Another world is possible

'Another world is possible' is one of the slogans painted across the main building of the Rhiannon Community - and it is fair to say that the world they have created on a mountain in the cloud forest little North of Quito is far from the one we Westerners spend our days in. The idea of the community is to promote Permaculture and self-sustainability - minimising waste and maximising productivity in the things around us. Unfortunately the arid ground in the harsh setting of the Ecofarm is forbidding much to grow there, so fruit and vegetables are delivered from the local community, but through various methods soil is beginning to appear, and fresh salads are harvested daily. There is a bicycle operated washing machine though!

Volunteers can sleep in yurts, teepees or tents, and the landscape and beautiful vistas that surround you daily are eye wateringly beautiful - often we found ourselves fully encased in a cloud, or dancing on the tips of rainbows. The Community is run by a beautiful couple, Helen and Nicky, who started out around five years ago to create this special space where everyone is accepted; peace and harmony are the main pillars of the family, along with hard work, and an intention to heal and care for every one and every thing. Every room is instantly welcoming and cosy, and alongside the smiling faces of other volunteers, the house is a lovely home. Each day you work from 8am until 1.30pm, and prepare one meal a day for the community (Dave found that aspect particularly challenging - what with him just about able to cook for two, twenty-two vegans was quite a mean feat). 

While we were staying at the Community we were lucky enough to take part in a San Pedro Ceremony -an ancient cactus used as medicine which contains mescaline. The ceremony was held with 30 or so people sitting on cushions around the room with a sacred fire in the middle, and was led by a local Shaman. We were joined by his close family as well, who were expert at making everyone feel comfortable from a distance. The ceremony started at 3am and lasted until around 10am, and we were encouraged not to interact with each other but to savour our own journey. I won't go in to details here about what we experienced or how we felt, because to be perfectly honest I don't know if I will ever be able to put it in to words. Maybe one day I will try - but I feel it would be better talked about face to face. I will say that the experience was one of the most powerful I have ever felt, and the amount of energy and raw emotion in that room I can only hope to feel again. We both left feeling enlightened, and agreed it was the most inspiring ritual we had ever witnessed. 

The  daily work on the farm varied from looking after animals (I became particlarly fond of the chickens), watering the garden and greenhouse (and the trees with the community's urine - Dave had this job quite a lot!), harvesting salads, weeding, cutting grass, building adobe houses, cleaning...etc. We both decided we enjoyed the Adobe building the best, and became quite good at it. The idea is you have bags of cement in a house shape, then you plaster Adobe on top of it - a mixture of donkey poo, mud, water and grass. The technique of slapping it on with your hands is quite difficult to master, but the satisfaction of seeing the finished result was worth it! 

The entire vibe of the Farm is extremely tranquil, with meditation and yoga being focused on. There are even outside yoga platforms overlooking the valley, which were a brilliant place to while away lazy afternoons, watch sunsets, or...do yoga on!

The full moon fell while we were staying at the Community, and on this night a sacred ceremony was held. The room was decorated with great care, with candles lit in the corners, and individual altars set out in a circle. We all sat as Nicky, who was taking the ceremony, welcomed in the four elements, and proceeded to bless and thank everyone. As most of us were new to holding ceremonies, Nicky provided an explanation and introduction to the sacred and spiritual meanings of the service and altars, and helped to guide us through the service. Then two members of the community cast a spell for luck in the financial world - which is pretty materialistic, but the people asking for it were the type of people you could never begrudge anything. We were pretty sceptical about the spell - but four days after leaving the Community we were both greeted with a surprise tax return of just over 500 pounds each! Dave still rolls his eyes and refuses to believe it was anything other than HMRC doing their job, but I am not so sure...I'll leave that one open to your own sceptisim and speculation.

We left the community after a night around a bonfire with a bottle of rum and some good friends, feeling enlightened, grounded, healthy and carefree. I felt I found a part of myself there, and left a part of myself there too, and would love to one day return and see how the place has changed, and the people remain the same.

Mitad del Mundo

On our first day off, we arranged to meet up with Charlie and head to the middle of the world (the Equator). We met at a little bus station and hopped on a bus to the first site, where an enormous monument was set up by the French to mark the spot of the Equator. The monument is huge, and the surrounding centre includes various art galleries and museums sporting various photographs, paintings and displays. The whole place has a very epic feeling, and would be brilliant except for the fact that....the actual ecuator is about 400m off the site. 

At the actual site of the equator there is a small museum which tells you a bit about indigenous Ecuadorians and various rainforest tribes and traditions (focusing mainly on spearing people, burying people alive and shrunken heads). 

Then, on the actual line of the equator they show you funny experiments, for example - balancing an egg on the end of a pin. This is possible because the liquid inside the egg should be pulled in only one way, due to the force of the equator. We saw someone manage to do it, but the three of us were alas unable.

