COTACACHI

Joe comes to another town near Otavalo - Cotacachi. This town is framed for it's leather craft goods, and Joe doesn't want a repeat of the MATERIALISM he experienced in Otavalo, but he decides he's gonna give it a try.

But, I mean, there is just so much beauty to see in this part of the country that I have to let those thoughts go. I have the time now, and this is an opportunity to use this place as a kind of springboard.
I do finally buy that Alpaca sweater, by the way. That gives me the buyer’s rush - for, like five minutes, y’know? This is what the whole American economic and social system is based on.
Five minutes.
I’m feeling sort of hungry now, so I go to this outdoor ‘healthy’ cafe, and order an avocado and swiss cheese sandwich...when my neutral feeling is suddenly interrupted however, by a horrifying sight.
At least to me.
A tourist bus putt-putts right past me.
Oh no.
It slows down just enough so that the fat tourists can have a photo opportunity for the leather crafts stores. It’s like we’re in a fuckin’ zoo, man. The tourists are protected from any human interaction by metal and glass. A moving box. Complete safety. No chance of catching any germs.
My mind goes into warp drive now - damning thoughts flooding through me like a freakin’ tsunami.
Agh… tourist buses.
Vans.
Cruises.
Resorts!
I mean, why even leave home - if you want all the comforts of home?!
Stay on your living room couch and eat Entenmann’s Crumb Cake, y’know?
Really.
So homogenized and pasteurized. I could understand if it was just old people, or disabled, or something like that- that’s totally cool. But these people are all middle aged soft white pears. I gotta get outta here, man.
The next day, I take a short trip to one of Ecuador’s natural wonders, The Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve. I hate to use the word ‘awesome’, (it’s been overused to death in America - meeting somebody at a bar is not ‘awesome’), however - this place really is!
17,300 acres of tropical forest, cloud forest. Four major watersheds. One of the most biologically diverse habitats on the whole planet.
I mean, who in the world gets a chance to see all this stuff?
240 bird species.
I’m not a birding guy, or anything - but who wouldn’t want to see a toucan, for instance, in the wild!? Not only that, there’s all kinds of monkeys here too - spider monkeys, capuchin monkeys - and oh, howler monkeys, too. I remember when I first got to Rio Muchacho - I saw these little monkeys, right, but then they howl - and it sounds like a giant gorilla!
Scared the shit outta me, man.
Hahahaha.
There’s bears - even jaguars and pumas! Can you imagine actually seeing one in the wild!?
Holy shit!
This place is the real deal. I feel kinda like a spectator here, though. On the sidelines.
I mean, I want to drink this all in - I want it to fill the hole in my soul - like the way the sun does, y’know?
I don’t know anything about hiking in the jungle, though, and it’s frustrating as hell!
An amazing opportunity, but…
I head back to where the office is near the entrance, and after talking to one of the people that work there, I find out that you can actually volunteer here!
Wow, man.
Working in the middle of the forest, living here, taking it all in, doing something meaningful. I’m dreaming about it already. When I return to the office about an hour later, though, the same guy is telling me I have to pay this exorbitant fee - just to volunteer there!
What the hell!? I can’t afford that, man!
That’s crazy, what a fuckin’ scam! Jeez. Forget about it
Now I’m pissed. Foul mood. Ruins my whole day. Again, I’m feeling boxed in.
Thwarted.
Bummed.
I wind up heading back to my hostel and meditating myself to sleep. The next morning I decide I’m gonna check out one last place around here.
Intag.
I take another short camionetta ride there.
Again, these mountains provide some of the richest biodiversity on earth. The natives here are trying to protect the whole place from these huge mega-corporation mining interests. Same old story. All over the world, the same shit. The classic good vs. evil scenario.
Depressing.
Trekking as far as I can into the lush greenery and sopping with melancholy, I find a spot to sit. The only sounds are the rushing water and the song of the birds. God, I wish I could find a way to stay here.
A couple of hours pass.
I can’t do this solo stuff anymore man… sigh… I think about Rocia, maybe going back to Banos… perhaps I was kind of rash in my judgment of the situation. Maybe I should just pull the trigger. I don’t know… I don’t know…
After a sleepless night in my Cotacachi hostel, the next morning I stumble around the village, lost in thought…torn with conflict.
A zombie.
I gaze at the indigenous women involved in their daily activities - gardening, cooking tortillas, gathering medicinal plants… man, I wish I could absorb some of that culture - the wisdom, the lifestyle. I mean, there’s ways to do it - but they require something like a homestay with an indigenous family, learning that stuff. Again, however, you gotta pay the price, which is way more than my budget would allow.