Organic coffee production and the greatest family in the world

Every couch surfing experience is different, but I think it'll be a while before I have one quite as different as Sunday's.

I arrived in Ocotal, Nicaragua to stay with Claudia, her husband Hector, and their three amazing children. Claudia and Hector both work in agriculture, Claudia as a project coordinator and Hector as a professor. Because raising three children, going back to school and having a job wasn't challenging enough, Claudia started a social enterprise with several friends called Guardabarranco. The group's primary goal is to support sustainable agriculture in the area and Claudia spends just about every day she can going into the mountains to volunteer with farmers. So on Sunday, we did just that.

The day started early with us heading to the market to pick up food and to meet with a local Quebecer working with a different agriculture project. WWOOFers and other volunteers often come to stay with the farm families, and rather than compensate the families with money, Claudia prefers to keep the exchange non-monetary and brings food instead. After buying supplies we caught a taxi (the bus was full!) to the base of the mountain and began the 45 minute climb to the farm. Two-year-old Hectorcito ("little Hector", "Hector Junior") was a little resistant to the idea of walking until he spotted a horse, at which point he decided to run up the mountain.

 Climbing the mountain.

When we arrived I was sent straight away to pick coffee. I thought this was pretty cool! Water bottle in my pocket, camera over my shoulder, and basket full of coffee around my waste, we picked for a couple hours. I learned that coffee plants grow for about 50 years, but that every ten years the farmer usually cuts them back so that they produce more fruit. In this case the coffee was inter-cropped with bananas and various other trees, a strategy which promotes biodiversity and (I imagine) makes for a much shadier and more pleasant work environment.

Coffee plant.

Coffee in my basket.

American volunteer and local farmer.

At the end of the picking day.

After being picked, the coffee is run through a hand-turned milling machine which separates the coffee beans from the 'peels'. I'll admit that up until this point I was a little confused as to how we were going to get black beans from this red fruit. Most impressive is that nothing from this process is wasted. The red peels are composted with the animal waste and then spread around the base of the coffee plants. Even the juices are collected and stored in bottles. Some is used as fertilizer for the coffee, the rest is combined with hot chili peppers and allowed to ferment, forming a natural pesticide.

Milling the coffee to remove the 'peels'.

 Waste is composted.

Compost.

Juices are saved and used as fertilizer or natural pesticide.

Next the coffee beans need to be washed and any remaining peels removed, at which point they are laid out to dry. Everything up until this point is done without electricity and without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Washing the beans.

Draining the water.

Hectorcito, "sorting" through the beans.

Finally the beans need to be roasted, ground and packaged. Claudia and her husband Hector perform this part of the process in their home, selling the coffee to a local hotel and to tourists.

The finished product.

But the day wasn't over for the volunteers, before leaving we moved 33 adobe bricks from one side of the farm to the other for a new latrine. Although they may not look it, these things are heavy! I was glad to have the opportunity to handle the materials though. I told Claudia about my interest in natural building, and she explained to me that they hope to build a volunteer residence using materials from the farm. Although I'm not sure how it would fit with my plan for the next couple years, it would be amazing to come back and work on a project like that, perhaps experimenting with some different materials and building techniques.

The adobe bricks.

While learning about coffee was incredible, probably the most moving aspect of the experience was Claudia's family. Their house is modest, having a bucket shower and simple latrine, but I have never met children so happy, responsible and well adjusted. I asked Claudia why she likes having couch surfers and she explained that it's partly to teach people about her project, but also because she wants her children to learn more about the world. Claudia's first child was born when she was 16. I was awed and inspired to watch her handle hosting me, buying food, bringing her two and nine-year-old up the mountain, cooking lunch, carrying blocks of adobe, waiting in the dark for the bus home, and finally making dinner, and all of it on her day off. As I carried the sleeping Hectorcito home at the end of the day, I couldn't help hoping to one day accomplish half of what she and her family have.

The shower facilities.

Claudia and her daughter. Baking bread.

If you're interested in getting involved with Claudia's project please visit the website: www.eco-nic.com. They also offer week-long courses in coffee production. Volunteers are welcome, although the cost varies by volunteer. Those who are more self sufficient (speak Spanish, experience with organic farming) pay less, as they require less support. She is also accessible through Couch Surfing or WWOOF.

El Salvador

Although the US meddled (and is probably still meddling) in the affairs of just about every Central American country, nowhere did the lasting impact feel quite as strong as in El Salvador. Everywhere I turned was another reminder of how the fate of this nation is forever linked to events and decision in America.

Fear of communism in the 1980s prompted Reagan to finance the Salvadorian government with hundreds of millions per year in military aid. Leftist guerrilla groups (namely the FMLN) fought the government in a civil war which lasted ten years and caused 300,000 citizens to flee the country. In the end the UN negotiated a peace deal which saw many members of the government step down and the FMLN transition to a successful political party.

Between 2000 and 2004, US authorities began deporting suspected gang members from the LA area in an attempt to deal with gang activity. Many people who had spent almost their entire lives in the US were forced to return to El Salvador and with few options, gang activity flourished. El Salvador is now infamous because of Mara Salvatrucha a multinational gang which originated with Salvadorians in LA. Conflict with El Salvador's oposiing gang, the M-18, has made the country one of the most violent in the world, having the highest homicide rate for the last several years.

Despite the civil war and ongoing threat from the gangs, El Salvador is one of the wealthiest countries in Central America and has a significant middle class, particularly in San Salvador. It helps that almost a quarter of the population receives remittances from family members living abroad (mostly in the US). It seemed as though almost every person I met had a connection to the US, either having lived there themselves or having family there. It was shocking how little English many Salvadorians I met learned while they were in the US. I'm sure it was pretty difficult and it's understandable why many choose to return. El Salvador also uses the US dollar as their currency.

