Hello everybody

This is a quick update, as promised, to let you know the VREC website is back up and running properly once more.

I would ask a favour: please if you notice any discrepancies or faults … pages not loading or price discrepancies, or anything at all on the site that isn’t “working,” please be sure and let me know by replying to this email.

In the meantime, I should let you know about a couple of things.

Platinum Property 007 (PP007) – Full service lots of a minimum size of 1 acre (4,000m2) for $20,000.
This property allows bargain-hunters who are interested in living in the Vilcabamba valley itself, a very civilised entry-point into the Vilcabamba property market. Lots of a minimum size of 1 acre are available with full services, for $20,000. The property is an 8 minute drive on asphalt from Vilcabamba centre and the owner is a long-term Vilca resident who is interested in maintaining a price point whereby interested parties can get access to a Vilcabamba home-site and still have plenty left-over to build the home environment they desire.

Platinum Property 008 (PP008) – “El Condor” – 40 hectares of Mystical Mountain-Top Retreat.

Watch this space for details of the imminent El-Condor property listing. We will tell you more soon, but it is rare such a famous and special property as this one comes onto the market in the Vilcabamba region. Sitting at about 2,160 metres, this rambling 40 hectares of lovingly-envisioned and maintained eco-wonderland has an incredible amount to offer its new owner. Incorporating full services (including internet access), a main house, a guest house, multiple building spots, multiple water sources, mature plantations, lagoon hikes, unparalleled sunsets, and panoramic views of the region, this is an eco-destination that will appeal to all. All will be revealed in detail very shortly via the full listing. Expressions of interest are welcome from this moment … drop me a line.

Platinum Property 005 (PP005) – “Agua de Hierro” – 55 room “hostel with the lot” – Downshifting? Check this out for immediate revenue & lifestyle!

In terms of a compact super-equipped functional hostel with every conceivable facility for the travelling demographic it is aimed squarely at, it is difficult to find fault with this Hostel. Spread over a very manageable 4,000m2 (one acre) and situated only 5 minutes walk from Vilcabamba Centre, this Hostel features amenity and facilities of a level usually associated only with much more expensively-priced hospitality venues. In fact many people say it is difficult to decide to leave the comfortable environs of this place to do the many other activities that Vilcabamba offers. From massages to games-room to swimming pool to spa baths, steam rooms, saunas and even steam-boxes! … this hostel has managed to tick all the boxes when it comes to keeping their many guests happy. 55 rooms at an average of $10/night at 50% average occupancy at 1.5 person average per room, gives a return of $12K/month. Do the math. This revenue is possible without including the many existing ”value-adds” like the spa facilities, food & alcohol sales, conferencing, and commissions from organised tours such as horses, etc. This property is a turn-key business which is functioning as a going-concern right now. It is capable of incredible things with the right marketing, management and team.

Platinum Property 010 (PP010) – Incredible Home, Rambling gardens, Mature plantations, Extraordinary Flora and Fauna, Great Views.
This exquisitely tended English-Countryside style residence is set over 3 acres (1.2 hectares). With features too many to list here, do yourself a favour and have a look at the listing. The owners have priced this property very reasonably, for a quick sale.

MH001 – 4 room Boutique Hotel/Spa/Pool/Restaurant/Conferences etc Facility

MH001 is a stunning boutique 4 room hotel / spa facility / pool etc, set on about 1,300m2 in Malacatos. Priced at $130,000 this immediately accessible accommodation and cashflow opportunity will go very quickly for the right-minded motivated person who is seeking a financially sustainable downshifting opportunity. Turn the key and get started!

Anyway, that’s it for now folks. Please accept our best wishes for a wonderful and fun Xmas and NY wherever you may be. Vilcabamba will still be here in 2010! J  We look forward to seeing you then.

Bye for now,

Nick Vasey
Founder – Vilcabamba Real Estate Company: (VREC) Properties

Hello everybody!

Just a short note to update you on what’s going on with property-related matters here in Vilcabamba.

New Property Listings
We have a  number of new and interesting properties which have recently been listed.

Malacatos – MH001 is a stunning boutique 6 room hotel / spa facility / pool etc, set on about 1,300m2 in Malacatos. Priced at $130,000 this immediately accessible accommodation and cashflow opportunity will go very quickly.

Vilcabamba – VT021 is an acre of land in the blue-chip region of San Jose (only 2.5 km from Vilca’s central park). With outstanding views to both Mandango and over the Vilcabamba valley, the San Jose area is always popular. This acre of gently sloping land is bordered on one side by a winter creek, has road access and services access, and is priced at $40,000.

San Pedro – ST003 is another acre of flat land in the lush San Pedro valley. Even now, at the end of the dry season, this land is as green as can be thanks to an adjacent irrigation canal and nearby river. Priced at only $30,000 this 4,000m2 plot is likely to disappear quickly.

Cucanama Opportunity: Only 5 km or so from Vilca’s central park, a client of ours has approximately 33 hectares of land in Cucanama. Our client is interested in selling pieces of a minimum size of one hectare at $4 per metre! So, one hectare of eminently cultivable land (2.47 acres) can be yours for just $40,000. This land has access to services and all the pre-requisites for agriculture on a significant scale, and it is very much a case of “first-in-best-dressed.” As this offer of sections has just become available, incentives for first buyers range from discounts to preferred lot selection (or perhaps even both!). Refer to the Platinum Properties section (ref PP007) on our website for more general information regarding this property.

VREC Construction & Design
In addition to the various repairs we were immediately requested to undertake by a number of long-term residents, we are happy to announce the VREC Construction & Design team are currently working on their first significant project … a comprehensive renovation of existing premises for a local resident. Stage 1 is nearly complete, with Stage 2 and 3 upgrades to follow once the rainy season is behind us. We want to congratulate Bernie and his team on what is simply the most professional attitude and approach it is possible to get in these parts. If you are considering getting a building project underway in the New Year, please contact me as a matter of urgency, as we will need to discuss, assess and schedule any desired works well in advance of being able to book Bernie and his team.

Thanks!
Santiago, Marco and myself want to thank the many people who stop by our office/s from time to time offering words of support and encouragement. Those longer-term residents who really understand the sort of chicanery which was prevalent here in Vilcabamba prior to VREC Properties being operational, are the ones who very well know the benefit we have brought to those new folks hoping to find and acquire property at a fair price and as painlessly as possible. We also continue to offer free of charge our Obligation-Free-Property-Assessment to those folks who have found a property via some avenue other than us. This free service has made it significantly more unlikely for unsuspecting people to fall victim to the practice of Over-Quoting (see FAQs on our website for more info). VREC Properties also continues to firmly stand by the Mission Statement at the bottom of this email, and this approach continues to win us valuable support and long-term happy clients.

Questions?
If you want to communicate with me, please just answer this email, phone me, or add my Skypename below and we’ll chat! I look forward to hearing many more stories of folks actualising their Vilcabamba dreams in the years to come.

Best wishes to all for the coming festive season.

