Ecuador Living

Intag Cloud Forest is one reason why Ecuador was named by National Geographic Magazine as one of the top ten adventure destinations for 2007.

The Intag – An Introduction

By Bonnie Keough

Bonnie will conduct the new expanded September 2 through 6, 2010 Ecuador Export Tour.

Few know it and even fewer go there, but just 30 miles away from temperate, warm Cotacachi lies the hidden, little known tropical valley of the Intag. It is almost a hidden valley, because though close, Intag is a bone-jarring two and a half hour ride by car. Intag is not easily accessed but those who make the effort and sample its delights return again and again.

Yet a wonderful opportunity is lost by not following the dirt track that continues on from Cuicocha. Follow it and you pass haciendas for sale with wonderful panoramic vistas, a couple of remote but spectacularly located guest houses, (one is for sale), until after 5 miles, and a further 500 feet of altitude, there is a pass over a ridge of the western cordillera of the Andes. There the unpaved highway passes the occasional house, some with straw roofs, and starts down the Andes western slope.

As the road descends, the vegetation thickens. The few trees dotting the barren landscape either side of the pass turn into cloud forest. Lush vegetation sprouts everywhere, nourished by the moisture laden clouds that cling to these hillsides.

The road follows torturous curves with sharp drops that create spectacular waterfalls.

Often there are traffic delays created by land slides, occasional heavy rainfall and just the out and out ruggedness of the terrain. The engineers who maintain these parts are never short of work, the bulldozer is invaluable in pushing back the rocks and dirt that frequently slide into the roads.  The locals accept this as part of daily life during the rainy season.Unfortunately for us, it was the tail end of the rainy season, we unknowingly added more adventure to our trip than we planned.

Finally past the worst stretch, there are signs of civilization; little cabins stretched along the roadside, one-classroom schools, mothers and children walking alongside the roadside inevitably carrying something and here and there.  One can see the occasional burro used as beast of burden or mode of transport.

However all this is about to change. A project to pave the road all the way into the Intag has been approved.  This creates potential for appreciating real estate value.

The ladies in Ecuador are very skilled at using whatever inexpensive  materials they find locally to make useful items to sell.  In Cotacachi, they use leather scraps and fashion them into wonderful ponchos, shawls and scarves which are crocheted together.  In the Intag, they use threads made from a local plant, Agave, to make utilitian items like baskets, purses, hats, placemats and table mats, which are very unique and long lasting.  In contrast to this use of Agave, in other parts of the world it is used to make tequila.  This speaks volumes about the nature of Ecuadorians!

Making an item from Cabuya is a process that entails first making the fiber from the plant, then dying it with natural dyes,  it is a long process  requiring patience and skill.

While driving through the Intag, it is a familiar sight to see Cabuya fiber spread in fields to dry before dying.

Here is a master…

extracting the fibers from…

the agave leaves.

There are several people in the area who act as sales agents selling the fiber products from a woman’s collective in this area.  We met one of them, Maria, when we stopped by her house. 

Naturally, I’m always on the lookout for local crafts.  I like to buy unique items and I also want to support the local artists.

Accompanied on this trip by my friend Jimmie,  we found lots of things to buy at Maria’s little informal display.  We paid for our purchases and Maria carefully noted which of her friends had made each item.   In the end we spent $50 and Maria overwhelmed us with her gratitude. Jimmie commented, “It’s almost secondary what you buy. You feel so good making a difference in their daily lives”.

Ecuador Thermal Pools in the Intag National Forest at Apuela and Nangulvi Offer Relaxation and Profit

Further in you can see Apuela hemmed in by green cliffs.

The valley floor has been carved by the rapid white waters of the Intag River that rushes headlong into the Pacific. Here is the Intag River.

Apuela is a market town and also headquarters of the Intag Coffee Company which produces a delicious, organic, high pH coffee from Intag.

You can learn about buying wholesale or retail, with packaging or without, raw or roasted for drinking or for profit!

