For years it has frustrated me that every time I return from working in Ecuador, I invariably get asked "how was your holiday?". Spending time with our producers in Ecuador is really hard work, frequently frustrating, long days and rarely a day off.
However, the real delight of our last trip to Ecuador in October was discovering a new Eco-lodge just a short walk along the river from one of our principal producers. To put this in perspective, we normally visited these producers every day from Cuenca, the nearest town, usually driven the 3 hour return trip on precipitous zigzaggy mountain roads by a daredevil driver. After being held up for half an hour on our first day driving to our producers by a nasty accident blocking this notoriously dangerous road, I was relieved to have booked into a newly-opened Eco Lodge for the next two nights.
Those two nights gradually extended into six nights as we enjoyed our leisurely morning riverside walk to work and returned to a swim and sauna in the evenings. Unaccustomed luxury compared to our usual trips! The Hosteria Barranco in Sigsig is $20 for a single and $40 for a double
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Interesting and comprehensive feature on eco fashion by Daisy Dumas in National Geographic Green, Summer 2010, examining which materials really are better for the environment. The article covers natural fibres, natural man-made fibres and synthetic man-made fibres.