From Loja to Vilcabamba

We spent yesterday morning in Loja visiting the Music Museum and the Arts University. We listened to a live orchestra practicing and were able to see many paitings by local artists. We caught a bus from the city of Loja to the the valley of Vilcabamba in the early afternoon for $1 each. The drive was lovely. Upon arrving at our hostal we were amazed at the view and immediately felt as though we had arrived in paradise. We must admit that we both feel a bit spoiled to live this luxuriously. We met an interesting fellow from Stirling, Scotland who was swaying in a hammock in front of our rooms. We chatted for a while and then all walked up to the restaurant for dinner. The three of us had a lovely meal together and watched the sunset behind the mountains. Today was beautiful. We swam in the pool, hiked on dirt roads through local homestays & farms, and learned how to play backgammon. Mary and I are looking forward to the next couple of days here in Vilcabamba and are also excited to travel north to Cuenca afterwards to study spanish (which we really need to work on).