June 2, 2014

Southern Ecuador

We were blessed this afternoon to see a whole flock of cranes drifting on the air currents in the space above the valley just over our house.  As they flew overhead with the sun reflecting on their black tipped wings we marveled at our good fortune to see such a magical sight.

Last month I wrote about our recent move and about the home we left behind in Northern Ecuador and the incredible Kichwa Indians we lived amongst. Today I will write a little about the new home we’ve been divinely privileged to come to. For almost five months I waited for just the right place to become available here after visiting a second time after two years of living in Northern Ecuador. My friends living here in the area posted a flyer for me, detailing the vision I had of the home I was searching for and one day, just out of the blue, long after I’d given up hope that the right place would come, I got an email, followed up with a phone call saying they had what we were looking for. The man who had built this lovely house up on top of a mountain over looking the valley, surrounded by lush flower and vegetable gardens which were his pride and joy, had unexpectedly died, leaving the home to his two daughters who could not leave their respective homes in the states and so they called me in response to my post. And now here we are.

As I mentioned, the home sits way up high on a mountain top, well not precisely at the top, but very close to the top. We can see down into the valley overlooking both the town itself and the extension which meanders along the river on the far edge of town. We can also look out our windows and see the national park at the edge of town which divides us from the rain forest, what’s referred to here in Ecuador as the Oriente to the one side, but if we walk out the door to the other side of the house we can look into another valley and see the winding road, rarely travelled which leads south to Peru. It’s the most amazing view we’ve ever seen, let alone had the privilege of living with. Every day it changes with the light and with the weather drifting past. I must grab my camera several times a day to hurry outside to photograph the different light on the mountains around us and the dew drops on the flowers surrounding my house. How could I be this lucky, I ask myself almost daily?

No answer comes, but I continue to acknowledge my good fortune and feel gratitude.

Now six months away from turning sixty and seventy respectively, Paul and I spend our days in our home studio, creating art, recording an Internet radio show, writing books and articles and making the occasional web post. We walk outside every so often just to marvel at the scenery although we can see it equally as well through the windows that encircle the house. I take time occasionally to rest in my hammock and Paul relishes his afternoon naps many days. And most days unless we’re feeling under the weather we take a late afternoon walk with our two dogs, Rocket and Chuang Tzu (Tzuey) up or down the mountain.....it’s a blessed life. We devote our time and attention to learning all we can to what’s going on in the world so that we can do what we can to further the expansion of human consciousness and put an end to the tyranny from our oppressors.

At times we are struck with the sadness and loss we feel that our children and grandchildren, our friends and loved ones have never come to join us and share in the joy and peacefulness of this place and this life we’ve chosen for ourselves. But we live in a different reality than most of them and likely most of you reading this. We see a battle between evil and goodness that has been going on for a very long time and we are all about changing things.

I’ve been compiling my memories aided by my old blog posts to write a book about our time in Brazil as that was a very special time in my life in which I was exposed to such an interesting array of esoteric disciplines.

It’s a full life for us in the Andes, one which mostly brings joy and well being and the occasional illness, like it would anywhere, although I’m venturing to guess much less so here (the illness that is.) You see one of the many reasons we are here is for the quality of life that continues to remain fairly healthful here. For example there currently is no geo-engineering going on in our skies (no chem-trails,) our water remains un-fluoridated and comes to us from the high mountain springs out of the nearby national park. There is no col-sein gas mining (fracking) or any other mining near to where we live and as yet (although it may be coming soon) no gmos (genetically modified (food) organisms. There is word Correa might allow them in soon, but we’re hoping the local activists will have some effect at educating the local farmers before it’s too late. Apparently Monsanto has been starting to hand out free seeds to some of the local farmers..... Now we do have our fair share of towers of all sorts providing cell service and Internet, which as you know is such a mixed blessing...so dangerous for our health and such scary potential and very harmful (even fatal) consequences which could issue forth, but like you, we depend on our Internet and cell phone communications to stay in touch and do our work. But for the time being we are living in a mostly healthful environment and at our age, we need the best of conditions to maintain a state of well being. We have good alternative health care providers and good local wholesome foods year round, even in our own garden as well as all the shops and weekly local farmers markets.

This is a strange little village and doesn’t offer much commercially, but it’s less than an hour to the capitol city of the province where I’m guessing most of what one might need is available. Now I didn’t say want (only need.) For that it might occasionally be necessary to place an online order and have something shipped in from another country. You see Ecuador has very tight import regulations and taxes very highly anything that comes from anywhere but China who provides almost everything that is manufactured (and at that we get the rejected seconds that no other country will accept) or so it seems. Anything else available here might cost triple what we’d pay in the states.

But as I was saying, it’s not much of a town center here, it’s more of a rural mountain area with a small village geared towards tourism. We do have a number of really great hotel accommodations and several restaurants of various sorts in addition to the local fare which is found in any Ecuadorian town. But if you love the mountains, and I do, then this is as good a place as any to hang your hat for a while. and if you’re a lover of horses and picturesque landscapes to go riding in, this is your place.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, that’s all I have to report for the moment. To know more about what we’re up to and what we’re creating, be sure to read Paul’s new book, Belief Magic: Decoding the Belief Matrix and listen to our weekly radio show The World Beyond Belief which is currently airing on Going Beyond Radio and soon to be on BlogTalkRadio as well as posted to YouTube and our own blog: http://pineconeutopia.yolasite.com If you haven’t visited our blog yet, please do to see our Un-University page where we list all the new information we discover and our  Entertainment page where we post new music and comedy we find from some of the most delightfully creative and inspiring artists, old and new.

Thanks for visiting the blog. I have no idea who actually does, but I can see from the page visit counter that many of you are, so do me a favor and post a comment or send an email sometime and tell me who you are and why you dropped in.

Until next time, be nice to each other...................