Rio Muchacho Organic Farm-Volunteer Program

1. WHERE IS RIO MUCHACHO LOCATED ?
The entrance to Rio Muchacho is 10 km north of Canoa on the San Vicente-Jama Road. From the entrance it is 8 km of unpaved road which is passable by car most of the year but not during the worst parts of the rainy season. During those times you must go by foot or by horse. NOTE: Rio Muchacho is the name of the river and also the community. The farm is called Rio Muchacho Finca Orgánica. According to the locals the name Rio Muchacho is because the river is very unpredictable in the rainy season like a young boy “ muchacho “

2. HOW DO I GET TO RIO MUCHACHO ?
The first time you travel to the farm you must come via the office in Bahía and someone will take you from there to the farm. The office is at Avenida Bolivar y Arenas. Here there is more information and a registration form that you need to fill out with contact information etc. Once you have been to the farm and know the way, you can come and go on foot or by hitching with the odd truck that goes in and out.

3. HOW DO I GET TO BAHIA ?
Bus Services
The only company that travels Quito- Bahía is called Reina del Camino. From Guayaquil, there is another company but Reina del Camino is the best. There are two kinds of buses; the executive and regular. The executive service is more comfortable and safer than the regular services. It costs only $1-2 more and is well worth it.
Security is very high on these buses and you will be frisked before getting on. You are not usually allowed to take day packs on the bus for security reasons. Remember to take a sweater with you on the bus as the air conditioning can get very cold.

From Quito
It is 7-8 hours to Bahía. You can do it during the day or night, by regular or executive service. There are two executive services per day. The executives leave Quito at 12.50 pm and 11.45 pm, the regular services are at 10.30 am and 11.30 pm.
In Quito Reina del Camino has 2 offices:
1. Terminal Terrestre (the main Quito bus station in the old town)
2. 18 de Septiembre and Av. Patria in the new town in the Mariscal area. (very close to the junction of Av. Patria and 10 de Agosto.)
You can buy tickets for all services at 18 de Septiembre but the only service that actually leaves from there is the executive night bus at 11.pm (this is the 11.45pm service mentioned earlier, but it leaves from here at 11.pm then travels to the main bus station, picks up passengers and leaves from there at 11.45 pm).
We recommend getting tickets at the 18 de Septiembre station as it is much safer and easier.
Be careful with your belongings in the main bus station … don’t be distracted!
If you come from Quito on the day bus make sure you get a seat on the right hand side for great views.

From Guayaquil
You need to get the bus from the Bus terminal (terminal Terrestre)
The trip takes about 5-6 hours.
Timetable: (Ex)= executive service
3.45am , 5.35am,(Ex 8.30am) (Ex11.30am) (Ex 2.20pm) (Ex 4.40pm) (Ex 7.00pm) 9pm, (Ex 11.30pm)
Be careful with your belongings in the main bus station … don’t be distracted!

Once in Bahía
Bahía is a small safe town so don´t be too worried about arriving late night or early morning. The bus station is about 800m from the office, 1km from the hotel we recommend (see below)
Once in town come to the office, Guacamayo tours on Av. Bolívar y Arenas tel 691412 691107.(Av. Bolivar is the main street)
Office hours:
7.30am-6.00pm Monday to Friday
9am -4pm Saturday
10am -2pm Sunday
If you do travel on the day executive from Quito, you will arrive late and the office will be closed. We recommend Hostal el Viajero - right next door to the Guacamayo Tours office, It is $10 / night, Colonial house, clean, family owned and run. Tell them you are recommended by us.
You will probably need a restaurant, we recommend Arena Bar pizzeria (also on the main street-Av. Bolivar diagonal to the Guacamayo tours office)
Come to the office the next day at 9.00. If you need to contact us once in Bahía, most hotels have our after hours number.

