stamps and stickers on everything? Do they not merely stamp documents that lawyers have written and collect your hard earned money by the hundreds of dollars at a time?

There may be such notary publics but Gina is for sure not one of them.

I asked her what in her opinion makes a good notary public and what is most important in the service she provides as a notary public in Loja Ecuador.

“Lo mas importante es la seguridad juridica que debe tener el usuario y la confianza … sobre todo la legalidad que es la caracteristica principal de un profesional de la legalidad“.

“The most important is the legal security our clients receive from our services and the trust they can place in us… above all the legality that is the main characteristic of law professionals“.

“Tenemos muchos clientes que regresan porque les hacemos bien las cosas y les explicamos bien que exactamente contiene una escritura, que efectos pueden tener dar un poder o hacer este documento … Entonces para mi realmente lo mas importante es la legalidad y la confianza que nosotros brindamos a nuestros clientes“.

“Many of our clients come back because we do things well and explain them what exactly contains this deed that they are about to sign or what effects could have this Power of Attorney that they will give to someone … Consequently to me really the most important is the legal security and the trust that we give our clients” .

The importance of getting it right

Notary Humour — “Chuta ! Tu partida de nacimiento nunca fue notariada !”

The documents that we sign at the notary are legally binding and some irreversible. An example of the latter is the escritura publica de compraventa (purchase and sales agreement) : once a property is sold and the escritura is duly signed, notarized and registered there is no way back. On the other hand, a Power of Attorney (POA) for example can always be revoked by the grantor but still serious damage can be done if granted to a dishonest person.

It is of uttermost importance to know exactly what it is that you are signing. If you are a mature individual, knowledgeable and experienced in your field it might not be an issue for you but think for example of the elderly or the young or the simple people coming to the city from their remote farms or the indigenous people who have different cultures and traditions often purely verbal. To them the concept of trust is vital.

Moral decadence

Gina has 32 years of experience and has seen it all. Elderly people are often manipulated by their children, asking them to sign a Power of Attorney in exchange for their care.

“Algunos son totalmente lucidos como esta señora de 95 años que queria hacer un testamento. En este caso no le puedo negar. Pero la mayoría no. Hay que tener cuidado. Realmente son los poderes, poderes para el bono, para vender … Es una situacion terrible, una decadencia de la moral.”

“Some are totally lucid like this 95 year old lady who wanted to write a testament. In this case, I cannot deny her. But in most cases with the elderly I have to be very careful. Really the main issue are the POAs (Power of Attorney), POA to collect pensions, POA to sell property … This is a terrible situation, a moral decadence in our society.”

The lawyers

Obviously lawyers and notary publics work together very closely. I remember my first years in Ecuador when I could not yet speak Spanish fluently. I would have never thought of entering a notary’s office for any serious matter without being accompanied by my lawyer. Maybe the notaries have changed or I have changed, but I don’t find them as intimidating anymore. The main problem is that the place can be so packed at times that it is hard to even enter let alone have a nice conversation with the doctor. A little patience usually goes a long way.

Dra. Betty Santín Castillo was born in Loja but she confides that her heart is in Quilanga, land of great coffee and cheese. In the course of her profession as a lawyer she deals with different notary publics depending on the location. Through the years she has developed a trust relationship with Gina who she refers to as “Ginita”.

“Gina is a straightforward person, dead honest and not complicated, no wishy- washy stuff. She tells me what she needs of me, if I have some questions, she advises me thanks to her substantial experience. All her life she has been working in the field of notary“.

Notaria Primera

As its name says, this was the first notary in Loja.

A long time has passed and several notable people have left their mark on the “Notaria Primera”.

Since 2012 it is Dr. Gina Calva Tapia’s turn who with her essence and her inimitable charisma. In turn she reveals a great humility and simplicity. In short she is a woman educated in values and manifests it through her daily work.

Gina has worked for 28 years in the Notaria Cuarta for Dr. Camilo Borrero and tapping into his huge knowledge and experience in the field.

