on the road

Last weekend I voyaged solo into the northern stretch of the Andes to a little town called El Limonal. This quaint community northwest of Ibarra (about 4 hours from Quito) sits quietly in the middle of vibrant green mountains and a very important watershed for the greater region. What first drew me to the area was Bosque de Paz which hosts a growing agroforestry project run by Piet Sabbe. The humid subtropical climate boasts a wide range of fruiting trees, from papaya to guayabano and oranges. However, because of recent droughts, yields for farmers in this area haven't been as high and many have turned to different forms of agriculture = mass deforestation to make room for grazing patches.

Thanks to the Bosque de Paz, 15 hectares of land has been reforested and preserved in addition to many other local farms that have converted their traditional farmers into more sustainable fruit and forest gardens. Other projects include managing wild fires and man-made fires in the area and eco-tourism initiatives.

An impressive tree on the Bosque de Paz grounds


View of the surrounding mountains

After a mile walk from where the bus plopped me off in El Limonal I stumbled upon two German volunteers cutting bamboo columns for what I later learned would be their new living quarters come May. Both are volunteering for the farm for a year of civil service (aka the German gov't pays for them to do what I'm struggle to fund raise for - wouldn't that be nice?) and help with everything from construction to planting and harvesting. Lucky for me, they halted their work around lunch time and spent the rest of the weekend introducing me to friends, playing word games, and taking me on a 6 hour hike on Sunday morning. Although I would have been content reading in a hammock and wandering the grounds myself, they made the weekend much more enjoyable and exploratory, classifying each and every plant and picking me delicious fruit along the way.

Ron and Lukas pose on our hike

We found a friend, Angel, panning for gold in one of the waterfalls


Walking through the town of El Limonal


A plant nicknamed la lecheria oozes out a milky substance used to make glue

It was so refreshing being introduced to another type of volunteer work in a completely different environment than Manna and to share with them what we do in the Chillos Valley as well. And, as always, it was equally as nice to return to the house as everyone was just sitting down to dinner and to have the opportunity to skype my family in NJ afterward!

Me, Jen, Sam, and Mom most likely laughing at something ridiculous Sam (Jersey's newest driver) said

- Jackie