Getting to Bahia by air (note these times change frequently)

If you fly, you can either get a bus or taxi to Bahía from the airport.
From Manta (taxi 11/4 hours $30) (bus 3-3 1/2 hours $2.25 Get a bus to Portoviejo and then change for one to Bahía.)
Note: There are no flights from Guayaquil to Manta or Portoviejo

4. WHAT WILL I LEARN AS A VOLUNTEER IN RIO MUCHACHO?
The activities are varied so that over a month period you will have seen many aspects of agriculture and rural life. The learning is mainly hands on with explications from Dario, Nicola or the workers on the farm. You will learn about all or most of the following: the principles of organic farming, planting, transplanting, weeding and organic weed control, harvesting, pest control, compost making, fertilizers, permaculture, recycling organic waste, composting toilets, animal care and feeding etc. Don´t expect to learn it all in the first week … it is a process!

learning about tropical crops

5. CAN I STUDY SPANISH WHILE AT THE FARM
Yes! teachers can come from Manta or Quito and work with you in Rio Muchacho. There are also programs available that include tourism, volunteering and Spanish classes (see the programs section of this web page).
If you want to have Spanish classes while volunteering, a teacher will come for a minimum of 6 hours a day/ 5 days a week. You can have the six hours yourself or the 6 hours can be shared by a number of volunteers.
The classes cost $6-$6.70 / hour depending on how many hours the teacher has in total. Please try to let us know in advance.

6. HOW FAR IS THE FARM FROM A TOWN, TELEPHONE & INTERNET?
Canoa is the closest town, it is a small beach town with hotels restaurants and Internet. From the entrance it is 10 km. The buses pass every half hour. Buses run until 6. 30 pm. There are also 2 internet places in Bahía. Internet prices are $2/ hour in Canoa $160 / hour in Bahia. International calls can be made from Canoa but it is much cheaper by net2 phone at the internet places in Bahia.

7. WHAT COMMUNICATION IS THERE BETWEEN THE FARM AND BAHIA, ETC.?
We have a short wave radio at the farm that connects us with the office. We have this connected to a solar panel and so we always have communication. There is no phone fax or internet at the farm. Our email can be used as a contact in case of emergency while you are at the farm.

8. HOW SAFE IS THE FARM, AREA AND WORK?
The area is safe and you don´t need to be concerned about walking alone. The people of Rio Muchacho are very friendly and helpful, however it is not well looked upon that you walk alone very late at night, try to return to the farm during daylight hours.
There are lockers in Rio Muchacho, and a safe box in the office in Bahía. As a precaution, avoid leaving cash or other valuables in the cabins by the river.

9. DO I NEED TO TAKE WATER PURIFYING TABLETS?
In Rio Muchacho the water is boiled and all vegetables are disinfected with a very good product made with grapefruit seed extract.
Bottled water is easily available in Ecuador (although sadly the bottles aren´t recycled (see environmental tips for travellers in this web site)

10. IS THERE A POSSIBILTY OF GETTING MALARIA OR ANOTHER TROPICAL
DISEASE?
There is no risk of malaria at the farm but there are cases of malaria on the coast in general. Many people come to the farm and do not take precautions but if you want to be completely safe it might be best to take the pills. As you will be on a farm where there is manure, you should have a tetanus shot / booster before coming.

11. WHAT HEALTH SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE?
In Bahía there are doctors and clinics. (One and a half hour trip) Always ask at the farm or office for help with doctors or emergency assistance. In the case of a serious injury e.g. a back injury, there is a helicopter service and air ambulance service to Quito to the hospital Metropolitano. (an excellent hospital)

local herbal cleansing technique

12. WHAT KINDS OF BITING INSECTS ARE THERE?
There are hardly any mosquitoes at the farm but sometimes there are at the entrance (on the main road). There are small sand flies in the morning and evening and at certain times of the year there are a lot of ticks. The ticks don´t carry disease, they are just annoying. In general there are a lot less biting insects here than in the cloud forest or in the jungle.

