Dispatches from the Field & Project Summaries
Mountain Lodges of Peru – Peru (“Awareness in the Andes”)
April 14, 2009
The Inca Trail leading up to Macchu Piccu is currently experiencing heavy traffic due to the influx of tourists hiking the trail. Since there are other routes up to this impressive site, Mountain Lodges of Peru (MLP) created several eco-lodges along the 50 km route to promote sustainable tourism while improving the lives of the 200 families living along the route. They created 4 eco-resorts that combine sustainability with high-class tourist hotels, yet this group wasn’t happy just creating luxury. They also wanted to help the community, so they founded Yanapana, an organization that creates income and provides training to help local businesses get started and succeed.
Working with the community, the lodges staff over 80% of their positions with workers from the local community, thus filtering income into the community through multiple avenues. For example, area mule-drivers (the gentlemen that move the mules loaded with guests’ luggage through the area) used to be treated like slaves and required to do an unending number of tasks throughout the journey. MLP, however, decided to double what mule-drivers are typically paid and clarified what their roles are so they’re not abused. They donated 7 new horses (valued at $30,000 USD) to improve the stock and breeding of the horses and also created an office for the mule-drivers. They are also working with mule-drivers to develop a plastic recycling program to create additional income from the plastic they pick up along the trail.
Eco-Team at Mountain Lodges of Peru
So how does MLP ensure that their lodges are environmentally sustainable? First they created an Eco-Team, which looks at the entire footprint of each building. Since the buildings are very remote, it was important to MLP that they not create a giant mess for each community to clean up.
How do you deal with waste when you don’t have a giant landfill or septic system to take care of everything? First, all food waste is composted behind the building in a large pit. Next, they have a greywater filtering system where all shower, sink, kitchen, and toilet water is filtered down through several tanks and then used for irrigation for the local area. The government is also watching this project to measure success and determine if it has applications in other areas.
Deforestation is a problem in the area, so MLP is using the land around the lodges, as well as help from the local community, to come up with a solution. They coordinated with 7 families to grow 100 local trees and plant them in the area. Yanapana essentially gives all the resources and training to the community members and then lets them take the project on themselves. They get seedlings for the trees and containers to grow them in, then use the compost from the kitchen and water from the water filtration system to grow the trees. Next year they plan to work with 14 families and expand the program to the other 3 lodges.
Many of the projects are tested at the main lodge then implemented at the other three lodges. As the eco-programs succeed, scientific tourism is encouraged because scientists realize this area is special and worth investing time and energy in.
Yanapana Peru
MLP, besides building sustainable lodges, works to improve the lives of the 200 families living in nearby communities. They created Yanapana Peru, the social arm of MLP. Their goal is to eradicate poverty in the area; they found a way to work with what they have, i.e. employing lots of community members. Yanapana Peru provides seed funding and resources to purchase materials and pay for training to give community members a trade. For example, all of the Mountain Lodges are staffed 80% by people from the local community. Many other hotels and lodges in the area bring in staff from the big cities, leaving the communities out in the cold. By involving local community members, MLP provides additional income to the community, giving educational training such as hotel management and culinary skills. They also help community members grow local fruits and vegetables (all organic) to increase the variety in their diet.
Their idea of sustainability is long-term and community-wide. To keep a project going you have to work with a community, using their own skills and ideas to give them resources, instead of just a gift or donation, to really implement a project. By investing in the community, they took flat-lined towns and “began to move the economy,” says Ricardo Hernandez, Planning and Compliance Manager of MLP. MLP and their Yanapana Peru Foundation support these local businesses by giving them funding and education to purchase materials and to get started. They then bring the tourists on a hike to Macchu Piccu through the town where they can purchase local crafts. They also give women and children resources and education, which brings the quality of life up for everyone. While there, we got to visit several of the projects that MLP supports, including Local Artisans, a woman’s clothing co-op and a local school.
Local artisans
First we met up with a local marmalade lady who showed us how she was learning to make marmalades and jams out of locally grown produce. She originally made a living by creating a variety of foods, but it was too expensive to purchase all of the ingredients and equipment. She found out about the health benefits of eating natural marmalades and thought this could be a great way for her to earn income for her family while also producing something good for the world.
