Fuente de Inspiracion / Source of Inspiration

Estos dos últimos meses hemos estado embarcados los tres en una linda aventura, empezamos un nuevo Ecuador Semester Program.  Este programa que ofrece Nahual junto con Kroka Expeditions desde el 2004 utiliza como pilar de su curriculum educativo la permacultura, los deportes de aventura y la responsabilidad social y ambiental. 

La Marce y yo ya hemos sido profesores de este programa, pero ahora ademas de enseñar y supervisar a catorce estudiantes durante los cuatro meses, tenemos que llevar y educar a nuestro poroto de un año y medio. 

Hace pocos dias llegamos de la segunda de tres largas expediciones que tiene este programa. Durante quince dias recorrimos en bicicleta desde Palugo (Pifo) hasta El Chontal (Esmeraldas) visitando comunidades y viviendo estrictamente de lo que llevamos en los caballitos de acero. Por el tipo de caminos que recorremos las bicis y el trailer del Koru están obligados a ir livianos. La mama y el taita recortan sus pertenencias a lo mas minimo, el Koru tambien sabe viajar liviano, a pesar de sus cortos meses de vida no es su primera vez recorriendo las montañas. A los cuatro meses ya salió a sus primeros paseos y antes de cumplir un año se recorrió durante diez dias el valle Sagrado de Peru en bicicleta. Probablemente la mitad de su vida la ha vivido en modalidad "expedición" apoyando a sus taitas, tios, primas y abuelos a seguir recorriendo paramos y montañas.

Estas fotos están dedicadas a mis dos compañeros de viaje y de vida, el Koru y la Marce, mis dos fuentes continuas de inspiración.

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This last two months the three of us embarked on a great adventure, we started a new Ecuador Semester Program. This experiential learning semester that Nahual and Kroka Expeditions offer since 2004 bases its curriculum on permaculture, adventure sports, community sense and environmental responsibility. 

Even tough Marcela and I had taught the program in the past, this year in addition to our 14 students, we have Koru, our one and a half year old coming along with us. Parenting, teaching and expedition life all in the same bowl.

A few days ago we returned home after having spent 15 days on the field bikepacking from Palugo to the little hamlet of El Rosal, a secluded cloud forest village on the province of Esmeraldas. Along the way we visited and worked on local communities and lived strictly of the equipment that fits on our bikepacking setups. Due to the nature of the roads and trails we rode, bikes and trailer have to travel as light as possible. Parents strip their possessions to the minimum, little Koru also knows how to travel light, with only a dozen and a half months of life, this is not his first bikepacking adventure. At the short age of four months he was already camping out, the little guy has several multiday bikepacking expeditions under his diaper including a ten day adventure in Peru, by now he is an experience camper and bikepacker.

The following images are dedicated to Koru and Marce, expedition and life partners, my source of continuous inspiration.

-- Preparing our tarp/tent for the night

-- Goodbye father sun

-- Koru's travelling setup.

-- Riding the Andes with the semester students

-- Visitando a los Achi-taitas, tios y prima en San Clemente

-- Re-organizing sleeping setup after an epic storm that flooded tarps and tents. We spent the night on a warehouse.

-- Quick stop at Cuicocha, Cotacachi.

-- The lowlands, the heat, the rain, the forest.

-- Improvised hammock for a forest nap

-- Making new friends on every stop.

-- Switched trailer for a horse.

-- At the end Mathias, Niki and Ayra came to replace us so we can rest for a few days. They will finish the bikepacking section and start the river expedition with students.