Nick Vasey
Founder – Vilcabamba Real Estate Company: (VREC) Properties

Images:

1) The Plaza de Armas from the Baghdad Cafe and how the average tourist sees the view

2) A notorious bar, now closed, on the corner of the square

I first visited the former capital of the Inca Empire in 1979 and last strolled its precincts in April of this year.  A lot of water since then has passed under the proverbial bridge – or in this case under the main plaza, where a network of tunnels and pools exists under the main square of the city.

3) The Cathedral: In decades past, tourists were frequently denied entry

Cuzco has experienced an overwhelming history of brutality and conquest ever since the first Quechuas found the valley, the legends recounting how they plunged a staff into the ground and it sprouted forth as a sprig of corn or wheat , thus divining that this was the locale where the wandering  tribe should congregate and build their capital.  They called it the Navel of the Earth.  The islanders of Rapa Nui referred to their homeland with the same term, as did the original builders of Tiwanuku and a variety of other cultures around the world.  How many navels does the world possess?  Apparently quite a few.  Perhaps each old culture that spoke of their homeland in this fashion made only an allegorical statement.  But I hear the ring of truth.

After tearing the gold sheathing from the walls of the Coricancha and melting down the golden garden in front of the sacred temple, the conquistadors settled into a pattern of garroting their enemies in the Plaza de Armas, just to show the locals who was boss.  A fight at the fortress at Sacsayhuaman above the city secured their control of Cuzco Valley.  Even the infighting among the Spaniards, ultimately resulting in the death of Pizarro in Lima, did not break their hold on the new colony that contained unspeakable wealth.

The original murder of Atahuallpa in Cajamarca began the Spanish conquest after the Incas filled a room with gold to try and save their leader’s life.  Further battles at Ollantaytambo – where the Incas won a battle for their cause – and the final revolt at Vilcabamba only secured the Europeans’s eventual victory.  The Spanish survived and thrived after exhibiting appalling behavior, at least in the short-term.

Scientists tell us the original city plan was laid out in the form of a puma.  But this theory is rather like an inkblot test; the observer sees what he or she wants to see.  Drawings of the city plans remind me more of a tapir, but that animal lacks the sexiness of a big cat, so we’ll agree with the savants that the Incas were thinking pumas, not giant rodents, when they built their metropolis.

Nowadays Cuzco is a kind of amusement park, where tourists wander the streets, admiring the stone foundations of the original builders.   Remarkably, the biggest stones show a workmanship quite different from that normally ascribed to the later Incas.  Huge multi-angled blocks, impossibly shaped into geometric forms, line the walls of the streets of the San Blas district, while more prosaic stonework connects the Plaza de Armas to the Coricancha.  Who built what? we might ask.  As for the Coricancha, one fact is clear. Its walls have survived every earthquake in modern times, while the Dominican church built atop the fortifications crumble with every tremor of the Earth, and the church has been constantly re-built after devastating earthquakes.  So much for the superiority of modern construction methods.

Yet as the visitor walks through the Plaza de Armas, the old vibes are still powerful.  This place was a gathering point for the masses, from the original Native American inhabitants who displayed the mummified bodies of their former rulers, to the current crop of Catholic fiesta celebrants who parade bizarre statues of the Virgin  through the streets during Easter Week.  This year I briefly watched one of these processions.  The sight was underwhelming.  I spent most of the occasion with both hands thrust into my pockets to ward off pickpockets, of which Cuzco boasts huge numbers.  In fact, if you visit the market area, the locals constantly play tricks on the tourists, dumping refuse or worse on their persons in order to distract them, while accomplices efficiently fleece the well-lined foreign pockets.  Excellent techniques and very rewarding for those who practice this impromptu form of wealth redistribution.

During the 1960s you could wander the ruins of Sacsayhuaman completely unmolested.  Now, similar to the crowd control practiced at Machu Picchu, guards blow whistles at visitors foolish enough to step into the roped-off areas to investigate unusual features – most notably the great zodiac or sundial at the edge of the cliff that drops toward Cuzco’s center.  A real buzz killer, to use modern vernacular.

Despite the negativity, going to Cuzco is an honor, a privilege, and an obligation to all those who wish to experience the interplay of cultures and see the results of exploitation and imperialism.  Inside the Cathedral on the main square stands an alter fashioned from solid silver, obscene in its gaudy proclamation of stolen wealth.  Innumerable and priceless paintings from the famous Cuzco School line the church’s dark stone walls.  Here material and political power scream at the observer, gloating at the conquest of a civilization that was once more advanced than any society Europe achieved.

Too bad the Incas never invented firearms.  Maybe history would have turned out differently, and instead of poor peasants hunched over massive loads of goods, hauling them into the city for sale, or old Native American women laying antique weavings on street corners for visitors to buy at ridiculously low prices, artworks that incorporate the ancient Peruvian  form of communication and writing, we’d see illegal Spanish immigrants begging for work outside hardware stores and construction sites,  just as their distant cousins are obliged to do at the Home Depots and WalMarts of North America.  Now that would be justice.

It’s always so nice when you can rally a few friends for an all day excursion into the forest. Though I must say this time it took a lot of jabbing from me to get Mike and Carey to get off their duffs and get moving. It’s the dry season in Ecuador so I wanted to find a sliver of lush green in all this brown. I had heard about a lovely waterfall up one of the canyons on the other side of town. Carey owns a small motorcycle with hardly any juice but with two good wheels. That was our transportation to Mike’s house just outside town. From there we walked 5 km up a dirt road  toward Yamburara. I had been told that Cabanas Rio Yambala (known as Charlie’s cabins) was the start of the hike up to the cloudforest and waterfalls. It was hot as hell out – and the air was thick with humidity. Mike (one twin from Washington State) started complaining, although he wouldn’t call it that, right off the bat. In the middle of the first of many “observations” a lovely little Ecuadorian lady came around the corner in the highest of heels, carrying her two year old toddler, complete with a smile on her face. You know the saying a picture is worth a thousand words. The vision of this petite woman, dressed to impress climbing a steep road with a child in tow.. well, I just looked at Mike and said… really? You were saying? Our journey took us past a less known entrance to Parque Nacional Podocarpus – definitely high on my list for places to visit. Today we wanted to hike on the edge of the park – I think I may have described the hike as…. laidback? The road was getting smaller and we weren’t entirely sure where we were going, so we stopped to ask a local for a little help. This guys smile couldn’t have been any bigger as he welcomed us in with open arms. First we had to get by his prized “Cocks” – roosters who were tethered outside. Unfortunately this is a sport which brings big cash in this country, sorry to say. I will never EVER watch two roosters go at it till death, but I’m told the guy with the winning bird can collect more than $500 a night – which is HUGE money here! I tried to ignore the bondage I felt for these poor roosters. To our surprise, this business man also made musical instruments. Gorgeous drums made out of old Agave plants. While I made plans to buy one on my next visit (too big to carry hiking) I got sucked in to buying a wooden recorder after he whipped out the most beautiful melody for us. I will always respect anyone with musical talents. The gentlemen tried for like a half an hour to teach me how to play. While entertaining for the boys, it was mega frustrating for me, though I will practice for the next few months and WILL learn how to play a song on it.