The notary has records dated as far back as 1708. I went to the department of archives and was allowed to see one of their antique boxes. Gloves should be worn before opening the books and touching the sheets. Impressive !

This is a field where experience matters a lot, not so much for simple things like certifying a copy of a document or witnessing a signature but certainly when it comes to more complex documents such as escrituras.

The team

Dra. Gina Calva has surrounded her with a great team of approximately 10 people. In fact about half the team are family members.

Notaria Primera Loja Ecuador - Gina's sister — Gina’s sister

Notaria Primera Loja Ecuador - Gina's daughter — Gina (Dra Gina Calva’s daughter)

All seem to work in good harmony and smiles come easy.

Notaria Primera Loja Ecuador - Fernando Abogado — Fernando Abogado Colaborador

Notaria Primera Loja Ecuador - Martha — Martha Abogada Colaboradora

Notaria Primera Loja Ecuador - Alfredo — Alfredo – Invoicing – Scanning – Data Entry

Alfredo takes care of scanning absolutely all documents that pass through the notary so there is a digital copy of everything.

Notaria Primera Loja Ecuador - Oralis Student — Oralis – Law student

With a smile 🙂

There are two entrances at Notaria Primera, the main door where one goes through the usual human “filters” (reception, information…) and that is what most people do.

But people who know the other entrance where the photocopy machine is can go directly to Gina’s office.

I asked Gina if it bothered her and she answered with a smile that it does not because if people want to talk about a specific topic with her she will attend them with pleasure.

Conclusion

At Notaria Primera you will find first class service from a very experienced notary public and her dedicated team. Gina is an approachable lady and once you get to know her she is extremely friendly and has a good sense of humor. She is honest and straightforward, tells things like they are and gets the job done fast and without errors.

Contacts

Address: Sucre 06-50 between Jose Antonio Eguiguren and Colon
Tel: +593 (0)7257-3104
Email: ginacalvatapia@hotmail.com

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Notaria Primera – A model of excellence in Loja

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Zaruma Ecuador- A gem not far from Loja (part 1)

Español AQUI NO es una traducción humana!

Part 1

Zaruma is a small city of approximately 22,000 people in the province of El Oro. For those who don’t know, the El Oro province is just next to the Loja province and is one part mountain (sierra) and one part coast. Machala is this province main city and is on the coast whereas Zaruma is in the mountains.

How to get there

It is extremely easy to go to Zaruma from Loja. Everybody knows how to get to Catamayo which because it is where the airport is located. From Catamayo one needs to drive to San Pedro de la Bendita, then to El Cisne and finally to Portovelo/Zaruma

It takes about 4 hours from Catamayo to Zaruma however I recommend to allow more time because there is a lot to see in between.

Zaruma El Oro Map — How to get there : Loja -> Catamayo -> El Cisne -> Portovelo -> Zaruma

Zaruma in just a few words

For the impatient here is what Zaruma is all about:

a wonderful climate, warm just like Vilcabamba or even better with more water and greener vegetation (a bit like Zamora but not so humid)
stunning architectural landscape made out of traditional wooden houses and buildings
lovely relaxed atmosphere
friendly people
not expensive (unlike Vilcabamba)
not far from Loja, if you can go to Zamora and think it is not too far, then going to Zaruma will not look like the end of the world
food traditions and great coffee
gold, silver, copper and other minerals

On the way to Zaruma

The great thing about going to Zaruma is that the trip is really nice. Here below are a few photos that I took on the way

El Cisne

Regardless of your personal religious beliefs, if you saw what I saw, you’d have to admit that the display of faith that can be seen in el Cisne in September each year is something truly amazing. I was told that 1.5 million people visit the cathedral each year around that time. What can be seen on the right side of the first photo above is a line of parked buses. There are hundreds of them. People sleep anywhere they can, on the floor, they sell esteras (straw mats) to sleep on. Every single room or corner of a room is for rent. It is an unbelievable display and I was so lucky to drive through El Cisne just at the right time of the year

In the clouds

After El Cisne, we drive to Ambocas which is the boundary between the Loja province and the El Oro province. The road is unsealed for approx 30 km. I don’t understand why with such an important event taking place each year in El Cisne, they still haven’t managed to seal this important connection between the coast and Loja. Going from Loja to El Cisne is a breeze but going from Zaruma to El Cisne requires about 1 hour of unnecessary suffering on this 30 km long stretch of dirt road. The remaining part after that is perfect all the way to Zaruma.

