Trip to the Oriente

Spent 4 days and 3 nights in the Napo region of Ecuador with Y5/6 children.  The community of Rio Blanco really looked after us and it was a wonderful experience being led through the rainforest by their elder and shaiman - Fabio.  He taught us different survival skills and gave us different plants and lemon ants to eat among other things.

 The Camp.

 The Rio Napo and the boats waiting to take us down river.

 A Capibara.

How to get a snack in the rainforest!

Fabio from the Rio Blanco community who had a wealth of knowledge.

The Rio Blanco community.

 Children playing football.

 Birds nests.

 A butterfly emerging.

 All over we saw piles of wood that had been cut and extracted from the forests.

 The road had just been built in the last few years and Fabio described some of the negative influences that it had brought with it such as alcoholism and the easy access to alcohol.

This ancient Ceibo is over 400 years old and the locals believe that it is the source of the Amazon river.

Equine Therapy

Horses are amazing animals with a wonderful sensitivity that can teach us a lot about ourselves.  We spent a wonderful weekend at 4 Volcanoes Ranch at San Pablo near Otavalo, Ecuador on an Equine Therapy course.

 There was a definite Steiner element to the garden with free flow forms and mixed planting.

Playa Escondida

We have just returned from our favourite campsite - Playa Escondida.  The backdrop for this idyllic shoreline is an ecological refuge of 100 hectares.  Since 1991 they’ve been dedicated to protecting the diverse flora and fauna of this semi-tropical forest from local hunters, logging, cattle and shrimp farming, not to mention commercial tourism; all forces which threaten the fragile eco-system of this vital littoral.

They are affiliated with Socio Bosque, a government iniciative which pays people to not cut down their forests, or introduce any competing agriculture, cattle, or non native species onto the land.

The beach is part of 38 kms of protected coastline which has recently been officially declared the Reserva Marina Galera-Cabo San Francisco.

Danza Primordial

 Back at Tinku for a session of Danza Primordial - an interesting experience where we visited our different chakras beginning with The Earth and our Ancestors.  A lovely experience with lots of lovely images and feelings.

 Meg of course made friends with the animals.

 Yoga.

 Dog walking at Alangasi with the PAE - Ecuador's equivalent of the RSPCA.  They have 130 dogs at this centre.