²ÝÁñÉçÇø

Dear Excelsis,

Welcome to the Ecuador forums of ²ÝÁñÉçÇø ...

You probably can't go wrong planting and growing on the world-famous soil of the Valley of Longevity, in and around Vilcabamba. 

When you get to the area, you will find many opportunities exist to speak with soil and growing experts and with master planters/farmers.  By networking and interacting directly with such experts, you will learn the answer to your primary question .. and gather much more information than whatever you glean on an Internet forum.

You will learn about the soil .. the temperatures .. the high-terrain issues .. the winds .. the rain .. the elevations and their effects on growing .. and the differences among the communities you are considering.

You will visit farming properties for sale in the area and come to understand the differences among them.  You will have a better understanding of what soils are best for the types of plantings you envision.

cccmedia

excelsis0707 wrote:

In which of these cities does it rain the longest and for how long throughout the year?

Yes, it gets rainy in Vilcabamba.

That's why everything is so green.

cccmedia

"In which of these cities ... ?"

----

These are not all cities, although Loja would pass the test.  Vilcabamba, with a population of 4,000 to 5,000, may have the highest percentage of English-speaking ²ÝÁñÉçÇøs of any municipality in South America (including Cuenca).

Up the road 28 miles (45 km) in Loja you are likely to find few English speakers.  In tiny villages, typically little English is spoken.

cccmedia

cccmedia
Thank you very much for your information. And as for medical assistance, which city has better and more diversified assistance? Loja or Cuenca?
Another issue that I read on some posts and with respect to a certain tension between so-called "black chamballa" and gringos, as it seems that these chamballas do not welcome the gringos who want to buy their land, which has a very great spiritual value for them ... How true is this rumor?!?

excelsis0707 wrote:

cccmedia
Thank you very much for your information. And as for medical assistance, which city has better and more diversified assistance? Loja or Cuenca?

Both Cuenca and Loja have IESS hospitals.  These are essentialy social-security facilities that offer a health program ²ÝÁñÉçÇøs historically were able to participate in .. for under $100 per month per individual or couple. 

The rules apparently have changed to base an ²ÝÁñÉçÇø's monthly contribution as a percentage of income.  However, as an IESS healthcare participant, I have not received notice about such a change, so it's unclear to me whether it is being enforced.  As far as I know, I am still being charged what a USA citizen would consider a reasonably low rate as before.

I do not have enough information to compare the quality of the IESS care in the two cities.  Anecdotally, there have been several ²ÝÁñÉçÇø posts over recent years that compliment the IESS hospital experience in Cuenca.

cccmedia

excelsis0707 wrote:

Another issue that I read on some posts and with respect to a certain tension between so-called "black chamballa" and gringos, as it seems that these chamballas do not welcome the gringos who want to buy their land, which has a very great spiritual value for them ... How true is this rumor?!?

The locals rumble about various ²ÝÁñÉçÇø issues from time to time, and who can really blame them?

Vilca has been Gringo-ized more than other places in South America.  This means life has changed for the locals when business signs and flyers are in English and they go to the center of their village only to hear foreigners who are speaking a foreign language.

I refer you to the website VilcaDying.com and the Vilcabamba page of ecuadorexplorer.com, which has links to Loja as well.

cccmedia

The website Vilca Dying is partly devoted to hospice, last wills and other individual life's-end topics .. and the name does not imply that the village of Vilcabamba is 'dying'.

Yangana is the highest of the 3 so colder. Next Vilca and lastly Quinara is the warmest as it is a bit lower and a bit further away from the  Podocarpus mountains, so doesn't  get the cold clouds rolling down that Vilca gets.

As they are relatively close I suppose it shouldn't make much of a difference, right?!?

Very wrong. IT's the mountains, lots of microclimates, 5 minutes can mean a big change

I understood that some months a year there are strong and regular winds in this area. What is the area most exposed to winds between these 3 cities?

Correct, can be very windy. Quinara probably gets less as is in the valley, further from the big mountains

In which of these cities does it rain the longest and for how long throughout the year?

Can rain all year, but rainy season should be rainer.
Yangana and Vilca more rain. Further you move from the big mountains, less rain. For example, you can go 40mins to catamayo and it is more desert like than lush green.

But then again, you could be in vilca valley or go up to vilca mountains and be 500m further up, so it will all depend on the land

Thank you very much for your information. And as for medical assistance, which city has better and more diversified assistance? Loja or Cuenca?

Cuenca hands down.

Guayaquil and Quito are first rate cities for healthcare, next is Cuenca, then much much further down is Loja. Anything serious serious and you will not be getting treatment in Loja

Another issue that I read on some posts and with respect to a certain tension between so-called "black chamballa" and gringos, as it seems that these chamballas do not welcome the gringos who want to buy their land, which has a very great spiritual value for them ... How true is this rumor?!?

Vilca has since an influx of retirees / expats / immigrants which has been a double edge. Brings in money, but raises prices on land and everything else. Not everyone has benefitted from this. But it isn't just foreigners. Lojanos have weekend homes as well.

User159
Thank you very much for your very punctual responses! Can you tell me if Vilcabamba's famous mild climate extends into the Quinara and Yangana area?
Which of the three has less humidity in the air (my wife has a health problem in her lungs and cannot handle more humid weather types)?!?

excelsis0707 wrote:

User159
Thank you very much for your very punctual responses! Can you tell me if Vilcabamba's famous mild climate extends into the Quinara and Yangana area?
Which of the three has less humidity in the air (my wife has a health problem in her lungs and cannot handle more humid weather types)?!?

Yes, but Yangana will be colder (a bit, probably more noticable during the night) and Quinara is a bit warmer. But again, depends where in these areas you live: Mountains / valley / village, outskirts.

Humidity will be high during rainy season in all places, but Quinara should be less humid.

Best thing is to go and stay in each for a few months, ideally a year in each to experience the full season.

Another thing, Vilca has tourists, the other two do not. So only local amenities in Quinara and Yangana and a lot less people to socialise with

Spanish is not a problem for us, as we have mastered it a lot ...

Self claimed mastering? Or are you actually fluent, speaking to native speakers - not "course fluent". But don't also forget, it isn't just the language, it's the culture as well. The more remote an area, the more "locals only" the more isolated you will be. If there are Lojanos around, less so, but if it is a campesino area and you were planning to become "one of the locals", you won't. I've seen it time and time again, people want the isolation and space coming from a different lifestyle, but after a year the isolation sets in and - as we are social beings - regret being so isolated. Not everyone, but the vast majority, I'd put it up at above 90%.

Another thing to note, Vilca to Loja, is an hour, foot down up the mountain. Add 20 minutes to that for yangana / Quinara and probably more like 30. Add if you are down a windy lane, off the main road, add more to it. So an 1hour 40 to the city, which is where you will need to go often.

Thank you for your information. I'll take your tips into account ...
Yes, next year we are considering doing our first visit to get a better reading of the most suitable place for my wife's health. At the right time, I will return to comment on the first impressions, as well as to give my contribution with my opinions on the matter ... Well be it!

Also consider Catamayo, it is lower than the 3 and warmer. It's in a dry valley that looks more desert like than the Vilca valley, but is only 40mins away. Catamayo is a city, well a town really, but some villages around it.

0 foreigners though. But for your wife's health and dry environment, might be better

User 159:
Thanks again for your tips. We will take all of these recommendations into account. Continuation of a good stay and a delightful experience in Ecuador for everyone!