Nowadays you can find almost anything in Vilcabamba. We heard that it was not so only a year ago. Stores have been opening up all over town this last year. The locals are adapting fast to the growing demand. They know what the gringos like.
You can buy seafood at this truck. They cruise around town with the loudspeaker on advertising what they are selling: "Mariscos, mariscos!"
This family are selling their own fruit out of their truck.
Humitas, tamales, bien ricos!
We bought our new mattress from this guy. They cruise the streets selling all kinds of household stuff from the back of their truck. By the way, mattresses are rock-hard in Ecuador and it's the norm. We ended up having to buy a foam topper to have a nicer set-up. The mattress we bought was $140 and is the same as the one on the picture, and the topper was $30.
These people will buy anything from you: old appliances, metal, etc.
Absolutely anything!
This is the seamstress's shop. She will sew anything for you. Lots of gringos go there and have her make clothing or repairs for them. Here she is holding the choir blouse she made for Angelina.
This is one of the local carpenters. His shop is partly on the sidewalk. He does have a "Dewalt" miter saw.
This is another carpenter. His shop is larger.
Carpenters custom build furniture for gringos. A nice solid wood dinner table and 6 chairs will cost about $500.
This is an old-fashioned candy store next to the school.
Sugar cane is a big industry. They make brown sugar ("panela") from it.
They cut down the sugar cane when ready and pile it up on the road for later pick-up by truck or donkey:
Locals grow their own coffee in their backyards. They dry it out on the sidewalks, package it and send it off.
A typical restaurant in Vilcabamba. You can get a meal in any of the restaurants for around 3-4$.
This is the menu at the Juice Factory. They also serve an excellent organic soup for 1 USD and a large organic salad for 3 USD. They specialize in smoothies. In the back, they sell supplements, organic soaps and organic foods like raw organic cocoa paste and raw organic vanilla bean powder.
The "Roots" cafe is another American hangout. They home make their own cilantro and lime tortillas and red salsa from their grandmas's recipe. The food is excellent. They did a ton of remodeling. This used to be an old home.
The owners moved from California to Vilcabamba recently and opened this cafe early in 2012.
For a while they also had wifi so we would go there for the internet too. Peter is working on the new laptop who was given as a gift in replacement for the one that was stolen. Thank you.
Sugar cane juice is found everywhere.
This is a sugar cane press in the trailer.
Coffee is another widespread industry.
Locals grow their own coffee in their backyards. They dry it out on the sidewalks, package it and send it off.
A typical restaurant in Vilcabamba. You can get a meal in any of the restaurants for around 3-4$.
The "Juice Factory" on the plaza is a favorite place for many gringos.
This is the menu at the Juice Factory. They also serve an excellent organic soup for 1 USD and a large organic salad for 3 USD. They specialize in smoothies. In the back, they sell supplements, organic soaps and organic foods like raw organic cocoa paste and raw organic vanilla bean powder.
A new French creperie, Suzette, just opened in 2013. It is across from the Ecuadorian restaurant Katerine close to the plaza. Yann is a "Maitre crepier" from France. He is able make buckwheat crepes here in Ecuador! All his crepes are absolutely delicious. This one here is the French crepe with ham, cheese, egg and sauce Mornay.
On the right of the French crepe is a ham and cheese croissant sandwich, muy rico! Yan also makes burgers and other things. He uses the best ingredients possible.
This is a lemon, roasted almond, honey crepe for dessert.
Topped with ice cream and chantilly. Very very yummy indeed.
Bananas are getting caramelized for a banana-nutella filled crepe.
This is what the banana-nutella crepe looks lie. Ice cream is extra.
The owners moved from California to Vilcabamba recently and opened this cafe early in 2012.
For a while they also had wifi so we would go there for the internet too. Peter is working on the new laptop who was given as a gift in replacement for the one that was stolen. Thank you.
They have a nice and quiet patio in the back.
Plus a lounge.
"La Terrazza" is another restaurant on the plaza.
"Pura Vida" is a good pasta place on the plaza. For about $4 you get some bread and a dip, a salad and a huge pasta dish.
