May 26-29, 2011 Asheville North Carolina (Teacher Chuck Hunner)

September 8-11 Seattle Washington (Teacher Bob Shane)

November 3-6, 2011   Mt. Dora Florida (Teacher Gary & Merri Scott)

Course for one $799. Enroll here

Course for two $999. Enroll here

Our Super Thinking + Spanish courses are Spanish course that goes way beyond just learning to speak Spanish.

See how after just one weekend a delegate became an accidental Spanish translator.

There is a way to learn Spanish that enhances health and wealth. I call it Super thinking + Spanish and it was created by Merri using three secrets gained from years in language schools followed by 42 years of  living around the world.

Super Thinking + Spanish courses are taught across the country… Seattle, Asheville North Carolina and during the winter in Mount Dora… our Florida shopping town and known as 
the “New England” of Central Florida where you can expect warm weather and great sunsets like this on Lake Dora.

Creativity, humanitarianism and prosperity come in many forms, but all of them require three things, understanding, communications and inspiration.

Here are shots of delegates at a recent  Super Thinking Plus Spanish course in Mt. Dora, Florida.

Spanish is the second largest language in the world. Chances are a huge Spanish speaking population lives near you. Yet our language system did not teach us how to communicate with or understand this culture.

Learning Spanish is valuable and important.  Now there is way, to enjoy a long weekend as you learn Spanish at a very affordable price.

Here are the 40 delegates at this course enjoying a coffee break.  Delegates help each other learn.  They came from all over the world…  The USA, Canada, Europe…even South Africa. Sri Lanka & China.

To learn from Super Thinking is fun!  In four days you solve one of the biggest communications problems that faces a great deal of the English speaking civilization.

The course has two or three instructors.  Each Super Thinking Plus Spanish course has at least two teachers… one teaching the Super Thinking science and one native Spanish speaker… sometimes two teach the Spanish.   Don Childs was our Spanish teacher at this course.

Don & Merri. A delegate just created a great Spaniih sentence on the second day. Congratulations!

Merri and I taught the Mt. Dora course along with our native Spanish speaker.

Bob Shane in Seattle and Chuck Hunner in Asheville were handpicked and especially trained to also teach these courses.

Both Bob and Chuck have taught many other types of courses and each has an extensive background in Spanish.

Unlock the power of your untapped knowledge.

There are numerous little known, but scientifically proven ways to enhance the speed, accuracy and efficiency of your decision making process for greater wealth, health and happiness. In just four days you can gain almost amazing learning skills.  Plus you become skilled in Spanish as a bonus.

In just four days?

Sound too good to be true?

Here is the photo of the white board at a Super Thinking plus Spanish course written by a delegate who did know a lick of Spanish just three days before.   Delegates were creating, speaking and understanding sentences like this after just four days.

This is not a gimmick nor a trick. At least three best selling books, Superlearning, the Mozart Effect and Superlearning 2000 have revealed insights about how we can learn and think more powerfully based on systems drawn from the Bulgarian, Dr. Georgi Lozanov.

In 1980 Superlearning sold over two million copies and showed how the Lozanov learning system blended long-tested sciences of yoga with contemporary physiology and psychology so people could learn faster and better.

This book exposed this fact and made the system so popular that Dr. Lozanov was allowed to visit the US from Bulgaria to teach this system to just a very few people so they could pass on this vital information on how to learn and think in a more natural, powerful way so we can enjoy life and enhanced memory more.

Merri was among those few who learned how and is licensed to teach the Lozanov system from this Bulgarian master. She has organized a practical course on how to learn faster and better.

With her modified system, you will learn how to think and learn more powerfully in just four days. To prove how good you will be with this process, you learn Spanish as a side benefit.

The learning system you gain expands on Dr. Lozanov’s original work and offers new insights into tapping human potential, drawing from ancient and modern tactics for quick learning such as subliminal memory, music, nutrition, and productivity.

There are three scientific reasons why this course will change your learning capacity forever (and help you speak Spanish in just four days).

This seminar uses frequency modulation (in music and a number of other ways) to integrate brain waves so the process of absorbing, processing and recalling information is vastly accelerated.  This brings forth the three C’s:  Calm, Clarity and Coherence.

FM Plus Frequency Modulation/Full Mode Plus

FM Plus works by focusing on the learner first… the data second.  FM Plus “grows the learner” rather than just expands the information.  The explosion of data we must all process everyday means there is too much information to process already.    Let’s view this learning in terms of plumbing to outline what “Growing the Learner”  means.

If you have 4.5 inches of information flowing through a 4 inch learning pipe, the solution is not to add another inch of information.  The answer is to first create a six inch pipe and then an even larger pipe…a never ending expansion of abilities!

FM Plus incorporates Frequency Modulation…  plus shortcuts to expand the learner’s thinking and information processing ability.

First you learn how to evoke the power of the senses thus super-charging memory. Ever hear a song from twenty, thirty or forty years past and in a snap know all the words, the tune and remember with who and where your heard it decades ago? Learn how to use ten cycle music to gain almost super human thinking powers.

Dr. Lozanov was totally committed to learning without stress, to enjoy the thrill of relaxed, leisurely learning. These are just two, whole learning, super-thinking tactics you gain at this course.

What is your desire? Do you want to speak Spanish, French, German, Chinese or any language? Would you like to golf better or accomplish more in school? Would you like to easily, quickly zip through projects, chores, reports? Merri’s “Super Thinking” course can help you learn any subject two-to-five times faster, in exciting and innovative ways.

The techniques you gain will help unlock the quantum potential we all possess. This evolutionary program shows how certain types of music can enhance learning and how even altered nutrition can make you a startling 25 percent smarter, how subliminal messages can increase your energy and thinking process, plus much, much more.

Merri’s system follows and builds upon what was taught in the Superlearning, the Mozart Effect and Superlearning 2000 books plus includes techniques and strategies that she has gained in her 42 years of global travel and study with educational masters around the world.

This is a course that shows you how to increase your mental power to better succeed in the 21st century when we can otherwise be overwhelmed by information.

The system you gain is built from old and new sources ranging from yoga to contemporary Russian science, and ultimate zone training already used by many Olympic champions.

“Super Thinking plus Spanish” presents new ways to use music to supercharge your mind. The knowledge you gain about smart food and super nutrition allows you to enhance productivity and creativity.

The tactics you gain enhance your ability to absorb… retain and recall information.

Once these concepts of enhancing your mental powers with music are understood, you will know how to create your own program and build new skills at work in study and play.

Second you gain seventeen, easy to use learning techniques that can help you gain any romantic language in much less time than traditional learning techniques.

Why Spanish?

Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world. Chances are a huge Spanish speaking population lives south of and around you. Yet our North American language system did not teach us how to communicate with or understand this culture. We can all do with a bit of Spanish.

Yet who has the time?

You do! Fluency in a language is considered to come when you know 1,200 words. To prove that it is possible to gain this and much more, let me share just one of the 17 tactics Merri taught me that gives you thousands of Spanish words in less than three minutes.

Here are the thousands of Spanish words lesson #1:

All words in Spanish and English that end in ION are almost identical,  just pronounced differently. For example action is accion, education educacion, manipulation, manipulacion, etc.

Now you already literally know hundreds of Spanish nouns. This is just one of seventeen Spanish lessons you gain. The next lesson teaches you how to pronounce each of these nouns. Then you learn in a third lesson almost as many verbs, almost as quickly.

Third, you learn how to avoid conjugating verbs by sticking with the infinitive (far easier than it sounds). This simple lesson leaves you sounding like a Spanish professor (believe me I know as I use this tactic every day when in Ecuador).

