activism
July 2008 
Living the Dream
Posted on Jul 17th, 2008
by 
Kate Mariposa
Kate Mariposa
In Vilcabamba--the Sacred Valley in Ecuador-- we found some truly inspirational work on behalf of the environment!
Our first stay was at the Rumi Wilco Nature Reserve and Ecolodge, where a couple from Argentina--Alicia and Orlando Falco-- has been living for many years. They are re-planting the indigenous Wilco species, among others, and have united their neighbors to preserve their lands together. Their goal is to create a nature corridor that runs all the way to the nearby Podacarpus National Park. They grow small batches of shade-grown organic coffee-- truly the best coffee we tasted in all of S. America. Their 90 or so acres are covered with trails that run up the hills and down to the creek, with interpretive signs throughout! Papaya, guanabana, and other tropical fruits burst seasonally from the trees. Butterflies and birds flit throughout this protected paradise. Alicia and Orlando welcome volunteers to stay at the Eco-lodge and aid in the care of the land. We only wished we had enough time...
The Podacarpus National Park near Vilcabamba is a lush and magnificient piece of cloud forest, dripping with flowers of all colors and shapes. In our hike along the ridge of the mountains it rained off and on all day, giving us the spectacular views of 10 or so different rainbows! (Butterlies and Rainbows all in one place... Vilcabamba holds a special place in my heart). With all-day rain, of course, comes ankle deep mud and wet clothes... but the beauty of it all far surpassed the discomfort!
After our visit to Podacarpus, we had the opportunity to visit Sacred Suenos, a small (1-member) intentional community a 3-hour walk up from Vilcabamba. Yves, originally from Canada, came to Ecuador with the intention of starting a permanent community, but has found instead that his community is a rotating crew of international volunteers. He intentionally purchased a piece of land degraded from slash and burn agriculture, and has been working to both restore the original forest and also create a sustainable living environment. He is growing some crops, has built several structures, has a composting toilet, and a solar shower. The only electricity runs a small CD player, also solar. Yves is truly living the dream that my friends and I in the States long for... living sustainably (well, working towards it), connected to the land. Again, we wished we had more time to volunteer, learn to milk the goat and make goat cheese, carrying our supplies up the hill from town on the donkeys!
Near Yves' land is a parcel of nearly 150 acres, with a house and a waterfall. The waterfall is a destination for groups on horseback. The land is for sale, and one of our dreams is to buy the land and start our own sustainable living experiment....We have heard that Vilcabamba is becoming "gringo-ified," with more and more people moving there from the states, raising land prices astronomically. Apparently, it is many peoples' dream to find a place to live simply and affordably...
Our first stay was at the Rumi Wilco Nature Reserve and Ecolodge, where a couple from Argentina--Alicia and Orlando Falco-- has been living for many years. They are re-planting the indigenous Wilco species, among others, and have united their neighbors to preserve their lands together. Their goal is to create a nature corridor that runs all the way to the nearby Podacarpus National Park. They grow small batches of shade-grown organic coffee-- truly the best coffee we tasted in all of S. America. Their 90 or so acres are covered with trails that run up the hills and down to the creek, with interpretive signs throughout! Papaya, guanabana, and other tropical fruits burst seasonally from the trees. Butterflies and birds flit throughout this protected paradise. Alicia and Orlando welcome volunteers to stay at the Eco-lodge and aid in the care of the land. We only wished we had enough time...
The Podacarpus National Park near Vilcabamba is a lush and magnificient piece of cloud forest, dripping with flowers of all colors and shapes. In our hike along the ridge of the mountains it rained off and on all day, giving us the spectacular views of 10 or so different rainbows! (Butterlies and Rainbows all in one place... Vilcabamba holds a special place in my heart). With all-day rain, of course, comes ankle deep mud and wet clothes... but the beauty of it all far surpassed the discomfort!
After our visit to Podacarpus, we had the opportunity to visit Sacred Suenos, a small (1-member) intentional community a 3-hour walk up from Vilcabamba. Yves, originally from Canada, came to Ecuador with the intention of starting a permanent community, but has found instead that his community is a rotating crew of international volunteers. He intentionally purchased a piece of land degraded from slash and burn agriculture, and has been working to both restore the original forest and also create a sustainable living environment. He is growing some crops, has built several structures, has a composting toilet, and a solar shower. The only electricity runs a small CD player, also solar. Yves is truly living the dream that my friends and I in the States long for... living sustainably (well, working towards it), connected to the land. Again, we wished we had more time to volunteer, learn to milk the goat and make goat cheese, carrying our supplies up the hill from town on the donkeys!
Near Yves' land is a parcel of nearly 150 acres, with a house and a waterfall. The waterfall is a destination for groups on horseback. The land is for sale, and one of our dreams is to buy the land and start our own sustainable living experiment....We have heard that Vilcabamba is becoming "gringo-ified," with more and more people moving there from the states, raising land prices astronomically. Apparently, it is many peoples' dream to find a place to live simply and affordably...
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