Ambrosia and Carmen's Herb Garden
Trip Start
Jan 20, 2004
1
28
164
Trip End
Ongoing
Riobamba,
Ecuador
Saturday, July 24, 2004
The young folks had already spent a week working hard at the construction site of the new herb processing facility, and were due for some well deserved R&R. We joined the group for a lively graduation party of some of their Ecuadorian friends, and then headed out to the hills to pay our respects to the predominant natural feature of the area - Volcán Chimborazo. This is Ecuador's highest mountain at 20,696 ft and is a magnificent snow-capped presence to the northwest of the provincial capital, Riobamba.
We spent the night at Casa Condor in the village of Pulinguí San Pablo where Tom has been nurturing an eco-tourism enterprise, and started our ascent the next morning. We were not equipped to make it to the summit, but were quite elated to reach the glacier at about 16,000 ft.
01 Cool campsite under Volcán Chimborazo
At that height the lack of oxygen, cold and altitude sickness all start to take their toll, so the last hour of climbing was quite a struggle. However, it was all well worth it for the magnificent panoramic views, and a sighting of vicuña - a wild relative of the llama. What a way to spend our 29th wedding anniversary! The next morning we headed south beyond Alausí to our first work assignment in the village of Nizag. The people of this community are somewhat isolated, having originally migrated from the Amazonian jungle, and have zealously guarded their independence over the years. They have established themselves deep in a valley which has a good supply of water and a very equitable microclimate - suitable for growing a very wide variety of crops, fruits and vegetables. Although the villagers and their children were somewhat shy in the beginning, curiosity eventually got the better of them and they gathered around to investigate this group of "extranjeros". After a lunch of potato soup, rice and a small piece of mutton, we all spent the afternoon working alongside each other in the community herb garden. Many of the herbs were familiar - thyme, sweet marjoram, mint, sage and lemon verbena - but some indigenous medicinal plants such as Calaguala and Chuquiragua were new to us.
In the evening we were introduced to Francisca and her family with whom we were going to stay. Some of our group elected to sleep in the church/community centre, but we thought it would be an interesting experience to stay in real village conditions again.
02 Getting ready for the big climb
Guess we must be getting old - after a couple of nights sleeping on a reed mat on the bare floor (we were somewhat spoilt as we had our sleeping bags) with no shower and rather inadequate toilet facilities, we were beginning to look rather worse for wear! We gathered later that we were the first trial group in the village's venture into eco-tourism, and there are certainly a few small logistical details to be ironed out! In the evenings the community gathered in the church to present a program of Andean singing (very distinctive high-pitched nasal chanting by the women and girls) and dancing. We were lucky in that several of the young Canadians were very accomplished singers and guitar players, and so the entertainment was reciprocated and much appreciated by all.The second day we were assigned to help in individual family vegetable and herb gardens. We spent the morning assisting Ambrosia and her daughter Carmen prepare a small plot of land for planting Swiss chard, digging ridges for irrigation, and then transplanting sweet marjoram and sage. Our soft life of retirement for the past six months must mean that we're not quite as fit as we were at the Herb Garden - by the end of the morning we were feeling quite a few aches and pains in muscles that we had forgotten existed! The afternoon was exercise of a different sort - a long hike out through the hills to a famous rock formation known as El Nariz del Diablo (the Devil's Nose). Again, the spectacular panoramas over the remote, arid Andean landscape were well worth the effort.
The next day we travelled over the high and bleak páramo at altitudes up to12,400 ft to our next community of Totoras. There we found a very different situation as the growing and living conditions in the high altitude were much colder and more difficult. We spent a productive afternoon working in the community herb nursery preparing land and harvesting chamomile, as well as visiting the local market and chatting with local schoolchildren. However, by that evening the unaccustomed conditions were beginning to take their toll, and several members of our group (including us) were stricken with stomach problems and altitude sickness. Due to this, our visit was cut short by one day, but not before we all had a good appreciation of how hardy and resilient these people of the high Andes must be to survive and live out their daily lives under such harsh and difficult conditions.
For anyone who is interested in finding out more about Jambi Kiwa, buying their medicinal and aromatic herbal products, or supporting the project, contact Tom Walsh at twalsh@ch.pro.ec or check out their website at www.jambikiwa.org
Meanwhile, we hope that everyone in Almonte, Ottawa and around the Valley have a great day on Sunday at the 9th Annual Midsummer Herbfest! We wish we could be there to enjoy the day with you all (maybe next year?!).