There are many other lessons. For example lesson five shows how to sound infinitely polite and yet get almost anything you want in Spanish. Lesson six gives you the valuable connectors and the seventh lesson triples your Spanish capacity with yesterday, now and tomorrow.

By the end of the four day course you will feel quite comfortable speaking Spanish without stress!

Yet your Spanish will just be one result from learning how to think better!  You will be able to use your new learning powers in amazing ways. For example this attendee at our last course wrote:

“Hi Gary & Merri, You two are the BEST!!! Your Seminar was fantastic! I am so excited. I had procrastinated fulfilling my continuing education for my Broker’s License and then just before my surgeries, I realized by expiration date isn’t Nov. 12th – it is Sept 12th. Well, as you can see prior to taking your course I had only completed 3 units of the required 45 units. I thought I would take your course and then complete my remaining 42 units over the next 2 weeks. However, I took one class exam on Saturday night, August 27th. I didn’t even take the cellophane off the required Course manuals until after I saw the two of you today less than 5 hours ago! I used your techniques and completed 39 units of continuing education today. I have now completed all 45 units. All of my test scores were in the 90.6-96% range. My course exam information is listed below. I just wanted to let you know how valuable your course was to me. Thanks again!” Suzy Kurinsky

Travel, accommodations and food are not included.

Gary

Here are what delegates wrote about the November 2010 Super Thinking + Spanish seminar. Hi Gary & Merri -  First, Merri, thanks for the great home made chili dinner. It was some of the best I have ever tasted. Also, thanks for the Spanish course. Merri’s technique is truly a breakthrough in learning.  I believe I learned more Spanish in four days than I learned in four weeks in a previously attended Costa Rica language school.  The Costa Rica school taught a very limited number of memorized words and phrases. Ted.

Another delegate at a Super thinking plus Spanish seminar wrote: Merri’s approach exposed us to a broad variety of works and the technique needed to expand the language.  Again, Thanks for the experience.

May 26-29, 2011 Asheville North Carolina (Teacher Chuck Hunner)

September 8-11 Seattle Washington (Teacher Bob Shane)

November 3-6, 2011   Mt. Dora Florida (Teacher Gary & Merri Scott)

Course for one $799. Enroll here

Course for two $999. Enroll here

One attendee wrote: Thank you very much Gary! And I just wanted to say thank you and Merri so much for everything during the seminar. You guys are indeed a shining example of having a business that truly serves others. And thanks for the extra time spent and good things taught to me personally. I have begun to implement them already and will continue to apply them. And you might be interested that waiting for my flight home I ended up sitting next to a woman from Quito and could understand some of what she said in a cell phone conversation. We talked a little and she said that I should visit Ecuador!  Thank you again for your real graciousness and acceptance! I will also write to Merri and thank her as well. And I wish that I could do something for you two!

Another wrote: Thank you!  We  always look forward to spending time and learning about so many fascinating things. Like Minded people and Vivaldi! What could be better?  You and Merri are very special to us!

Another sent this note: Hello Merri,  Thank you for the wonderful workshop on Super Learning + Spanish!  I really enjoyed the workshop and getting to know you and Gary.  I am definitely going to take more of the courses that you and Gary are teaching.  I can see several ways to apply what I learned in the classes I teach.

Since I returned home, I have purchased some of the CDs of Baroque music and thought about which specific pieces will work best in different parts of my classes.  I am also reading Perfect Health by Deepak Chopra.  I found your discussion of this book to be very helpful in showing how to balance one’s life.  I have adjusted my daily schedule, and I can already notice a difference in my productivity.

Thank you for sending the file of the 4005 Spanish words.  This will be very helpful in my daily review of Spanish.

Another emailed this: Every day I’m becoming more proficient in Spanish.  As I get ready to do something, I think about how I would say it in Spanish.  Thank you again for a Super Workshop!  With love and blessings,

Another: Gary and Merri,  It certainly was an interesting and intriguing four days for me.  I enjoyed the Spanish but even more so, all the tentacles that extended during those four days that went into so many different directions.

I grew up in a very SQUARE box with loving  and intelligent parents but my world remained within this box, unable to see beyond those walls, as I was never encouraged to “think outside the box”..  Mike has been opening doors and leading me outside this box but because of my upbringing I have not completely embraced or understood what was beyond those doors he opened for me.  As I have gotten older I have become more open to the world outside those doors yet those old tapes continue to play and I have not been able to completely release myself and experience all that can be.

Listening to the two of you during our time together has suddenly got me to thinking, and although some of the ideas still seem foreign to me,  I am at a point in my life now where I can say, “anything is possible” and I am now willing to embrace and allow myself to experience the world of possibility and let it take me in directions I may have in the past resisted.  I really don’t know where all this is going to lead me but I am now willing to explore, develop and grow.

I found all the information you offered on healing, realigning the body, nutrition, etc. so fascinating, have you ever thought about doing a course on just that?  With the aging population and the health care issues I think it would be not only an interesting course but one that would be very beneficial to so many.  I, personally, would love to learn more about what you talked about and plan on purchasing the book, “Body Renewal, the Lost Art of Self Healing” for my Kindle.

Thank you again for a wonderful four days!!

Another: Hola Merri Y Gary, I was thinking about you this Remembrance Day, and I went to check emails and there you are!  We had fun at Disney World on Monday and sat beside several Personnes Espaniol.  We could understand them however I couldn’t make sentences quickly, but could say one or two word phrases that were understood.  We arrived home at 3am yesterday – the airlines were very late in Denver due to a crew incident.

I found myself making up sentences all day yesterday as I was running errands.  John knows more vocabulary than I at this point as he has studied Spanish previously.  Today I will begin to review the lessons and construct sentences to send to you and the group – as you suggested below.  Es en BUENO sugestion!!!  I also received the email Merri sent with the 4005 words and started to scroll through those yesterday.

Another: Thank YOU Merri, Gary, Don and Richard for everything you have done to create and bring this wonderful experience to all of us.  It takes a well sychronized team of people to put on an effective, change producing seminar!  I have given many seminars and enjoyed the experience immensely.  The outcome is even better!  Estoy une infantil de Super Thinking and Spanish, y es possible aprender en tiempo.

John and I both thank all of you for the wonderful experience – we are working now to clear up things so we can leave for the Galapagos and Ecuador November 25th – December 20th.  Nosotros tiene muchos appreciacion!  Gracias y Abrazos,

Another: Hello Gary,  Muchas gracias para la informacion!

I had a wonderful time at the Super Learning + Spanish weekend!… excelente!
I was impressed with your depth of knowledge on numerous subjects and your ability to speak about them with exceptional recall.  Con mucho apriciar,  P.S. Yo estoy enteresado en Espanol #2.

One delegate even explained how after our four day course they ended up as the accidental translator: Gary,  I have sent Merri a couple of messages, and  a story of Mike being able to translate yesterday for a Spanish person  who couldn’t understand what a man was trying to tell him!

We loved the seminar, and are excited to put the super learning to practice, and especially the great company of like-minded people (especially G & M!)  Muchas Gracias!  Tiene an excellante dias.

Another was able to write part of his thanks in Spanish. Gary Thanks so much for sending the course and the extra one ( that was an unexpected and delightful surprise!)  It was great seeing you and Merri again and we are looking forward to returning to Mt. Dora next year.  usted y Meri tengo un fantastico celabracion de la dar gracia y navidad

Finally another…. communicated entirely in Spanish…. after just our four day Super Thinking + Spanish seminar: Buenas dias nuestra maestra perfectamente, Merri!

Muchas gracias por la lista espanol.