13. IS THERE A QUIET SPOT FOR MEDITATION OR YOGA?
Yes! there is a meditation garden that is planted with a large variety of plants. It has a covered meditation / yoga platform which overlooks the river.

14. HOW SHOULD I ACT WHEN IN THE COMMUNITY?
Women shouldn´t walk to and from the road in bikini tops.
Be sensitive to the local economy and avoid creating speculation that foreigners are very wealthy by paying inappropriate amounts of money etc. or pulling out a $50 note to pay for a soda.
*Please avoid romantic involvement of any kind with family or community members.

15. HOW SHOULD I ACT ON THE FARM?
PLEASE be culturally sensitive… a good guide is if the family don´t do it then don´t do it either. Avoid excluding them by having long conversations in other languages when working together and especially at the meal table. Also for the comfort of other volunteers try to use the most common language (usually English).
*For the comfort of the family and other volunteers don´t smoke inside the house or consume alcohol (unless it is a fiesta or you want to wander down to the store for a beer). Don´t take it back to the house.
ROMANTIC INVOLVEMENT WITH THE LOCALS, DRUGS AND ALCHOL CONSUMPTION ARE NOT PERMITTED AT THE FARM- IF YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THESE, THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR YOU!
*If you are a couple please be discrete about showing affection especially around the children.
*Nose blowing in public is offensive and bad manners to Ecuadorians, try to remember to leave the room to blow your nose. Spitting on the other hand is generally offensive to us but is not a problem to them…it is not considered the best manners but it certainly isn’t a problem!
*If you have your own music cassettes please refrain from playing them repeatedly on the tape recorder (unless they are Latin/ tropical type music)
*PLEASE don’t offer to keep in contact with any members of the family/ community by email, this is culturally inappropriate and would cause them expense. Snail mail can be sent to our address and we will forward it.
*Try to avoid money talk, one thing that is often a topic of conversation for the locals is comparing wages from developed countries with theirs, asking about how much it cost for you to get here etc. The relativity of these amounts may be difficult for them to grasp and even if you consider yourself a poor student, the mere fact that you have spent so much money getting to Ecuador indicates to them that you have more money than they will ever have. This can eventually lead to a feeling of cultural poverty and discontent with their lifestyle. It could also be a temptation for theft. Be aware of this and try to avoid the subject.
* Physical contact through play isn´t a normal part of the culture especially between men and women...avoid this as it is often misinterpreted.
*Often we expect things to happen at the pace we are accustomed to. Be flexible and accept that things often don`t happen very fast in Ecuador.
TRY TO UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THEIR CULTURE RATHER THAN TRYING TO HAVE THEM UNDERSTAND YOURS.

16. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR WHEN ON THE FARM?
You will need light cotton clothes, women should not work in a bikini top even though it is very hot and is a good opportunity to get a tan! Strong shoes or boots are good. Take precautions with the sun, use sun block and a wide brimmed hat

17. WHAT IS THE POSTAL ADDRESS?
Casilla 13.02.70, Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador. NOTE if you plan to stay for a month and you expect snail mail, make sure you ask people to allow 4 weeks for it to get to you.. otherwise you wont get it ... the postal system is very slow. If it is urgent ask them to send it by FEDEX (our office is the local agent)

18. WHY DOES THE FARM ACCEPT VOLUNTEERS?
The farm began accepting volunteers as there were many people who wanted to come and help and learn. There were also tourists who wanted to stay on a volunteer basis to learn about organic farming and as a break from traveling.

19. WHY DO VOLUNTEERS PAY?
Initially volunteers didn´t pay but we found that many people had no skills or background on the land and they came because they wanted to learn. We appreciate the enthusiasm of the volunteers and the energy that they put into the farm and school but the lack of experience sometimes limits the tasks that can be done at times we spend a lot of time teaching, the volunteer takes time to learn, and then he / she leaves the farm to continue traveling.
Some people would come to rest after being sick or just to spend some time in one place for a while. This became very expensive for us and we preferred not to have volunteers on this basis. The fee enables us to be able to accept volunteers, spend time explaining, and give the tour to see the other projects.

