El Tambo
Our volunteer story with Ecotrackers networkAv. Amazonas y Roca, Quito, Ecuador
www.ecotrackers.com
at El Tambo, Ingapirca
Manuela and I decided to go to the community of El Tambo-Ingarpica. Our first stay was in Estero de Platano on the Pacific coast, and we decided to opt for some more serious things: The Andes and the altitude sickness, and a total immersion into the Cañari culture. It was without any difficulty that we reached this place, as it is conveniently located on the Panamericana road. We were welcomed by Jose and Isaura and their son Freddy in their nice brightly red-coloured house. They were very happy to tell us a big chunk of the History of their culture: an amazing mix of civilizations, wars, beliefs and sciences. I spent the next night dreaming about some Cañari princess, Inca´s road to the sun and some Conquistadors´ quest to some treasure. I have to say that I did probably mix everything up; such was the profusion of innumerable details that they gave us.
The place is really full of History as it was possible to enjoy, during our short stay, the ruins of Ingapirca, the Inca´s trail and Los Baños del Inca, which are located in a short distance from El Tambo. Also, our attention was drawn on the fact that the ruins of “Los baños del Inca” are actually abandoned and not developed at all. This site is waiting for an entrance office and a small museum. It has great potential for tourism and could be an ideal complementary alternative to Ingarpica and the Inca´s trail.
As volunteers, our small retribution was to go and help in the nursery school of the community: La guarderia de Cucho Corral, which is always in need of fresh blood, as they are only 3 persons in charge of usually 25 to 30 niños. In there, a dozen of kids, between 1 and 5 years old, were impatiently waiting for some lost souls to play with them: Piezas, little coches and pellotas were our duty.
It was a very nice opportunity to spend time within the community, discovering the great heritage inherited after centuries of History, learning a bit of Spanish and also Quichua, and having a better understanding of the importance and signification of these cultures.
The place is really full of History as it was possible to enjoy, during our short stay, the ruins of Ingapirca, the Inca´s trail and Los Baños del Inca, which are located in a short distance from El Tambo. Also, our attention was drawn on the fact that the ruins of “Los baños del Inca” are actually abandoned and not developed at all. This site is waiting for an entrance office and a small museum. It has great potential for tourism and could be an ideal complementary alternative to Ingarpica and the Inca´s trail.
As volunteers, our small retribution was to go and help in the nursery school of the community: La guarderia de Cucho Corral, which is always in need of fresh blood, as they are only 3 persons in charge of usually 25 to 30 niños. In there, a dozen of kids, between 1 and 5 years old, were impatiently waiting for some lost souls to play with them: Piezas, little coches and pellotas were our duty.
It was a very nice opportunity to spend time within the community, discovering the great heritage inherited after centuries of History, learning a bit of Spanish and also Quichua, and having a better understanding of the importance and signification of these cultures.
posted by laurent maillet at 8:01 pm
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