They remodeled this year.
This restaurant on a corner of the plaza is typical Ecuadorian. They serve churasco, chaulafan, etc.
"Pura Vida" is a good pasta place on the plaza. For about $4 you get some bread and a dip, a salad and a huge pasta dish.
They remodeled this year.
This restaurant on a corner of the plaza is typical Ecuadorian. They serve churasco, chaulafan, etc.
"Madre Tierra" is an upscale hotel/restaurant one mile out of town.
This is an outdoor kitchen/restaurant in Malacatos, a few miles from Vilcabamba.
This kind of store sells all kinds of things.
There are several small groceries on the central plaza.
This kind of store sells all kinds of things.
We go to this lady's store for small errands. Last week we were going to buy some garbage bags. Now, garbage bag in Spanish is "funda de basura". We asked for "Fundas para la basura" and
that made her burst out laughing. Any idea what we may have been saying?
These two little boys are helping out at their mum's grocery store, weighing and packaging blue corn flour for purple colada.
Maria's is the store we got the most to. It's closest to our house. She recently upgraded to a brand new building. Demand has been growing.
She takes a lot of stuff out on the sidewalk every morning and puts everything back inside when she closes at night. She is open from about 7am to 9pm.
This is the only "Saraguro" store. They sell the best quality ingredients, mostly organic. Their bulk does not have dead insects and worms. They are more expensive than other groceries.
We end up going to this store a lot for sewing supplies like yarns and threads for Louis and Angelina's art classes.
This old timer's shoe repair shop is genuine. This man does excellent repairs for cheap. He already fixed a pair of shoes and two backpacks for us.
Small clothing stores are scattered around Vilcabamba. They sell surprisingly modern and sexy outfits.
We found that the best stuff is at the local Belgian chocolate store.
Let's not forget the French baker. They have bagette, pains au chocolat, sourdough bread, home-made jams. Vilcabamba does have a lot to offer.
These two little boys are helping out at their mum's grocery store, weighing and packaging blue corn flour for purple colada.
There are plenty of little groceries like this all around town.
Every inch of space is used in all the groceries.
They sell some Palo Santo wood. We like to come here for the best flours and beans.
This is another grocery on the plaza. Their store is well organized and clean.
This little store on the plaza sells hardware stuff, bottled water and other things.
"Plaza Centro" is our preferred hardware store. They are super nice and their prices are clearly stated.
Even though their goods smell good, we gave up on the traditional bakeries.
This is the internet cafe we go to the most. There are 4 internet cafes on the plaza plus a few more around town.
This is one of the school supply stores, "papeleria", in town.
This is another one. This lady opens her store for an hour early morning, before she goes to her real job at the school. She gave us some bananas and home-made lollipops:
These lime "chupetes" are very yummy.
There is absolutely all you need for school.
This is one of the hardware stores. They sell everything you may need from"Sherwin-Williams" paints, tools, to pots and pans, bicycles and whatever else.
Then you have all the small vendors that cruise town. This one is loading a big leaf in a truck. The next day he shows up in town with his creations:
A broom anyone?
A rug?
Maybe a hammock or pans?
A hat?
This vendor pushes his ice-cream machine around the plaza.
This vendor comes at night on the weekends. He sells grilled chicken, beef and corn skewers.
Here they serve you a large portion of stirfried rice on a leaf for one dollar.
On the weekends these jewelry vendors are allowed to set up their booths downtown.
A hat?
This vendor pushes his ice-cream machine around the plaza.
This vendor comes at night on the weekends. He sells grilled chicken, beef and corn skewers.
On the weekends these jewelry vendors are allowed to set up their booths downtown.
There are at least three masseuses/body care therapists in town. This one is close to our house and her set up is nice.
This is the massage table. She also does facials.
This nursery opened in September 2012. It is the only one in Vilcabamba.
They sell ornementals
and fruit trees.
This is the yoga studio where Peter goes in Vilcabamba.
Nice views from the studio. This town also features a meditation center and various alternative healers.
