Ibarra is a city in the north of Ecuador and is the capital of Imbabura province. The office of the charity we are working for, PRODECI, is in Ibarra, though their work is carried out in rural communities outside the city. As Tom and I are volunteers PRODECI do not pay us, but they are providing us with a flat here in Ibarra, shared with two other volunteers from Spain. It's a brilliant arrangement as the housemates, Silvia and Maite, are lovely and speaking spanish at homes is a big help.
The first week at work saw at introduction to the area of Intag, one of two geographical areas in which PRODECI works. Valle de Intag is a remote valley with steep sides. The only access is via a rutted, unmade track that runs for around 100km, in one side and out the other.
Although Ibarra is only around 70km away from the PRODECI house in Intag, the journey takes around 2 1/2 hours due to the state of the track. But at least it's passable- during the rainy season it is common for landslides to block access completely.
This lake is at the start of the track into Intag, at the foot of Volcan Cotacachi. The lake is called Cuicocha, meaning "guinea pig lake", because of the shape of the islands that rise out of the crater. This is only one of the fantastic views on the way into Intag, and due to the changeing altitude one seems to pass through different climatic zones.
A pineapple plant; banana tree and a young banana leaf at dawn with morning dew; Banana plants grow to their impressive stature to produce only one crop of bananas. After that the trunk is chopped down for new shoots to sprout.
The altitude is notable in Ecuador, with areas such as Quito at around 2,800m and coastal and jungle areas to the west and east of the Andes at near sea level. At high altitudes fruit such as apples can be grown in the near-British climate, whereas lower down, at 1,000m, tropical fruit trees of banana and papaya fill the hillsides.
The village of Garcia Morena, one of the largest communities in Intag, shrouded in mist. I'm told the view from up here is fantastic normally!
Along with a little general orientation and trying to get to grips with the geography of this extensive valley, we were introduced to the project on which we will be working. The communities of Limones and Villadora, which share a water system, have asked PRODECI for funds to make improvements to their existing system and Tom and I have been sent to carry out the technical evaluation. The first person we met was Anibal Pasquel, known as "Nivo", who is the operator of the water system (seen on the left in the photo below).
Initially I I am finding it difficult to adjust to hearing a new accent and a lot of new technical vocabulary! My first impression is that he is highly knowledgeable. It makes me wonder whether we are required here or whether funding should be made available directly to people such as Nivo who wish to make improvements to the system.
Access to the existing infrastructure is sometimes tricky but Nivo, who must be in his sixties, bounds up and down the mountains with ease!
No comments:
Post a Comment