The Bowen Knot ⌘: Our 1st Mother and Daughter Trip to Hosteria Izhcayluma in the Valley of Longevity in Vilcabamba, Ecuador *Part 1*

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Our 1st Mother and Daughter Trip to Hosteria Izhcayluma in the Valley of Longevity in Vilcabamba, Ecuador Part 1

Our 1st Mother and Daughter Trip in Ecuador

Hosteria Izhcayluma

Vilcabamba, Ecuador

December 15, 2015 --> December 18, 2015

Candy and I had asked some of our friends where was a good place to stay in Vilcabamba and our friend Sole suggested a Hosteria that was already on the top of our list. So we booked a private cabin for 3 nights at $49US per night. In addition, we booked the Shuttle Bus that was offered from Cuenca to the Hosteria Izhcayluma. They charged $15US pp each way.

The day started out rough. We asked our friend Roman the day before we were to leave if he was available to take us to our pick up location for the shuttle bus in Old Cuenca. He wasn't able to get back to us until 8am the morning we were leaving and said he was not available. Wow, okay...so Dan started calling all drivers in our area and all of them were busy. Next, Dan called Sole and told her our transportation problem and she said she would work on helping us get a driver. Dan headed down to the end of our road and spoke with our friends at Don Chevi and they were able to help us out. We tossed ourselves into Roberto's Rural Cab and headed to the ATM for some trip cash and then to La Cigale to wait for the shuttle bus. We also called our friend Sole back and let her know we found a driver. I think she had also found us a driver. Sole and Jim are 2 of our closest friends here. A friendship that all of us value very highly.

We arrived with a little time to spare so Candy and I ordered some lunch since it is a 4.5 hour drive.

Our Order:

Ham and Cheese Sandwich on a Fresh Baguette with Salad - Candy

Ham and Cheese Sandwich on a Fresh Baguette with Salad - Heather

Fresh Cut order of Fries - Shared

Coke - Candy

Coke - Heather

Lunch Totaled: $16.10US

The appearance of the food was so fancy and the taste was just amazing. Sorry, for no pictures the camera was safely packed for the trip.

The shuttle bus arrived and OMGosh the people mobbed the seats. People dropped there bags in the door way, climbed over them, and flew into the van seats. Then their companions came and got the dumped bags and climbed in next to their companions. Candy and I were shocked at this display of complete Rudeness we had just witnessed. Candy does have a cane that she uses and nobody gave a shit to help her or let her board the bus first. *Just Shocked and Not Sure Why!*

We took our sits behind the driver and noticed that you had no leg or foot room, at all. The bus had 4 rows. First row included driver and 2 passengers. Second row included 4 passengers, Third row included 3 passengers, and the Back row included 3 passengers. We were squeezed into a row with 4 people. Candy expressed how uncomfortable she was and nobody would change sits with her. We headed out to Vilcabamba and about 20 minutes past of house in Cumbe (Yes, Hosteria Izhcayluma) refused to stop in Cumbe to pick us up...we had to backtrack into Cuenca to get on the bus.) We stopped for a Banos break. Candy again said the seat was extremely uncomfortable. We were told by the other passengers that their sits with really roomy and lots of leg room. Basically, their comments and looks were shut-up, sit-down, and stop complaining...Deal with it!!!

We had no clue that was going to be our only stop. Candy would try to stand and cried most of the drive. Still we both got nasty sound effects and ugly looks. The driver for Hosteria Izhcayluma was fully aware of the problems Candy was having and chose to ignore us. The nightmare drive that started at 1:30pm and ended a few minutes past 6:00pm was finally over.

After I checked us in we opted to have dinner and try to relax and remember why we took that awful drive. Plus, Candy's knee was really bugging her and she wasn't ready to walk to and from our room. Oh, and we had a table on the railing for dinner and sunset.

For Dinner We Ordered:

Mixta Pizza (Tomato Sauce, Cheese, Ham, Bacon, Mushrooms, and Peppers) for $8.50 - Candy

Agua Mineral (Sparkling) for $1.00 - Candy

Glass of Cabernet Sauvignon from Chili for $2.90

Mixta Pizza (Tomato Sauce, Cheese, Ham, Bacon, Mushrooms, and Peppers) for $8.50 - Heather

Sprite for $1.00 - Heather

Dinner Totaled: $21.90US

The Mixta Pizza was really pretty and it was hot. But, it seemed that someone forgot to add ANY seasoning, at all. They were both tasteless and not something I will be ordering ever again. Candy's wine was served hot...not room tempature...HOT! My Sprite was Perfect. The view out weighted any of the food. It was so Beautiful and Sunset was Amazing. It reminded me of Maui, Hawaii minus the Ocean.

Our Private Cabin had 2 connected Twin Beds, a private bath with Rain Forest Soft Shower, porch with a cool fabric hammock, cabinet safe in the room, and nice screens on 2 of the windows. We were guided way down to our cabin #23 and upon our arrival we found that our room was about 90 degrees, at night. We opened the 2 windows with screens (1 in bathroom and 1 to the porch) to try to get some relief from the heat. Funny how as we dropped down to our cabin the breeze stopped or was blocked. The beds were even hot. We unpacked and took a cold showers to cool off. The room cooled off only about 5 degrees and we knew we were in for a long hot couple of days. The Heat was Awful and while the breeze blew above us we got none!!! We asked for another room and/or a fan and nothing was offered to help made the room any better.

Part 2 Coming Soon!!!

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Our blog is about a lot of things. Our daily lives, our move to Ecuador, and the vacations we plan to have. Please read and follow our travels through life. We welcome comments! Making friends along the way would also be great. People have described us as being colorful and animated. Our family looks at a glass and always considers it to be half full. We have an easy going attitude. We think things should get accomplished and that in the process you can still have fun. Feel free to come along on our families journey.

The Bowen Knot - Shamrock Rating System

One Shamrock: This indicates the worst service possible. If awarded, it means we would never EVER use the service again. If it was a food establishment the food was barely editable. This means a complete fail with little to no redeeming features. We will never go there ever again.

Two Shamrocks: This is a service that we might consider using again to give it a second chance. But, the experience that we had would normally cause us to award one shamrock if not for some key redeeming features. If it was a food establishment the food was okay, but still sub-par. We didn't like the food. Serious room for improvement exists.

Three Shamrocks: Normal middle of the road service. We might have had some bad or some good but they were offset somewhat. This is service we would use again but we will look for a better provider. If it was a food establishment the food was good. We like it and will return. There might be room for things to get better but it is still a decent meal.

Four Shamrocks: Great service. This is a definitive repeat for us. We like a lot about the service and recommend it. If it was a food establishment the food was excellent. We liked it a lot. We like the place enough to return frequently. There are very few detractors.

Five Shamrocks: Outstanding service. This is service that treats us above and beyond what we think we deserve. We consider this what we would want to find all the time and what we hope all service providers would want to obtain. If it was a food establishment the food was perfect. No issues whatsoever. We loved it and would eat there everyday.