Calshi community walk

A 2km walk through pristine paramo to two crystalline lakes, Lagunas Molinococha and Chuquibantza, and a millennial polylepis forest, where ancient trees are hung with lichens. We will learn about the paramo ecosystem, its medicinal plants, and how it provides water for the region by trapping humidity from the air, eventually forming streams and rivers.

We will participate in the pachamanca, a traditional way of preparing food for special occasions in a subterranean oven. After lining the oven with leaves and fire-heated stones, we will fill it with layers of meat, vegetables and hot stones, before covering it with earth. Accompanying the meal will be sumfo, a tea made with a paramo plant.

A visit to a group of women artisans dedicated to making garments with alpaca fleece, from rearing and shearing the animals, to spinning the wool and turning it into gloves, sweaters, ponchos and scarves. The field of alpacas is an idyllic sight, surrounded by rolling hills, with Chimborazo providing a spectacular backdrop. The women will demonstrate the wool making process, sing some traditional Andean songs, and show us the pampamesa, an Andean way of eating where food is shared on a long strip of fabric on the ground.