Dispatches

Maquipucuna Foundation – Ecuador, Part IV

April 20, 2009

The morning started out with an early hike to an area waterfall and scenic spot looking out over the cloud forest and surrounding mountains. The rain held off, and we even got a tiny bit of sun while we took pictures of the mist swirling around the treetops on the mountains. Then we hiked back to Maquipucuna and packed our bags for a much more serious hike to Santa Lucia Lodge.

One of the former employees of Maquipucuna, Francisco Molina, took his experience and opened a fellow eco-lodge at the top of a nearby mountain. We wanted to see the place for ourselves, but in order to get there we had to hike 2 hours (500m up, but actually 2km across when counting all of the switchbacks) up a rocky, mountain path. There were mules available if we needed help with our gear (or to physically help get us up the mountain), but each of us toughed it out. We got to the Santa Lucia Lodge and didn’t have much time to shoot before the clouds rolled in again; apparently they don’t call it a cloud forest for nothing. The lodge itself has a large structure built to accommodate 20 guests, as well as 5 individual bungalows for guests (or families) that need a little more privacy. The views from both the main guesthouse and the individual bungalows are just amazing. Rob remarked that the top, with its circular center (all of the bedroom doors open into the middle), would be a perfect space for a wedding, with all of the wedding party joined together. Being this high up in the mountains, the view is spectacular and you can see for miles, with views of all the surrounding mountains, as well as all of the wildlife, particularly birds that inhabit this area. The individual bungalows are very modern in accommodations (including warm and cold water), but the best part is the wall of windows in each bungalow. The buildings are spaced far enough apart that you don’t feel like you are peeking in on your neighbor, and every bed faces the back wall, which is one large window, making for quite the morning view. Several of the bungalows also have a patio deck where you can enjoy your morning coffee and tea in privacy.

The owners of Santa Lucia wanted to make an eco-tourism destination that promotes sustainability for the local community, but at the same time make a lodge that is itself sustainable and promotes these principles. Therefore, there are plenty of green features incorporated into the Santa Lucia Lodge. The main lodge has a composting toilet system and within 2-3 months, “mulch” is made and ready to be spread around the gardens and trees on the property. Each of the individual bungalows comes complete with a grey/black water system. The entire compound is powered by solar power with a battery backup system (and candles at night). They also have a thriving organic garden on the property, which helps to supplement many of the meals – not a bad idea for a property as remote as this one to produce its own food on-site. We were treated to lunch and it was delicious. The lunch included two big bowls of popcorn, and we thought, “Well that’s different, but okay we’ll go with it.” Turns out, it’s common to put popcorn in soup, particularly the creamy soups. So we jumped right in and it was not bad – the salt from the popcorn adds a little extra flavor to the soup, though the popcorn gets soggy quickly and is indistinguishable from the other vegetables.

After lunch, we sat down and interviewed Francisco Molina, owner of Santa Lucia, and talked about the mission of Santa Lucia and how this coop of 12 families is making a sustainable living from eco-tourism. The rain didn’t hold off for long and we were quickly rushed back inside to wait it out and get packed to leave for our steep hike down the hill (that had now become a slip and slide ride). Once ready, we basically slid down the mountain in silence for the next hour and a half, completely drenched and trying not to wipe out too bad on the side of the mountain.

Back at Maquipucuna, we showered, warmed up and enjoyed another great meal of pasta made from scratch by one of the volunteers, and a banana bread cake for dessert. We took the evening time to interview a volunteer and Cristina Polit Moro, Co-Manager of the lodge and Manager of Volunteer Programs. Each evening at Maquipucuna is really special because it is as if all of the moths in a 50-mile radius descend on the lodge. It sounds like an infestation, but it’s really pretty magical. The moths don’t bother guests, but just cling to the walls and you get an up close view of a living museum, with a great range in colors, patterns, shapes and sizes. In addition, there was a mantis that also lived in the area and would spend the evenings “grabbing” moths to try and eat them. That guy was pretty feisty and would even come after our fingers or shoes if we gave him the challenge.

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