Healthy Living in Ecuador
Healthy Living 1
Healthy
Living
We
have recently returned from a two month trip in
Ecuador where the lifestyle encourages
better mental,
physical and spiritual health and so healthy living is quite normal.
It
was actually John’s interest in longevity that
attracted his initial interest in Ecuador. A town just south of where
we have
chosen to settle is in a valley called Vilcabamba. It has been called
“the
valley of longevity” because a statistically higher number of people
live
beyond 100 years of age. There are only two other well known longevity
centres
in the world. One is in Georgia (ex Russia) and the other is in
Pakistan. They
are all above 8,000 feet. Researchers have postulated that the reason
is a
combination of the mineral-rich volcanic soils, the mineral water which
even
has traces of selenium and the ionized air. More details are at http://www.vilcabamba.org/longevity.html.
Ecuador
is on the equator, but it is mountainous, so you
can pick your climate by choosing your altitude. Whether it’s fresh sea
breezes
or crisp mountain air, bright sunshine or misty cloud cover, soothing
green
vistas or dramatic peaks, the laid-back attitude of the people, the
lilt of
Ecuadorian flutes or the zest of Ecuadorian food, good
health caresses you wherever you go in Ecuador.
We
have chosen Cuenca
to settle and
we have even bought a beautiful two bedroom with two bathroom apartment
on the
Tomebamba River. The city is over 8,000 feet above sea level.

Healthy Living 2
Transport
by bus or taxi in
Ecuador is very economical because both labour and fuel are cheap. We managed to walk most
places in the city
except for shopping. We walked to the shopping centre and return with
our
groceries in a taxi which generally costs no more than $2.00. You will find exercise by
way of walking and
it becomes very enjoyable. Cobble stone roads beg to be explored by
foot. We
noticed that most expats in Cuenca did not own vehicles. If they wanted
a trip
away for a short period, they would go by bus, or rent a car. Some of
the more
wealthy expats even utilized employed drivers.
Walking
also gives us the added benefits of more natural
sunshine and vitamin D which shows in the glow of our skin.
Ecuador’s
list of outdoor activities is vast such as
paragliding, biking, riding, white water rafting, trout fishing,
sailing,
swimming, hiking, walking and mountain climbing.
Down by the coast you can also enjoy
snorkeling, diving, deep-sea fishing, kayaking and other activities.
You
can also enjoy
non-physical health attractions such as the hot springs and hot pools
for
soaking away aches and toxins or go to a health spa for a massage by
qualified
therapists or shamans or native healers as they work with herbal and
natural
remedies all at such wonderful prices (US$15 – 25 per hour).

Healthy Living 3
Ecuadorian
food is fabulous
and fresh. The
markets are overloaded
with fresh produce which are picked the day you buy.
For example, we could buy Avocadoes at $1.00
per kilo. We could have a whole table of fresh produce for around $10 -
enough
meat, vegetables and other supplies for three meals per day for the
both of us.
There
are also vendors who
can provide you with fresh organic produce if you want to pay a little
more.
We
all know how expensive
medical and dental care is. Well
in
Ecuador you will find that many people from the US and Canada actually
have
medical and dental treatment whilst on vacation as it is so much
cheaper than
from their own country. For instance you can have a root canal done for
about
$400 and a tooth extraction will cost you around $45.
Dentists
are mostly well
trained overseas and have state of the art equipment.
Contact us if you wish to be referred.
I currently need to have a root canal removed
but I am waiting until we next go to Ecuador.
In
all of our two months
away I was only sick one day. After
spending the morning in bed John and I ventured out for a walk. We found several Health
Food Stores and were
amazed at the price of natural products, mostly for 1/3 Australian
prices. I don’t
think we bought anything over $5 and
they are products that we use at home so we knew what we were buying.
Ecuador
also have state of
the art hospitals and health insurance is very reasonable. It was interesting to hear
from our local
friend that many people from the US come over and have surgery in
Ecuador as it
is much cheaper. Cosmetic surgery is also rising in Ecuador. They now
call it “medical
tourism”.


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