Immediately after El Cisne you find yourself on high land with absolutely stunning views above the clouds that are close to impossible to convey with photos.

The peace and the silence are impressive. An eagle was flying above us and granted us enough time to take a good shot of him. In Spanish Eagle is “Aguila” hence the design below.

From there we drive though a few small villages like Santa Teresita and get to the end of the Loja province. We cross a bridge and we are in Ambocas.

Ambocas

In Ambocas there is a nice waterfall well worth visiting. It is only 15 minutes from the main road (5 minutes by car and then 10 minutes walk). There you can relax, have a picnic and take a dip. On week days it is deserted but on week-ends the place is quite popular, so beware !

Zaruma

From Ambocas, the road is very good again and in no time we get to Portovelo then shortly after to Zaruma.

Portovelo is nothing really special at first sight and we did not spend any time there. Zaruma is different. It has this “wow factor”. It is really pretty, quite stunning I would say.

Here is a view from the distance:

As you can see, Zaruma is perched on a hill. It is actually quite steep, full of narrow streets, pedestrian steps etc… One has to keep fit to live in Zaruma !

In the distance on the left side of the photo above you can see “the dark side of Zaruma” as I would call it, the green looking ponds containing the effluents of the mining industry. Of course these ponds leak and they contaminate the aquifers. How serious is the problem I don’t know. I haven’t done any research but this is something that is mentioned on web sites (e.g. http://www.elcomercio.com/tendencias/zaruma-ecuador-ciudad-atractivos-turismo.html).

Zaruma Downtown

Wandering around downtown Zaruma is fantastic. The buildings, the clocks, the museums, the churches, the streets, the shops, the restaurants, the hotels everything is pretty. One could almost feel like being in Switzerland. Actually, one of Zaruma traditional dishes is called “Tigrillo”. It is quite a cheesy dish I must say, not as much as the Swiss Fondue but pretty close. So yes, Switzerland is not too bad a comparison.

Zaruma El Oro Ecuador - Parque Central — Zaruma Ecuador- A gem not far from Loja

Even the internet cafe is different, all wooden, all traditional, pretty.

To be continued …

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Sweet Potato – Living Healthy in Vilcabamba and Loja Ecuador

Español AQUI NO es una traducción humana!

Todoloja researches the topics of health and longevity in this part of the world (Loja Ecuador).

Good health starts with good nutrition.

SWEET POTATOES – DID YOU KNOW?

Sweet potatoes are native to Central and South America and are one of the oldest vegetables known to man. They have been consumed since prehistoric times as evidenced by sweet potato relics dating back 10,000 years that have been discovered in Peruvian caves.

Sweet Potato - Living Healthy in Vilcabamba and Loja — Camote – sweet potato

Sweet potatoes belong to an entirely different food family than either yams or the common potato that is (unfortunately) such a large part of the common diet.

One difficulty in describing the health benefits of sweet potatoes is knowing where to begin. There are a surprising number of nutrient categories responsible for the health benefits of this underappreciated tuber. Among these categories are antioxidants, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and blood sugar-regulating nutrients. Each category brings with it valuable health benefits.

Here in Vilcabamba they grow like weed. On our land, we don’t pay too much attention to them and let them go wild and out of control most of the time but we should give them more care. They deserve it. Despite of that, today we extracted this monster from our ground in Sacapo, San Pedro de Vilcabamba.