We were also shown how on each side of the equator, water swirls down plug holes in either direction depending on the hemisphere. This has been tested in various sinks and toilets, but plumbing apparently renders this futile. 

Another trick was to close your eyes and walk one foot infront of the other along the line - this proved pretty impossible, as the pull from either side makes you wobble and go off either to the left or the right. 

There are rumours that all of these tricks are, well, tricks, and are made up. To these accusations we say well done if they are, it would have taken a lot of effort, and they are done very well - we couldn't work out how they are a hoax if they are!

Quito

For our first week in Quito we stayed in the Old part of town, famous for being one of the best preserved historical centres in Latin America - and one of the first ever appointed UNESCO World Heritage sites. For the most part we spent our days lazily wandering through the windinf streets, enjoying the cobbled pathways and crooked cafes. We spent time in each of the cities many plazas, especially enjoying one where locals had gathered to play chess with one another. 

 

 

The city is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes looming on the skyline, and in some parts of town you can see the roads and houses ascending rapidly into the surrounding landscape. One particularly charming aspect of Old Town Quito is that every Sunday the roads are closed to cars, and only open for bicycles and public transport - making it the perfect time to stroll the streets. As it occurs on a Sunday, you are likely to cross paths with various religious processions on their way to Church, making the streets sing with worshippers and thick with incense. 
 

One of our finest discoveries in Quito was the cosy Cafe Modelo, the oldest cafe in Quito (opened in 1950). They served cheap and tasty foods, with big smiles and warm eyes - and we came back many a time to sample their delicious chicken tomales, served wrapped and cooked in a banana leaf, humitas - the Ecuadorian tomale - served in a sheath of corn, and the gringas, a cheesy tortilla covered in guacamole and tomatoes. We also went there one evening for a lasagne!

 

While we were in Quito I turned 23, and Dave made sure it was a very special day. He started by decorating our hotel room for midnight, with balloons and streamers (almost with correct english...) and woke me up with a beautiful collection of presents - this llama bracelet and ninja turtle hat being among my favourites.

  

 

We spent the day going up the Teleferico, a cable car which reaches up 4000m in to the Pichincha Mountain complex, close to the Volcanoes. At the top we admired the views of the giant city clustered below, and on the opposite side the rolling hills and mountains. We blew bubbles across the open vistas, making the scene even more magical. 

Upon return it was time for cake, so we headed to La Ronda, said to be the oldest street in Quito, and selected two large pieces of chocolate mousse cake. In doing so we were shown the process in which the chocolate is tempered, and were filmed for a new video promoting tourism in Ecuador. We retired to the hostel and ate our cake while drinking pink fizz. Later that evening we went for a fancy meal at a restaurant called Vista Hermosa, which delights with panoramic views of Old Quito while dining.

 

 

The next day the celebrations continued - we moved to the New part of town, to an area called La Mariscal, the centre of entertainment and backpacker hub, and that afternoon the clouds parted, rainbows sprung from the sky as it rained glitter, and Charlie appeared on winged horseback from the heavens. He came armed with a bottle of tequila and a multipack of wotsits (with a packet of Max Paprika for Dave), and we stayed up late in to the night, tasting the various shots Quito had to offer from numerous bars. Needless to say we woke up feeling worse for wear, but we ploughed on and went off exploring. We relaxed and laugh in the Parks between Old and New town, where artesans flock to sell their paintings, artwork and handicrafts, and then decided to head to the neo-gothic Basillica on the edge of Old Town. Building work on the Basillica started being talked about in 1883, the first stone was placed in 1892, and the building although incredibly impressive still remains unfinished. The legend has it that when it is completed, the end of the world will come...

 

We decided to commence the tour of the towers, which was a real challenge - my tummy was feeling especially fragile already! The steps to the top were rickety and extremely high, with little room for an error in footwork. Once we reached the top we felt we had been pushed to our limits for the day - but the spectacular view was definitely worth the trauma! Feeling like we had achieved something in the day we slowly ambled back towards our hostel, taking in the surroundings, and somehow ended up back at base with two bottles of very nasty cheap rum. 

 

 

With a similar feeling hanging over us the next morning, we were glad it was a Sunday - so we went to Old Town for a peaceful adventure, taking Charlie to Cafe Modelo to show off our local knowledge. We decided the best way to face the day would be with cold beers for lunch, and then we made our way to the Museo de la Ciudad - an excellent museum housing displays showing the history of Ecuador. 

 

The next day it was time for us to part ways for a short while, as Dave and I headed to the Cloud Forest region to work on an Ecological Farm for a couple of weeks, and Charlie went on his own adventures with various family members.