Since the materials for her jams all come from local farms, the more successful she is, the more successful the farmers are. One fruit she uses – the ahuaymanto (a quetchua word) – is used as a medicine to lower cholesterol and fight osteoporosis and is packed with many vitamins. It has 23 preventative properties and 4 healing properties. The natural pectin inside works as a preservative, so she doesn’t have to add any unnecessary chemicals. She had several of her jams on display when we arrived and we got to try this magical healing fruit. To be honest, it tastes a bit like a tomato when you eat the fruit raw. The community wasn’t even eating it until recently–it just grew wild around the town and everyone ignored it. Now they are growing it to sell and eat. A large jar of her marmalade sells for 10 solis or $3.50USD.
She has been so successful that she has expanded to other towns, teaching other women her process and how to earn income for themselves. She is also teaching some of the local children so they learn more about local foods. She only makes marmalades that are in season and can make special orders by working with her clients. For example, for diabetics, she can make the marmalade without sugar.
Women’s Textile Cooperative – Asociacion Apu Salkantay Huarmicunas de Mollepata
This cooperative started when a group of women saw the many tourists going through the town of Mollepata and decided they wanted to do or make something that would earn them extra income. They went to Yanapana to pitch their idea and succeeded. Yanapana brought in specialists to teach them about making natural dyes, blending colors and how to make weavings, especially symbols that represent local life. Yanapana also helped them get legalized, unionized, organized and licensed. Now the women bring money into their homes to help out their families.
The women members use all natural dyes, many from the local area. For example, eucalyptus is used for a plum color, moss is used for an orange color, and pepper tree leaves are used for a green. There is also a little worm the women use that is ground up, sun-dried, and mixed with oil, water and fixers. It makes up to 16 different shades of purple. Scarves retail for 60 solis ($21 USD) and a poncho sells for 400 solis ($139).
Supporting Area Schools
MLP and Yanapana Peru (YP) also help communities by providing resources and improvements to area schools. In the town of Mollepata, the local school has one teacher and one helper for the 50 children that attend. YP provided school supplies, cereal, and hygienic materials while we were there. Since many homes lack these items, there are serious cavity problems in just about every community that YP works in. Talking with one staff member, she said YP’s goal is to prevent massive problems, so they are working with the children at a young age to teach them about things like proper dental care.
Since this trail system has been so successful, Hernandez wants to use this program as a pilot project for other communities. You too can be a part of this exciting adventure and support communities throughout rural Peru. This trip retails for approximately $3,000 USD and includes stays in all 4 eco-lodges, food, and mules to carry your equipment, and transportation around the area.
Mountain Lodges of Peru – Peru, Part II
April 13, 2009
The morning began with a nice breakfast of homemade bread, jam from the previous evening (yay to lower cholesterol!) and their special coca tea. We then walked down to the local school to interview the teacher and help Yanapana pass out donated school supplies – like notebooks, toothbrushes and cereal. All of the children were very excited. We also saw the bathrooms that Yanapana recently helped facilitate and saw where the new playground will be built. Next, we had a quick stopover with the Mayor of Mollepata to talk about plans for the community.
Next it was time to back our bags and head to the first lodge on the Mountain Lodges of Peru route. The ride was beautiful, as we snaked along very steep, very tiny roads along the mountainside. Several times we had to get out of the truck so that it could make it over rocky, washed-out parts in the road. The views were amazing – with thick clouds, rain in the distance and green in every direction. Throughout the ride, several ladies in the truck kept pointing out local flora and explaining what they are used for in traditional medicine, which made for an interesting and entertaining ride.
We were at the lodge before we even knew it – literally. The lodge is tucked back in a valley and you don’t see it until you are right upon it. The building is beautiful and the backyard is a clear view of snow-covered Salkantay and several other mountain peaks. 
There was even a very thin waterfall, called Bride’s Veil, visible from the lodge. The lodge itself is very upscale and inviting, even more so if you’ve been hiking through the Andes for the last 6 hours. Visitors trekking this route to Machu Picchu typically stay at this lodge for two nights in order to acclimate, and each of us remarked that we definitely could have stayed longer. The rooms have a warm, cozy cabin decor and are very modern. The food was outstanding and they even cater to vegetarians with several faux-meat dishes that are identical to their meat counterparts.
After a quick lunch, we were back out in the field, trying to beat the clouds (and sun) and get as many shots in before our time was up. We talked with Vilma Arcef, the coordinator of the EcoTeam and the many projects they are working on at the four lodges.
