Vilcabamba Survival Guide - SERVICES

Laundry service is called "lavanderia". You drop your washing off and they wash and dry it for you. It is ready the next day. Price is generally $1 per kilo. 

Lavanderia

This is the laundry service that we use. All of our clothes have come back (nothing has gone missing, not even one sock). The service is open every day. Nothing has come back a different color. They have even been able to get stains out of my clothes that I couldn't get out! The service is open every day.

Address: Las Fernando De La Vega (walking up the square facing the church, turn left at Sambuca cafe and walk all the way down)

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HOSPITAL (Kakichi Otani Area 12 Vilcabamba)

The hospital in Vilcabamba is located on the main road (On your right heading out of Vilcabamba to Loja). After 4pm you need to ring the number(s) below and enter extension 111. The hospital has ambulances and an emergency department. How well equipped they are I do not know. They have the following services/facilities:

X-ray, laboratory (laboratorio), pharmacy (farmacia), emergencies (emergencia), dentistry (odontologia), echo sound(eco sonografia), hospitalization, intermediate care room (sala de cuidados intermedias),

I have heard that the food they serve in the hospital is very good. They only speak Spanish, so if you need medical care you will need to have a translator.

Opening Hours: 8am to 4pm
Address: Corner of Miguel Carpio and Eterra Juventud
Telephone: (07) 2640188 2640128

There is a very good private hospital in Loja called San Agustin on the corner of the 18 de Novembre and Azuay. This facility is used by many of the ex-pats living here in Vilcabamba. My 5 year old daughter has visited the dentist here and had a check up and filling. She felt no pain, was very relaxed and left with a good dental experience. Total cost $25. The dentist facility was very clean, professional and was on a par with dentists in New Zealand.

I have been seen by a specialist of internal organs at San Agustin and I found the doctor to be very professional. I had a physical exam, ultra sound and blood test and received the results and diagnosis all in one day! Unheard of in New Zealand! All for only $75. This level of examination would have taken weeks in NZ and cost upwards of $500+ privately.

San Agustin has an emergency room and is equipped for hospitalization, laboratory, dentistry, x-ray, ultra sound and many other services. They do not speak English only Spanish so if you need medical care you need to have a translator.

VILCA-AGRO (VET)

This is the town vet. They have vaccinations, de-worming medicine, flea control products etc. They are more like a dispensary then a western vet. They are skilled enough to provide follow up consultations after you have seen a vet in Loja (i.e. take stitches out). The service I have received from them has been solely to do with flea and worm control. I have heard of other people where the vet has come to their house and inserted and IV into the dog etc and they have been very happy with the service received. However, quite often the shop is managed by the vet's son and the vet is away. The son is knowledgeable in dispensing medicines and is a very nice person to deal with.

Opening Hours:

Address: On Sucre directly opposite the Square

Telephone: (07) 2640215

Mobile: 093829219

There is another vet in Malacatos who appears to be more 'on site' in their shop.

When my bitch was sick after giving birth she eventually (after seeing the vet in Malacartos) ended up being seen by Scooby, a vet in Loja. Scooby is a very nice vet who is capable of performing operations. The clinic has consultation rooms, nurses etc.. I have heard other good reports about them, and upon visiting then I found the vet to be very pleasant to deal with and efficient. My bitch made a full recovery.

The premises are not that clean which is a concern for me. There is another vet in Loja that I will get around to checking up on as soon as I can plus there are veterinary services offered at the university in Loja but, while their services are cheaper, I have not heard good reports about them.

In general, I found the cost of vet services to be substantially cheaper than those in New Zealand for example.

BUS

There is a very good bus service that runs between Vilcabamba and Loja. During the day it runs every 15 minutes. Depending on traffic and the number of stops they have to make, the trip can take from 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. The cost is $1 per person each way to Loja. After about 7pm the service runs every hour. I come from NZ where our public transport system is shocking. I have been very impressed with the Vilcabamba bus service. The buses are pretty clean too.

They have a driver and a conductor who collects the money and ushers people on and off. If you want to get the bus and are not at the bus terminal then just stand on the side of the main road (in the direction you want to go) and wave the bus down as it approaches you. Be prepared to jump on fast!!! These guys are on a tight time frame and they only just stop to pick up passengers. There are no bus stops. The bus only travels along the main road. When you want to get off you just let the conductor know and the bus will stop for you. The locals just yell "gracias" from their seat and the bus stops there and then. Again be prepared to jump off fast!  

The bus goes via Malacatos which is a little longer than the route that the taxis would take via Taxiche. You can catch it on Sunday if you want to visit the Malacatos markets and it costs around 30c to 40c per person each way to Malacatos. Be careful when getting the bus back to Vilcabamba from Malacatos as they stop in the same place in both directions, not on opposite sides of the road as you'd expect. For going back to Vilcabamba, make sure the bus you get on is facing down the hill away from the church otherwise you will find yourself on your way to Loja as a friend of mine did.

