EARTH & US: Equinox in Barichara
Advent of the dry season
Seasons here are different from up north. Even though Colombia is north of the equator, the months of November through March are referred to as “summer.” Once the rainy season is over, trees start to drop their leaves, it gets hotter and drier. Gardens and young trees need water, so Joe, Jessica and I haul buckets of water from a nearby pond to the vivero. The roof over the two large cisterns still lacks a gutter and pipe to fill them. Meanwhile, we’re getting a few light rains, welcomed by thirsty plants.
A glorious full moon played hide-and-seek with the clouds.
International Day of Peace
The Equinoxes are not celebrated much here, perhaps because so close to the equator, days and nights are always nearly equal. But since September 21 is also the International Day of Peace, I felt moved to organize a small ceremony in the Bioparque. People were wonderfully willing to loan me sacred items like an altar cloth, a candle, a rattle, and an eagle feather; to give me advice, to lead a song, to bring palo santo and food. Camila welcomed everyone to the Bioparque and spoke about the Equinox. Makayla played her cuencos (“singing bowls” of crystal) while Joe and Elise played a tambor (drum) along with her. Each person spoke about what peace meant to them. While everyone offered a pinch of tobacco to nearby trees, I played my flute. About 14 adults, 5 children, and 3 dogs attended! Peace is certainly needed in Colombia, as it is all over the world — and we need to walk in balance with the Earth. Afterwards we shared Julia’s bread, fruits, and my homemade chocolate chip cookies.
Biogas digester and restaurant composting
Since my 75th birthday is coming up, Facebook reminded me that I could do a fundraiser. I immediately decided to raise funds for a biogas digester (mentioned in my previous post) for the community garden and farm on Paul’s land. My goal is $1000, not quite the whole cost ($1200 for the smallest size). It’s going well — I’m nearly 1/3 of the way to my goal!
First steps have been taken for the composting project: Jose and Sebastian brought eight large bags of dry leaves to the site, and Joe delivered the promised funding. This will help pay for containers to separate out the compost-friendly food scraps, as well as transportation to the site. I’m imagining that Paul, who is growing Effective Micro-organisms, would be willing to share some to inoculate the compost and speed up the process.
Formerly indigenous village: Guane
The “Camino Real” from Barichara to Guane was constructed hundreds of years ago by the indigenous residents of Guane. It’s about 5 kilometers long, overlooking the canyon with its sweeping vistas — a favorite of hikers and visitors. Now, there is also a paved road, but the ancient stones along the camino serve well. Just the night before, Shona and Rafa and I had watched a movie, shown on an outdoor screen, of several famous caminos: the Pacific Crest Trail in the US, the famous El Camino pilgrimage in Spain, the indigenous camino that leads to Machu Picchu. So we were primed!
Rafa has lost count of how many times he’s walked this trail, not to mention many bicycle trips on the paved road. It’s relatively easy from Barichara, descending or flat, and we were blessed with some cloud cover which helped greatly. With rest stops along the way, we made it in a little over two hours. Crossing an area with large boulders, Rafa recalled that his father used to swim and fish in the stream that was once there, now long dry. We saw an exquisite butterfly and several fossil rocks. Rafa was raised in the small town of Guane and on this trip, we visited his mother, one of his sisters, and two little girls and their younger brother belonging to a cousin. His mother is a tiny woman who raised nine children, shy and soft-spoken, but very proud of her only son, and welcoming to his friends.
Rafa put ears of large-kerneled corn, eggplants, and red peppers, which he’d delivered via bicycle the previous day, on the outdoor stove over a wood fire to grill. He showed us his jaw-dropping collection of fossil rocks. It boggles the mind to think about these mountains having been ocean beds thousands of years before, with their ammonites ranging from tiny to huge, and perfectly petrified oysters, among other creatures whose forms can be made out. One rock was red and about the size and shape of a large human heart, as Rafa pointed out.
Right next door to his mother’s home, Rafa showed us where he will build his own small house one day. He’s already hauled huge square stones for the four corners, the entrance and back exit. The stones clearly weigh more than he does. He plans to make earthen walls, and an outdoor kitchen and bath.
The family are neighbors of Paul, where a community garden and raising of cows, pigs, sheep, goats and chickens take place. That farm formerly belonged to Rafa’s family; but when Rafa’s father passed away, the family sold most of their farm to Paul. It was a financial necessity at that time, and Rafa feels sad about the loss.
Among the family pets is a tiny chihuahua, who decided she liked me. The two little girls took notice of the petite dog curled up in my lap, and engaged me in conversation. They spoke rapidly, with a bit of an unfamiliar accent, so I tried to play along. They were utterly charming, and I adored them right away! One girl brought me a chicken and let me hold her. La gallina let me stroke her feathers while she clucked softly. The girls gave us a tour of the garden, with its many species of flowers.
When the food was ready, Rafa’s sister dished up our plates with rice, beans, fried plantains and avocado, and Rafa brought over the grilled vegetables and corn. With the taste of wood smoke, it was all delicious!
We hiked to the town center to catch a bus back to Barichara. In the town square, we admired more fossils, some of which were red or pink, some with rusty iron, that were part of the park. The ancient stone church was even older than the ones in Barichara. At the mirador we enjoyed a sweeping view of the canyon. About 1000 feet below Barichara, Guane is much closer to the Suarez River. An artisan was at work, creating dry-stacked rock facades with images of petroglyphs in contrasting colored rocks…beautiful to behold.
While waiting for the bus, Rafa spotted a couple of friends who were driving our way. Great luck! We got a lift and were home just as a light rain began.