La Vida en la Finca Palugo (Life at Finca Palugo)

2025 Ecuador Semester Blog #2:
September 17, 2025 to September 27, 2025

Welcome to the second entry of the Ecuador semester blog. Thank you for reading, I am so excited to share our adventures!

Flying to Ecuador

Looking back, leaving Kroka on the morning of the 17th feels so long ago. After spending our last night at Kroka sleeping in the boathouse, we woke up at 3:30AM and finished the last few packing tasks. The night sky was bright and clear as we said goodbye to Orion’s Belt and the Big Dipper; northern constellations that we won’t see for the next 3 months! 

After a two hour van ride we rolled into the Boston airport just as the sun was rising over the city. Our bags proved a difficulty as we made several trips into the airport, staggering under heavy duffels. We must have looked rather out of place with our homemade backpacks and our journals. Looking around the airport many passengers remained fixed on their phones, passing the time waiting and on flights. Our semester found other ways to entertain ourselves. We knit, read poems, journaled, engaged in conversation, and most memorable of all: completed our fitness by running up the downward escalator! 

After two flights and a layover, we arrived in Quito. We were greeted by members of the Palugo community and brought to the farm where we were greeted by a warm welcoming meal and soft mattresses.  

Welcome to Ecuador & Palugo

Let me first describe this place, so that you can imagine our adventures and appreciate the beautiful land surrounding us:

The first thing we notice are the mountains. The Andes surround us on all sides with their vast strength. The closer mountains are gold and speckled green with trees, while the distance turns the farther peaks indigo. On a clear day we can see Cotopaxi, the snow capped volcano, with his rocky peak and a little puff of smoke. Surrounding the mountains are the clouds. In the mornings they are often puffy and white, while the afternoon often brings thunder and rain. Each evening we all marvel in the incredible sunsets that light up the sky with fuchsia, orange, and gold. At night we can see the glimmering city lights of Quito to the west. Here at Palugo we are surrounded by cypress and eucalyptus, as well as shorter, shrubbier, trees, and thorny flowering bushes. Often we will see hummingbirds visiting the flowering trees, or vultures riding the wind, and once, perching on the roof of the Chozon (or academic space/living room). Sometimes we will even see the small grey deer grazing as we split fire wood. It is such a gift to be surrounded by this beautiful land, and it fills each day with wonder. 

Our Community is Complete! 

ROBERTO!
Our third instructor Roberto joined our group in Palugo. He shares his wisdom and passion for bikes, expeditioning, and this land, as well as his humor and thoughtfulness. 

LORE, Quito, Ecuador, Navigator: Lore brings her kindness and enthusiasm for everything we do. She is up for any adventure and any conversation. You can find her helping her friends by translating Spanish to english and vice versa, drawing in her journal, or making people laugh. 

JHORDAN, Quito, Ecuador, Gear Manager: Jhordan is always ready to offer help and support. He brightens our group with his gentle and kind presence and his quiet laughter. Jhordan brings his thoughtfulness and focus to every interaction. There is a language barrier between Jhordan and most of the group, making communication hard sometimes, but we are all practicing our Spanish and finding creative ways to connect. 

Additionally we deeply appreciate Ella and Fernanda, who have been spending time with our group, and cooking us delicious, nourishing meals every day!

A Day in Palugo

Our days at Palugo look both similar and different to those at Kroka. They include academics, crafts, chores, and time for journaling and sit spot, but at Palugo we have had a little more time for personal care and spending time together. 

6:15-7:00 AM ~Fitness: This usually means running the trails around Palugo to help us adjust to the altitude and strengthen our bodies. 

7:00-8:30 AM ~Chores: Here at Palugo we have been rotating through the various chores in pairs. Chores are a great way for us to contribute to the farm, learn new skills, and meet new people! 

8:30-9:30 AM ~DESAYUNO (Breakfast) 

9:30-10:00AM ~ Morning Meeting: This is a time for logistics, announcements, and a quick check in before we start the day. 