I personally enjoy catching the bus. I meet a lot of interesting local people and it's a good time to practice your Spanish. Generally I'm the only gringo on the bus. At times, I appear to be a bit of a novelty to the locals. A gringo taking the bus. I get nice smiles. I'd like to see more gringos on the bus with me ' so come ' get out of your cars, forget the taxi, mix with the locals, live dangerously, take the bus.

The best stop to get off in Loja is the one that is just before the gas station. This is the stop that most of the people on the bus will get off at. If you head down the hill from this stop you will come to the river and then to 18 de Noviembre. This is the closest stop to the Parque Central in Loja.

The next best stop to get off is the bus terminal itself. However, you will have to get a taxi for $1 to the Parque Central Loja as it's a bit far to walk to from the bus terminal.

The buses get really full and they'll cram you in like sardines in a tin can.

When leaving Loja on the bus, especially if it is late afternoon, it is advisable to go to the bus station in Loja and get on the bus there. That way, you have a better chance of getting a seat. If you get on at any other stop along the route then you take the chance of not having a seat and having to stand for the entire ride back to Vilcabamba if you can get on at all. It is a hard, bumpy, twisty trip to be standing all the way back to Vilcabamba.

I'd recommend you take an experienced bus rider with you the first time you take the bus so they can show you the stops.

TAXIS

The Trans Vilcamixto Taxi service operates here in Vilcabamba. They use very tidy comfortable pick up trucks (called "camionetas" here). To get anywhere within a 1km radius of Vilcabamba is a $1 one way. Izhcayluma for example is 2kms from the centre and cost $1.50 to $2 one way. They stop operating around 10pm at night. After that you'll have to walk home.

You can use them for longer distances as well. A taxi to Loja will cost you $15 and to the airport will cost you $25 (one way).We have even used them once to go to Peru (Piura) and it cost us $150 for a one way trip (we paid the driver's lunch and we ended up having to pay for a room for him as he could not get backl on the same day because of delays on the road). When you share among 4 to 6 people it is not so bad and much faster than the buses.

Telephone: (07) 2640 044  Mobile: 093908510

Cooperativa De Transporte Mixto Vilcabamba Experss Taxi service operates here in Vilcabamba. They use very tidy comfortable ute (flat beds) too. Their focus is taking people to Loja and back. They charge $3 per person and take several people in their cabs.  There location is marked at T2 on the Vilcabamba Map 

Telephone: (07) 2640 044  Mobile: 093908510

The yellow cabs (no blue stripe) operate diagonally across the road to the bus terminal. They only go to Loja and do not take people around Vilcabamba. They charge $15 one way to Loja.

The yellow cabs with a blue stripe. These cabs operate from the bus terminal. They charge $1.50 per person. You share the taxi with up to 5 people. They only go to Loja and do not take people around Vilcabamba. Don't take them unless you're desperate. The drivers of these cabs have a death wish. Their location is marked at T4 on the Vilcabamba Map

 

TRAVEL AGENTS - TAME

Opening Hours:

Address: On the corner of Bolivar and Juan Montalivo

Telephone: +593 (07) 573 030

The police station in Vilcabamba is located on the corner of Bolivar and Agua de Hierro. Just down on your left from the Natural Yogur restaurant. From what I’ve been able to find out, you can ring the phone number below 24hours. Not much more to say here. You will see them driving around town sometimes. The policemen are always friendly.

Address: Bolivar and Agua de Heirrro
Phone: 2640089

There is no post office as such in Vilcabamba. There is a post collection point however, located in an unmarked shop opposite from the police station.

To receive post in Vilcabamba, have the sender address the mail as follows:

[Your name]
Vilcabamba - Loja
Ecuador 

That’s it!!! Very important: make sure your name is in FULL. 

What happens is when the mail bag comes they write the name of each person who has post for that day on a piece of paper with the date the post was received in Vilcabamba on it and stick it up on the wall. 

Then you come in and read the list and say ‘that’s me’ and then they go get your letter out of the bag of post for that day. So if your name is not in full a) you may not recognize your name or b) if someone else has the same initials and surname as you they may take your mail. 

Another very important note: do not send anything you can’t afford to lose via this post system, as I’ve no idea how reliable it is. Use Fedex or UPS or something similar. Try to use an agency that has offices in Loja and then you can collect your item from Loja. 

To send post in Vilcabamba, go to Rumi Wilco’s shop on Sucre (opposite the JARDIN ESCONDIDO (Hidden Garden). They take the post to the post office in Loja. I do not know how often this is done and have never used this service. They have stamps (but not envelopes).

There is an official post office in Loja. Note: It is expensive to post here.

Catalina Carrasco

If you are serious about speaking Spanish there is no better person to talk to than Catalina.

She is Ecuadorian, certified teacher from the university of Loja and fluent in English. She will give you a rigorous and structured learning experience and at the same time she will make it relaxed and fun.

You can visit her at her home in Vilcabamba or she can come to yours. For details and prices please contact her directly.

Hours	Address	URL	Phone
By arrangement	Barrio Cuba Libre		082 678960