They are doing a very interesting forest reclamation project with several families in the local community – they are providing resources and land, and the community members can grow seedlings for native trees and then replant them in the area – thus far over 100 trees have been planted. Compost from the kitchen is used to fertilize these growing trees. In addition, each of the lodges has a grey/black water reclamation system that filters all water from the kitchen & bathroom sinks, showers and toilets. We also talked with a local researcher, Rob Williams from the Frankfort Zoological Institute, who was very valuable in explaining the current situation of spectacled bears, Andean condors and Andean cats, all three of which are currently nearing extinction. They are working with Mountain Lodges of Peru to try to quantify and track the patterns of each of these species to better develop preservation plans. Having species in the area, and having scientific data to back up what visitors are seeing helps bring in more tourism, but also helps justify further protection of the area. After a day fighting the rain, the cold, and a touch of altitude sickness we were all ready for dinner. But first, we were treated to a demonstration on how to make Pisco Sours. The drinks were good and strong, and quickly warmed us up. After dinner, it was back to work for a few more hours and then we all enjoyed a good nights sleep.
Next stop: Puerto Maldonado, Peru.
Mountain Lodges of Peru – Peru, Part I
April 12, 2009
Bright and early, and we mean early, we left for the airport. Luckily we didn’t run into any early morning traffic and we were off to Lima. As we flew over Lima, we could tell it was a big city and right on the ocean, but everything (mountains, buildings, land) was brown and sort of blah, very different from our next stop in Cuzco. As we flew into Cuzco, we were covered in thick, swirling clouds, and then we descended onto a very, very green city. Every direction we looked, there were green trees, mountains covered with trees and generally green everywhere. We were very impressed and despite the very tight landing, we were awed to be in this ancient city. Our guide told us that the city of Cuzco dates back to at least 1200 BC and was a major hub for the Inca during its time. The city was bustling this day, as it was Sunday and everyone was bringing goods to the market. We drove up the steep hillsides out of Cuzco and then for the next three hours tried to acclimate to the altitude as we snaked along scenic, mountain vistas.
Our first stop was the town of Mollepata, where we talked with several programs that Mountain Lodges of Peru (MLP) is supporting. First a little background, the current Inca Trail that is commonly used to get to Machu Picchu is very overcrowded and regulated. MLP knew of an alternative route to Machu Picchu that, if done correctly, could also help several hundred villages along the route earn extra income by providing goods and services to the many travelers that visit this ancient relic each year. To cement this route, MLP created four lodges, each a day’s hike from each other, and also began working with groups in each of the communities to promote local entrepreneurs. In the pueblo of Mollepata, MLP partnered with Yanapana, a community development organization, to identify local businesses in need of some support. Our first night in Mollepata, we went to visit several of these entrepreneurs.
Our first stop was a local, woman-owned business making traditional marmalades. Margarita Pereya Salas needed extra income and was making several different edible products, but the costs to purchase all of the machinery and ingredients was too high. That is when she stumbled upon natural marmalade production. She realized that she could make a product, using all 100% locally produced fruits, and one that would give nutritional benefits to the community, particularly using products that have natural healing properties. In this way, she also supports other local farmers in giving them an additional outlet to sell their goods. One tiny fruit, the aguaymanto, (tastes like a tomato mixed with fruit) is thought to lower cholesterol and fight osteoporosis, with an additional 23 preventive and 4 healing properties. The investment is just a few dollars and she can make double or triple that with the sale of each jar. Now she is working, with the help of Yanapana, to teach local school children how to make natural preserves, as well as teaching women in other communities along the route. Many of the dishes we tried at the hotel were made with marmalades from her shop.
Our next stop was a women’s textile coop, the Association Civil Apusalcantay Warnycuna. Women in the village traditionally don’t have a way to earn income and provide for their families. So, several women in the community organized to make textiles from local materials to sell to the many tourists trekking through the area. Yanapana provided resources, materials and education on how to take raw cotton, weave it into yarn, dye it from locally found plants and berries, and then dye the wool and turn it into scarves, ponchos, belts, coin purses, hats and other local handicrafts. MLP also helps by bringing tourists through the area with their four lodges program, which helps to keep their cooperative sustainable.
Finally, we had a brief meeting with Yanapana (the social and economic development arm of MLP) and a local traditional medicine healer. Yanapana explained how they offer resources to local businesses to alleviate poverty, as well as provide resources for local health care and education to help over 200 families along a 230-mile route north of Cuzco. The local healer taught us about how natural herbs can be used for stomachaches, lotions, salves, and to alleviate other ailments. 
After that, it was late and time for bed. We went back to the Nan Tika hotel, another project of Yanapana and MLP, for a good nights rest. The accommodations were very nice and it was great to hear about how this young couple was given resources to restore their hotel into a very cozy spot. The food was incredible, with several dishes that you would find in any upscale restaurant. The hosts could not have been more friendly or helpful – it was a wonderful rest after a very long day.