10:15 AM-1:00 PM ~Academic Block 1: During our academic blocks we have been focusing on Book of Wisdom pages, knife making, and other classes, including permaculture, herbalism, and bike mechanics. 

1:00-2:00 PM ~ALMUERZO (Lunch) 

2:00-2:30 PM ~Siesta: Siesta is a time for rest, self care, crafts, homework, and fun!

2:30-5:30 PM ~Academic Block 2

5:30-6:00 PM~Journaling: During this time we get a chance to work on our journals and often answer a prompt given to us by one of our teachers/instructors. 

6:00-7:00 PM ~CENA (Dinner) 

7:00-8:00 PM~ Evening Meeting: a time for sharing appreciations and thoughts, and a beautiful time for our group to be vulnerable and grow closer as a community. We finish our night with a song and go to bed. 

SIESTA

Siesta has been a beautiful addition to our schedule. Each and every one of us have deeply appreciated this moment for rest and personal care. During siesta you can find our group napping in the “Cabaña”, washing laundry by hand, knitting or crocheting, drawing, reading, working on Book of Wisdom pages, or socializing. The Chozon is filled with singing and guitar, alongside thoughtful journaling or letter writing. Longer meal times also add moments of free time to the day, giving our schedule a wonderful breath in a full day. It gives us time to process and enjoy each other’s company. 

Adjusting to Altitude

In one day, we went from 1660 ft to 9184ft: a difference of almost 7500ft! This is no insignificant change, and we have been feeling it in our bodies and energy levels. On an every day basis we have all been feeling a bit more tired, especially during the first few days. For this, all we can do is hydrate and take the days slowly. Another impact of the altitude is on our fitness. The decrease in oxygen makes even a walk winding at first. Over the past week our bodies have been adjusting naturally, and in addition to that we have been waking up early to run. Each day it grows a little easier, and our route gets longer, but it is definitely affecting our abilities. We have been adjusting in other ways as well, and a few of us have been feeling some stomach pain and loss of appetite. But, luckily no one is having too hard of a time, and we have lots of natural remedies to support our bodies.  

Finca Palugo: The Farm and the Community

Palugo, in addition to being an educational community, is a working dairy farm. Palugo has dozens of pure-bred Swiss brown cows, chickens, pigs, horses, alpacas, sheep, and guinea pigs, as well as a large garden which goes to a weekly CSA. At the barn there is a milking stable with milking machines, and a creamery where they pasteurize milk, and make cheese and yogurt. Run by the Dammer family, Palugo made the transition to pesticide and hormone free in 1995, and then began incorporating permaculture principles as well.

We have had the pleasure of spending time learning from and working with the Dammer family, from Francisco, who founded the farm and is world renowned for his cow breading, his three sons and their partners, who teach us our classes and now run the Palugo Finca and Nahual Expeditions, to his six grandchildren who can be found riding horses or having little adventures around the farm. Additionally Palugo has many local members of their staff, many of whom have been working here for over a decade, with whom we have also worked with during chores in the garden or dairy. They all speak only Spanish so it is sometimes difficult to communicate, but it is also another exciting opportunity for us to practice.

The most prominent way we interact with the farm is through Llankays (Chores) every morning. These chores include milking, fire wood, cooking, working in the garden, and taking care of the farm. Milking means waking up at 4:30 to assist with the milking machines and feed the calves, while firewood can be processing a fallen tree and then bringing it back to the barn to split. Other days we might feed and water the chickens, bring food scraps to the pigs, weed the garden, or clean the community spaces. Chores are wonderful opportunities for us to engage with the farm, and learn from the experts about each job. 

We are so grateful for the welcoming kindness of the Dammer family and everyone on the farm!

What is your favorite part of Finca Palugo? 

WILCCA: The architecture is definitely up there, but I think the classes have been my favorite thing at Palugo. The passion our teachers have is radiating and I come out of each class with new passion. 

GRACE: My favorite thing about Palugo is the animals. The variety of animals is amazing and I love every single one of them, especially the baby guinea pigs (cuys!) and the cuddly dogs. 

CLARA: Seeing the mountains everyday. 