Back on the road, we were told Charlie’s cabanas was just across the bridge and up the hill. Luck on our side, we caught Charlie and his son on their way to town to pick up supplies. They showed us a interactive type map and tried to explain where we needed to go. They also just happened to have a tall big beer for us three to share – beer always taste wonderful outdoors and it hit the spot! Charlie is an American who’s lived in Ecuador for 31 years. His son – who speaks perfect English – has never been to the states! He has done a tremendous job with the place. A great entrance and eating area, surrounded by a handful of cabanas – more like tree houses- dotting the hillside. A warning here, you are going to sweat and experience heavy breathing getting to your bed every night, but the scenery is worth it!!

As we climbed the extremely steep hill up to the main trail, I could tell this might be a lot longer day and a lot tougher hike.. but I kept quiet as I know that’s not what the boys wanted to here. The sun caused us to take quite a few breaks along the way. Now I’ve never gone on a hike without bringing food. The guys didn’t even think about eating. Fortunately I had enough to satisfy our hunger and I divided it up into 3 separate stops – anything to keep the troops moving forward. Thank goodness we all had doubled up on water – because we ended up needing every single drop. Another crucial moment happned between our 1st and 2nd stops. We were just getting to the top of this terribly steep ravine when I looked up to see a site that stopped me in my tracks, a smile sweeping over my face. All three of us were sucking wind, terribly. I mean it was steep and extremely hot. Here in front of us, on the other side of a barbed-wire fence, was an old lady – must have been in her mid 80’s, walking along her farmland which had to be on a 40% grade. She just looked at us with such ease and muttered a friendly “buenas dias”. I looked down and she was barefoot, just trotting along with no effort. Unbelievable. We all were silenced by her grace and fitness level. This is why they call this place the “valley of longevity”. While many locals faces may look old with wisdom, theirbodies are fit and strong, their souls happy and content with what little they have. A great lesson for 3 gringos from America.

We were told the waterfall should be under 2 hours away – but we weren’t finding it and it had been over 3 hours now. We kept pressing on, hoping to hear or see signs of water (we all had visions of jumping into the cool waters after such a sweaty hike). Finally we had to make a decision or we were going to be hiking home in the dark (yes, I had a headlamp ). We had to turn around. Inside I threw a huge tantrum, especially because my whole goal for the hike was to see lush green and come in contact with some fresh cool water. I also know though to let it go. it’s just not worth taking risks and chancing a hike down in the dark in a foreign land. Safety has to come first! Another day I thought to myself. I will be back oh dear trail, except next time I will be prepared to stay the night if need be.

It wasn’t all bad. We had the most gorgeous weather on the way back. The sun was started to set – you know that perfect time of day for a little photography. Carey was able to get a signal on his phone and call us a cab to meet us at Charlie’s instead of the long dirt road home. The only way we could have had a better ending to the day? If another one of those cold beers would have suddenly appeared. Oh well, the cheap margaritas at Carlitos in town did the trick.

Fun, exercise and exploration in Ecuador!

17th October 2009

Hello everybody

I just wanted to let you know the VREC website has undergone some significant spring-cleaning and if you haven’t checked it for a while you should probably take a look!

New Properties: We have a number of new properties listed. Two notables are MQ002, a fabulously priced one-hectare quinta in Malacatos, as well as a new Platinum Property (PP009), the beachfront Bocatoma Resort on Colan beach in Northern Peru just across Ecuador’s southern border.

VREC Panel: The VREC Panel continues to go from strength to strength (thank-you for your feedback & suggestions!). This month we welcome Carl Nordeng and Jaime Leon to the Panel. Carl is a Vilcabamba resident with a diverse background in construction and contracting generally, who also has 15 years experience doing finish & detail work on some of the finest mega-yachts in the world. Here in Vilca he has made customised semi-rustic furniture and is available for all sorts of jobs ranging from renovations to specialist assignments. If you want someone with artistic flair and an eye for detail, Carl is your man. Jaime is an incredibly experienced engineer who has over 40 years in the field. Jaime is the ex-Director of the Ministry of Public Works in Zamora as well as ex-Director of the Ministry of Public Housing Projects, (amongst other achievements too many to list here). He is the preferred Engineering Consultant for VREC Construction & Design. So if you want to get a piece of property assessed or need an opinion generally at the planning stages of your construction project in the region, there is nobody better than Jaime to take a look at it for you. You can contact these guys directly via their details on the VREC Panel.

VREC Construction & Design: The new construction arm of VREC Properties is already taking calls and being engaged for work in the region. If you are still not familiar with the nature of VREC C&D, please visit our website and download the Memorandum of Information PDF from the VREC C&D page. VREC C&D is immediately available for construction projects of all sizes and types. So if you want to be able to engage a truly professional entity to manifest your vision here in the region, please just give us a call. Otherwise, email us directly if you have any queries.

Vilcabamba in General: In closing, please know there is a real sense of excitement in the air here in Vilcabamba. Many very talented and committed people who have some great ideas about creating a new paradigm for living are either here, or on their way here. This sort of critical “mind-mass” has the potential to accomplish extraordinary things to facilitate people leading richer, fuller, more satisfying lives, closer both to nature as well as each other. Check out our friend Jeff Hutner’s New Paradigm Website for examples of the sort of proactive thinking which will take Vilcabamba from strength to strength. Additionally, projects such as the EcoVenus Project have very much got their ducks in a row when it comes to creating something very special indeed. Lots in this community are now on sale through VREC … please contact us if you have some skills/ideas to offer and are interested in co-creating within EcoVenus.

Other Interesting Websites:

Interesting Data/Ideas/Opinions: http://divinecosmos.com/
Intending Planetary Change: http://www.goodplanet.org/en/
Better Informed = Better Health: http://www.naturalnews.com/
Can Seven Words Change the World?:  http://www.sevenwords.org/
Interesting Upcoming Film: http://www.2012timeforchange.com/
Awesome Planetary Film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU

I hope you’ve enjoyed this VREC Properties Update. As ever, we welcome all feedback, ideas and suggestions. Take the time to have a good look through our website as there is a lot of really useful information there, and don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need help with anything.

Bye for now, and best wishes,

Nick Vasey
Founder – Vilcabamba Real Estate Company: (VREC) Properties

Friday 9th October 2009

Hello everybody!

It has been a little while since my last update, and I hope everyone who receives this email is well and happy. Things are certainly wonderful here in Vilcabamba, and we at VREC Properties continue to be very excited about the sort of people who are bringing their great energy, ideas and enthusiasm to this remarkable part of the world. There really is nothing more satisfying than watching an already special place evolve into something ever-more-special … and it truly is people and their positive energy which makes this sort of evolution possible. If you haven’t visited Vilcabamba yet, I hope you all get to see it someday.

