Losing time in VILCABAMBA

DAY 47

If a Fountain of Youth exists anywhere, it's in Vilcabamba, aptly deemed the "Valley of Longetivity". Vilcabamba is known for having inhabitants who exceed well beyond 100 years old, even up to 120-135 years. This phenomena is attributed to several things--the mineral-rich drinking water (which we are drinking buckets of, just in case), the slow pace of life, and antioxidant-rich foods that grow naturally throughout the landscape. With any luck, our short stint here will at least help us stay in good heath for the remainder of our journey.

Although we were quite burnt out from our travels, the small village nestled between two verdant valleys lifted our energy. After checking into our secluded hilltop hostel that overlooks the town, we took the 2 km. hike into town. Along the roadside were numerous plants, flowers, and fruits that grew wild in the lush region.

Upon reaching town, it began to rain. We checked out a few artisan shops and stopped under a canopy for some yogurt before making the trek back uphill.
For dinner, we ate at the hostel restaurant which overlooks the sweet little valley and had a long, well-needed rest.

DAY 48

"I've been through the desert on a horse with no name. It felt good to be out of the rain."
We awoke this morning to the prospect of a sunny day. After breakfast, we went on a 4 hour horseback ride through Vilcabamba's outskirts with three other girls from our hostel. We galloped up and down steep mountain slopes, traversed a river, and encountered several quaint villages along the way. Mom's horse (who didn't have a name) was by far the most mean-spirited one of the bunch. He bit my horse, Tequila, several times and tried to bite every horse that tried to pass it. By the time our bums had had quite enough abuse, we reached town and started our weary 2 km. hike back uphill to our hostel.

After a shower and a cold beverage at the restaurant, we relaxed in hammocks overlooking Vilcabamba for an hour or so (mostly for the fact that this was one of the few places where it didn't hurt to sit).

DAY 49

We rested our aching bodies before heading into town, where we sipped coffee in the main square while watching two people put on a show including string puppets and an accordian. Apparently, artisan hippie types come to Vilcabamba from all over South America to set up shop as a jewelry maker or play the accordian on the church steps in the main square.

In contrast to the slow, peaceful pace of Vilcabamba, we next had to contend with the hectic bus scheduling that I lay ahead of us to our next stop.