Organic Tropical Permaculture, Food Forest Creation, Natural Building, & Music Jams in Loreto, Ecuador

Details

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  Description

  Greetings world travelers 😊 If you love nature and would be interested in experiencing a life of simplicity, tranquility, and freedom while learning and gaining experience in bioconstruction and growing an abundance of clean, healthy food, then our eco farming food forest project in the Ecuadorian Amazon is calling you,
  
  We are Brian and Sunny (Sunny to join in July), and this is a new endeavor for us. We became the stewards of 4 hectares of land in November of 2023 where we are creating a high-density, biodiverse organic food forest focusing on tropical fruit, nature-based living, natural building, environmental conservation, sustainability, and knowledge sharing. We live and create in a very simple way, connecting and working with the natural environment and minimizing our reliance on outside resources.
  
  The land is producing a good amount of bananas, plantains, guavas, limes, coffee, bamboo, and luffas, as well as some sweet juicy pineapples papayas, cacao, sugar cane, ice cream beans, oranges, mandarins, rambutan, coconuts, tomatoes, hot peppers; rollinia (a jungle cherimoya),,badea (a large passion fruit),, toilet paper plant fruit (yes we wrote a song about that one 😅) some other exotic tropical fruits, medicinal plants, pumpkins, beans, yuca, and an abundance of herbs like basil, lemongrass, mint, stevia, culantro, and a few others. Some fruits are seasonal, and there are several other fruit trees maturing and starting in the nursery as we are adding many more local and exotic tropical fruits, flowers, and edible or useable plants.
  
  When we’re not working we like to enjoy the nature around us, research a variety of information, discuss interesting topics, visit with friends in the area, play music, and more. If you have any instruments or like to sing we would love to share music with you. We love to jam with other people and create unique organic music from the soul. There is one guitar here,a few homemade instruments that anyone can play, and we would like to create and acquire any other instruments we can. We are also learning to make chocolate when there is cacao available and experimenting with creating some unique and exotic combinations with fruits and other flavors.
  
  The climate here is very pleasant, there is a lot of sun and quite a bit of rain. It's rarely too hot or too cold and the weather changes quite a bit. It's usually cool inside the house even if it's warm outside, and the nights are cool and fresh for comfortable sleeping 😊
  
  Plant medicines are welcome here, but this would be a good place to be free of alcohol or cigarette,s as we encourage a lifestyle free from chemicals and other toxins. Most of our diet comes from fresh, sweet, high-energy fruit (the original fast food 😊) and we also like to cook plant-based meals usually for dinner. We have a deep respect for the earth and all of its inhabitants, so any food or activity that harms or damages nature or animals wouldn’t be consistent with the values here.
  
  We don’t control what anyone does in their private life, but on this land we don’t use animals for any purpose (including keeping them as pets, or eating them or anything they make), smoke cigarettes, use chemicals, or bring unnecessary trash on the land. You don’t need to be vegan or vegetarian to stay here, but no food or products made from an animal should be brought or consumed here (like meat, fish, milk, butter, cheese, cream, eggs, honey, etc). Chemical soaps, shampoos, cosmetics, toothpastes, etc are also best used elsewhere as we strive to live as naturally as possible and keep the land as free of toxins as possible for all of our health.
  
  This project isn't for everyone, but if what you read is of interest to you we invite you to spend some time here learning, helping, sharing, enjoying and creating in nature 😊

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You will get great exercise outdoors while having a hands-on experience learning about sustainable food forest creation, permaculture, nature-based living, natural building, and other creative activities. We can share what we know about the culture and lifestyle in Ecuador,help you with English or Spanish if you are learning, and introduce to you locals in town and the surrounding area. We can also help you learn to play the guitar or percussion if you are interested.
  
  We value people from all walks of life and are open to learning and sharing from and with everyone. We want to hear your life and travel stories, your views on the world, your ideas and opinions. We are also happy to share the experiences from our journeys, the knowledge we have acquired, and any insight we can to help you accomplish your goals in life.
  
  We can specifically share the super secret ninja tricks we have learned about creating and managing a food forest, nature-based living, navigating the world, living more freely, learning languages, living a healthy life, natural healing (Brian hasn't been to a doctor, hospital, or used any pharmaceutical medicine since 2013, despite having many fairly serious injuries and some health challenges) making music, natural building, and more. As we are always learning as well, we always welcome everyone to share their knowledge and wisdom.

