Filed under: Animals, Environment, Service, Service Abroad, Spring Break, Summer Break, Ulaa Service, Winter Break | Tags: agricultural service, agricultural volunteer work, agritourism, Chile, Enchanting Challenge, Enchanting Group, serve in Argentina, serve in Chile, serve in Patagonia, Ulaa, Volunteer in Argentina, Volunteer in Chile, Volunteer in Patagonia
Alas, our week at Ulaa has ended…Nick and I were both so sad to leave that little organic Chilean paradise…As we took the boat across Lago Puelo to the Argentine mainland, we looked back with longing, saying goodbye to all the passing scenery. But our sadness was kept at bay because we have decided to return to Ulaa in July to work with Martin for the whole month, helping to keep the farm working, and helping to further develop the service project! We are so excited.
As I mentioned in past posts, Martin, the amazing Ulaa caretaker, is looking to host about 5 service workers at Ulaa at all times. Each service worker can stay for as long or as short as they would like, as long as they work on the farm everyday. Each service worker will be well-fed and cozy in their log cabin, which is equipped with a fireplace, comfy bed, and bathroom.
The tasks that the service workers will be charged with include picking berries off the trees, making jam, baking bread, fishing for trout and salmon, feeding the chickens, and brushing down the horse. It’s a lot of work, but it is honestly so much fun. Nick and I had hands stained purple from picking berries, and clothing with a constant coat of flour dust, but we were having so much fun! Sometimes nothing beats working with your hands, working in the thick of nature, creating what you eat from the very ground up.
that's me making jam, some of which I got on my nose!
my jam simmering on the stove
there's Nick kneading dough! check out the view he had while cooking!
there's some more of Nick's great dough!
It was so much fun to be part of the Ulaa community, helping in our small ways to make things move more smoothly on the farm, and to share in the work that allowed everyone to be happily well-fed. It really felt like being part of a collective unit, of a team, in which we were all core members. We honestly can not wait to return for the month of July.
Ulaa is currently ready to host service workers. If you are interested, please contact me and we can discuss all the details!! You can join our Facebook group here, or you can research more about volunteering on an organic farm at WWOOF. Ulaa is currently listed on the Chilean WWOOF site, but you need to become a WWOOF member for $15 if you want access to the entire list of Chilean WWOOF farms. I am available all the time at sarahannmaxwell@gmail.com or via Skype if you would like to chat more in depth about volunteering on the beautiful Ulaa farm! Ulaa is honestly a magical place, but it needs service workers to grow to its full potential…
Filed under: Environment, Service, Service Abroad, Spring Break, Summer Break, Ulaa Service, Winter Break | Tags: agricultural service, agritourism, alerces, Argentina, Chile, Environmental Service, serve on a farm, Service, Ulaa, Volunteer, Volunteer in Argentina, Volunteer in Chile, Volunteer in Patagonia
All week we have been hearing about the alerces, the giant trees in the forests surrounding Ulaa. For the past few days I have been really looking forward to our trip into the alerces forest, but nothing could have prepared me for the incredible reality of the journey…
The day began at 8 am, when Nick, Martin, and I walked to the Rio Puelo. We crossed the river in a small rowboat and waited at a neighboring farm for Emiliano, the alerces guide, to pick us up.
The morning was crisp and we watched the fog roll through the moutains as we sat in the dewy grass. Pretty soon we heard Emiliano coming down the mountain, and sure enough, there our guacho guide appeared–wearing a woolen poncho and a wollen cap–a true Chilean gaucho. He was guiding 4 horses, which he then helped us mount, and then turned around and guided back up the mountain.
The four of us clambored up the mountain until we reached Emiliano’s house, a lovely farmhouse with beautiful surroudning farmland. There we tied up our horses and took a break, drinking coffee and mate (a traditional Argentine tea) with Emiliano and his family in their cozy kitchen.
Check out the sheep on Emiliano’s farm!!
After enough coffee and mate to revive us for the rest of the trip, we hit the saddle once again. Then we climbed higher and higher, trekking across rocky ridges and through creeks. It was unbelievably beautiful. For a fleeting but exciting second, we felt like the guachos we have always imagined being.
We finally reached the forest, a virgin forest dense with brush. We tied the horses up and marched through, climbing over and through thick plant life. Finally we came to the alerces. They stood so high that I couldn’t really see where they ended! I had to sit down and tilt my head all the way back to see where their height stopped!
Knowing it takes one year for an alerce tree to grow one millimeter, and seeing how tall these trees were, we asked Martin how old he thought they were. It turns out that the younger ones are 1500 years old!!! But apparently that was not that impressive…We were soon directed to the oldest of the trees, which is a whopping 5500 years old!!! One living thing that has been in the same place for nearly 6 millenia…The history held within that wood is hard to imagine…Seeing such a precious and unharmed living thing felt very sacred in a way…
After spending some more time in the forest, we walked back to our horses and began descending down the mountain. Down we went through the creeks across grasslands and rocky lands, past trees dripping with blackberries, past farms with cows and pigs and sheep, until we finally reached the river. We had completed our journey. And we will never forget it!!!
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Martin, Nick, and I decided that the voyage to the alerces should accompany every service worker’s stay. At the end of every volunteer’s time here at Ulaa, each service worker should take part in this beautiful journey…It will change your life, and remind you of the beauty of the land that you are helping to cultivate.
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