I want to add that there is nothing healthier and more fun apparently for a young child than spending time outside in the “huerto”. This is one of the things that people living in cities have lost. The children are weaker and get sick more often.

One of the factors of longevity is certainly :

More time outside and better food.

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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.

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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“.

Pharmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador - Ramiro Delgado — Farmacia del Pueblo Loja Ecuador – Ramiro Delgado

“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.

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Simple tips to identify dangerous snakes in Vilcabamba Loja Ecuador

English version

Español AQUI

Let’s be clear and upfront. I am not a snake specialist. I live near Vilcabamba, a small village in the Loja province of southern Ecuador. My house is on a large piece of rural land (una finca) surrounded by beautiful wilderness and yes there are snakes (and scorpions and spiders).

Having said that, I took some time to try to identify simple ways to tell whether one snake specimen is deadly or totally harmless, something that you must admit is good to know when you encounter one.

Like I said, I am no specialist and this write-up is no attempt to cover the subject exhaustively. It is rather an attempt to make simple and easy to understand something scary and apparently complicated. Readers will tell me if I succeeded.

I roamed the land for years without ever bumping into one of those creatures until one day finally I almost stepped on one very large Bothrops Asper, the one that they call here the Macanche, that was having a nap in the sun right in the middle of my road a few meters only from my front door. It was 2 meters long approximately (no I did NOT measure it with a tape) and its body must have been around 10 cm – 15 cm diameter. After a moment of sheer panic, I went to get my camera and since I could see that the creature was very calm and in no way about to jump on me, I sat down a few meters from her and took some photos.

I say “her” because I now know that only the females of that species can be that large. I had no idea then that I was looking at one of the deadliest snake on the planet, let alone a large specimen of it. My instinct was telling me that she could feel my energy and since my energy was good nothing bad would happen. I was very curious I must admit. So below, there she is just like I found her.

Equis Bothrops Asper- Macanche - Vilcabamba Loja Ecuador — Bothrops Asper – Here they call it “MACANCHE”

After a few years without seeing another Equis, recently I had my second encounter, a smaller specimen this time. I had a better camera with me with a better zoom and I took some good close-ups. On the photo below, the shape of the pupil can be seen and it is vertical which is an important parameter.

Todoloja - Simple tips to identify snakes in Vilcabamba Loja Ecuador — Todoloja – Simple tips to identify snakes in Vilcabamba Loja Ecuador

On the photo just above as well as the almost all of them, two reddish dots can be seen between the eyes and the nostrils. This is one of the most important identification attributes. These are called “loreal pits” or “Jacobson’s organ” and are part of the sensory organs along with the tongue that my friend is precisely pulling out in one of the photos above. Using these organs they can sense you and I guess this is also how they “feel” your fear or lack thereof maybe through the pheromones that you emit I am not sure.

To identify a snake one has to look at the shape of the head, the shape of the eyes and the tail, easier said than done I know but that is what it is.

The head and the eyes

Equis has big triangular flat head that sticks out. That is a bad sign. Whereas harmless snakes have a spoon shaped head.

Equis has elliptical vertical pupils as opposed to round pupils. That is another bad sign.

Equis has the two reddish dots, the pits, and that is yet another bad sign.

To compare let’s have a look at another friend who I found comfortably sleeping in my roof right above my head. Our house is a rustic house made of adobe blocks with a sugar cane straw roof and it had been left empty for a long time which is why the snake made it its home.

Harmless snake - Dormilona — Harmless snake – Dormilona

The head is smaller and spoon-shaped rather than sharply triangular, not that much wider than the body, meaning that there is no room inside this snake’s mouth for the venom glands. It also has round eyes.

The one below which we found in a stack of timber in our shed is also harmless. It is a banded cat-eyed snake, totally harmless. It is called cat-eyed because … hmm … it has eyes that look like the eyes of a cat. It also has a relatively small head that does not stick out so much.

The tail

Admittedly the tail is not often easy to see because snake have a natural tendency to make a tight roll of themselves.

