We´re gonna live forever

Before I talk about where we are now I have to comment on Mike´s last post which stated that our newer hostel in Cuenca was "1,000 times better" than the first one. Correction: we ended up having to change rooms TWICE at the new hostel due to the muddy rain water that was pouring down on our beds while it rained outside. We finally decided to just leave Cuenca because the second room was flooding too and we had had enough at this point, despite the fact that we loved the city, the artist we met, the food, and more. So we got on a bus and headed to Vilcabamba, a lush mountain town famous for its temporate climate and the longevity of its inhabitants (attributed to the life-giving water here which, ironically, may also be blamed for my upset stomach).

We are staying at a BEAUTIFUL hosteria on top of the mountains overlooking the small town, and for $14 each a night we have a quiet room complete with a private balcony and hammock, a luxurious swimming pool, a free delicious breakfast of eggs, fruit and crepes, a outdoor bar with ping'pong, pool and movies, and a day-spa where we enjoyed a 75-minute full body massage yesterday for... get this... $18. Mike especially appreciated the massage after his horseback riding trip he took earlier that day. Those who know me don´t need an explanation for why I did not go on that trip. And seeing everyone who went wincing when they sit down today, I´m really glad I opted to lay in the hammock and read "Fountainhead" instead. But Mike said it was fun and he got to practice his spanish with the guide.

The absolute highlight of our stay (ít even surpasses a 75 minute massage) was meeting this middle-aged couple from Cuenca at dinner the first night. He is a violinist in the Cuenca orchestra and had brought his guitar, and his wife her ocarina. They invited us to a private concert that evening on a grassy hill, under the stars of vilcabamba, overlooking the city. He played and sang ecuadorian music for us, including both spanish-style and Andian music in quechua (the language here), and the wife introduced each song by explaining the origins and the poetry. She sang the harmony and played the ocarina and I swear, it was so incredibly magical listening to this live music in the darkness. Unfortunately words cannot really get across how amazing this was to us. Weirdly enough, it was almost so intimate an evening that the next day when we saw them at breakfast all of us had that "morning after" awkwardness as if it had been a one-nigh-stand. Mike and I were all fidgety and couldn´t make eye contact, and I think they were the same! oh well, the awkwardness was worth it.

So, between enjoying the view, riding horses, getting massages, reading in a hammock, enjoying the pool, avoiding dogs on hikes, meeting cool people, playing cribbage, and watching Lord of The Rings when it was raining... it´s safe to say we never want to leave and are dreading the long bus-ride to Peru tomorrow. But we are both really excited to get started in Peru and especially the Inca Trail. We´ll post again when theres something interesting to report, which wont be for at least 2-3 days!