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Among bougainvillea and tangerines: A trip to Montaña de Luz alone

A month ago, on Instagram, I saw a post about a yoga retirement in a place called Montana de Luz, in Ibarra. I had the impulse to register, but I thought that there was no way I could go alone. The workshop said: “Releasing fear, opening up to abundance”. That was a sign.
I texted them and they said that the workshop was on Sunday 28, and I had to pay 21 dollars.

Since I had to overcome fear and call for abundance, I immediately made the payment. I told this to Wilson, my husband. He said that he thought it was dangerous that I went by myself but gave me the wonderful idea to travel on Saturday early in the morning and stay in the lodge. I made a reservation for one night. I had no idea where I was going, but the place looked nice on photos.

I was so eager to go alone in the car, listening to my music as loud as I could with nobody judging my musical taste.

I set out for Ibarra at 09:30. Thanks to Waze, I got there at 12:00 and then, it took one hour and a half to get to the inn. Since I was alone, I was free to stop without anyone telling me: “Nooooo, mom, let’s go faster! Let’s not stop!”.

I got off at Urcuqui square and I had a “tree tomato” (tamarillo) ice cream. I was melting. Then, I drove through a magical town. A man told me that its name is Tambabiro. When I grow old, I want to live there. I also passed Pablo Arenas, which has a viewpoint with an amazing landscape. Next to it, there is a statue of the Virgin, and on the other side, there is one of a corncob. I took a thousand photos and a selfie.

After this beautiful trip all by myself, stopping and singing my lungs out, I got to the hostel. What impressed me the most was the bougainvillea of all imaginable colors; one can see them before entering. There was also a plantation of tangerine trees and an orchid farm with over a thousand of them; water was streaming down a structure made of giant bamboos.

Upon arriving, I was given the keys to my room. I left my stuff and went out for lunch. Delicious: all vegetables came out of their gardens. I do not know if it was due to my lonesomeness, but everything seemed so nice, delicious and relaxing.

I went back to my room, took out a book and fell deeply asleep. I could not believe that I was able to wake up without a shout like: “Moooooom!” or “Loooooooove!”. I could not believe such joy. But of course, my conscience made me call my family and tell them I missed them lots.
I went out for a walk, the gardens seemed taken out of a fairy tale. I do not know what distracted me more while walking: the quantity of birds, the mosquitoes, or the flowers.

I went to have dinner and then the bonfire where I befriended a girl who, just like me, was traveling alone.

The next morning, I had a plantain ‘tortilla’ with a fried egg, drip coffee, and loquat juice for breakfast.

At 09:00, we were supposed to be ready to begin the Kundalini yoga class. We were taken to a temple surrounded by mountains. I felt that I was in some Eastern country. The energy in that place is wonderful. And the instructor, Siri, released our fears because through so much physical and mental exercise, it was totally overcome.

Then, Claudia Echeverri gave us a workshop about abundance. Really interesting, because I learned that abundance is not exclusively related to money, but love, health and care. All that is good is abundance, and we must learn to complain less and thank more.

We had lunch, and Paty Santacruz carried out a ceremony to fight fear. It was very interesting. While she was doing that, she sang with a hypnotic power.

What I liked the most about this retreat was that it was not quackery or mystical marketing at all, but a real space guided by people who knew what they were doing and saying. Nobody sold us anything, nor were we charged more. It was something serious, well organized, and very professional. I am truly thankful for this because it makes the experience refreshing and honest at an affordable price.

I did not want to come back. Besides, it was already 16:00 and a man told us that there was too much traffic at that time.

I told my new friend, Monse, that we should stay one more night and leave together at 06:00. It was the best decision.

This getaway restarted me completely. Now, Monse and Carina (another girl I met there) and I want to go back to try the ‘temazcal’.