Claro, David y yo aprendemous mucho espanol el fine de semana pasada. Gary y usted nos hacen espanol muy facil aprender. Es importante continuar a practicar espanol cada dia. Gracias tambien!  Buenas suerte…hasta la vista! Con mucho amor,

Comments from another delegate: I wanted you to know that the tour Spanish course has proven incredibly helpful. Dealing with internet service providers and shopping for appliances, etc., normally would have required me hiring a translator to follow me around. While it may not be pretty or 100% grammatically correct, I am understood. Thank you!  Saludos!

Whether your goal is to reduce your cost of living… increase your income… enhance the return on your investments or all, being able to speak Spanish… enhances your opportunity and does the world good.

May 26-29, 2011 Asheville North Carolina (Teacher Chuck Hunner)

September 8-11 Seattle Washington (Teacher Bob Shane)

November 3-6, 2011   Mt. Dora Florida (Teacher Gary & Merri Scott)

Course for one $799. Enroll here

Course for two $999. Enroll here

Lose Weight and Inches With Frequency Modulation

See an example from this man…

how our Super Thinking + Spanish course can enhance your health and wealth as well as help you speak Spanish.

The ability to speak Spanish… even if you never leave the US is valuable in this day and age.   Spanish opens access to a good labor force and helps you communicate with a useful part of the American population.

Beyond Spanish… knowledge is bliss. Ignorance is dangerous in these times of rapid change.  The more knowledge we can absorb, retain and recall… the better our chances of success… higher income… less stress…. better health and more fulfillment.

So it’s little wonder that the attendance at our Super Thinking + Spanish and Quantum Wealth courses have grown dramatically.   Our changing world not only reinforces the need to speak Spanish but also requires us to be smarter.

Super Thinking plus Spanish courses are among the few I know that not only share valuable information but help the delegates become smarter so they absorb, retain and recall the education more effectively.  The course does this through the power of music… a power we all already have within.

The science behind this has been explained by Austrian scientist, Karl Pribram.

According to Wikepedia: Pribam is a professor at Georgetown University , and an emeritus professor of psychology and psychiatry at Stanford University and Radford University.

Pribram tries to explain this power we all have within in scientific terms.

Pribam is  a neurosurgeon, who pioneered work on defining the power of our limbic systems, the relationship of the frontal cortex to the limbic system, the sensory-specific “association” cortex of the parietal and temporal lobes, and the classical motor cortex of the human brain.   He is also known for his development of the holonomic brain model of cognitive function and his contribution to ongoing neurological research into memory, emotion, motivation and consciousness.

What the heck is a holonomic brain model?

The answer to that, I fear, is beyond me. An excerpt from the research paper entitled  “Comparison between Karl Pribram’s “Holographic Brain Theory” and more conventional models of neuronal computation”  by Jeff Prideaux might explains why the understanding is complex.

The excerpt says:  Karl Pribram’s holonomic theory reviews evidence that the dendritic processes function to take a “spectral” transformation of the “episodes of perception”. This transformed “spectral” information is stored distributed over large numbers of neurons. When the episode is remembered, an inverse transformation occurs that is also a result of dendritic processes. It is the process of transformation that gives us conscious awareness.

Pribram says that both time and spectral information are simultaneously stored in the brain. He also draws attention to a limit with which both spectral and time values can be concurrently determined in any measurement (Pribram, 1991). This uncertainty describes a fundamental minimum defined by Gabor in 1946 (the inventor of the hologram) as a quantum of information. Dendritic microprocessing is conceived (by Pribram) to take advantage of this uncertainty relation to achieve optimal information processing. Pribram then says that the brain operates as a “dissipative structure” where the brain continually self-organizes to minimize this uncertainty. The next few sections will attempt to explain the concept of the “uncertainty principle” and the concept of “dissipative structures” that self-organize.

The Uncertainty Principle

Quantum Physics

In quantum physics, the uncertainty principle can be described in the following way (paraphrased from Pagels, 1982): Consider that you have a device that can simultaneously measure the position and momentum of a single electron. Every time you push a button, the device displays numerical values for the position and momentum. Although, each time you press the button, you will get slightly different measurements for the momentum and position. If enough measurements are taken, then a statistical analysis can be performed. Heisenberg defined the term delta q as indicating the spread or uncertainty of the position measurements around some average value and delta p as indicating the spread or uncertainty of the momentum measurements around some average value (for the series of measurements). He then found that (delta q)x(delta p)>=h where h is Plank’s constant. For a series of measurements, the positions can be expressed as an average +/- some uncertainty. Likewise for the momentum. No matter how good one makes a quantum measuring device, the products of the uncertainties can never be less than Planks constant. For example, if you could build a measuring device that exactly determined the position (where delta q = 0) then you would not be able to determine anything about the momentum (delta p = infinity). There is a similar uncertainty relation for the energy of a particle and the elapsed time. For a series of measurements, the product of the uncertainty of the energy (delta E) and the uncertainty of the elapsed time is always greater or equal to Planks constant. (delta E)x(delta t)>=h.

Communication theory

In communication theory, a variation on the uncertainty principle also holds (Gabor, 1946). The measurement of the frequency can be made with arbitrary precision. Likewise, the measurement of the time of occurrence can be made with arbitrary precision. But there is a limit to the precision when these measurements are taken simultaneously. One can exactly measure either the frequency (of for example a tone) or the time (of occurrence) but not both at the same time. For instance, if the time of occurrence were known (indicating an impulse function) there would be frequency components all up and down the spectrum. If, on the other hand, the frequency information was exactly known, one would not know any information about when it occurred. A single peak (or peak pair if you consider the corresponding negative frequency) in the spectrum implies that the tone has infinite extent in the time domain. Analogously to the quantum uncertainty principle, when frequency and temporal measurements are made simultaneously, there is a limit to the precision possible. Pribram claims that the brain functions as a dissipative structure to seek to decrease this uncertainty in the direction of its theoretical limit.

Dissipative Structures

The second law of thermodynamics holds that the entropy always increases in any isolated system (figure 10). This simply means that if something is left to itself, it will move towards equilibrium…it will move towards maximal disorder…its internal energy state will tend to be minimized. There has not been, to date, any confirmed observation that this law is invalid.

I have printed this report and read it and read it… but it still has not sunk in.

However I am getting some clues about how our mind works.

The first clue is that we do not have “a mind”.

Primbam when asked in an interview about the mind said:

Well, I don’t like the term the mind, because it reifies — that means it makes a thing of — something that’s a process. We pay attention, we see, we hear. Those are all mental processes, mental activities. But there isn’t a thing called the mind. There might be something you want to call yourself, but the mind sort of makes something concrete out of something that’s very multifaceted.

This clue is that our mind is not a thing… but a process that takes place in the brain.. body and maybe elsewhere…. at some quantum level.

Life is a continual learning process so anything we do to improve that process is vital to success, fulfillment happiness and reduction of stress.

The second clue is that this never ending process can be dramatically improved by certain types of music. The AARE is the Australian Association for Research in Education, the Australian  national association for fostering educational research in Australia.  AARE facilitates contact between educational researchers and supports the development of high quality educational research.

Here are excerpts from this study (bolds are mine):  In his discussion of the historical development of holonomic brain theory Pribram (1986) stated that all “the evidence is coming.  Not only at the neuropsychological level, but at the psychophysical and psychological level, the behavioural level and in quantum physics (there) is a real paradigm shift away from Euclidean geometry that allows for crazy things, even like hypnosis to be so (p.73).”   To many scientists this may appear to be very “soft science” but Pribram appears to believes that the distinction between soft and hard science is not as relevant any more as he sees many fields to be moving in the same direction and the final proof of brain theory will be “mathematically so precise that…there is just no stopping it.”