20. WHAT IS THE VOLUNTEER FEE USED FOR?
Most of the fee is used to cover food and board; it also pays the person who takes you to visit the projects in Bahía. In addition, there are transport and logistical expenses behind the scenes involving staff in Bahía. The rest goes into a fund and is used when needed for school or community work.

building the biogas plant

21. WHEN AND HOW IS PAYMENT TO BE MADE?
Payment must be completed in cash the day you register in Bahia.
This will save you unnecessary weekend trips to Bahia later in your stay when you would rather be at the beach or relaxing at the farm! If you have a daily limit for withdrawals then you should plan for that and withdraw the day before.

22. WHAT KIND OF FOOD IS SERVED?
The food is mostly from the farm, some things don’t grow on the coast so we have to buy them.
Breakfast consists of a colorful fruit salad and a typical dish often made with plantain, or yuca and baked in a wood oven.
Lunch in Ecuador always consists of soup and a main course and juice
Dinner is a main course and herb tea / coffee.
The food is vegetarian and with white meats, there is no rule but generally no red meat is served.
It is a very creative combination of local food and vegetable dishes.

23. WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
.A flashlight is useful
.A towel
.A water bottle
.Work clothes- that you don´t mind getting very dirty. Light cotton clothes are best. At least one long sleeved shirt to be used when cutting  pasture grass which can cut bare arms.
.Rubber boots.
.Clothes washing detergent (try to get biodegradable, if you are in Ecuador, the Foca      brand is biodegradable)
.body soap -glycerin soaps are biodegradable.
.Some tidy clothes for fiestas
.Good books, sun hat, sunscreen and any medical supplies you might need.  

Recommendations:
.A cream for soothing itchy bites is a good idea, not just for Rio Muchacho but for traveling in general. (In a tropical climate a simple bite can turn nasty if it is scratched, the cream prevents temptation!)

IMPORTANT

Some volunteers arrive with bad stomachs or eat food on the weekends whichdoes not agree with them. There is no pharmacy there so you need to be prepared. We recommend that volunteers bring a diarrhea stop pill ( in Ecuador it a good one is Kaopetate) and 3 PROBIOTIC pills as well as antibiotics. ( probiotics are good bacteria to help your digestive system fight an infection in a more natural and sometimes more effective way )Many cases can be cured with PROBIOTICS better than antibiotics.. and they are much better for you !! Even if you take antibiotics the probiotics will help your system to recover( replace what the antibiotics removed ) so that you aren´t so prone the next time ! Ecuadorian ones are called Floratil, Lactol, Sinfloril .

Mosquito net if you want to use one. .

Some people like to take packet drinks to mix and make juice in their water bottle.If you would like to bring something for the school, at the moment we are needing legos, building blocks and puzzles, story books in Spanish, lap tops that might be too slow or old for you but that are fine for learning the basics on. We are trying to create a library for the school, please ask around your friends if they want to donate a book. Donations for the school are also welcome, some people do a little fund raising for the school before coming. Please do not bring pens and pencils.. we have enough for now ! If you are coming from the states please let us know if you are able to hand carry things.

24.HOW CAN I HELP THE SCHOOL, CAN I BRING SOMETHING?
If you would like to bring something for the school, at the moment we are needing and puzzles and educational toys for 5-8 year olds. We are trying to create a library for the school, please ask around your friends if they want to donate a book( in Spanish ).
Please do not bring pens and pencils... we have enough for now! Donations for the school are also welcome, some people do a little fund raising for the school before coming, see fund raising ideas. Without much effort volunteers have been able to raise sums that have been of great help.