Below is the same macanche but this time we can clearly see that her tail is thick and short.

Bothrops Asper- Macanche - Vilcabamba Loja Ecuador — Macanche – Thick and short tail

On the other hand, this one which I found in a water reservoir that I was letting dry in order to do some maintenance has obviously a thin and very long tail. That is good. Equis has a short and thick tail, meaning that the body does not get thinner and thinner over a large part of the body but stays pretty much the same thickness and then ends in a short tail. On the specimen below it is clear that roughly as much as 25% of the body length could be considered the tail.

Harmless Snake - Vilcabamba Loja Ecuador — Harmless Snake – Vilcabamba Loja Ecuador

It is also green and has a small head. Another thing I noticed is that to make matters worse, the bad guys don’t move and just sit completely still whereas the good guys tend to run away. Too bad it is not the other way round.

To sum it up

Look at the head: flat, big, triangular, sticking out IS BAD
Look at the eyes: round pupil is GOOD, elliptical vertical pupil is BAD
Look at the pits: two reddish dots between the eyes and the mouth is BAD
Look at the tail: long and thin is GOOD / short and thick is BAD (*)

(*) A trick to remember which one is what is to think about the rattlesnake that everybody knows is dangerous and makes a rattling sound with its tail.

It would be hard to shake the tail and make that sound if the tail was long and thin, much easier with a short one.

So to remember: short and thick = DANGER, long and thin = SAFE.

Unfortunately there is one exception

Hey, life would not be fun if it was that easy, would it?

In Ecuador, we have the pleasure to host a wonderful and deadly snake that is called the CORAL

One day we were enjoying our breakfast on the porch when this guy just “walked by” as if nothing. I followed him and took some shots. Here he is:

Serpiente Snake Coral (this one is dangerous)

As can be seen it has a long thin tail and we cannot see it on the photo but it also has a small head. However it is very easy to identify because of its beautiful colors.

Coral snake - Loja Ecuador — Coral snake – Loja Ecuador

So beware of that one !

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Dumas Restaurant – A gentle gourmet touch in Loja Ecuador

English version

Español AQUI

Whatever the correct formula might be for a restaurant to be successful in Loja, it seems that Dumas found it. There is this “je ne sais quoi” that makes one immediately feel as a regular customer although it might be the very first time.

Is it the nice relaxing classic rock – jazz – 1950/60/70 something that is playing ?

Is it Roberto’s always smiling and inviting face, making you want to sit down and enjoy his French inspired gastronomy?

Dumas Restaurant in Loja Ecuador - Roberto Delgado - owner — Dumas Restaurant in Loja Ecuador – Roberto Delgado – Owner and Chef

Is it that social atmosphere that permeates the place where families come to eat together or individuals are happy to join a table with strangers who will become new friends?

Dumas Restaurant in Loja Ecuador - A Place for Families and Friends — Dumas Restaurant in Loja Ecuador – A Place for Families and Friends

Or could it be the decoration, the wooden furniture and the original paintings on the wall?

Or the typical “almuerzo with a gourmet touch” that Dumas has on offer every single day of the week ?

Lomito de cerdo con salsa de ciruela - pork tenderloin with plum sauce — Pork tenderloin with plum sauce

Could it be that deserts are your worse sin and Dumas is your redemption ?

Dumas Restaurant - The home made deserts — Dumas Restaurant – The home made deserts

Or could it be the classy, professional, super fast and always friendly service that Roberto and Patricio his very experienced garcon provide ?

Dumas Restaurant in Loja Ecuador - Classy Service — Dumas Restaurant – Patricio

To me it seems that it is all of the above combined.

A la carte or set menu ?

At noon, Dumas offers “almuerzos”, usually a soup, a choice of two mains and one desert. For those who are not familiar with life in Ecuador, the word “almuerzo” of course as the dictionary says means “lunch” but it also has another meaning.