As ever, please be sure and let me know should you not wish to receive these VREC updates as we have no wish to bother anybody who is not interested. To unsubscribe, simply reply to this email with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line, and your name will be removed from our mailing list.

The reason for the significant delay since my last update to you all, is that in addition to helping our clients with property matters we have been very busy for some months now organising all the things necessary for the launch of our new subsidiary, VREC Construction & Design (PDF memorandum of  information document is on our website).

Put simply, it became very obvious that Vilcabamba needed a professional construction and design company which would operate on similar principles, ethics and systems as does VREC Properties itself. In the same way that people were previously often needlessly over-paying for properties here in Vilcabamba, they were also often being over-charged for the construction of their new dream-home. Whatever the reason, cost over-runs of up to 50% have been regularly reported to our office and the poor folks who have suffered these cost over-runs are needless to say, devastated and disappointed. It is our intention to minimise the possibility of these unwanted and negative outcomes by applying VREC Properties’ tried and tested operational principles to all VREC Construction & Design projects.

Since our inception, we at VREC Properties have taken great pride in the unparalleled level of client service we have been able to consistently offer. Our strategic relationships with key players and entities throughout Ecuador, our happy client-base’s many referrals, and our website’s ever-expanding References page attest to what has been a phenomenal impact in the marketplace. My business-partners Santiago Rodriguez, Marco Munoz and I could simply not be prouder of the remarkable progress this company has made.

As a result of this sustained hard work, we now have a unique opportunity to parlay all that goodwill, knowledge, and network of experienced people in a new direction which will hugely benefit the many people who will be in need of quality construction and design services in Vilcabamba in the months and years to come.

VREC Construction & Design will specialise in:

1. Designing and constructing new houses from scratch.
2. Remodelling, renovating and otherwise improving existing properties.
3. Special Projects

As can be seen from the personnel and detail in the memorandum of information document, we intend to bring the same levels of professionalism, fee-transparency, integrity and experience to the table that currently exists within VREC Properties. Newcomers to Vilcabamba will be able to seamlessly transition from us facilitating their property purchase into a similarly user-friendly process whereby VREC Construction & Design will manifest their dream-home in the desired professional and cost-beneficial manner.

In the very near future, all relevant information for VREC Construction & Design will be reflected on the VREC Properties website. To access this information simply click on the VREC C&D tab directly from our homepage.

Incidentally, I should add that VREC Construction & Design will always be interested in allying ourselves with the highest quality tradesmen and specialist contractors. Consequently if you or someone you know in Vilcabamba has a specialty which could be showcased to our clients, please come and have a chat with us in the office anytime. In this way, we will ensure that skilled contractors get rewarded with a consistent workflow, and that (as ever) our clients get the best quality work for the best price.

In closing, just let me say that we are all very excited about the launch of VREC Construction & Design and look forward to your ideas, expressions of interest and so on. We will continue to listen to all suggestions and feedback, as it is only by really listening that we can hope to continually offer the best client-experience possible.

Please send all VREC Construction & Design related emails to the dedicated email address:  cd@vrec.org

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Best wishes,

Nick Vasey
Founder – Vilcabamba Real Estate Company: (VREC) Properties

Mt. Mandango, Vilcabamba, Ecuador

At first sight, Mt. Mandango looks like nothing spectacular, kind of a confused top that displays a ring around the neck during the dry season.. a “hump”, like a bump on a log in the foothills of the Andes. But don’t discount this massive hunk of burning love. For locals, this mountain is the watchful, protective eye on the tiny puebla of Vilcabamba. Locals tell me it resembles both a man and a woman lying down opposite ways and sharing the same head. I’ve seen pictures where yes, you can see a man one way and a woman’s figure the next, connected together as one where their heads meet. A sleeping giant if you will – which many believe will one day wake up – let’s hope not any time soon. It sits at the southeast side of the town. My friends house – which is on the other side of the mountain – sits in the San Joaquin Valley. From her porch, the view is spectacular. This picture was actually taken from exactly where I’m sitting writing this blog right now. I love the view. The adventurous goddess in me could not sit and stare from afar, I needed to feel what it was like on top. So I convinced my dear friend Jan that we needed to experience Mandango.

Overlooking the town of Vilcabamba!

What I have not told you is that this mountain is a magnet for UFO’s. According to many locals, both drunk and sober, many nights you can see strange white objects fluttering about above the mountain. I’m not kidding. I’ve talked to 3rd generation Ecuadorians, to retired astronauts, to newbies– and they all describe the same thing – like bright fire flies whizzing about doing right angles up and down, not your usual flight patterns. It usually lasts for a minute or two, then they just simply disappear.. into the mountain. This made me want to venture to the top even more. There is a very unique energy about this mountain – and it is strong.

Hike to first cross, Mandango, Ecuador

There are a couple trails up Mandango, but the most traveled starts just outside of town. It’s the dry season now and we followed basically cow paths over one hump after another, constantly stopping to take in the views of the town below and the gigantic Andes to the south! We made it to the first of two crosses which symbolize overcoming natural challenges – and celebrated the clean fresh air and the vibrations sizzling through the air. From there, it’s a quick steep down and then directly toward the bow of Mt. Mandango. The trail then leads round the north side of the mountain. There were two specific areas which stopped me in my tracks. First was a great sense of warmth.  I reached down and the ground felt hot too, must be a whole to deep down inside. The next was an extremely cold shiver which ran through me near what looked like a good run off path from the top. Cold, not cool.. rather I felt really fun,exciting alive energy coming from this area. Once passed the trail basically goes straight up which requires major focus and all hands and knees. You then find yourself walking around the big mound and zig zagging your way to the top. Absolutely breathtaking views 360 degree views. The top itself lacked a sense of  ummmph, I’m here feeling. Yes, it was cool as hell to caress the cross at the top and thank Mother Earth for such a beautiful challenge, but it looks quite ordinary. The ground again was warm in places heating rocks to “massage like” temperatures.

We made it to the top!!

Jan  and I shared a tranquil cucumber at the top – the crisp, fresh and juicy texture very welcoming in a extremely dry condition. We then decided that, we’d rather take our chances and bushwhack down than to take the same trail. Plus, if we bushwhacked as we called it in racing, would put us on the same side of the mountain as home and we could catch a ride from the road below. If you’ve never followed  a ridge trail down a steep slope, there’s always a raining moment of panic when you can’t see if the trail jutts off a cliff you just can’t see. This was fortunately not the case. i had checked out the ridge extensively and deemed it safe from the top of the mountain. Yes, it would take a bunch of hiking through head high grass with no idea what lie on either side. My favorite moment was seeing Jan run down the ridge like Heidi off some childhood movie – priceless.

Jan happily coming down the ridge line!

