I said goodbye to the new family I´ve found in the jungle yesterday. Marco left in the morning to conduct a malicagua ceremony for a visitor, and Maria and I cried into each other´s arms for a few minutes in the living room. I will carry the best of memories from Quindi Pakcha, the Waterfall of the Hummingbirds: ever-riveting conversation and stories from Marco, heaps of organic home-grown food, sprinkling corn and collecting pasture grass for the birds and guinea pigs, and even hearing the many stories of suffering and challenge from the extended family. I left feeling enriched.
My last week there, we managed to finish one project that I helped fund with a generous donation from a friend. We painted the main gate a bright turquoise, sanded several wavy boards of acha caspi wood, and painted them into beautiful, welcoming signs for the entryway. A taste…
Yes I painted all the black lettering!
Marco and Danny, the other volunteer from Canada that came two weeks ago.
Finished! (Minus some vines painted on the posts)
And now, I´ve arrived anew. Just a couple hours north of Puyo lies the town of Tena, another busy industrial town that´s turned heavily toward tourism in recent years. Well, in Tena proper the main attraction is rafting, but I´m already overwhelmed by the number of indigenous, community-based tourism projects lie deeper in the jungle nearby. It´s impressive, and encouraging, to see so many communities taking the future into their own hands.
The place where I´ll stay this week is a bit different, though. It´s called Saraswati, and it´s a finca run by an English-Colombian couple and two young men that all practice Hari Krishna. They are vegetarian, make food offerings before each meal, and practice bhakti (devotional) yoga every morning at 5:30, followed by ¨regular¨ yoga that I´m excited to join. Their property is spectacular, with very well-tended papaya, cacao, sugar cane, banana, and many other typical plants. I am looking forward to a calm, purposeful week of learning and seeking.
I hope you´re all well!
Girla,
I’m so happy for you to have connected with Marco and his family. I’m sure you taught them just as much as they taught you. It’s sweet that you and Maria cried together. (She’s so short standing next to you!)
Good luck with your new adventures. You’re in my heart.
Love,
Katherine