25. WHAT KIND OF WORK IS DONE WITH THE COMMUNITY ?
Work began with the community when Dario bought the farm (in 1987) He has been very involved in community interests and has coordinated many activities in benefit of the area.
The Environmental School (coordinated by Dario and Nicola) was built in 1993 has united the community and provided a meeting place for workshops, courses, fund raising activities etc.
Volunteer groups coordinated by the farm have helped a lot in the community; they have worked in the school, on renovating the church, creating a water system (which has recently been incorporated in a larger project to build bathroom units for the families in the valley) There is a folder at the farm with more information about this.

26. HOW DOES THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE FARM ?
The farm supports and coordinates the Community Environmental School.
The school is a wonderful opportunity for the children of the area. Here they have a more creative, practical education with more art, English, sport and environmental studies.
The children from the school come to the farm to learn about preparation of fertilizers, different crops etc. They also come for an eco camps where they stay the night.
Workshops have been organized on agriculture and other subjects eg. alternative forms of income from working with ageing wood techniques, weaving banana fiber to make sun hats etc.
We have held health days at the school where the local people have had access to dentists, doctors and the mobile cancer clinic.
Garden competitions have been held as an incentive to grow more food and make their houses more attractive.
We created a bamboo reforestation project for the area after the Niño and earthquake (when there was very high demand for bamboo and the supplies grew very low). The nursery was at the farm.
Groups of farmers and students from all over Ecuador come to learn not only on the farm but they also visit the organic shrimp farm, and the composting/ paper recycling projects in Bahía.

27. WHAT CAN I DO IN THE WEEKENDS ?
*Some volunteers spend their time at the Farm in the weekend. There is usually a football game in the community. Others spend the weekend in Canoa at the beach. But there are a lot of other things to do:
*There are a number of walks that you can do from the farm (to Canoa and other
areas), this info is in a folder at the farm.
* Isla Corazón is a great visit to do on a weekend. It is a community tourism project with a ride in dugout canoes into the mangroves and to see a colony of frigate birds. It is a really good trip which you can do on your own or as a tour through the office. Ask in the office for tide times as you have to do it at high tide.
*Punta Prieta is a Guest House about 1 hour further north. The guest house itself is not cheap but they have a wonderful little house on the beach that they charge $8 /night /person ($10 if you use the cooking facilities/fridge etc) The beach is very clean and private… a real treat!
*Río Muchacho volunteers get a discount at Posada de Daniel (in Canoa), just tell them you are a volunteer at the farm.
There are some nice walks from Bahía including along the beach between Bahía and Canoa.

28. CAN GUACAMAYO TOURS HELP ME WITH GOOD TOURS TO THE JUNGLE, GALAPAGOS AND ANDES?
Yes, the Guacamayo office has very good contacts for:
White water rafting
Andes- village tours and mountain climbing with the experts.
Jungle- tours to the Cuyabeno reserve (highly recommended)
Galapagos- economic-first class boats and prices & last minute reservations.
Community Tourism projects around Ecuador.
Cuenca and Cajas National Park
Let us know if you want help with this …especially if for Galapagos as it is important to book ahead.

29. CAN WE RECOMMED A PLACE TO STAY IN QUITO?
Yes, we recommend AMAZON INN HOSTAL not to be confused with Hotel Amazonas or Hostal Amazonas INN. It costs $12 for shared bathroom and $18.90 for private bathroom, but is a really good deal because it includes breakfast, your airport pick up and drop off, AND a short city tour by car. The rooms are nice and they have a travel agency at the hostel too, it is called Palma Roja Tours and this sign might be more obvious than the hostel one.
Address: La Pinta E 4-55 y Av. Amazonas (frente a la Embajada de España)
QUITO
Owners – Carlos and Pilar 094304822
(593)(2) 2556- 985 / (593)(2) 2546- 455 / (593)(9) 4304- 822
Tell them you are recommended by us.

30. CAN I USE A MOBILE PHONE AT THE FARM ?
There is no mobile phone reception at the farm. If you are traveling with a  mobile, you should tell family and friends so that they aren’t trying to call you. You however, can call out  if you need to by walking up to the top of the hill opposite the house. ( not something  you want to do everyday ! )