When we finally managed to get to the dirt road below, we couldn’t for the life of it figure out how to get down to the paved road. Surely this road had to meet up with the other? We finally found this lady farming her grounds and asked her for help. You would not BELIEVE the soil she was getting healthy corn to grow out of, huge boulders, super rocky ass land on a steep side of a mountain…. but she was making it happen and had plenty of water from some complex yet primitive irrigation system. Finally my Spanish paid off and we figure out a trail to go down. Well, actually it was a dry river bed but it worked like a charm. We ended up hitching a ride back to the pedestrian bridge which took us to the other side of the river and on our way home. What a Mandango day we had…. I highly recommend it!!

Tapping into Mandango Energy, Euador

22nd August 2009

Hi there to everybody

It has been a while since my last email to you all … this has been because we’ve been very busy helping folks who are interested in finding out more about buying property, moving to, and living in, Vilcabamba.

Additionally, we just finished participating in a real-estate conference hosted by Mike Adams of www.naturalnews.com where we facilitated the property tours for about 23 international attendees (some from as far afield as Serbia and Australia!). What can I say … Vilcabamba is most definitely on people’s radar!

The conference was a resounding success, with much informed discussion and a huge amount of laughter, as the attendees began to assimilate just how different many things are here, compared to what they’re used to!

Interesting Property Deals

1. We have listed the Madre Tierra Hotel (PP004), as well as Hosteria Agua de Hierro (PP005) … both are listed as Platinum Properties. At $600K and $650K list prices respectively, they are both very inviting properties for a focused, dedicated, hospitality-aware couple looking for a lifestyle change where they can instantly generate revenues to support their new life here in gorgeous Vilcabamba.
2. Additionally, PP003 (Timbuktu), at $575K represents a property which could easily become an ideal luxurious private home and/or health retreat. To build a property like this in say, California, you would be looking at $3M plus! Check it out on our Platinum Properties page.
3. At jut $25K, the property QL001 still remains one of my favourite “bargain” properties. 2500m2 of pristine property with killer 270 degree views encompassing Quinara township, suspension bridge, river and mountains. Buy it, build a house for $35K, and you’ve suddenly got a standalone property for only $60K. And only 25 mins drive from Vilca!
4. Other “bargain” properties include SQ001 at $35K, and VQ008 at $28K both have habitable accommodations on them already … just waiting for some renovational (I just made this word up ) TLC from their new owners! SQ001 is 10 minutes drive from Vilca centre and VQ008 only 3 minutes drive.
5. YQ001 is also OUTSTANDING value with an asking price of $70K. One and a half flat hectares two minutes walk from Yangana … with absolute river frontage and literally a JUNGLE of mature fruit trees of all descriptions. And only 25 mins drive from Vilca!
6. The Buena Vista development (7 mins drive from Vilca centre) is about to start moving forward, and Earlybird sales are packed with incentives ranging from first-in first-served lot selection to a discount for being amongst the first buyers. Check out the Buena Vista flyer under our “What’s New” tab.
7. Near Buena Vista, we also have “the hectare on the hill” (VT018) with outstanding views to Mandango and back across to Vilcabamba. Would suit the building of two houses (main & guest), and at only 7 minutes drive from Vilca is a good pick-up at this price.

I could go on and on, however I recommend you guys jump back onto our website and check things out for yourselves … you can search properties by price, type, or area … we can’t make it any easier than that!

Property Videos … from only $50.00!

If any of you would like to commission a video of any property on our website, please visit our VilcabambaTV page and follow the instructions. A typical property video is only $50, however very large or difficult properties will be individually quoted upon request.

Sharks in Vilcabamba?!

Even though we’re a long way from the sea here, it will come as no surprise to many of you that the sharks are always circling here in Vilcabamba, waiting for the unwary, naive, or time-poor person to make a spur-of-the-moment real-estate decision they will very probably later regret. Those of you who’ve kept up with my emails and visited our website at all will be aware that we have warned people over and over again to ensure they are dealing with ethical professionals in real-estate here in Vilcabamba. This is so important I have now incorporated into our Homepage, the 8 questions everyone should be prepared to ask anyone who purports to be operating in real-estate in Vilcabamba. One you have asked these questions, you are then in a better position to gauge your own level of comfort with respect to dealing with that person/s for your real-estate needs.

Suffice to say that the very existence of VREC Properties has made it more difficult for these opportunists to turn their tricks … our obligation-free property assessment has worked wonders to make visitors feel more comfortable about the true value of a property they may have been offered by any third parties.

The VREC Panel (a free community service linking reputable local contractors to the folks who need their services).

Wow! Who would have thought such a common-sense idea would have garnered such an incredible response. This free community service is operated with no intention to profit, and if we continue to have the level of input we currently have, this service will go from strength to strength. There are only winners with a service like this (except for the shady operators it is designed to weed out!).

Good contractors who keep their (and our) clients happy continue to get referral business and have their services promoted via our VREC Panel webpage. Bad contractors simply either don’t make the grade in the first place (inductees are all referred), or if they somehow slipped through our net then misbehaved, they will be summarily de-listed.

The idea is that everyone is incentivised to do good work for a fair price and keep the client happy … if they manage to do that … everyone wins!

Thanks!

It really is heartening to get personal feedback as well as read through the emails I get on a daily basis.

1. Growing enthusiasm and increased confidence from people who are soon to visit Vilcabamba or Ecuador per se.
2. Words of encouragement from veteran ex-pats in Ecuador.
3. Hugs and thank-yous from locals who have received a steady flow of work as a result of the VREC Panel.
4. An ever-growing collection of references from happy clients (whether or not a transaction actually transpired!).

It all adds up to us feeling stronger and better supported than ever. The VREC team looks forward to continuing to maintain the high standards we have set ourselves from the outset.

Bye for now … and best wishes.

Nick Vasey

Founder – Vilcabamba Real Estate Company: (VREC) Properties
www.vrec.org

So I spent my birthday at Ollantaytambo and the Sacred Valley. Ollantaytambo (pronounced Oyan-tay-tambo) has a huge inca fortress above it, and is a very cute village. The train stopped here on our way back from Machu Picchu and so we had planned to check out this Inca city, as well as the ruins at Pisac. We had arranged a guide and transport for the day to travel from Ollantaytambo, to Pisac and back to Cusco.

We stayed at the lovely El Albergue Bed and Breakfast which you can enter from the train platform. I didn’t think it would be very comfortable, not to mention noisy from the trains but it was a wonderful place, it had a beautiful garden and cabins rather than a building full of rooms. We had a very comfortable cabin with a lovely bathroom, and hot water!! We ate a tastey meal in their little restaurant where they make their own fettuccine and after seeing it drying, we all had pasta for dinner!

Ollantaytambo is an incan village that has been continuously inhabited since the 13th century. It has cobblestone roads, divided into blocks (kinda like mini suburbs) and each block has one entrance which leds into a courtyard. The ruins are spectacular, huge terraces that lead up to a fortress. It is one of the few places where the Spanish conquistador, Hernando Pizarro lost a major battle. They were trying to capture Manco Inca but were met with a barrage of arrows and boulders from the top of the terracing. However, the victory was shortlived, the Spanish returned with a larger force and and Manco fled to the jungle fortress of Vilcabamba.