This study fits into the psychological and behavioural levels that Pribram was talking about.  When I started this type of research I had a notion that if a person had some control over their own behaviour and they were able to be in command of their state of consciousness and never be out of control, they would be operating at a rhythm which would be optimal for them.

By gaining the skill to relax at will and thereby alter the state of consciousness, both students and teachers can to some extent gain more control over their own behavior. It was the theory that not only would the fact of the control of their own body and behavior be a positive force but also that  the knowledge, derived from consistent results over a period of time, that they had this control would gradually become even more powerful as it affected their self-concept and self-esteem.   Theoretically, the effect of their new skill would then permeate and generalize to many related and unrelated areas of behavior and relationships.

An important part of the theory was that all negative, violent, and antisocial behavior took place when a person was “out of rhythm” and behaving in response to the external environment. Each teacher was provided a set of tapes with 14 tracks, a manual with directions for tape use and a set of tape scripts.   Each of the tracks on the tapes contained the voice of the experimenter and relaxing music.

The results from the study were positive.

Enough science.  Let’s see some examples.   Meet Jim Reed.

Jim is a retired airline pilot who moved to Ecuador a year ago and lived in our Casa Blanca condos for the last year.  He has become an Ecuador resident and is building a house nearby.   I interviewed him on one of our trips to Cotacachi.

Like so many others I have spoken with who have attended our Super Thinking + Spanish course… he claims to be much happier… more relaxed and has become healthier, shedding medication and weight.

Jim lost 55 pounds in the last year and, as reported by so many… without trying… without eating less… without any feeling of deprivation.

One fact that many who enjoyed wonderful positive changes when they have attended our Super thinking course is they learned to use music in a very specific way to reach the quantum states of their intellect.

Music carries universal messages of emotion that go beyond cultural distinctions and learned experience.

A March 2009 report by World Science entitled “Language of music may really be universal”  says:  Na­tive Af­ri­cans who have nev­er lis­tened to the ra­dio be­fore can none­the­less pick up on hap­py, sad, and fear­ful emo­tions in West­ern mu­sic, ac­cord­ing to a new re­port. The re­sult shows that the ex­pres­sion of those three bas­ic emo­tions in mu­sic can be un­iver­sally rec­og­nized, the re­search­ers said. Stud­ies found that both West­ern and Mafia lis­ten­ers, who had nev­er be­fore heard West­ern mu­sic, could rec­og­nize emo­tion­al ex­pres­sions of hap­pi­ness, sad­ness, and fear in the mu­sic more of­ten than would be ex­pected by chance. 

“These emo­tion­al ex­pres­sions con­veyed by the West­ern mu­sical ex­cerpts can be un­iver­sally rec­og­nized,” the re­search­ers wrote, “si­m­i­lar to the largely un­iver­sal rec­og­ni­tion of hu­man emo­tion­al fa­cial ex­pres­sion and emo­tion­al prosody.” Pros­o­dy refers to the rhythm, stress, and in­tona­t­ion of con­nect­ed speech.

A three minute example of this human connection is the song “Don’t Worry Be Happy” where 10-time Grammy Award winner Bobby McFerrin’s uses audiences to prove the chart-topper. This song is one of the most popular songs of the late 20th century.

A video of this states: Music is just “in there”…hard wired… in our being and just needs tapping into.

This is why Super Thinking works…  the course goes beyond teaching and taps into wisdom and intelligence that is already WITHIN!

As the speed of change increases… so to does our need for knowledge and the ability absorb, retain, recall and use what we learn in effective ways.

May 26-29, 2011 Asheville North Carolina (Teacher Chuck Hunner)

September 8-11 Seattle Washington (Teacher Bob Shane)

November 3-6, 2011   Mt. Dora Florida (Teacher Gary & Merri Scott)

Course for one $799. Enroll here

Course for two $999. Enroll here

Here are more raves from delegates of this course:

Gary & Merri, Mike and I have so enjoyed attending your seminars.  I look at is as a place to gain  “tools for life” as well as  receiving a plethera of information on the topics at hand.

(So far we attended  Spanish and investing.) I get equally as much value out of the tools, and mindset in viewing the information that can be applied to life in general as well as the topic at hand. So thanks for enjoying what you do… it definitely shows up in real world application.

At each seminar we meet many interesting and unique folk – I think the audience you draw  can think out of the box at least a little bit! So again thanks for gathering such a wonderful array of resources for us.

Another emailed:  Dear Gary and Merrie,  We so enjoyed the language class last weekend at Mt Dora!

Carolyn came back with your simple, common sense approach and the new tools to start speaking.

Most remarkable is that she feels comfortable putting together sentences and ‘communicating.’ Somehow many of us seem to get caught in the trap of thinking we have to say it ‘right,’ and so we don’t even try. It is interesting that we do not see ourselves ‘creating’ communication in our native tongue; each saying it a little different than the other, and yet still all getting the ‘communication’ across the bridge in our own manner.

We delighted to know you both better, and greatly admire your passion for life and generosity sharing what you have learned.

We are planning to attend the next business seminar you offer. Carolyn is talking about returning for the Fall Spanish Super Thinking class with a girlfriend.

We are excited by the many new challenges we have found through your offerings.

Another a dentist said: I was so delighted with my experience at the Spanish training.  I felt more confident of ability to pronounce Spanish than I ever was of French or German.  Funny… I did not think I remembered any French or German but when I cannot remember the Spanish words the German and French popped up.  Practicing my pronunciation made my trip home go faster. I never enjoyed pronouncing either of the other two, but this was fun. It is hard to fall asleep at the wheel when you are moving your mouth to speak Spanish. It does work your mouth in a different way.  I realized that you have to say each syllable slowly and correctly(until you get it perfectly) and when you do it is impressive.

It was amazing to see us all writing such advanced sentences after a few days and so much more enjoyable than having to go through the alphabet to build the words to build the sentences.

Another Wrote: Dear Gary,  I intended to give it a few days before I wrote to you about my experience in the Spanish + SuperLearning Course. However, I had such dramatic results today, in the physical rather than the cognitive realm, that I had to share this immediately.

I started my day with Baroque music. Before I began my Spanish lesson, I went through the Mayan Waves Brain Refresher (Brain Sync). I also played an alpha wave composition while I completed a lesson in the morning. I repeated the process this afternoon. Before my high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout in the evening, I put on a gamma brain wave video from you tube fater reading gamma waves help with exercise. I preformed the “Halo Of Sweat” workout from an online fitness site. Around the world, people complete the workout and posts their scores, striving to meet or beat the personal trainer. Frankly, my reps have rarely come close to the reps of the woman featured in the video nor have I ever beat her. Until today.

Not only did I come close to her performance, I surpassed her quite significantly with several exercises. I performed my best in the last exercise, Abs Burn Out. Her scores were 38, 34 and 33 and mine were 60, 40 and 47!

I believe several factors allowed me to achieve this acceleration in athletic ability today:

1. My left and right hemispheres are now harmonizing.
2. The meditation and relaxed concentration techniques I learned are coming more easily to me and effective.
3. My focus and concentration are greatly enhanced.

I am a Pilates professional so to have my exercise regimen improve so swiftly is remarkable. Not only am I now able speak Spanish but I am experiencing optimal health as well. I am deeply grateful to you and Merri for your SuperLearning instruction.  Be well,

May 26-29, 2011 Asheville North Carolina (Teacher Chuck Hunner)

September 8-11 Seattle Washington (Teacher Bob Shane)

November 3-6, 2011   Mt. Dora Florida (Teacher Gary & Merri Scott)

Course for one $799. Enroll here

Course for two $999. Enroll here

This project was started by by Jorge Quilumbaqui, the developer of Primavera One and Two.