Firstly, it means a three course meal made out of a soup of the day, a choice between 2 or some times 3 mains (a meat, a fish) and a small desert. It also includes a non alcoholic beverage such as horchata or juice. Portions are rather small, in my view anyway, but that is what people want here because they also eat at night.

Secondly and most importantly the word “almuerzo” conveys the meaning of “economical“, not expensive, something around the $3 dollar mark per person all included whereas “a la carte” is usually at least double that price.

Dumas does not offer a la carte menus during the day except wen they run out of almuerzos. They do serve a la carte at night though and that will be covered in the next article.

Part 1 : Lunch Time Set Menu

I arrived on this beautiful Tuesday at around 12 noon when things slowly pick up until the place gets in full swing at around 1 PM. This is the famous “almuerzo”, this time of the day when everything comes to a grinding halt in Loja, when people leave the office, shops close their door and people focus on one and only one thing: EAT.

Dumas is conveniently located only a few steps from Loja central square

While the entire city of Loja goes to sleep, Dumas goes into a frenzy serving their delicious lunches. These lunches are not complicated. This is not the time for gastronomy. This is a time and a place for families, friends, colleagues and couples to eat the typical lunch that they are used to but very importantly with a touch of something that I call

“the gourmet touch“

This day, after the traditional soup of the day, we had a “lomito de cerdo con salza de ciruela” (pork tenderloin with plum sauce) and a homemade carrot cake for desert which I personally enjoyed with a good cup of espresso coffee.

Roberto makes everything himself from fresh ingredients, meaning that his day starts way before lunch time, making bread, making pastries, making sauces … Roberto who is only 30 studied and worked 4 years in Buenos Aires, then came back to his home land Ecuador to work at “Chez Jérôme” in Quito for Jerome Montelier, a french chef of international reputation. Roberto told me that he was his “sous-chef”. Then after working two years on a boat in Galapagos he finally decided to drop the “sous” in the word “sous-chef” and become his own “chef” in his restaurant called “Dumas” in Loja Ecuador.

Dumas Restaurant - Santiago hermano de Roberto — Dumas Restaurant – Santiago hermano de Roberto

His entire family works there which is yet another proof of this amazing family spirit that Ecuadorians have.

His sister is at the counter, his mother runs the kitchen, his brother helps at the table, even his father lays a hand during peak time.

I was early and I have to admit that just watching all this food being prepared in anticipation of the peak hour made me very hungry. I sat down at the end of one of the large tables and enjoyed my lunch while there were still few people.

I strongly recommend people who read this post and who like me enjoy a quite time to eat to go either early (before 12:30) or late (after 2PM).

Later on, people came to sit down at my table and we chatted. I found out that many people come here every single day. The entire place started looking like a beehive. It struck me that everybody was laughing and having a good time. I got up to wander around and take a few photos. I went upstairs. They have two floors. Everyone seemed happy, relaxed and nobody seemed to be waiting.

Dumas Restaurante en Loja Ecuador - El almuerzo momento feliz — Dumas Restaurant in Loja Ecuador – Lunch and Happiness

Dumas Restaurant in Loja Ecuador - Time for all generations to share family moments — Dumas Restaurant in Loja Ecuador – Time for all generations to share great family moments

Dumas - todo el mundo esta riendo y pasando un buen rato — Everybody having a good time

Conclusion

After having lunch at Dumas, you may no longer want to have an “almuerzo” anywhere else. Indeed, why pay the same price to get a very plain tasteless 90% white rice “almuerzo” somewhere when for the same price you can get that gourmet touch and enjoy a nice recipe with a french sounding name?

Other places should follow the example and learn to develop some culinary imagination to provide better lunches. That would certainly benefit Loja and attract more tourism.

Definitely a thumbs up for Dumas Trattoria and Restaurant and his friendly owner Roberto Delgado. Give it a try by all means a let us know in the comment section below what you think.

