Ecuador 2014: La Rinconada, Dwarf Legend and time with the Host Family :)

Our first full day in Pijal was pretty physically strenuous. We took the bus back up to La Rinconada, their eco-tourism site. We weren’t doing a Minga up here this time, but instead getting to explore the scenery and hike to a waterfall. Last time, I didn’t get to go on the hike, I stayed behind with on other girl and helped the women cook lunch. The homes were in pretty good shape, a representation of the time and effort the Pijal community put into their project. It is impossible not to appreciate the overall beauty of the area though, its truly phenomenal.

They gave us rain boots to wear during the hike. None of us quite understood why, until we discovered that basically, we were trekking across rivers, ankle deep mud and hobbit holes carved into brush. We also heard a legend about a dwarf that lived in the area. If you were walking along and saw the dwarf, you should look at his feet. If the curly part (not sure what this means…translation issues) where in the front, he was a friendly dwarf. If they curly part was in the back then he was evil. In order to get rid of the evil dwarf, you could pee in your hand and throw it at him.

I’m serious. People were questioning the feasibility of this, but I think it makes perfect sense. I think peeing in your hand and throwing it at ANYONE, dwarf or not, would get rid of them.

The very thin bit of ground between the bus and the edge of the mountain.

La Rinconada

The hike; this is a spiritual spot for healing.

Natural Spring!

The hike was, in the end, worth it. The waterfall they brought us to was just as stunning as Don Antonio promised and an excellent reward for the obstacle course we took to get there. The walk back was a little less intimidating since we were now going downhill. The bus go momentarily stuck on the way back…which happened last time as well. Talk about déjà vu. The second half of the day was going to be spent with our host families working on a photography project. Our host families were all told about it to avoid any miscommunication.

Jess and I at the Waterfall

Jess and Don Antonio

Lucia seemed pretty excited about it, which was expressed in her immediate retrieval of traditional clothing for us to wear. While we were taking photos and hearing about her favorite places in her home and in Pijal, she wanted us to be dressed like her. Minus the shoes, it was all very comfortable and it was great to see her that excited to share with us. She showed us where she grinds grain, where the pigs are, the corn fields, her sewing station and her favorite spot in Pijal. A place, before they had running water, where the women would go to retrieve water for cooking, cleaning and washing clothes. It was an absolutely beautiful place, much like all of Pijal. It is safe to say, Pijal is the most beautiful place I have ever spent time in. Our host brother, Esteban the family dog Max came. Max and I are becoming best friends, but at this point, Max was busy frolicking with Esteban; literally a perfect example of dogs acting as a human’s best friend. It was a phenomenal opportunity to spent that time with our family and get to chat more. I was very much under the impression that the week would be fabulous. There are going to be a bunch of pictures from this afternoon!