The raw organic coffee beans for the coop come from small farms settled around Apuela and scattered throughout the Intag.  Here is an Intag farmer picking coffee.

Apuela is the home of the Intag Coffee Company.

We serve only the delicious, organic coffee from Intag at our hotel Inn Land of the Sun (formerly Meson de las Flores). One of  our readers who stayed at Meson tested Intag coffee for acidity and it scored a remarkable 6.7 on the ph scale!  Unbelievable!  Most coffee is very acidic.  No wonder people are in love with the coffee that is served.

Intag Coffee Company is a cooperative located in a small cement and wood building  just off the main square.  You can  smell the coffee roasting as you enter town.

Here is our trusted taxi driver, Isaak, looking at the huge bags of raw beans brought to the roasting house by the farmers of this cooperative.

Though a small operation, Intag coffee sales are steadily growing and demand often exceeds supply. The cooperative’s aim is fair trade and they pay far higher prices to local farmers than the Ecuador norm. The coop grades the beans in the roasting and packing center. Then begins the roasting procedure.

Here is the roaster machine and the beans.

In Intag one can buy wholesale or retail, with packaging or without. Raw, white beans are available to roast or roasted whole or ground coffee is sold. There is a selection of three roasts; expresso, medium or fine.

Though small,  Intag Coffee is a very efficient operation.   They export to Spain and Japan.   Here´s a picture of  the Japanese Intag fair trade, organic coffee packaged and ready to go.

I was surprised to learn  that  many of the restaurants and cafes throughout Ecuador serve Nescafe instant coffee.  Rest assured, that is not the case at Inn Land of the Sun!

Many folks travel to the Intag to visit the thermal pools at Nangulvi Villas, a cluster of cabins perched along side the Intag River.  There’s a restaurant serving inexpensive typical Ecuadorian meals.  The colorful gardens are full of tropical flowers that attract exotic birds.  Birding is another popular activity in the Intag and brightly colored butterflys are everywhere.  The very famous Cock of the Rock is easily seen in the Intag, considered rare elsewhere.

Here is Nangulvi Lodge.

There are great hot pools here for a soak.  The complex has many pools each with a different temperature.   They are often used  by Ecuadorians, Colombians and Spanish as well as the growing expat community.

Bonnie

See how to create value opportunities with auctions here.

 

Learn about Ecuador, international investing, business and global health secrets at our  June 24-27 Quantum Wealth plus International Investing and Business Course in North Carolina

June 30-Jul 1 Coastal Real Estate Tour

July 3-4 Imbabura Real Estate Tour

July 6-7   Quito Mindo Real Estate Tour

July 9-10     Cuenca Real Estate Tour

You enjoy discounts by attending multiple seminars and tours.

Here are our multi tour adventure discounts.

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Aug. 31-Sept. 1 Ecuador Shamanic Minga

Sept.   2-6   Ecuador Export Tour

Sept.   8-9  Imbabura Real Estate Tour

Sept. 11-12  Coastal Real Estate Tour

Sept. 14-15-16 Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Oct.    7     Quantum Wealth North Carolina

Oct.   8-10   International Investing & Business North Carolina
Oct.   11-12  Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Oct.  13-14   Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Oct.  16-17   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Oct.  19-20   Quito Real Estate Tour
Oct. 22-23    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Nov.    4-7   Super Thinking + Spanish Course Florida
Nov.    8-9   Travel to Quito and Andean Tour
Nov. 10-11    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Nov. 13-14    Coastal Real Estate Tour
Nov. 16-17    Quito Real Estate
Nov. 19-20    Cuenca Real Estate Tour

Dec.   3-5    Ecuador Shamanic Mingo
Dec.   7-8    Imbabura Real Estate Tour
Dec.  10-11   Coastal Real Estate Tour
Dec. 13-14    Quito Real Estate Tour
Dec. 16-17    Cuenca Real Estate Tour