Jorge started off as a laborer for a local indigenous builder and made good after years of struggle. Now he is considered to be one of the indigenous elders in Cotacachi, an example to younger generations of how to prosper in what, years ago, was a difficult environment.

Here’s Jorge, second from left standing with some of the medal winners

Jorge hasn’t forgotten his roots though and employs dozens and dozens of builders in his various projects as well as local girls in his hotel in Cotacachi, Sumak Huasi.

Earlier this year Jorge came to Meson de Las Flores to tell me about his plan to stage an athletics competition for indigenous children. He would call it the Indigenous Olympics and it would primarily be a way to financially help all the different indigenous communities around Cotacachi. Using his own money and also sponsorship the prizes for the winning children athletes would be a computer or school utensils for the entire school year.

Some of the children, in good humor and ready to compete!

Knowing us at Meson de Las Flores very well and also aware that we have the Land of the Sun foundation to primarily help the indigenous in Ecuador, Jorge had no hesitation to ask us to be one of the sponsors of his event. We had no hesitation agreeing to do so!

I find Jorge to be a humble man without any airs or graces, unassuming with conservative style and tastes and with a social conscience – he wants to give back to his own indigenous community.

It was no easy task to arrange the Olympics because sometimes there’s a rivalry between the different indigenous communities and also the children are, for the most part, not used to taking part in athletics events such as relay and long jump. They can all run but don’t know how to start a sprint or pace themselves in the longer distance events.

Here’s some supporters from the Morales Chupa community

Jorge hired a physical education trainer to visit all the 14 communities that were to participate; the trainer spent one day in one community and then moved on to the next community. All in all he spent 2 months training the 180 children who were due to compete.

This child runs wearing the traditional indigenous sandals hand made using fiber from the agavi plant.

The event took place in Cotacachi’s very own sports stadium which is basically a soccer pitch surrounded by a 400 meter track. The stadium started to fill early and the children were all kitted out in their sports kits with the name of the community stitched on to each shirt.

Mostly indigenous spectators look on but middle left you can spot two of our delegates looking on

It was an event for all the family

At the time we were all involved in a Super Spanish course here in Cotacachi so this made a perfect event to visit and try out new phrases we had just learned in class.

Here’s a delegate making some new friends

And I couldn’t escape the photo requests either!

Then the action started and it was time for us spectators to sit back and snap photos, watch others hard at play and marvel at the participation of everyone involved. It was taken seriously with gold-plated, silver and bronze medals and even official time-keeping so that in future years new records can be made and broken.

I don’t know why, but watching the Olympics on tv, especially the drama on the athletics track sometimes makes my eyes water as I empathize with the emotions athletes feel, dreams realized and dreams shattered. Years of effort paying off or disappearing down the proverbial drain.

I looked around our group and lo and behold saw that I’m not the only one who gets emotionally wound up looking at athletics events! Several delegates were wiping tears from their eyes as they watched the drama unfold right in front of their eyes.

So to the action. Jorge’s trainer had done his job well and we saw few false starts

Both boys and girls competed and the joy expressed as they competed, won and lost in good spirits was a pure pleasure to watch.

Finally it was time to award the medals. Cotacachi’s indigenous mayor was on hand as a kind of grand community father-figure to hand over the medals; that’s him in the white pants below ..

… and the pride with which the medals were received and worn was all the evidence I needed to know that Jorge’s efforts to give back to his own indigenous community had proven very successful on the day.

Children walk away with a medal around their necks and smiles on their faces.

Tuesday, as we walk around Jorge’s projects and admire his construction expertise and good taste, I’ll remember this day we spent realizing childrens and parents dreams courtesy of Jorge’s efforts.

The greatest asset of all is the ability to labor at what you love wherever you live. This brings everlasting wealth.

This is why we are providing a special three for one offer with our  course Tangled Web… How to Have an Internet Business. This can help you create your own internet business.

Our emailed course “Tangled Webs We Weave – How to Have Your Own Web Based Business” is a continuing educational program.  You receive the first 28 lessons when you enroll and a new lesson every week or two.

This course teaches how to create a web based business and is developed from the ongoing experiences that we have from our successful and profitable internet business.

This course is well worth the enrollment fee of $299… but currently you also receive two additional courses FREE.

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To make this offer even more compelling,  I am giving everyone who enrolls in our North Carolina or Ecuador International Business & Investing seminar in October or November all three courses, “Tangled Web… How to Have an Internet Business Course,”  “Self Fulfilled- How to be a Self Publisher” and “International Business Made EZ” free.

See views like this on your way to West Jefferson form the October seminar.

Join us with Jyske Bank and my webmaster David Cross in West Jefferson North Carolina. Learn more about global investing, how to have an international business at the seminar.

Oct. 9-11 IBEZ North Carolina with our webmaster  David Cross & Thomas Fischer of JGAM

We always conduct our autumn North Carolina course on the first weekend of October… the best time to enjoy  the leaf change.

Or head south to Ecuador!  You can visit the Guayllabamba Ecuador Property on your way to or from Cotacachi.

Cotacachi’s main plaza.

October 16-18 Ecuador Southern coastal tour

Oct. 21-24 Ecuador Import Export Tour

Oct. 25-26 Imbabura Real Estate Tour

In Cotacachi and surrounds the weather is always spring like.

Join us with Peter Laub of Jyske Global Asset Management in Ecuador. Learn more about global investing, how to have an international business at the seminar.

Nov. 6-8 IBEZ Ecuador Seminar

Let our friendly staff at Meson de las Flores serve you.

Nov. 9-10 Imbabura Real Estate Tour

Nov. 11-14 Ecuador Coastal Real Estate Tour

Winter is shorts weather on Ecuador’s coast.

Join us in the mountains and at the sea. Attend more than one seminar and tour and save even more plus get the three emails courses free.

 From the last but one edition of the ‘Rough Guide to Ecuador’ :- ” …. a grandiose flag-lined boulevard welcomes you in to Cotacachi, a little self-importantly perhaps, but it’s a reflection of locals’ opinion that they live in an up market town”.
This description always got under my skin a little and for the life [...]

Scenery can be just plain spectacular creating an Ecuador driving risk.. I’ve passed along the route from Quito to Cotacachi maybe 150 times and just on this route I have never ceased to marvel at the grandeur of the scenery as we twice descend 3000 feet down rift valleys to cross a rushing river and then climb back to the moorlands.

Imagine trying to drive when views like this compete.

We twist our way through acacia scrub trees in one sector only to 5 minutes later be passing through avocado groves in Guayllabamba or 30 minutes later passing through a eucalyptus tree ‘tunnel’ as all around we see Friesian dairy herds munching on some of the lushest pasture lands Ive seen in my life (including English ones).

Even some of the roads (like this new man street in Cotacachi) are views that distract!

Now it may be that having such beautiful scenery around you all the time creates part of the challenge of driving on these roads. Id say that’s part of the problem. In general the main highways are in fantastic shape and would not disgrace if they would form part of the U.S state highway system.

The fact that an emerging country such as Ecuador with such a mountainous geography has created enormous challenges for the government as they go about trying to create, maintain and update the country’s infrastructure.

It’s to the credit of the Ecuadorian government therefore that over and over again I hear from visitors that Ecuador’s roads compare very favorably with those of Panama, Costa Rica or Nicaragua. In fact, I’m not sure if it’s a joke or not, but a recent arrival in Cotacachi had told me that Panamanians will often fill large car-swallowing pot-holes with a large boulder and put a flag on the boulder – this is less work than hauling out cars that fall into such pot holes.

But still, undoubtedly the twisty roads here in Ecuador’s mountain provinces increase the challenge of driving and also the number of accidents we experience here.

