For the over two years, Kristin has been researching and contacting this farm in Bolivia. The day finally came to make a small dream come true. We arrived at the farm after a short stay in Samaipata, beautiful subtropical mountain town a few hours away, where we also picked up the new member to our traveling crew, Soren. To get to the farm, you have to cross a very high bridge over the river. If you are lucky enough, as we were, you might spot cars in the river. It happens every few weeks where a car will turn the corner too fast and fly off the road and into the river. From the seatbelts and tires, Cristobal (the father of the farm) makes sandals.
We crossed the bridge and were welcomed by the family with an all vegetarian lunch made fresh from the garden. After, we got our asses to work. We picked up hoes and dug in the dirt, harvested, planted, fed the horses and learned a little about growing cycles. Then one day we decided we didn´t want to hoe no mo! With the sun shining bright, we played by the river in the natural water slides and laid naked as jay birds. One day we ventured off into the jungle, with machete in hand, and hiked to a prestine 25 meter waterfall. All along the way we were guided by butterflies of every color!
The farm is nestled in a jungle valley surrounded by thick jungle and a towering red rock. In their garden is just about anything you could imagine. They harvest the only hibiscus in Boilivia and make bomb ass tea with it. They also harvest papaya, mango, guava, mandarins, avacado, different types of peas and beans, soya, any and every herb you can think of, pumpkins, tomatoes, arugula, varieties of lettuce, yuca, onions, carrots, the magical san pedro, honey from their own bee hives, peppers, as well as coffee. They have horses, chickens running around everywhere, little pup named Gaia, opportunity for jewelry making, chinese checkers (Soren tried to win....he can beat the 5 year old....), best bolivian chocolate and wine (be careful when you bet with the padre!) and lots and lots of music making.
The padre is Cristobol, beautiful bolivian wife Sol and their children Ginger and Dzi. Another son, Nova, lives in Santa Cruz as a wood carver, but we weren´t able to meet him. Chris is an incredible musician, wild crazy jungle man with a passion for connecting with and sharing his knowledge nature and spirituality. His wife Sol is an amazing vegetarian cook with a warm heart, sweet energy and a talented and patient teacher of her jewelry making. They both have extensive knowledge about natural and herbal medicine and practice it regularly. Both kids are incredibly smart, wild, and funny (not to mention bilingual) who made us laugh every single day! Dzi is quick witted and knows the jungle like the back of his hand. We joked about how he is the one who will be the next Bolivian predsident. Ginger, the farm´s namesake, is a fiesty little one, cute as a button, and seranades while sitting on the baño seco.
We only spent a little over a week but felt a strong connection to the place and the family. Anyone in traveling through Bolivia who want to experience a true piece of paradise should check this place out and stay! Here´s the link for anyone interested:
http://www.gingersparadise.com/
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