LUCIA: I love the people, and the intentionality of everything here. 

ALEXA: Milking the cows at 4:30AM!

LORE: The animals at Palugo are one of my favorite parts. Being able to work with them and see all the diversity in this place. Also the colorful sunsets in the afternoon are really impressive.

DOROTHY: I love seeing the sun light up Cotopaxi in the morning, covered in snow. 

BENNETT: The food and the views!

FIN: Being on the farm 

ELLA: Getting to know the farm, the people on it, and the breathtaking Ecuador landscapes!

JHORDAN: La parte favorita de Finca Palugo son las huertas ya que puedo sentir que estoy en mi casa arando la tierra de mi huerto. (My favorite part of Palugo is the gardens where I can feel like I am at home working with the earth in my garden.)

DAVIS: The warm chaos, milking, the beautiful space, learning from the families, and the wonderful food.

SOLENA: Getting to try different foods, being able to see the mountains and city lights, and all the community on the farm. 

ALAYA: The beautiful mountains surrounding us in every direction, as well as the beautiful humans we’ve gotten to meet and spend time with. 

Academics 

Our time at Palugo has been a chance for classes and academic work. We attend a variety of classes during our academic blocks, centered around our journey and the land around us. During one class we learned about the mechanics of our bikes with Roberto, while later in the week Marcia taught us herbal self care and showed us how to make a salve. We had a class with Marcella focused on the history of Ecuador, and several more focused on permaculture! Each teacher has had so much passion and knowledge for their subject which has made these classes such wonderful experiences. 

Another big part of our academics is the Book of Wisdom pages. The Book of Wisdom is a collection of polished artistic pages recounting what we have experienced and learned. In addition to being part of our academic credit, the Book of Wisdom provides memories and knowledge for the future. Each student made a page about their Big Job and the responsibilities it entails, as well as additional pages on topics that we have been learning. These included backpack and knife making, social permaculture, animal care, songs, recipes, history of Palugo, and more! 

Knife making 

Knives are a vital tool both for expedition and basecamp life. We use them for sharpening pencils, gutting fish, cutting string or leather, cooking, or many more tasks. A big focus of our time here at Palugo was knife hafting (creating the handle of the knife), and making a sheath. Instead of making them for ourselves we each choose a peer’s name from a hat and created a knife and sheath for that person. Each student put so much love and work into their knives,  which was especially beautiful because it wasn’t for themself. 

With our wonderful knife expert Lindsay we began these vital tools. To make the knife we first drilled a hole and then burned the tang of the blade into the wood using a blow torch to heat the metal. Then we drew and rasped the side profile, and repeated the same steps for the top profile before rounding the corners. Finally lots and lots of sanding! After the knife was fully finished we made the sheaths by drawing a template, cutting the leather, soaking it in water, and sewing it up with a haul and thread. We had so much fun learning the process and making our own unique knives with our person in mind.

 

To complete this project we had a beautiful ceremony in which we presented our knife to our person along with a few thoughtful words and appreciations about them. There was so much excitement and joy as we all received these gifts. It is so special to have this valuable tool made with so much love by one of our friends. We will cherish these knives for many years to come. 

Spanish 

Now that we are in Ecuador, our Spanish practice has fully begun! We are constantly surrounded by the language. At meals some of our songs are in Spanish, and the meal is always introduced in Spanish as well. During chores we often work with the local staff with whom we speak Spanish. We have varying levels of Spanish in our group, from students who are fluent, to those who only started practicing over the summer, but everyone has a lot of enthusiasm for learning! At siesta you can find Bennett copying notes from a Spanish guidebook, or Davis teaching Spanish to other students. We have also been practicing Spanish with Jhordan and Lore! Evening meetings and class are translated into Spanish, or taught in a mix of English and Spanish, giving us another chance to practice our listening. It is so amazing to see how excited and devoted everyone is to learning this language, and also how much we are improving!

Additional Adventures and Experiences 

As our first ten days at Palugo come to a close, we begin preparations for our first expedition and enjoy our last few days at the farm. 

