Help with bio-construction and alternative energy projects outside the city of Popayan, Colombia

Colombia

Favourited 375 times

Host rating
Feedback
14
Last activity
07/08/2019
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Availability

2019

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What's this?

Details

Description
Bioconstruccion. Synergistic Agriculture. Art and cooking, near Popayan Cauca.
We started four years ago with the recovery of land used as a dump for over 20 years
We built a house with bamboo, some rooms for guests, a dome, an economic kitchen with soil. We have a small garden with trees, fruit trees and medicinal plants.

Biocostruccion. Agricultura sinergica. Arte y cocina cerca de Popayan Cauca.
Iniciamos hace cuatro años la recuperacion de un terreno usado como basurero por mas de 20 años
Construimos una casa con bambu, unas habitaciones para huespedes, un domo, una cocina económica con tierra. Tenemos un pequeño jardin con arboles, frutales y plantas medicinales.
Type of help
Gardening
Building
Cooking / shopping
Farmstay
Help with Eco project
Help in the house
Animal care
Language practice
Art project
Help
Weeding, fertilizing, building with bamboo and earth. developing projects with machines and alternative energy

Desmalezar, abonar, construir con bambu y con tierra. desarrollar proyectos de maquinas y energias alternativas
Languages spoken
español, ingles
Accommodation
Rustic bamboo rooms

Habitaciones en Bambu rusticas.
What else ...
Forty minutes walk from the center of the city of Popayan. Along the Rio Hondo. We develop bioconstruction and synergistic agriculture. We develop artistic and craft initiatives.

A cuarenta minutes caminando del Centro de la ciudad de Popayan. Junto al Rio Hondo desarrollamos las actividades de biocostruccion y agricultura sinergica. Desarrollamos iniciativas artisticas y artesanales.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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Feedback left by and about host (14)

30/09/2017

Left by Workawayer (Quentin) for host

Fue solo una semana con David pero fue un perfecto workaway. El lugar es realmente perfecto, como en la naturaleza con el rio y los arboles, con edificios de banbu y muchas artisanas ''zen'', muy comodo y bonito, y tambien se puede ir caminando en el centro de la cuidad para hacer la fiesta. David sabe muchas cosas a propocito de su pais y del… read more

(Very good )

08/03/2017

Left by Workawayer (Ruth & Mathieu) for host

We came at a time that Salvo just got back from travels and was regaining energy to restart where he left of with the project. The project was in a better state before he left traveling, but it is nice to see how fast things are changing for the better. We had a very lovely time during our two weeks stay at Salvo's place. Meeting a very… read more

(Excellent )

14/11/2016

Left by Workawayer (Heidi & Ronni) for host

I came here with the intention of staying the minimum period of two weeks. Well, I ended up staying two months, spending the last days of my visa in this magical place. This is truly a place for spiritual growth, connecting with nature and learning about yourself. When I first got there my level of Spanish was really basic, so communicating a lot… read more

(Excellent )

20/08/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Aleya)

I am sorry you had a bad experience, and a story always have two sides, thank you for sharing your side. Yes, it is true that we live in a neighborhood with people that does not have many possibilities but i can assure you that nothing ever happened to any of the volunteers or the permanent residents of this project. Traveling to Colombia one has… read more

(Neutral )

19/08/2016

Left by Workawayer (Aleya) for host

I had a mixed stay. I think in the end it was my fault for thinking i was in one kind of situation when it was otherwise. I am sure like all the other people who left references, most people will enjoy it. Mostly i recommend people come in pairs so you can avoid the main discomfort i had while i was there.

At first i was surprised that the… read more person who I was talking to wasn't at the project but obviously I didn't understand that he wouldn't be there at all. My stay was cut short because Tito who is usually friendly lost his patience with me. Understandable because after a miscommunication I lost a dog on one of my first days that he spent 2 hours searching for and happily found. Then during the week, because 4 different people told me the neighbourhood was dangerous and there were no windows for my room and only rocks to block the door and bugs coming in and out of the room, every time the dogs barked at night or a bug walked across my tent I woke up worried something was happening. Not sleeping well or feeling very safe I would only wake up by about 8:15 to work at 8:30 after falling asleep properly by about 4am. I would get so freaked out by the dogs barking for 10 minutes straight thinking maybe something was going on in the neighbourhood that I would block out the sound by putting on my headphones and putting on a show in the background. Traveling by myself I found that kind of uncomfortable. I am not normally that paranoid and nothing happened at all but the warnings from everybody about the neighbourhood got to me and made me really jumpy at night time.

The problems that make my review neutral is because of how I ended up leaving. Most days I woke up just in time to start work at 8:30. I would come downstairs and look for Tito but the property is large and it's difficult to find him until he came up to the kitchen area, so I would maybe take a shower, look about some things to eat etc. Turns out that I had been missing breakfast and he was mad at me this whole time, I thought it was ok as long as I started work at 8:30. I understand his annoyance there and I apologize for that because it was probably frustrating.