Dumas Restaurante Loja — Dumas Restaurant – A gentle gourmet touch in Loja Ecuador

Contacts

Address: Jose Antonio Eguiguren y Bernardo Valdivieso, Loja, Ecuador
Tel: +593 (0)7 256-1494
Social networks: https://www.facebook.com/dumastrattoria
Opening Hours: 12:00 – 21:00 hours

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Reina del Cisne – Pharmacy with a heart in Vilcabamba Ecuador

English version

Español AQUI

Do pharmacies have a heart? Or are they just pill pushers? Most modern pharmacies appear to be in the business of selling as many drugs as they can per unit of time.

Not so at Reina del Cisne in Vilcabamba. This is family business since 4 generations and its current owner, Guicela Riofrio, is definitely a lady with a heart who runs her business with a gentle hand.

Where indeed, more than in a pharmacy, does one need good friendly and discrete attention? You go there with your boo-boos, your ailments, your intimate problems. Are you expected to spit it all out to some hurried employee dressed in white overall in the middle of a crowd?

At the pharmacy Reina del Cisne you will be attended by the owner herself. She has plenty of experience, plenty of patience and will do her best to make you feel that you are in good hands. As per my usual way of collecting information for a write-up, I gave her a live interview with the camera and invited her to tell me about her story and her day to day professional life.

Guicela Riofrio

Guicela is Nelly Toledo’s daughter, the person we see on the right side of the photo below. Mrs. Toledo has dedicated her life to pharmacy as well and so had her own mother. Today, Nelly’s daughter has taken that role with the help of her own eldest daughter who we see on the left. Her youngest, also on the photo, albeit still too young to participate is no doubt watching, listening and learning.

Farmacia Reina del Cisne, Vilcabamba — Three generations working together to provide the best service

I spent a few hours in the pharmacy watching people coming in and out. It was entertaining I must say. I was amused to watch one of two young guys who were sitting drinking beer on the pavement opposite to the pharmacy stand up, walk to the pharmacy and ask for “two pills for the liver”. One lady popped out of a car to buy two “pills for the flu” (whatever that might be)… There is a pill for everything. Then an old lady, “Luchita” was her name, needed new rubber gloves for her kitchen but had trouble remembering her size. So Guicela spent about 15 minutes assessing whether a number 7 or a number 8 was best putting the lady’s hand on top of the shrink wrapped gloves.

Paciencia y cortesia — Trying out the rubber gloves

Privacy is important, she told me. “Many times, people only want to talk to me. We move a little to a corner so that no one can hear. Some times they want to show me a pimp, a lesion, some rash and that is not something people want to do in public of course”.

Watching these people I mentioned above buying “liver pills” or “flu pills” didn’t sound too good to my natural medicine oriented ears and made me want to ask Guicela about the status of health in general around Vilcabamba. She told me that it was not very good. Constipation, fatty liver, parasites in children, psychological problems as well, there is a whole range of ailments in this small paradise of Vilcabamba.

Natural medicine and pharmaceuticals, are they compatible ?

I asked here whether in her opinion there was a contradiction between natural medicine and the use of pharmaceuticals. She said no, they go hand in hand.

“Normally, people here go for natural remedies first and when it does not work they go to see the doctor”.

“In the case of fatty liver for example, if they don’t eat less fatty food and fried stuff they won’t get better fast. They can take silimarin and B complex tablets and it will help but it is a slow process…”

I wish to make a small parenthesis here. I am not Ecuadorian, I am from Belgium and I liaise with expats in Vilcabamba and Loja, some of whom are knowledgeable in the field of natural health. These people would absolutely not agree that natural medicine and pharmaceuticals go hand in hand. On one hand, strictly speaking and in an absolute world I don’t agree either. We know that tablets interfere with the body and make natural medicine less effective.

On the other hand we don’t live in an absolute world. Now that I have observed Guicela’s world, I understand it better. It is a relative world made of real people and made out of compromises. She knows that it would be better to tell people to stop smoking, stop drinking, eat less bad fatty acids and fried stuff, eat less white rice and white bread, turn the cellphone off, go for a walk, just to give a few examples. Less pills would be necessary. She knows that and certainly does advise people about these things day in day out. It is hard though to change people’s habits. In this context of relativity, what she says about natural medicine and drugs being complementary makes sense.