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  Help

  There are a variety of projects here. One ò the main priorities right now is eliminating the grass, so we ask that everyone spends some of their time here weeding. It's fairly simple, relaxing, and gratifying, work, and many people say it's like a meditation or therapy. If you don't like it there are plenty of other things to do :)
  
  For the rest of the time there are a variety of projects you can choose from depending on what interests you and how you would like to help. Some examples include planting, watering, pruning, mulching,, chopping grass with a machete (if you want to learn to be a savage jungle samurai warrior); making furniture, furnishings, musical instruments, and other items with bamboo, harvesting fruit and other food, creating organic compost, fertilizers, pest repellants, and other solutions to benefit the desired vegetation,, eating the bananas, preparing dinner, general cleanup, creating art or decorations, website, social media, and computer work, and anything else it takes to develop the food forest and make the living space more comfortable for everyone 😊

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  French: Intermediate
  Vietnamese: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  We love learning and helping others with languages. We speak English, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, and a little of many other languages. We are happy to teach you what we can and would love to learn some of whatever languages you speak 😊
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  Accommodation

  You will have your own room upstairs in the home with a mattress, mosquito net and a beautiful view of the surrounding land and mountains. There is a kitchen, bathroom, electricity, internet, and running water, but at this time the house doesn’t have much in the way of furnishings, no refrigerator, and nothing like a washing machine, microwave, or TV. We are living very basically for now while we add some of those things, so valuing simplicity would be a beneficial attribute 😊
  
  There are some beautiful rivers and streams within walking distance that you can enjoy for swimming or cooling off in, as well as a mirador (lookout) with expansive views over the Amazon rainforest and distant plains. There are also many picturesque places on the land where you can chill in a hammock, sit under the shade of the trees, or perch up on a hill to take in the views of the jungle and nearby Grand Sumaco volcano while listening to the sounds of the rain forest. You will see and hear lots of beautiful birds, butterflies, and insects, listen to the symphony of the howler monkeys, frogs, and other animals, and have the chance to see interesting wildlife such as armadillos anteaters, and other unique creatures.
  
  We are surrounded by the wild Amazon jungle with lots of vegetation around, so we share this space with all kinds of beings. Brian usually doesn't wear shoes or a shirt (although you are welcome to), we love to enjoy the sun on our skin and feel the earth beneath our bare feet. This is a quiet, relaxing, and peaceful place to connect with yourself, nature, and the people around you, do yoga or meditation, and experience a holistic healing by nourishing our bodies with clean air and fresh food from the land. Quite the opposite of hostel life 😊
  
  We are happy to share the food growing on the land with you, there are lots of bananas and plantains as well as other fruits (many seasonal), some vegetables and herbs for you to enjoy. Since we don’t ask for so much work you should plan to provide about halt of you food, which is relatively inexpensive in this area.
  
  The land is about a 30-minute bus ride about 17 miles northwest of the town of Loreto. There are 2 buses in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, and it’s about a 10-minute walk to the road where you can catch them. We can usually meet you where you get off the bus and help you get to the house by motorbike. There are food trucks that (usually) come by a few times a week, some neighbors who can deliver food or we can pick up, and a few general stores in the area that sell some basic staples.
  
  For longer stays there is an option to stay in another house on the land, it's large and fairly nice but completely empty. This would be more private and independent, If this might be of any interest let us know and we can give you more information and photos.
  
  If you would like to inquire about staying here please let us know approximately when you would plan to arrive. We receive quite a few requests from volunteers, so priority will be given to those who can confirm their arrival date.

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  What else ...

  We have used WorkAway for several years, both as a host at a different location and as a volunteer during our travels around the world. So we understand and very much value the concept of a help-stay arrangement, and look forward to making your stay here relaxing, valuable, and worthwhile.
  
  If you are interested in learning more, or joining us for some period of time, please feel free to send a message with any questions or letting us know a little about yourself and what draws you to this project. We wish you all the best on your journey and look forward to welcoming you to this part of the world if you decide you would like to share this wonderful experience with us 😊

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  Yes, there is a (úually) good internet connection here. Brian teaches English online during the mornings and you are welcome to bring your online enterprise here too 😊 Please let us know if you work remotely so we can help accommodate you.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  3 hours/day, 5 days/week

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