What is beautiful about Ollantaytambo ruins is that they are very well preserved. The temple complex at the top of terracing has wonderful stonework, there is a wall of stones that were brought from a quarry 6 kms away, and they are enormous! From the top of the ruins you can see that the old walls of the houses are still standing and water sill runs through chanells through the complex to the many fountains that surround it. The fountains we learned were used for bathing, toilets and some were sacred. Our guide showed us how with a flick of the wrist it was possible to change the angle of the flow of water.

We learned a bit about the importance of the location of Ollantaytambo, the mountain opposite has some features that were important to the Inca’s, such as you can see the profile of a man’s face it. Also the crops were sewed depending on the stars that were visible in the sky, they depending a lot on astrology.

We then went to Pisac, after a lovely meal in the town and had to take a back way due to the getting stuck behind the Virgin del Carmen procession. The first thing you notice as you approach the ruins at Pisac is the steep terracing and dramatic architecture. Pisac was also a fortress, but there are many features that make it recognisable as a residential city. There are many ritual baths and areas that separated the nobles from he common people. This was obvious in the stonework, you can really see the difference between the noble quarters and the servant quarters! But the terracing is amazing, and when you climb to the top (no easy task!) we were rewarded with spectacular views of the Urubamba valley, to the west is the Rio Kitamayo gorge and the east is the Rio Chongo valley. The terracing is so beautiful, it wraps around and hugs the mountain and is so graceful! We could tell that Pisac was an agricultural center, in that it grew crops to feed the city because the terraces were so wide. They were a lot narrower at Ollantaytambo so they were probably used as protection, rather than agriculture. As you look across the Kitamayo gorge, you can see hundreds of holes in the mountain face, looking similar to honeycomb. These were inca tombs that were plundered by grave robbers who found a lot of gold and thinks to use in the afterlife. Pisac was very beautiful, and as we were there in the late afternoon, we were practically the only tourists! It was wonderful!

The sacred valley is certainly an area that I want to go back to. There are so many other places to visit, like Sacsayhuaman, Moray and Chincero. But of course, that will be the subject of another trip!

Villcabamba, known as The Valley of Longevity because inhabitants are said to live to well over 100 years (some up to 125-135 years old), was used as a vacation spot by the Incas. Many ex-patriots from the U.S., Canada and Europe have settled here to enjoy the peaceful life.

Científicos de diferentes partes del mundo creen haber encontrado una clave para desentrañar el misterio. Y tiene nombre propio: Vilcabamba, el increíble valle de la longevidad ecuatoriano. La región, que es centro de curiosidad permanente de expertos gerontólogos, ha recibido calificativos como “el país de los viejos más viejos del mundo” y “centro mundial de curiosidad médica y periodística”.

En lengua quichua, Vilcabamba significa “Valle Sagrado”, es un lugar regado por los ríos Chamba y Uchima, de clima templado, con elevaciones de poca altura que lo convierten en un paisaje evocador, en un “paraíso perdido” en las montañas.

La mayoría de las viviendas están construidas a base de tapia, adobe y madera, con patios interiores y amplios portales. Según los expertos en turismo, su gente es tranquila y amable, en su mayor parte dedicadas a la agricultura.

Lo que llama la atención es que son ancianos centenarios los que diariamente realizan tareas agrícolas como cualquier hombre de 45 ó 50 años. “Isla de Inmunidad para las enfermedades del corazón”, la calificaron alguna vez. “Isla de Longevidad, donde los cardíacos consiguen mejorar, y donde vivir más de 100 años resulta cosa común”, agregan otros.

Si bien aún están por descubrir qué tiene de especial, Vilcabamba parece ser uno de los pocos lugares en el mundo donde gran parte de sus habitantes pueden vivir mas de 100 años.

Unsere Flucht aus Peru entpuppte sich als wahre Ochsentour. Denn zum einen gehört Peru sicher nicht zu den kleinsten Ländern Südamerikas, zum anderen liegt unser Bestimmungsort im ecuadorianischen Vilcabamba nicht unbedingt direkt an der Panamericana.

Zuerst ging es sieben Stunden nach Lima, der Stadt von der wir soviel Gutes gehört hatten, dass wir unseren Aufenthalt auf vier Stunden reduzieren konnten, um dann sofort weiter nach Tumbes weiterzufahren. Die Fahrt dauert nochmals sportliche 19 Stunden und es ging vom Bus direkt ins Taxi, um die 25 Km zur Grenze zu bewältigen. Und für Leute die die Grenze zu Fuß überqueren wollen, hat man sich ein besonders unkompliziertes Prozedere ausgedacht. Das Taxi kann natürlich nicht über die Grenze, also läuft man durch Unmengen von Straßenhändlern, Transitlern und Dieben, die in der Masse ihr Glück versuchen. Danach ging es zum Busbahnhof, der aber nichts anderes als ein “Büro” am Straßenrand war. Zu dem Zeitpunkt war man aber noch nicht offiziell eingereist und die Immigration lag etwa 3 Km hinter der Grenze und wieder ins nächste Taxi. Dann unfassbar langsame Grenzbeamte beobachten müssen und wieder zurück mit dem Taxi. Der Bus sollte dann aber gleich fahren, nur eben nicht die erhofften 2-3 Stunden, sondern erst mal fünf (bei entspanntem Verkehr) bis nach Loja und dann nochmal eine Stunde nach Vilcabamba, dem ersten Ziel unser Reise in Ecuador. Naja, nach 40 Stunden waren wir dann auch schon da.

Und weil die Anreise so gemütlich war, hat es uns die nächsten Tage wieder mal komplett aus den Latschen gekippt und wir verbrachten die ersten Tage mit süßem Nichtstun. Aber wo kann man sich besser erholen als im kleinen Dorf Vilcabamba, dem Tal der Langlebigkeit. Die Region ist dafür bekannt eine überdurchschnittlich hohe Zahl an Mitbürgern mit einem Alter von über 100 Jahren hervorgebracht zu haben. Der älteste Vilcabambero starb angeblich mit 129 Jahren und hat in dieser langen Zeit 238 Kinder produziert. Die Bedingungen dafür stehen auch nicht schlecht. Das Klima ist ganzjährig mild bis warm, die Ernährung durch viel Obst und Gemüse recht gesund und man zeigt ein freundliches Desinteresse am Rest der Welt. Und so sind auch mittlerweile über 700 Ausländer in der Region registriert, die sich hier ein entspanntes Leben fernab von Abwrackprämie, globaler Krise und Piraten vor Somalia versprechen.