A third factor to consider when driving in Ecuador is who you are surrounded by; that’s to say the Ecuadorian drivers themselves. They are by and large very capable and law abiding. Stop lights actually serve to stop the traffic and double center lines are, for the most part, respected.

But understanding the idiosyncrasy of Ecuadorian drivers, the laws of the road as they exist and the enigma that is the interpretation of those laws by Ecuadorian drivers and the Ecuadorian police is something, I believe, best left to Ecuadorians. Unless you know the country after living here for years.

For that reason, as convenient as a car may be some of the time I still rely on taxi drivers and local transport, bus or plane to get around the country. Gary and Merri have been at this even longer than me and they too use taxis – Cheap! – to move around the country.

The other advantage is that if you are driving along twisty roads there is little margin for error and full concentration is required; meaning less and less time to enjoy the scenery. And it’s worth repeating I think …. I have travelled Quito to Cotacachi or the reverse journey at least 150 times and I still enjoy the spectacular scenery …. Every single time!

Of course Ecuadorian drivers come in all degrees of competence but many had got used to lax policing of road laws and those with some street savvy are not averse to bribing some of the corruptible highway patrol officers to get out of a sticky situation.

I was interested to see a new Transit Law was introduced earlier this month. Would this have the desired effect of coercing Ecuadorian drivers to be more law abiding?

First impressions were favorable. The overall number of recorded traffic infringements fell sharply throughout the country in the days following the introduction of the new law.

The idea with the new law is to hit drivers where it hurts – in their pocket. The old penalty system had $2 or $3 fines which may have meant something to an Ecuadorian when we were all using the old currency of sucres but had no deterrent effect whatsoever in modern times.

The new laws are much more stringent and it just remains to be seen whether they will be strictly enforced or police officers will still be susceptible to bribes. If nothing else, the bribes will have to be commensurately larger so drivers will still want to avoid confrontations with the law.

The new transit law for Ecuador roads is based on a points system. You start off with 30 points and differing infractions incur different loss of points and fines. The minimum fine is $10 and a loss of 1 and a half points for misdemeanors such as not maintaining a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front. This must be so open to interpretation that it is just asking for a mean spirited motorcycle cop to stop you and run the rule over your vehicle.

Lose 3 points and receive a $20 fine for blocking traffic when you run out of gas! Or how about 4 and a half points and $30 for not respecting the rights of cyclists.

Speeding? Then incur an automatic $60 fine and a loss of 6 points. Repeat offending leads to a doubling of the penalties!

Drivers of illegal taxis can expect a $100 fine and a loss of 9 points and the only lenient law, to my mind at least, is a 10 point penalty and $100 fine for drunk driving. On the other hand I’ve heard, but not read, that you also are detained in a dank, dark cell for 8 days too. That would certainly be enough time to sober up.

In Quito the first person to lose points from his license was a fireman wrongly driving a pickup truck along a mass transit trolley line – he blamed the 911 emergency call system as it wasn’t working and he needed to get somewhere quickly. The police were having none of it.

One hundred other tickets were issued in the first three hours but the police later announced that there was a quite significant drop in traffic infringements from the normal figure.

All of this gives the impression that Ecuador drivers are a muddled lot, haphazardly following the laws at a whim. But this is far from the truth as I recently discovered.

Ecuador customs place a high tax on used cars so most automobiles in Ecuador are new and shiny though this Alfa Romeo is still the only locally-owned sports car.

Even most of the trucks are new and well kept.

I was returning from Ibarra to Cotacachi at about 11 in the morning on a cloudless day. We were traveling southwards out of Ibarra along the busy Pan American highway. Suddenly the little hatchback car in front of us veered over to the center line and then back to the right hand edge of the road. I think the driver was trying to stay close to the curb and let others going quicker pass.

We slowly and gingerly overtook, giving him a wide berth. I looked out of my passenger window and the driver was so far gone he had a glazed look across about him and his lower lip was curled over the top of the steering wheel to boot.

Suddenly he overtook us at great speed and just tore along the other carriageway forcing some oncoming drivers to swerve out of his way. With that, my driver picked up his cell phone –which is now a $20 fine and 3 point deduction under the new laws! – and dialed 102 – the local police number. He reported the drunk driver and asked for a patrol rider to come out and investigate.

In all he called 3 times getting ever more frustrated with the police but finally we saw the patrolman gliding down the other carriageway looking for a car that fit our driver’s description of the offending car. But the cop just plain missed the offender who was by now a half mile ahead.

My taxi driver, not to be out-witted, again called the police and told them the drunken driver was still on the loose and asked that the police at the toll booth ahead look out for him. As we arrived at the toll booth we spotted the drunk driver in a line of cars waiting to pass. My admiration for my driver increased further when he stopped the taxi and was about to go and drag a policeman over to the offender.

Unfortunately for the drunk, he had stalled his car in the line and unable to start it again he inadvertently called attention to himself. Three policemen and one police woman dragged him and his equally inebriated passenger out of his car and he was arrested on the spot. This act of good citizenship greatly impressed me as it was done only out of concern for the safety of other drivers and pedestrians.

Ecuadorian drivers do know how to drive defensively and in general are excellent drivers so I really question the wisdom of renting a car unless you absolutely must. Here at El Meson we know several drivers who will drive you all over Ecuador for $70-80 per day plus their food and a cheap room in a hostel at maybe $10 a night.  (Usually fine hotels will put your driver up for free also.)

Ecuador’s taxis are inexpensive ad quite good.

Here is a Cotacachi Ecuador taxi.

When we send drivers down to meet guests arriving at the airport we send down trusted taxi drivers whom we’ve come to know very well. They have driven from Quito to Cotacachi dozens and dozens of times without incident and brought hundreds of guests just like you to Meson de Las Flores.

Jorge, Isak, Jorge and Julio are just a few of those we use. We often use Julio who speaks conversational English and has a light van when you arrive with more luggage or companions.

He charges the same as a taxi when he takes two people to Quito, that´s to say $45 to $55 depending on time of day and location in Quito and $70 when there are more people/lots of luggage or it is very late at night. Otherwise he charges $10 an hour to just do general touring in the Imbabura area. I can´t think of a more pleasant way to go to Quito and Julio and I often have long discussions on every subject under the sun as he drives and I rest on the way down to Quito.

Come tour Ecuador either before or after attending a course here at Cotacachi. We can put you in touch with drivers both here and in Quito who will journey with you all over Ecuador so that you can relax and enjoy the journey.

Return to the article on Green Investing & Ecuador cars here.

Join us here at our hotel Meson de las Flores.  Learn more turning risk into opportunity at our courses and tours.

June 12-14 Shamanic Mingo Tour

June 16-17 Imbabura Real Estate Tour

June 18-21 Ecuador Coastal Real Estate Tour

July 4-8  Ecuador Export Tour

July 8-9 Imbabura Real Estate Tour

July 10-13 Ecuador Coastal Real Estate Tour

July 24-26 IBEZ North Carolina

Sept. 17-21 Ecuador Spanish Course

Sept. 23-24 Imbabura Real Estate Tour

Sept. 25-28 Ecuador Coastal Real Estate Tour

Oct. 9-11 IBEZ North Carolina

Oct. 21-24 Ecuador Import Export Expedition

Nov. 6-8 IBEZ Ecuador

Nov. 9-10 Imbabura Real Estate Tour

Nov. 11-14 Ecuador Coastal Real Estate Tour

Attend any two Ecuador courses or tours in a calendar month…$949 for one.  $1,349 for two.

Attend any three Ecuador courses or tours in a calendar month…$1,199 for one.  $1,799 for two.

