Quito and Cumbaya

The first few days of our adventure are underway! After arriving and a short night’s sleep on Sunday night, we got started with our first activities. We spent a lot of the first day in our beautiful guesthouse in the valley outside of Quito surrounded by avocado, citrus, and banana trees. After some morning games and orientation activities, we walked in to Cumbaya to get lunch at a local restaurant. The afternoon we set out on our first big trip – a short trek at Chiche Canyon, a beautiful river gorge not far from where we were staying. Needless to say, we all came back for dinner and were ready for bed!

Today we got to start in on our classes with Javier Carrera, an Ecuadorian seed saver and permaculture expert. We were lucky to have him accompany us to a museum in the historic center of Quito filled with indigenous art. He explained to us about their culture, customs, and beliefs, much of which is still prevalent in Ecuadorian life today.

After the museum we explored the historic center – a UNESCO World Heritage site built during the Spanish Colonial era – and took some time to enjoy el Parque Itchimbia, which looks over the city. We’re all looking forward to permaculture and history of agriculture classes tomorrow with Javier!