Und so konnten wir bei Jean (ein kauziger Franzose, eigentlich ständig fluchend: “Pfffff, le merde!”) im schön begrünten Hostel Rendezvous in der Hängematte liegend und bei sensationellem Frühstück, für sechs Tage nicht nur die Seele baumeln lassen. Es gab einen kurzen Ausflug ins private Rumi Wilco Reserve, einen Rundgang durch die umliegenden Dörfer mit Fluß- und Bananenplantagendurchquerung sowie einen Besuch in einer kleinen Panelafabrik. Dazu gab es gutes Essen, wie z.B. frittierte Amazonas-Froschschenkel und eine 1,5-stündigen Massage bei Lola, die trotz ihres Namens seriös gearbeitet hat.

Der erste Eindruck von Ecuador ist so ganz anders als Peru und läßt auf mehr hoffen.

Recommended Reading

Hello world!  It’s been a while since I’ve written about the random thoughts in my head, but here I return to resume.  Of late I have been doing some reading, in particular two of Naomi Wolf’s books.  I finished The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot. Very informative.  Now I am on to her sequel, Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. Soon if I remember to, I will post some wonderful reviews of them.  I plan to begin that book as soon as I’m finished with the quick moving Trace Your Roots with DNA: Using Genetic Tests to Explore Your Family Tree. I thought to myself that I needed a break from politics and genealogy is always something I can delve into with joy!  Not that I need any specific information from any DNA test, but I would like to know for sure which Y-DNA Haplogroup I am in. It’s neat to be getting a refresher course with the above named book, as well as learning new things!

Who are we?

Every so often, I find myself stopping and pondering ‘who I am?’  I, just like every single person – living, dead, or yet to be – are completely unique individuals.  No two, even identical twins, are the same.  In and of itself, that first concept is amazing.  Not only the fact that our genes are different, our minds, experiences, and thoughts as well.  We were all created and are each special.  We are not mere chemicals.  It’s not just chemical reactions that appear to be thoughts, we are intelligently made – and each unique.  That concept is amazing.

What makes this strain of ponderings all the more mind-blowing, however, is that though, we were given the breath of life from the creator, we are not completely ‘just’ ourselves.  We contain the DNA and the genetic material of 2 parents.  It’s like we are 50% of each of them, in a way.  They in turn were created from 4 grandparents – or 25% each of who we are; they from 8 great-grandparents (12.5% of us); and so on.  Each generation the figure of people doubles: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512… and on and on.  Amazing.  Each person in history that we are descended from is vitally important, not just in and of themselves, as we are important in and of ourselves.  Each of them left a legacy of life that spans decades, centuries, and millenia.

I don’t even know if I am making any coherent sense anymore, so I better move on to the next topic.

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

So, the wife and I were looking through some magazines for some interesting recipes last week and came across in Vegetarian Times, this one for Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers and thought we’d try it.  It was AMAZINGLY GREAT!  Disclaimer: I didn’t see a copyright on the website, so I reprint it here for you to enjoy:

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6-8

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 3 large carrots, grated (11/2 cups)
• 11/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

Quinoa

Quinoa is a grain-type food.  Pronounced “Keen-wah”; its actually not a true grain, but the edible seeds are many times used as if they were one.  Full of Vitamin B9 / Folic Acid, and Iron, they can be an excellent food during pregnancy – or anytime.  The leaves, which are rarely found in The United States or Canada, are also eaten as a leafy vegetable.  Native to South America it was held sacred by the Incas and is still grown all over Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador.

South American Mysteries

Speaking of South America: ever since I heard of the valley of Vilcabamba, Ecuador, and it’s health and long-lived people, I have been fascinated by the areas pre-Incan past.  Many sites around Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia have emerged in the last century from tops of mountains and out of jungle brush. Sacsayhuaman, Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, and many other megalithic sites defy imagination.  In some places there are cut stones over 200 tons in weight that were some how moved miles from the quarries to tops of mountains where the oxygen in the air would make it impossible for people to move 100 ton blocks (today), let alone 200 tons.  One of those unsolved mysteries.  Tales of Lost Cities, underground ancient tunnels spanning hundreds of miles, Tayos gold (even former Astronaut Neil Armstrong went on an expedition), and even the elusive Twelve Muribeca (or Muribecca) Pyramids have fascinated my imagination since I heard of them.   I encourage everyone to check them out online.  Maybe even make a trip to Ecuador, Peru, the western Amazon of Brazil, or northern Bolivia.  I’m not big on airplanes, so I may have to road-trip it down there one day myself!

Swine Flu / Bird Flu

So, in the news lately they have been fear-mongering – ahem – reporting on the possibility of a pandemic of Swine Flu.  Well, I have some thoughts as to this Swine Flu thing.

First of all, the chances that the strains of influenza from all those sources (human influenza, bird, and swine, etc.) could all form together and mutate in such a way is almost impossible.  Could it not be man-made in a labratory somewhere?

Second of all, it is unlikely to actually become a pandemic by itself.  It would need a big vehicle – like vaccinations – to help it actually spread to healthy people. The Swine Flu hype will be a big push for pharmaceutical companies to get more money to make a vaccine that will then give them more money as they distribute it.

Those two opinions above are consistent with the words on the Georgia Guidestones, a mysterious Masonic monument near Alberton, Georgia: “Keep Humanity Under 500,000,000″.

View Dr. Stanley Monteith’s monograph “Population Control Agenda” here:http://www.radioliberty.com/pca.htm

Third: the actual amount of deaths so far are far fewer than deaths from accidents, deaths from regular flu, and many other common ailments.

Now, it could become something more than it is now, but vaccinations are not the answer.  The majority of the people who died of the Spanish Influenza of 1918 were vaccinated against it.  There are simple common-sense NATURAL things everyone can do to help keep themselves healthy:

• The Obvious: get enough sleep on a regular basis, keep your hands clean by washing frequently, get outside more and make sure air is circulating at home. 
• Vitamin D: The sun is one of the most powerful forces to keep us healthy.  Get at least 30 minutes of full exposure per day.  When sick, or in winter, take liquid supplement of Vitamin D3.
• Vitamin C: 500 mg three times per day, or if sick 500-1000 mg every 4 hours
• Garlic: a major germ fighter
• Oil of Oregano: know to kill swine flu in the lab
• Olive Leaf Extract and Olive Leaf Tea
• Grapefruit Seed Extract: This one go easy on.  I haven’t taken this one personally yet however.
• If things ever get really bad.  Stay away from people (work, school, etc.) and that may be the best time to find a cabin in the woods to weather the storm.  If there will even be one.

Friday the 1^st of May provided a beautiful evening on which we launched VREC Properties’ new office with a resoundingly successful party!

VREC Properties New Real Estate Office in Vilcabamba, Ecuador!

Stunning and classy finger-foods and hors d’ouevres  were served  by Lola’s Fine Foods, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic “Caipirinha-style” punches as well as beers were available for quaffing.

About 50 or more of the good folks of Vilcabamba turned out for a night of dining, drinking, dancing and general merry-making, which really welcomed VREC Properties to the Vilcabamba town square with an emphatic BANG!