First stop: San Salvador. Loved the big trees.

My first stop in El Salvador was the capital, San Salvador. Here I stayed with an awesome school teacher in her family's beautiful house in an upscale, gated community. Dinorah and her friends do not use public transportation, citing fears of getting caught in inter-gang violence and theft. San Salvador is also a very sprawling, suburban city so walking isn't really a viable option. The downtown isn't safe at night, but has a huge market during the day. I went to visit with another couch surfer, although we took the precaution of leaving all of our things at the house, which was sad since it would have been an amazing opportunity to take photos. Instead I had to settle for pictures of the museums, which are all located in safe and tourist friendly areas of the city.

 El Chulon, Salvadorian for "naked man", outside the modern art museum. And yes, there is also a Chulona ("naked woman") but she's a statue.

 

 Museum of anthropology.

The city has a lot of big streets, not good for walking!

Lunch. Soup had strange balls I was unable to identify. No idea what the red drink was either, but delicious.

Many tourists opt to skip San Salvador altogether and head straight for the beach, which is about 30 minutes away and supposedly has some of the best surfing breaks in the world. We went with Dinorah for the night and stayed for the following day. A bit too much of a "surfer scene" for me though. Plus I didn't feel like repeating the Cancun sunburn incident.

El Tunco.

Black volcanic sand.
Sandal tan is progressing well.

The little town of El Tunco.

After San Salvador I headed west to San Miguel for the countries largest carnival. This was quite an experience with mountains of food, a parade and something like 15 different stages set up throughout the city with live music. I've head wildly varying stats on the number of participants, but somewhere around 20,000 I believe. I learned a little about being pick pocketed in large crowds, thankfully I only lost $9 and a piece of fudge (in multiple incidents).

The carnival.

More carnival.

Sweets.

Being interviewed for TV.

Parade float. You gotta love the grannies.

Of course what community event would be complete without McDonalds?

Or the tool girls?

Finally I made my way to Perquin in the northwest of the country. Perquin had been the headquarters for the FLMN guerrillas and still has a lot of history including a museum. Many ex-guerrillas and their families still live here. Deep in coffee country, this was a very peaceful little town. It might have been a tad lonely actually, except that I met up with two German couch surfers who had stayed with Dinorah right before I arrived.

The Germans, 16 months into their journey and with plenty of stories to tell.

Military artifacts.

The studio from where Radio Victory, the guerrillas radio station broadcast from.

Unexploded bomb dropped by government forces. Made in the USA.

Perquin.

I also visited El Mozote, a nearby site where on December 11, 1981 government soldiers massacred the 757 occupants of the village in a policy aimed at "clearing land". Forensic investigations confirmed that the bullets used were manufactured in the US. We went with a local couch surfer, who pointed out where the bodies were found, even where children were found hanged from the trees. It was night so taking pictures wasn't really possible, but I don't think I would have wanted to anyway. There was a beautiful monument, a reflection garden and a group of young guys playing music. Probably one of the most moving places I've been or things I've seen on this trip.

I'm in Esteli, Nicaragua now, heading north to Ocotal tomorrow to stay with another couch surfer who's involved in some interesting organic agriculture there.

Guatemala, Parte Dos

After three weeks, I am about to leave Guatemala. Rather than write a lot I thought I'd let the pictures (and their captions) do the talking.

Xela, where I spent a week taking Spanish classes.

To me Xela is the perfect mix of touristy and genuine: cafes, live music, book stores. Full of young travellers, but also Guatemalan students. The centre really reminds me of Europe.

Beautiful old building in the centre, housing my Spanish school.

My 'host family', actually just other students staying with the same family. It was Jorge's birthday the night I left. I also got a chance to meet my friend Andrea's family who are from Xela, although she now studies in Alberta. They were absolutely amazing.  

Steam baths/sauna outside of town, wonderful!

 Chichicastenango, largest market in Central America (so I am told..)

More of Chichi

Next stop was San Pedro on Lake Atitlan. Amazing where people opt to grow food.

Volcanoes around Lake Atitlan.

 Coffee

Hiking near San Pedro

View during the hike

View of San Pedro from the hostel roof

Antigua. Supposedly the most beautiful city in Guatemala and equally as tourist. Although I'm only here for a day, it's probably my least favourite city so far. Really seems like a place where families come if they only have a week in Guatemala, want to buy souvenirs at exorbitant rates, eat in fine restaurants and maybe even hike a volcano. And it's not even that great to look at!

Okay, maybe it does have a nice feature or two.

 This was two.

Tomorrow morning I leave bright and early for San Salvador, where I'm couch surfing for a few days. I've been told San Salvador is fairly dangerous, so I plan to exercise extreme caution, take taxis when I have my bags and not stay out late without locals. At the same time, I feel like you have to take these things with a grain of salt. Apparently the travel advisory for Guatemala suggests only taking special tourist buses and avoiding local transportation, which is ridiculous and I've never met anyone who's had a problem (minus some surfboards flying off the roof). I'm curious to see if San Salvador is as bad as everyone says (still going to be extra careful, of course). 

I'm excited to begin this final leg of the journey. I've got three weeks to get to Panama City. This means skipping over Honduras and Costa Rica (something had to go), and spending a week in each of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Panama. Of course not nearly enough time, I've come to accept that I can't do everything and so I'm going to just enjoy the parts I can do. So here goes!