On Thursday we came together for our service project: weeding Palugo’s pond! We geared up in our bathing suits and sun hats and waded into the water to pull out the thick pond weed so that the pond will be healthy and ready for swimming. We waded hip deep into the murky plant filled water and ripped out chunks of the weed along with the occasional live or dead fish. Overall our spirits were high as we draped ourselves in the plants, caught fish, got covered in mud, and made a giant mountain of pondweed. After a couple hours we cleared the whole body of water and even hand caught 19 (live) trout for dinner.

That night we got to participate in a beautiful Peace Dance, led by Munay. We sang songs from many different cultures while creating circular dances and finding joy in moving our bodies. 

A song from the Peace Dance: 

Hay Fuego en mi ser (There’s fire in my being) 
Tengo el Poder (I have the power) 
Ooh urku nina chey  (Force of fire in the mountain)
Traenos tu medicina (Bring us your medicine) 

On Friday we had a pizza party to celebrate our first stay in Palugo. We began in the late afternoon, coming together to make the dough, and prepare the crusts and toppings. We had a festive dinner in the kitchen with music and singing and trays of pizza hot out of the wood fired oven. We ate until we were stuffed and then had warm cookies and guinea pig (cuy!). The joy and festivity was permeable in the air as we laughed and ate together. 

On Sunday we had a chocolate making class with Marcella’s mother, Ines! Ines has been growing cacao and making chocolate for twelve years and during our class she shared the story of her land in the Amazon, and her path to chocolate. We learned the process, and then completed many of the steps to make our own chocolate! There are other processes that come before, but our first step was roasting the cacao beans. We then shelled them, and ground them, before melting them with sugar and tempering the mixture. The final step was pouring the chocolate into molds along with sea salt, coffee, cacao nibs, orange, and ginger. It was a lovely way to spend our last day in Palugo, and we all had so much fun learning about the process and enjoying the results! 

Goodbye Palugo! Until next time! 

These past few days have also been filled with expedition prep, with the group separating into their Big Jobs to plan out the food or prepare our gear. We are getting ready to leave Palugo for over a month. In the time we are away we will be bikepacking through the Andes, staying with families in the village of San Clemente, and biking down into the jungle where we will stay at a village and then travel by boats on the rivers. We are all so excited for everything ahead and to continue to come together as a group! 

What are you most looking forward to during our time in Ecuador? 

WILCCA: I am most excited about the mountains. The mountaineering is going to be epic.

GRACE: I am looking forward to the homestays, getting to make incredible connections and learning about the culture and practicing my Spanish. 

CLARA: I am excited for the homestays in San Clemente!! 

LUCIA: I am looking forward to doing traditional crafts and seeing more of the Ecuadorian culture. 

ALEXA: Getting to know the different landscapes of Ecuador!

LORE: I am looking forward to seeing the beautiful landscapes in our expedition to San Clemente and Avispero. I’m excited to pass through the eucalyptus, pines and cypress trees, having a great time and enjoying bikepacking. 

DOROTHY: Watching the seasons change! 

BENNETT: Expeditioning  into the mountains

FIN: Seeing the jungle! 

ELLA: I am so excited for the jungle, expeditioning through the beautiful landscapes, and learning more about the culture here. 

JHORDAN: Porque puedo conocerlos y aprender de este nuevo comienzo que tengo y compartir con ellos. (I’m excited to get to know everyone in this new beginning and share with them this cultural experience.)

DAVIS: The homestays and learning about the culture of San Clemente, and expeditioning through the jungle.

SOLENA: Seeing the landscapes and traditions in different places we travel through. 

ALAYA: I am the most excited, and nervous at the same time, for the Avispero and for climbing Antisana. 

As we prepare to leave, we feel all our gratitude for our time at Palugo. It has been an incredible place to land, and we have felt so welcomed. Each day we marvel at the incredible landscapes, the kind people, and the amazing adventures we have ahead. 

Thank you so much for reading and don’t forget to stay tuned for the next entry! I am so excited to tell you about our journeys! 

Sincerely, your scribe,

Ella