Video of the event can be seen at: http://www.vilcabambatv.com/news.htm. Regrettably, the video does not include the opening speech, ribbon-cutting or the unveiling of the new VREC sign (above) which accompanied the opening of the new office.

VREC Properties is now open 6 days a week from 9am to 6pm (closed Sundays). Should you wish to make contact outside of these hours, please just phone Nick or Santiago on their cellphones directly and make an appointment. All contact details for the office are below.

VREC Properties looks forward to serving its clients dutifully in the many years to come. Please help us in this aim by referring your friends to contact us.

VREC Properties – Company Details:
Name:                  Vilcabamba Real Estate Company (VREC) Properties
Location:              Calle Bolivar, Parque Central, Vilcabamba (2 doors from Ivan’s Intenet Cafe)
Telephone:         +593 (0)9 045 2628
Email:                    info@vrec.org
Web:                     www.vrec.org
Nick:                      +593 (0)8 611 9909 or Skypename:  troglodyte-downunder
Santiago:             +593 (0)9 781 4822 or Skypename:  santiagotynan

VREC Properties – Mission Statement
VREC Properties provides its clients with the most professional, ethical, fair, fee-transparent and user-friendly real estate service possible. Our objective is to simplify all aspects of the information flow between relevant parties (buyers, sellers, surveyors, legal processes, municipality etc), and thereby facilitate a transaction which both buyer and seller understand and will be happy with. Our reputation is of paramount importance, and will be vigilantly safe-guarded by the impeccable conduct and intentions of all our staff and associated partners. As a result, VREC Properties will establish itself as the most noteworthy and pre-eminent real estate consultancy in the region.

Apres la plage, de retour sur les hauteurs andines toujours en Equateur. Premiere decouverte : la ville de Cuenca, agreable, developpee avec quelques traits europeens elle ferait presque oublier qu’on se trouve en amerique du sud. Les paysages alentours rapellent les prealpes suisses,  les eucalyptus en plus.

Le temps de decouvrir les lieux et la cuisine locale avant de poursuivre le voyage en direction du sud pour Vilcabamba, la derniere bourgade d’interet en Equateur avant la frontiere peruvienne.

L’occasion ideale pour faire un peu de trekking dans les montagnes alentours avec une amie canadienne pour laquelle le petit trek c’est avere etre un vrai challenge…

L’album complet ici : http://picasaweb.google.com/sebastienliaudet/CuencaVilcabamba

• La Sociedad Geográfica Española (SGE) hará entrega de sus premios en la Gala Anual, que se celebrará el 31 de marzo en el Auditiorio de la Mutua Madrileña.

• Estos galardones son un reconocimiento al papel desempeñado por instituciones, investigadores y viajeros en la ampliación y divulgación de los conocimientos geográficos, científicos y culturales.

Jueves, 26 de febrero de 2009.- La Sociedad Geográfica Española (SGE) ha hecho públicos sus Premios Anuales correspondientes a 2008. El Premio “Viaje del Año” ha recaído sobre la Expedición “Tras los pasos de Vilcabamba la Grande” (Perú), que, liderada por el periodista e historiador Santiago del Valle, ha permitido precisar la ubicación de la capital perdida de los incas y abrir el camino para la reconstrucción de su estructura original.

Desde hace una década, la SGE otorga sus premios anuales en reconocimiento al papel que investigadores, empresas, instituciones y viajeros desempeñan en la ampliación y divulgación de los conocimientos geográficos y su apoyo a proyectos de viaje que sirven a la investigación, la ciencia, el periodismo, el arte y la cultura. En su cartera de premiados figuran los principales nombres de la historia de los viajes y la investigación.

La Expedición “Tras los pasos de Vilcabamba la Grande”

La trágica historia del último reino inca y los misterios que lo rodean, su relevancia histórica y su simbolismo han atraído la atención de investigadores y expedicionarios de todos los lugares del mundo que, desde hace más de un siglo y medio, han perseguido la localización de Vilcabamba la Grande, “la ciudad perdida de los incas”. De acuerdo con las crónicas de la época la ciudad se encontraba en lo alto de una escarpada montaña en una de las zonas del reino de más difícil acceso.

En este contexto, el periodista e historiador Santiago del Valle se lanza a la búsqueda de Vilcabamba, siguiendo los pasos del cronista gallego del siglo XVI Juan Díez Bitanzos, desarrollando diez expediciones diferentes a la zona, marcadas por la dureza del terreno. La última de ellas, realizada en 2008, ha permitido precisar la ubicación exacta de Vilcabamba la Grande y abrir el camino para la reconstrucción de su estructura original.

El conjunto arqueológico descubierto por Santiago del Valle está ubicado en el distrito peruano de Vilcabamba, en una zona deshabitada conocida como Lugargrande, a 80 kilómetros al oeste de Machu Picchu.

La expedición y sus hallazgos son el resultado de una intensa labor de documentación en archivos y museos y un duro trabajo sobre el terreno, debido a la difícil accesibilidad de la zona donde se localizan los restos.

Más información sobre la Sociedad Geográfica Española:

www.sge.es

Well, it´s been a little while, so we should probably let you know what´s going on!

Visa Papers: Rumor has it that everything went through okay, however we have yet to see sign of our passports since we heard that announcement about a week a go. ¨Just a few more days,¨ they keep telling us. We passed the deadline to get our CENSO, so we are unsure of what the consequences of that are, but we probably won´t be asked to leave Ecuador.

Landlady/Water Situation: Our lovely landlady is starting to see the benefits of housing a couple of Gringos like ourselves and has been telling us about the list of people she would like us to meet so that they can practice their English with us. Also, although our hot water has been glorious the 29 days that we have had it, all of our water mysteriously stopped working for a day. After an initial panic, someone told us that there was probably just a water leak somewhere and that the water should come back on at about 6pm. Maybe. Our water is back, but we are still a little wary every time we turn the faucet on.

Travels: Our next big adventure, outside of hiking in the Cajas National Park, will be to spend Carnaval in Vilcabamba, also known as the Vally of Eternal Youth because of how long people and how healthy they are too. We´ll be staying in a nice little adobe cabin, horseback riding, hiking, and maybe even a little biking! We also hear it is a hippie hot spot and our wondering what else we will see…

Carnaval: As far as we can tell, Carnaval (and yes, I´m spelling it right according to Ecuadorian standards) is something like Mardi Gras, except a little less crazy. Kelly has been pelted 3 times with water balloons so far, presumable for being tall and white, and the holiday hasn´t officially started yet.

Daily Life: Day to day life is our favorite thing about living in Ecuador so far. For example, today, we have gone to the produce market to our favorite vegetable lady, who smiles at us more and charges us less every time we go and bought many, many delicacies, including mangos, strawberries, avocados, and aji peppers to make salsa with. Then, we swung by our school to use the internet and make copies of the midterm exam that our Saturday class will take tomorrow. After this, we have our dance class, perhaps a coffee break, Kelly will go climbing, and then we will start experimenting with the new food and cookbook that we got. Sounds like a good day to me!