Ecoturism Communitary

SAN MARINO DE WAPUNO

San Marino de Wapuno

We have spent five days in the community San Marino de Wapuno. It's located 1,5 hour from Puyo by buss. We lived in a young family with our guide Alberto Lopes, his wife and their three children. They were really nice and took good care of us. They lived in a newbuilt house without walls, furnitures, electricity, toilet and water.

The first day we went to a big meeting in the village where the president of the community welcomed us and told the people that we were there to help them develope the ecoturism. We also made plans for the following days and drank chicha.

Under our visit in Amazonas we did trekking in the lovely rainforest and our guide showed us different plants to eat and for medical use. With the guide in the front using his big machetes to make way for us, we walked, climbed and jumped between the stones in the river. We collected food from the forest to make our dinner by bananas, yuca, palmitos and fish from the river. We watched footprints of different animals and we saw a lot of birds and insektes. We had no luck to see bigger animals. We visited waterfalls, a lagoon and plantages of coffe- and cacaobeans, bananas, papayas and ananas.

We spent one night deep in the forest, by the river Oglan. We built a little roof of palmleaves and slept on the ground with moskitos and ants. It was a really great feeling to listen to all sounds from the forest and the little fire burning next to us.

One night we were invited to a big party. Our guide and the president had a band wich played quichua songs and they were wearing small skirts made of plants. We drank beer and danced all night.

It has been a great experience to live in a family like this, and we are very glad that we had the opportunity to do this before all tourists starts to come. We think this community will be a great place for ecoturism because of the beautyful nature and the happy natives wanting you to take part of there lives.

MANGLARALTO, SANTA ELENA

Manglaralto in Santa Elena

We stayed with the family of Roberto Piloso in Manglaralto. The family is Roberto, his wife Blanca and the children Romina 10 years, Salomon 3 years and the dog Kenny. We spent five days in december with the family and celebrated christmas with them. It was great to have the opportunity to celebrate christmas in such a different way! At midnight, between 24:th and 25:th of december, we toasted for christmas and than, in the middle of the night we had a very nice dinner. After that the celebration went on during all night. On the 25:th there is most of all the cildren who celebrates christmas. We went to the church to watch a show where Romina danced and sang. In their christmas there were also a christmastree, candies and "papi noel".

Besides celebrating christmas we visited a very interesting museum "Los amantes de Sumpa" and a place were they showed different projects in the community, for example clean water. We also went to Libertad to do some shopping, walked around in Manglaralto and on the beautyful beach. We spent time with the family and practised our spannish and talk about our different traditions and cultures. One evening we had a barbeque on the beach. We had some very nice days in Manglaralto! It is a very nice town and the people there are friendly. It is quite and free from tourists, in spite of Montañita (which is just 45 minutes walk from there) with a lot of tourists, surfing and party.

There is a lot to do and to see in and around Manlaralto even if we didn't have time for all of it during christmas.






Manglaralto, Santa Elena

Vi bodde i Manglaralto hos Roberto Piloso med familj bestaaende av hustrun Blanca, barnen Romina, 10 aar och Salomon, 3aar samt hunden Kenny. Vi var daer fem dagar i december och firade jul tillsammans med familjen. Det var roligt att faa fira en annorlunda jul med dem. Firandet boerjade vid midnatt mellan den 24:e och 25:e december. Vi boerjade att skaala in julen paa tolvslaget och sedan aat vi en fin middag mitt i natten. Daerefter fortsatte firandet hela natten...Den 25:e aer det fraemst barnen som firar. Vi foeljde med Romina till kyrkan och tittade paa en saang- och dansuppvisning som hon var med i. I oevrigt saa har de plastgran med blinkande julgransbelysning, godis och tomte.

Foerutom att fira jul saa besoekte vi ocksaa ett mycket intressant museum "Los amantes de Sumpa", samt en utstaellning som visade olika projekt som paagick i Manglaralto, t ex vattenrening. Vi strosade runt i Manglaralto och tog laanga prommenader paa stranden. Vi spenderade mycket tid med familjen vilket gav oss bra tillfaelle att oeva vaar spanska. Vi julhandlade i Libertad och hade en kvaell grillparty paa stranden.

Vi hade verkligen naagra underbart skoena dagar daer! Manglaralto aer en mysig liten by och maenniskorna aer gaestvaenliga. Det aer mycket lugnt och turistfritt i motsats till Montañita som endast ligger en 45 minuters prommenad daerifraan, daer det vimmlar av turister, surfare och aer mycket party! Det finns mycket att se och goera i omgivningarna, aeven om vi inte hann med saa mycket i jultider.

Sarah is welcomed into our home by a proud older brother Robbie and a new older sister Denise.