Kenji's Garden

The day I spent with Kenji, the 25 yr old Peace Corps volunteer from the east coast of the U.S. was memorable enough to warrant its own blog entry. I had met him on a bus tour with the Scotts who were kind enough to invite me along knowing that I have an intense interest in food production and sustainability as well as indigenous culture. Kenji provided an excellent overview of what he's doing there with the Peace Corps, and I immediately wanted to see if I could fit in here and help somehow. (Again, I was not much help, but I had fun anyway!)


Recognizing the demise of indigenous food crops in the area, Kenji's project in Ecuador revolves around resurrecting knowledge of indigenous plants that grow all over the country. With some limitation because of the elevation, this one garden attempts to grow crops and save seed that have provided sustenance to generations of Ecuadorian and Quechua peoples. The Peace Corps project employs two full time local workers who do most of the maintenance in the garden, but volunteers are welcome.



So...after the formal tour I made arrangements to meet him one day and work in the garden; I know he was a bit disappointed that I was the only one, but he was gracious to take the time to spend telling me what to do (sometimes more work than it's worth as most project overseers are well aware) as this is one busy young man!

On the day we agreed to meet, he had forgotten that he had to film a parade for the video he was going to produce as part of his project. Part of the garden's objective is water awareness: water rights, pollution issues, flow, treatment, health benefits, etc. During his time there, he had become a fixture in the schools and the local government raising awareness of water issues. This day was the culmination and celebration of a lengthy study by the schoolchildren who were given the day off to participate in the big Water Awareness Parade, march through the streets and make sure that those who were not present in the schools were also made aware of the importance of water. I was more than happy to tag along while he filmed and learn more.



See "the little squirts" at left (Kenji's term for the little water droplets, signifying to them that each one is important and must be taken care of).

The parade ended at a non-profit institute on one side of town that housed an organization that had sprung up as a result of Kenji's work. Sumak Jambina collects, dries, packages and sells herbal preparations made from the plants in what I came to call "Kenji's Garden."



All natural and all indigenous to the area, these herbal preparations are made into medicinal teas or salves that have been used for centuries. I was in heaven learning about them from a colleague of Lucia's whom I learned worked in tandem with this non-profit. In fact, all the non-profits seem to share a working arrangement that seems to ensure the success of their stated goals. All is one and one is all - I saw no rivalry among these groups, only cooperation and camaraderie just as I saw on a more personal level among the members of the cooperativos.

A little Tourist Stop on the Way to the Garden:

As we were leaving the parade participants and Sumak Jambina to walk out to the garden a couple of kilometers outside of town, we decided to cut through a property that I had been curious about - and apparently so had Kenji. The Mirage Spa seems a bit out of place in Cotacachi with a night's lodging costing more than the yearly wages of some of its laborers.


I admit to a bias against it for its class-ist opulence that was out of reach of so many -- including me, but plenty of my new friends had dined there and loved it. And I mean "dined," feasted, celebrated food and good taste and good service... so I guess I should have included it in the section about local restaurants. But since I never ate there myself (because one meal would have cost me more than I would spend otherwise in a couple weeks), I cannot personally say. But you should know that it is HIGHLY recommended and even appears in a book entitled 1000 Places to See Before You Die. Hmmm, right there in little Cotacachi!



Kenji snapped as many photos as I did so he could send them home to his family, and then we headed on out to the garden. By this time it was just past high noon, and it was a long walk. No sign of the normal cloud buildup on this day. He was thinking of me I'm quite certain when he said we couldn't work very long due to the hot sun and the heat of the day. And he was right - I hoed weeds and chatted alongside him for only about an hour. And man, was I ever sunburned when it was all over! Too pooped to pop, I had to forego a concert by "Jose the Taxi Driver and Mayor of Quiroga" at the home of some gringo friends because I couldn't keep my eyes open past 7 p.m.! It was worth it.

Farewell

Boy, it was not easy to say goodbye to this place. But all good things must end (and be continued at a later date).


For what it's worth, my favorite astrologer tells me that a person's birth chart resonates with certain spots in the world. Whether you call it "astro-cartography" or simply 'feelin' it', you know when you find that spot that works for you. I've traveled quite a lot in Latin America and never felt so at home as I did here.

Again, for me it was the people more than the place. I find the Quechua in this part of Ecuador to be the kindest, friendliest, most helpful People I've come across anywhere.


Ecuador is not without its problems, however, and poverty and crime do abound throughout the country just as they do in the U.S., something which we gringos tend to forget sometimes. As a traveler, it's always good to be aware of your surroundings, speak the language well enough to know if you're being cursed at (or worse, laughed at), and never to flaunt your "stuff." Having a base like El Meson to take care of you if you're sick, arrange transportation, and provide a helping hand and a healthy diet is a big plus. I know for a fact that this is a rare commodity in a foreign land, so I have Gary and Merri Scott and their incredible staff to thank for providing that safety net.

I was delighted to find that I was not the only woman traveling alone here. In fact, I made some friends for life, and we enjoyed a great breakfast at Susannah's before I headed out to Quito. Coincidentally, one other woman, Maggie the import-export queen, was leaving that day too, so we shared a taxi (Susannah took our picture.)

At right: Cricket, Maggie, Jaci, Patricia, and me.




I mentioned Dennis and Nicki Goff in an earlier post. Dennis took the picture of Dan Prescher singing as well as the one of me that appears in the left profile of this blog with a guitar (I posterized it), and he is a marvel with a camera - an eye for color and detail that is amazing! If you have an interest in getting to know more about Cotacachi or ever plan to visit there, I would suggest joining the ning site that Dennis set up earlier this year to share photos and information (as well as a yahoo group as I mentioned previously). You can see some of Dennis' incredible photography on the site as well as photos from the scores who have already joined on the ning site. The address is www.cotacachi.ning.com .



There is no substitute for first-hand experience, and I'm the first to recognize that what is heaven for some can be hell for others. The only way to tell is to experience it yourself. And to that end, I hope you have the opportunity to visit all the places calling out to you.

Other helpful links:

http://www.embaecuador-malaysia.com/general%20information.htm (general info on Ecuador)

http://www.ecuador-travel-guide.org/general/default.htm (Ecuador Travel Guide)

www.garyascott.com (lots of posts about Ecuador, the hotel, and the Scotts' business seminars)

http://www.garyascott.com/2008/04/13/2078.html (Gary Scott's webpage for El Meson de las Flores)

http://hostalelarbolito.com (El Arbolito is another small hotel in Cotacachi, less expensive but very nice - no internet on site, but an internet cafe is nearby).