Floating Islands: Lake Titicaca

On Lake Titicaca there are about 60 floating reed islands; 40 of which support and are supported by tourism and the other 20 which don’t because they’ve chosen that life. The reed islands are made out of floating reed roots and reeds stalks and they each hold about 4-6 families. To make the base they lash together chunks of root with string, and then they make layers of reeds on top. The root is usually about 3 feet thick and then the layers of reeds make up another 3 feet approximately. This means that the islands are a total of 6 feet deep floating on 45 feet of water. The people on the islands then go on to make houses boats out of dried reeds. Almost every family has a solar panel on there roof that they use to get electricity.

For food they eat the fish from the lake, the birds and the eggs of the birds. To get other things like sugar, flour and fruits they will go to Puno and sell their fish for money to buy other things or they will go to the peninsula and barter for other supplies. The people on the islands also make money from tourism. The men make mini reed boats and the women make tapestries. The women want you to believe that they make all the tapestries by hand but when you see that another women is offering you the exact same one its hard to believe that they are all hand made. It amazes me how these people have taken the resources available and made a life out of it. -Sinclair

Fausto's Farm in Perucho, Ecuador

Over the mountains and through the jungle of Ecuador, there lives a man. A man named Fausto Ayala. Fausto lives on several congested hectares of farmland outside Perucho village. His interesting personality allows him to live a solitary life. On his remote farm, he has a number of different things growing including shade grown coffee. On this visit I learned about Fausto’s way of life and personality.

Fausto is a quiet, hardworking man, living and working as a caretaker for 100 hectares of land. Over time he saved money and bought 10 of these hectares for his own. He lives all by himself in a three room adobe shack, with no one in sight. Although Fausto does mason work in Perucho and has some contact with people then, he still leads a very secluded lifestyle. When he does have human contact, he loves to talk. Another indication of his remoteness is that he has very little gas and no electricity. He has to carry the gas for 2 hrs on his back over the rough landscape.

The scenery leading to his farm is very amazing. There are small mountains surrounding the farm which makes the hike 1-3 hours from Perucho. We think Fausto scampers because he usually takes only one hour. Once you arrive, every thing is wild. It is more like a jungle than a farm, as you can't see the production until you walk right up to it. One of the cool features that you might stumble across is a waterfall that has so many minerals in the water, leaves and sticks are calcified in time as the water flows over them. The effect is similar to freezing, except it hardens the material with minerals instead of temperature change. All of the fields are weed filled but products are still growing.

Fausto has a lot of production but not much variety. There are a number of coffee plants intermixed with large trees that give shade. Mandarin trees are growing in patches that get more sun. Sugar cane makes up most of the land like a jammed “forest”. Off to the side, there are a few papaya and banana trees, but a type of cat has been eating them so the fruit is scarce. Unfortunately, Fausto does not have a good system for harvesting, storing, transporting and selling his products. As a result, he doesn’t make money off of his farm. Even though Fausto eats what he can from his farm, he still buys other food, like tuna and grains.

I am very impressed by Fausto and his solitary skills. I find it amazing that he can work and live all by himself. The landscape is very beautiful and it is a perfect place to have a farm. However, it is so far away he needs a better system for organizing the sale of his production to get more buck for his bang. After this dazzling visit to Fausto’s farm, I had a better understanding of living by oneself, away from civilization and being resourceful.

Carsen

Chacra Millalen

El Hoyo, Chubut, Argentina. It is full on BEAUTIFUL here!! I’m in love with this place. It reminds me so much of places I’ve been in Washington, Montana or Oregon. The bus ride here from Buenos Aires was across the entirety of central Argentina (most of which was at night) and while some that we saw rivaled the barrenness of central Washington, randomly a few beautiful lakes would appear to spice it up. The last few hours we traveled through beautiful snow covered mountain ranges, again with lakes dotting the landscape.
Now the farm! They have about 15 hectares, part of which is pasture land for 2 cows and 3 horses. The rest is orchard, garden and grounds. Right in our back yard are many snow covered peaks that are just begging us to explore (if I had only brought my skis!!). The place functions as a large garden/fruit orchard and what you might call a small cabin/retreat center /camp / community. Our hosts, Josephine, Fabio and their 14 yr old son Juan, have their own house, slightly separate from the main area. There is a community building with a kitchen and group eating area (for about 40 people) where we have most of our meals, although we are only 5-8 folks right now. Above and attached are 2 separate sleeping quarters and 3 bathrooms they rent out to tourists. We are staying in a small house, fully equipped with kitchen, bathroom, one bedroom and 4 bunks in the living room. It’s very comfortable and so nice to be able to settle in. There is another house that they use for over winter rental and summer per day rentals. Lastly, there is one more sleeping area, for about 3-4 people, above the large cellar/pantry building. Right now, a friend who has been living here for about 7 years is using it until his house is ready on his own property, about 25 km away. All of the buildings have been built and are maintained by Fabio.
In the beginning, they used to host more large groups but now it is mainly used by tourists and volunteers like us. At various times, they have long term residents sharing in their endeavors. Josephine does most of the cooking, but we are getting into the groove of making some meals ourselves. We try to incorporate as much produce from the farm as we can, so although they purchase grains, spices, cheese, etc. Every meal so far has included what could grow over the winter….carrots, lettuce, spinach, leeks, chard. All very fresh and crisp and wonderful!! There are 70 or so garden beds (3-4ft X 25-30ft), tons of raspberries, and fruit and nut trees: peach, apple, elderberry, quince, plum, and walnut.
In the surrounding area, there are cabanas galore for tourism, which seems to be local tourism, i.e. people getting away from the cities to spend a few nights in the country. Beyond that, this area is known for its fruit production. Every few km is another place advertising jams and artisan products. A little like you might find in the San Juans. The farm here is also into that production and one of their main supporting endeavors beyond selling their fresh, organic produce is to sell their jams, vinegars, teas, and essences.
Life here is more developed than other areas we’ve been so far. I’d say 2nd world on the verge of 1st. I’m sure there is still poverty, but far less rampant than Ecuador and Peru. Houses are complete with roofs AND windows!
Everyday so far has been beautifully sunny with the crisp morning air of early spring. We feel very comfortable and at home here – this is definitely a place we were supposed to come! - Cinnamon