“Many people come to me because they know that I try to give them other options, not just drugs”.

Medicina natural en la farmacia Reina del Cisne — A few natural products available at the pharmacy Reina del Cisne

To me this pragmatic, realistic attitude that takes into account people’s bad habits, while at the same time advising them of the other options they might have, is really what is needed in a place like Vilcabamba. That is the attitude that I witnessed. Sometime you have to give people the pill that they’re asking.

What? Anxiety and depression in Vilcabamba?

“There are many people with depression here… Family problems … Economical problems … the husband drinks … no help is available … children don’t do well at school …. “.

“Normally I try to give people something natural like valerian passionflower and chamomile… Mind altering drugs no! I almost don’t work with these.”

She surprised me when she said:

“… it is not so much the locals but more the foreigners that seem to suffer of anxiety and depression … It saddens me to watch some people getting worse over the years… There is a problem with alcohol as well”.

I asked her about her English. She laughed and told that she does understand most of what people say and can speak enough to explain a posology for example: “one tablet in the morning with breakfast and one at night”.

Enemas – Colon cleanse kit

A product that the pharmacy has sold a lot albeit almost exclusively to foreigners is the enema kit.

Kit de limpieza colonica — Colon cleanse or Enema Kit

With this kit, one can do a coffee enema. This is an ancient therapy that can be dated as far back as the Egyptian Pharaohs. Enemas are not a new fad or something that’s only performed by those obsessed with their health. It wasn’t that long ago that enemas were routinely prescribed by doctors as part of a normal cure for illness.

The enema can safely be done at home. It bears no risk whatsoever and in many cases can be very effective almost immediately. Suzy Cohen, also known as “America’s Pharmacist,” declares that coffee enemas are safe when performed by holistic physicians and even at home in her Ask The Pharmacist column. Cohen goes on to say that coffee enemas can be used as therapeutic treatment for a number of conditions, like constipation, fatigue, liver detoxification, and even cancer. Research has confirmed the effectiveness of administering therapeutic agents through the colon instead of the mouth.

If you haven’t tried before and are interested to give it a try, please contact us or contact Guicela who will contact us.

Conclusion

At pharmacy Reina del Cisne, you will find something special that has become rare in our modern world: quality service and professionalism delivered by a real human being with a heart who can listen to you and give you sensible advice.

Atendiendo a "Mama Silivia" — “Mama Silivia” at Reina del Cisne Pharmacy

Contacts

Guicela Riofrio
Cell: 09 80700666

Calle Bolivar Vilcabamba (near the police)

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Loja Vilcabamba – Services Food Grocery Market

Besides a roof and a bed the most important service we all need is a food supply. Since most of us are by no mean self-sufficient, this means “tienda” (grocery store), market or supermarket.

Here in Ecuador, especially in small places like Vilcabamba, it is the local people’s custom to do their shopping as close as possible to their home. This is why we usually find a small grocery store at every corner.

The expats and travelers don’t operate the same way at all. They know what they are after and go where they can find it.

In Loja, the Supermercado Galtor in the 18 de Noviembre, almost facing the entrance of the “centro comercial” is a small supermarket where most can be found at an attractive price. The service is first class, the employees always courteous and ready to help.

Many expats go to Supermaxi it is true. It is more convenient to park the car but the prices can be much higher, e.g. extra virgin olive oil: Supermaxi $12.9, Galtor $9 for exactly the same bottle.

In Vilcabamba, the “Supermercado Marisol” is an extremely popular place among the expat community and tourist alike. The place always feels like a beehive. Why is that? Simple. Because she has it all and at the best price. You want tumeric, she has it, organic cacao powder, ditto, several brands of beer, a large selection of organic fruit and veges, wholemeal flower, maca, you name it… And if she does not have it, she will find it forya. Cool!

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