What happened next, however, I don't appreciate. He said I didn't do anything around the house despite the fact that I washed dishes after most meals and tried to ask what was needed and cleaned up after myself best as I could, did my work without complaints. He said I didn't do anything to help, always needed things explained and basically insulted my intelligence. I dont know most things about composting and outhouses. If I ask for help or instructions it's because I dont want to mess up things - I had no idea where to put trash like Styrofoam and other things so I put them on the table, waiting to talk to him and find out when I saw him.

It was obvious that he was holding on to resentment that he had not been expressing during the week and felt I was taking advantage of him. The one meal I didn't wash dishes for was the meal I had spent 3 hours cooking. I didn't touch the kitchen because it's just normal for me that the person who cooks doesn't wash dishes. Another example of unfair resentment was when I came I learned I would not receive meals, fine, I asked what to buy for the household since I would buy food instead of the other way around. I went shopping for the house according to THEIR list. I got those things and suddenly the last morning I was being shouted at for only buying a few fruits and nothing substantial, and how I didn't use my sense to figure out what was needed... This, after spending about 50,000 pesos on things I don't even eat.

I dont know if I really insulted and tested Tito's patience by sleeping late so many times, but I tried to pitch in and do my work. The last thing I want is for someone to think I'm taking advantage of them. I think if I knew that breakfast was together it would have been different and none of this would have happened. I doubt he will believe me because the fact that I am still learning Spanish and live a different life - i don't even eat breakfast at home - doesn't seem to be an excuse for him so I will just end this by saying I am sure many people will enjoy this Workaway experience. I did not have the best week and many warnings about safety made me paranoid and uncomfortable and it bubbled over into an unfortunate experience. It was weird but I also think it was an exception and the week got off to a bad start. I think few people will ever see that side of Tito's personality. I still wish them luck on their project. I just think having a conversation first before throwing all your problems at someone else is a better way of dealing with problems but I don't know what he was dealing with or how I was affecting him so it will always just be an unfortunate thing that happened.
Wow! I wrote a whole bible here! Whoops. :)

(Neutral )

16/08/2016

Left by Workawayer (Stefan & Nadine) for host

What an amazing place with amazing people (and animals)! :)
We spent two interesting and relaxing weeks here. Our host Tito (we weren't lucky enough to meet Salvo) was so welcoming, humorous and very respectful with every living creature on earth. You can definitely learn a great deal from him, we enjoyed his company very much.
As there are so… read more

(Excellent )

05/07/2016

Left by Workawayer (OSCAR) for host

Excelente proyecto; estuve en compañía de Tito quien además de apoyar mi paso por el lugar compartió sus vivencias y puntos de vista frente a las cosas lo cual resultó ser bastante provechoso para; Gracias a Salvador que aunque no tuvimos la oportunidad de conocernos permitió mi paso por tan Espectacular lugar; y a Doña Graciela todo mi… read more

(Excellent )

04/05/2016

Left by Workawayer (mariela) for host

fue muy lindo estar en este lugar, se siente muy cálido, el trabajo es tranquilo por la mañana y la tarde libre para recorrer y descansar, es un ambiente muy agradable y familiar donde se comparte de verdad, el lugar para dormir es muy comodo, estubimos pintando carteles, trabajando un poco con la huerta, llendo a buscar piedras al rio y lo mejor… read more

(Excellent )

15/04/2016

Left by Workawayer (Manuel) for host

I had a really good time in this project. I planed to stay between 3-4 weeks but in the end I stayed 6 weeks. I would have stayed even longer but it was my first stop in Columbia so I had to move on...
The Farm is a very lovely place near to the city Popayán. The center is easy to reach and if you have anough of the traffic and noises you can go… read more

(Excellent )

26/03/2016

Left by Workawayer (Bethany) for host

We had to run away from this place, that was a shame cause the farm seems to be perfect, with those crazy animals with strong personality, the work with the mud and how nice is to feel in a real family made of volunteers with a bunch of energy, sharing and waking Up all the mornings surrounded by the nature and coffee. We couldn't met Salvador, we… read more

(Neutral )

25/02/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Shelby)

Gracias a ti hermosa mujer, gracias por tu sonrisa, tus ojos felices, y todo tu apoyo. eres una artista increíble! quiero tu arte en las paredes de casa así que vuelve pronto... buena vida!

(Excellent )

26/09/2015

Left by Workawayer (Shelby) for host

What. A. Special. Place.
I'm not much of an eco-head, I decided to come here because the work looked fun. And when I arrived it was a beautiful place, but my god how the beauty grew. You get all too used to unzipping your tent in the mornings to the view of banana trees and mountain tops, the smell of coffee wafting through the air, soon to be… read more

(Excellent )

25/02/2016

Left by host for Workawayer (Matthias)

Gracias a ti hermano, aún hablamos de ti, voluntarioso, generoso y de buen humor....te esperamos. Saludos de theo :)

(Excellent )

24/02/2016

Left by Workawayer (Matthias) for host

Nature. Animals. Fruits. River. Atmosphere. Kind People. Thats my remembering Popayan, salvador and his projekt. I stayed at least almost eight weeks (that was not planned) and it turn in something like home and family. I also meet shelby in this place, witch left a feedback right in front of me. she seems to be better in using words, so i just… read more

(Excellent )

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Host ref number: 986899833172

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