One great thing about Cotacachi is that “there’s something going on here all the time”, as Lee Carper a new expat resident said to me recently, and I added, “…if it’s not here it’s going on in nearby Otavalo. Or Ibarra. Or Atuntaqui.” Lee should know about the latest event – [...]

If I haven’t posted as regularly as usual it’s because I seem to be very busy on vacation in England. In Cotacachi I’m looked after like a king by the wonderful staff at Meson de las Flores. They cook for me, wash my clothes, clean my room and generally try to take care of any and every need they can envisage I might need.

Here is Rosita Elena looking after my son – she just does it because she likes to!

I would consider myself very special; except I know they treat every guest like this, and if there is the very occasional slip-up, as there is in any hotel, it’s not for want of effort nor desire on their part.

Humble and helpful – and much missed and appreciated from afar!

Here in England, even if there were such wonderfully caring and service orientated people to help with daytime chores, it really is only the Royalty who could afford to employ them anyway.

So consequently it’s come as a shock to the system to cook for three, wash, clean, and tidy the house on vacation. I love to see my family but next time I’m going on vacation in Ecuador!

Joking aside, I have been fascinated to observe the differences in people and society between my home country and my adopted country. I’m an inveterate people watcher and sitting in a street café in Europe with an expresso and croissant as you watch the world walk by is a much under-rated pleasure. If you can do it in good company and discuss what is happening in front of you so much the better.

I shall be doing just that in the Netherlands this coming week as I visit two old friends, both English, who live and work there. Historically speaking, the English of course have tried to dis-associate themselves from our European cousins, so street cafes have only recently started to be seen in the squares and on the corners of provincial towns and cities.

But I can still observe much as I walk in malls, or shopping centres, as they are called here. Because there IS a public transport system here, even in the smallest towns, I choose to get around by walking or on buses. Taxis are out of the question here at $10 for one and a half miles. I feel great walking knowing I’m getting fitter and saving a bundle of money at the same time.

England is looking gloomy this summer. Apart from the continuous grey skies, 10 sunny warm days so far this year according to my brother-in-law, all the talk is of the downturn in the economy. Nobody can bring themselves to mention “recession” but what is affecting everyone is having less disposable income. Meals out are once again becoming a treat. Foreign holidays to the Mediterranean are being ditched because of high costs and shops are suffering as people spend on only the essentials.

This was how the weather was last summer in Ecuador. While you can find similar scenery in Scotland you won’t often find similar weather!

Every day the British are being buffeted by bad news. Headlines such as “Armed Forces face training cuts as fuel bill rockets”, “Millions face $200 a month fuel bills” “We’ll have to work until we’re 70 – just as it was in Lloyd George’s day”, and “Private schools fall victim to credit crunch” leave no doubt that if the economy is not in recession it’s not very far away.

Walking around the mall in my hometown of Fareham, a prosperous town compared to many, I can’t really see much evidence of the down-turn, although I do see that retired people are not dressed as well as younger folks. I’m impressed by the ever increasing range of stores and products for sale. The choice is phenomenal.

But then I also notice something less tangible. I ask myself why if there is more choice here, more wealth than in Ecuador, why do so many people look miserable and down-beat in England. I think I notice it more in those who are over 40. But I’m not sure.

In the mall there are several cafes in the aisles and I notice several older folks sat by themselves drinking cups of tea. As I walk down to another café to get internet access I notice an older man hunched over on a bench, his cane resting over his legs. Ninety minutes later I return the same way and there he is – hardly moved.

An older gentleman, still looking dapper, enjoying time with friends in the sun in Cotacachi’s main square

Perhaps it’s this. In the Times of London a recent article about the National pension quoted the 73 year old Rita Young who is struggling to live off $1,200 a month. ‘… She is angry that elderly people in one of the world’s richest countries are not treated better.

“Things are better than a hundred years ago, when only the righteous were entitled to their shilling a week. But it is a disgrace that we have got to go and beg for the pension credit to bring us up to a level still below the poverty line. Our pension does not even bring us up to the level of the lowest paid in the economy.” Mrs Young, asked what she considers to be a luxury replied “a bar of chocolate”.

With the rising cost of living – and of energy bills in particular, her social life has borne the brunt of her cost-cutting. Eating out or going to the cinema is no longer a viable option. While she still attends meetings of the University of the Third Age, she cannot attend any events that it hosts. Her studies had to be curtailed when she could not afford the fee to access the national archives’. In fact Rita Young is apparently not alone – a further 2.5 million English pensioners struggle to pay their bills and keep their homes warm.

My thoughts inevitably turn to my adopted country, Ecuador, when I read these depressing accounts. Ecuador certainly has more poverty than any so called developed country. It also certainly has it’s fair share of misery. But the thing is – it’s not that evident in the faces of the people.

I see happy faces and a readiness to engage in upbeat and optimistic talk far more often than would seemingly be warranted. Make no mistake, the poorest elderly in Ecuador are very poor indeed and would not even be considering studying at a University of the Third Age.

And yet, somehow, they are seemingly more joyous and happier in general than many living in developed countries. There is some kind of dichotomy at work here.

When an ice-cream still brings a smile

Perhaps you can help me here with suggestions as to why this may be so. One thing that springs to mind and perhaps seems obvious is that wealth, or lack of it , plays a lesser role in determining people’s happiness levels in Ecuador than perhaps in our own countries.

Perhaps that nefarious comparison factor is at work in our countries. One recent poll in the U.S found that people would ‘prefer to earn more than others but be poor’ than ‘earn less than others and have everything they want’. There’s no logic to that choice but apparently that is how we think by and large.

I suspect another huge advantage of Ecuadorian life (and of course other similar countries) is that family and friendship is something cherished at every level of society and even more importantly is available to the majority because peoplestay in their home-towns.

Inevitably, in the big cities this is changing, but even if children work or study in Quito at the weekend they are heading back to their home-towns come Friday evening. I know this because travelling on inter city buses at this time is a ‘squash’ at best.

This sense of family and friendship is very evident in a village like Cotacachi. Elderly people, who are often active into their eighties and nineties, sit in the park in the sun not alone but with dear friends.

Family re-unions often see dozens present at wedding, baptisms or “quincenas” (the Ecuadorian equivalent of sweet 16 parties). And with so many people living and working in the same towns and villages, community life is vibrant. Fiestas and festivals are enthusiastically supported and attended. This is a time to participate and forget about the ‘hard life’.

Participating…

… and watching

Of course, I know that for Rita Young a move to Ecuador is probably not on the cards. That’s a pity as although she wouldn’t have some of the facilities I’m sure she holds dear in England, I’m almost convinced that her quality of life would improve enormously. But I suspect she wouldn’t have the necessary mind-set.

Moving from a developed country to an emerging country like Ecuador is not for everyone. If you don’t deal well with change, if you want or need everything in your life to be ordered and just so … then you had probably best just stay where you are.

But if you can embrace change, are willing to try something new, like small challenges and enjoy new experiences then you may want to consider just how your life may improve by moving to Ecuador or another emerging country.

As increasing costs of living and falling incomes in our countries chip away at our lifestyles consider just how you might enjoy the change by living in Ecuador at least part of the year.

For $1,200, paying rent or in your own home, you can live like royalty, or at least very comfortably. Your fuel bills are likely to be no more than $20 a month (electricity and gas). Taxis cost a dollar or a few cents more to ride around town. Broadband internet access may be one of your most expensive out-goings at $50-80 per month. For a further $120 a month you could hire a part-time local domestic to wash, iron, clean and cook your lunch.

sense of community among the new arrivals too

At the week-end you could head off to Quito to go shopping, wine and dine, visit museums or the theatre of catch a concert.

Once a month you could set off travelling going to the beach for a week, or visiting a spa town such as Baños. Or even take a motorized canoe down an Amazon tributary.

