Anthakarana near Armenia

ANTHAKARANAAnthakarana is a small ecovillage nesteled in the mountains of Salento near Armenia. Anthakarana means bridge under a rainbow from the material to the spiritual. Here they are going to host the annual ecovillage meeting Llamar de los Moñtanes. This is the biggest ecovillage meeting in the country, maybe I can make it back here in January for it.

I spent most of the time helping prepare for this event. Lots needed to be done. They needed to construct a maloca, build tire trails, plant the garden, make signs etc to get ready.

Activites.
Building the maloca out of Guadua.
Feeding Nandi.We also spent time painting a goat shed with gasoline to protect it.

surrounding land.

the shower

Lotsa Art projects

We painted these sculptures 4 colors to represent the four races. They are going to make an art inatallation for Llamar de la Montaña.

Painted signs to show people how to wash dishes using less
water and how to use the dry bathrooms.I made some logo concepts for themWe also made lots of dreams catchers:)

We played bored games or talked most nights. Below I am with a young couple from Colombia who stared a Trueque (trade) store in thier hometown near Bogota. They lived without money for 2 years by simply hosting a Trueque where people came to trade goods, services and knowledge. I asked what she did if she needed to go to the dentist or doctor. She said she needed her wisdom teeth out so she went to the local dentist and asked what she needed. The dentist needed a bike. So Natalia returned with a bike and got her wisdom teeth out! If only life was that simle for all of us...but really, it should be.

This same couple, Natalia nd Juan Carlos, spent a lot of time with the Kogi Indians in Santa Marta. The Kogis are a fully sustainable indiginous tribe that live totally isolated and virtually unchanged for centuries. The way they live is facinating and the pictures Natalie showed me were unbelievable

Oriana and Osiris the young couple (21years) below who live here descided at age 15 that they wanted an alternative life. They were the ones who told Orianas parents Deyanira and Bahmar about this way of life. They now also have a beautiful baby on the way :)
Delicious home-cooked meals with things like arepas, arroz, patacon, and many veggie burgers and hotdogs. We got to make cheese, marmalades, and coffee which is all so easy why do we bother buying these things??

Grinding coffee

Butterfly/moth montage

This last little guy kept landing on us all day as we worked planting pasto (grass) seeds to replenish the rolling hills with food for the goats.