Comments on: Gringo Monologues: Conspiracy Theories in the Valley of Longevity

By: Vilcabamba: Paradise Going Bad? | Off the Road

Vilcabamba: Paradise Going Bad? | Off the Road — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:26:52 +0000

[...] immigrants. In particular, he said, conspiracy theories and UFO reports saturate local gossip. This interview by Uncornered Market of a resident Vilcabamban reads almost like a transcript of our [...]

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 18:54:01 +0000

@10hawks: Thanks for the information. For this post, we just shared what we heard, in the way of various theories, on the ground in Vilcabamba.

By: 10hawks

10hawks — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 04:11:46 +0000

This is cute, but actually the spraying of toxins is real and is called Operation Cloverleaf. It is primarily a CIA/Pentagon-run program, begun in the late
90s, funded by the banking Cartel. I don’t believe the WHO or UN is involved on any pragmatic level.

By: Daniel Noll

Daniel Noll — Tue, 29 May 2012 06:44:41 +0000

@Jennifer: That is fabulously rich, and a sidesplittingly funny description to boot. Sounds like you have the making of a skit. Actually, I sort of always thought Vilcabamba would be ripe for shooting a movie, on location. Reality TV, even. Reality Vilcabamba TV.

OK, now I’m getting ahead of myself.

Thank you for your comment, reaffirming what we thought we saw and heard and for giving us a good laugh!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:35:35 +0000

refreshing to see that there are some level-headed people passing through Gringobamba. You only missed the group of very newly arrived Gringos who complain that town is too full of Gringos and whom are looking for land near but outside of the town because they want to get away from (as in live on a mountain close to) the gringos

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:52:18 +0000

@Sutapa: Vilcabamba has been known locally as the Valley of Longevity for a long time because people usually live to a late age there. Whether this has to do with the minerals in the water or something special in the mountains, no one knows exactly.

By: Sutapa Chattopadhyay

Sutapa Chattopadhyay — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 14:41:41 +0000

Audrey, why do you call this a Valley of Longevity? Are older people living longer in Vilcabamba? Or is there an influx of older, healthier Americans?

By: Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:54:16 +0000

@Sutapa: I think there might be a difference between what you think you want to do before you move and what happens when you are in your new location. I don’t think it’s a conscious decision not to mingle with the local population. Many people get afraid of learning a new language and when the surroundings are new and different, people look for familiarity in community.

Vilcabamba is unique in that it is very concentrated into a small community (town is 4,000 people) so you see the conspiracy theories a lot. However, we’ve also come across this in pockets of expats in Nicaragua, Thailand and other popular places.

By: Sutapa Chattopadhyay

Sutapa Chattopadhyay — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:31:36 +0000

I am surprised by this, but this article was a very interesting read. I thought older expats were people from the US who did want to arbitrage their lifestyle for a better one somewhere else; but they also wanted to mingle as well with the local population.

But I find it believable that there would be a lot of crazy conspiracy theorists among them. Is there something in the soil in Villacamba or is this a universal phenomenon to be found in other expat communities as well?

By: Oscar

Oscar — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:37:12 +0000

Audrey, thanks for the responce. There is no substitute for gathering info like visiting a place. I will be in touch. Thanks again !