Country trails abound around Cotacachi and in most rural communities in Ecuador so the chances for hiking, cycling or horse-riding are extensive.

When you learn Spanish, as you will if you spend any length of time here and make a little effort, the local community will open up to you. Invites to homes, parties and festivals can and do come your way and especially if you are prepared to offer your time and expertise helping in the local community. Until that time, there is a growing expatriate community here.

The weather is of course superb compared to most other places on the planet if you like sunny temperate weather. Most Englishmen would love to have Cotacachi weather instead during their summers instead of the grey cloudy skies that so often cover their land.

Fresh organic food is available at the local markets and the only complaint I have ever heard is that you can all too easily buy more than you can possible carry home.

So now, as I consider my allegiances and feelings about my two countries I’m forced to conclude that for me Ecuador is a great place to live and England is a great place to visit. I didn’t know that would be the case when I came here 6 years ago. At that time I said “I’d give it a ‘try’ for a year”. After a year the jury was still out but things were looking and feeling good so I decided on another year and by the end of my second year I was converted.

It hasn’t always been easy but the whole experience has been exhilarating, refreshing and I certainly feel that I’m living life and living in a country where nearly all the people still know how to live life. That certainly makes for an interesting comparison with how the English see themselves and how many of them are experiencing life at this time.

Two weeks to go until I return to home in Ecuador. I’m looking forward to life in the slow lane again and now understand and empathize better when I receive emails from our guests saying “I’m missing Ecuador so much, I can’t wait to return”. Steve.

September 17-20 Ecuador Coastal Real Estate Tour; Quito Real Estate Tour
http://www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-coastal-real-estate-tour

Sept 23-27 Ecuador Spanish Course
http://www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-spanish-course

Sept 28-29 Imbabura Real Estate Tour
http://www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate

See discounts for attending more than one Sept. course
http://www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-tours-savings

Oct 14-18 Ecuador Import Export Course
http://www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-import-and-export-tour

Nov 7-9 International Investing and Business Made EZ Ecuador
http://www.garyascott.com/catalog/international-business-made-ez-ecuador

Nov 10-11 Imbabura Real Estate tour
http://www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-real-estate

November 12-15, 2008 Ecuador Coastal Real Estate Tour; Quito Real Estate Tour
http://www.garyascott.com/catalog/ecuador-coastal-real-estate-tour

  Michael, a new friend and Cotacachi resident, sends me this note hot off the press!

I  want to get the word out to as many people as possible that Villa Paradiso (near Plaza del Sol in Cotacachi) is hosting an all you can eat Indian buffet this Sunday from 10am until 8pm for $5.  It is being put on by the famous hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant Raj Tandoori, located near Plaza Foch in Quito.  I don’t know if you have ever eaten there, but it is fabulous food.  It is their first time doing this, so many of us would like it to be a success so they will keep coming back, and possibly have other restaurants (Thai, Japanese, etc…) do the same to introduce even more variety to Cotacachi cuisine.  If you can, please let people know about this and let’s make it a success.  Talk to you soon.

  Well, I’m in Birmingham, England,  Michael so even though I can’t make this event in Cotacachi, and you could bet your last dollar I’d be attending if I was in Cotacachi, I’m sure I won’t lack the opportunity to try an Indian dish or two in Birmingham. Buen provecho!!

Steve

When we first entered through the magnificent eucalyptus lined entrance fifteen years ago, we felt awe and surprise.  The name La Cienega means “the swamp” so we were looking for something a bit different than this exquisite land and hacienda!

It is said that La Cienega entrance is the original in Ecuador.  Over 125 years ago, the first eucalyptus trees ever planted in Ecuador were brought from Australia to line this entrance.  These trees heralded a sign of great wealth and power which has lasted centuries.

The grandest entrance of them all!

Located in the Central Highlands, La Cienega is surrounded with volcanoes mixed with rich and beautiful farms and bisected by the Pan American Highway.  Hundreds of years ago, each powerful Ecuadorian family owned an entire volcano and its surrounding valleys.  What a grand heritage this area boasts!

This is the Avenue of the Volcanoes from Quito south.  La Cienega lies in the dawn shadow of Volcan Cotopaxi and was the home of Baron von Humboldt (one of my heroes) when he lived in the area in 1802 while studying the volcano. The house is said to have been built in 1580 and remains a landmark of history and beauty today.  Even independence from Spain was plotted here by the original families.

Here are some lovely thoughts from the present day owners:

The Marques family, romantic and strong archetypes of the colonial period, whose manorial house covered an astonishing six thousand metres (sixty-five feet), were fervent defenders of Simon Bolivar and the libertarian cause.  Family members such as Manuel Matheu y Herrera, Francisco Xavier and Jose Xavier de Ascazubi were Heroes of the Independence, a number of whose activities took place within the four walls of the hacienda.

Mariscal de Ayucucho, Antonio Jose de Sucre and several presidents of the republican period such as the first president of Ecuador, Juan Jose Flores, signed the important Treaty of La Cienega here in the hacienda.  Gabriel Garcia Moreno, Leonidas Plaza Gutierrez and Jose Velasco Ibarra are historical figures of the country who have resided at the hacienda.

Generation after generation, the hacienda has been inhabited by important personalities and great historical figures, leaving the residence glowing with an aura of grandeur.

Gary and I were invited to stay in Baron von Humboldt’s private quarters on the top floor.  That was a lovely first time for us and especially since it was in the early days of our own private exploration of Ecuador…unforgettable you might say and was right at the beginning of our falling in love with Ecuador and its hacienda life.

Today, La Cienega boasts a remodeled interior, lovely bedrooms and manicured grounds.  The old hacienda comes back alive on weekends, where families from Quito drive out to enjoy the countryside.  Food is delicious, fires lit in the massive stone fireplaces are welcoming, the staff is excellently trained and there again, hacienda life is wonderful.

Here is the hacienda itself.

Here we are in the inner courtyard filled with birds and full of the Sunday mornings bells, installed in 1768 in thanks for the end of Cotopaxi’s 20 years of eruptions…but alas the volcan is hot and ready again!

La Cienega embodies all the beauty and history of Ecuador and should be at the top of anyone’s list for a visit, whether it be for a weekend in the country or a delightful meal.

A visit to the hacienda’s chapel is worth the journey alone. Here it is.

The chapel doors are special as shown in this phto from the hacienda’s web site.

Just in case that you might think Gary and I are just enamored with haciendas and hacienda life, I have quoted below one of our good friends and clients, Bonnie Keough from Massachusetts, on her experience at La Cienega also!

Enjoy life.  Experience the history combined with the beauty and pleasures of hacienda life in Ecuador with us!

Merri Scott

I have so many wonderful memories of unique experiences in Ecuador, many of which just happened, unplanned.  One of these adventures happened during a trip to the Saquisili Market, south of Quito.  Anyone who knows me knows that since I’ve been on the Scott’s Import Export Expedition,  I’m always looking for markets to explore!

Our bill at Hacienda La Cienega for lunch for four including wine, dessert, tax and tip was $62.  I can’t imagine what a comparable experience in the States would cost.   The memory is priceless.

Bonnie Keough

Join us in Ecuador

See dates for our Autumn courses and tours:

Ecuador Coastal-Quito Real Estate Tour

Ecuador Super Thinking + Spanish Course

Ecuador Imbabura Real Estate Tour

International Investing and Business Made EZ North Carolina

Ecuador Ecuador Import Export Course

International Investing and Business Made EZ Ecuador

See discounts for attending more than one course.

Making friends in Ecuador is actually easy when you understand how things are working where you live. Integrating into another society can be a challenge but is achievable when you are open to change and living in another way.
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