There and Back Again: the World Travels of a Watson Fellow: Santiago de Okola: Home of the Sleeping Dragon on Lake Titicaca

It smells like Australia here. The scent hit me like a ton of bricks, though I couldn’t quite place it at first. The memories, however, came flooding back. Then I asked if the trees were Eucalyptus and that was it!

Hiking down into Santiago de Okola from the bus

Eucalyptus trees abound

Native potatoes

I am currently under four blankets in a beautifully decorated two-room house on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. The walls are adorned with Awayus (traditional Andean woolen blankets with a wide array of bright colors and striped patterns) and traditional wooden instruments in miniature.

Rain mixed with hail are pouring down so hard I think it’s going to come through the tin roof (this would be very reminiscent of my homestay in Coroico in the Yungas where the nighttime showers literally woke me up by pooling in my bed). However, I think that this ceiling is a little bit more reinforced since this structure seems to have been built for the sole purpose of housing tourists. So there has to be some kind of middle ground, I decided. Just a few days ago, I was sharing a one-room house with four other Bolivians (a woman, her husband, and two young children) who had clearly never had a foreigner stay with them. Sure, it wasn’t very comfortable and in ways, the woman treated me like a servant, ordering me around rudely, but I guess I felt more like part of the family, sharing what they ate and sleeping as they do. It was a several hundred-meter walk to the toilet (read: a hole in the ground under a tin roof outhouse structure). In contrast, the community I am staying in right now, Santiago de Okola, has been hosting tourists for seven years now. I woke up to a beautifully set table with a hot thermos, rolls, butter, jam, instant coffee, powdered hot cocoa, and sugar.

Pollera skirts drying in the sun

The family is definitely not eating this (all of the packaged food still had its original seals) and I am willing to bet they aren’t sleeping on a super comfortable mattress and fluffy pillow. There is even a western style toilet here (which I also think they don’t use…). Through various initiatives including agro-tourism, farmer homestays, agrobiodiversity conservation projects etc., Okola has become so well known, it’s even recommended by Lonely Planet:

This feature, however, is not the reason why I came here. But rather, I wanted to spend time on Lake Titicaca, a center of origin for many Andean crops, including quinoa. In fact, farmers here are growing sweet quinoa, unlike royal quinoa (quinua real) in the south. It’s not easy finding rural communities that will take you in, let you interview them, and participate in their farm labor. So I have to work with what I got, so to speak. The NGO I have been doing visits with, PROINPA, used to have an agrobiodiversity conservation project here until 2010 and Okola also became known to me through the Food First Institute for Food and Development Policy’s Food Sovereignty Tour to Bolivia. While I originally wanted to participate in the ten-day study tour, titled “Llamas, Quinoa and Andean Food Sovereignty,” and even received a $500 scholarship from Food First, the dates did not coincide and it didn’t seem very “Watson approved” to join an existing group of tourists. Because the tour help inspired my studies on quinoa in Bolivia, I have decided to try to re-create parts of the tour independently, including a visit to Okola. The sample itinerary of the tour reads:

“AM Early departure for Santiago de Okola, a beautiful small farming village on the shores of Lake Titicaca (3,810m or 12,500 ft)
We will help prepare traditional foods with host families and come together for a communal lunch (apthapi, see photo) with local community members
PM Discussion of local agriculture, agro biodiversity and climate change with local farmers;
Optional medicinal plants guided hike;
Dinner with local host families
Bonfire with community members”

So through activities such as weaving lessons, farm work, community bonfires, a museum, guided hikes, homestays and traditional Andean food etc., Okola has really put itself on the map in terms of a more authentic tourist experience (that seems like kind of an oxymoron). In fact, as I may have mentioned in previous posts, something that has been a bit of a struggle this year is discerning authenticity in my various interactions. For instance, dinner started with the mom sending myself and her eldest daughter to the table to eat. This seventeen-year-old daughter, Adela, has been charged with being my local tour guide over the next few days. So while the rest of the family is planning on eating in the kitchen (a wooden shack with a traditional adobe mud stove and everything blackened by soot), Adela and I are supposed to eat at the nicely adorned table outside, complete with an orange awayu and carved and polished tree stumps as chairs. I kindly asked the woman if we could all eat together, since it felt a bit strange being separated. So she and her younger daughter come to join us at the table, while the husband chose to stay behind. This may not sound all that weird, but I am fairly certain it is not customary for rural Altiplano people to eat dinner at a kitchen table. It felt comically awkward. After the first course of soup, we all migrated back to the kitchen shack (note: the father left at this point, not sure if men just don’t eat in the presence of women or guests or what, but it was somewhat strange). We all kind of laughed because I commented how it felt much more customary for them to eat in the kitchen and they all agreed. So what is authentic? How much of what’s going on is their daily life that I am trying to integrate into for a few short days and how much of it is a show they are used to performing for tourists? I’m not sure. I try to stress wherever I go that I am not a traditional tourist and that I am interested in helping, participating, learning, etc. It’s difficult though, as I again, I don’t feel like I connect with these people very well. For instance, Adela and I hiked to the top of the dragon (both its head and body, two different peaks), which took about three hours round trip (highest elevation is 4,100 m or 13,450 ft). We barely talked. I would ask questions and she would answer in the simplest of ways. I am not sure if it is cultural and if Bolivians are generally just shy and introverted people, but sometimes it feels like I am pulling teeth trying to have a conversation with people here. Or they will choose to speak in Aymara, knowing that I only understand Spanish. It’s very frustrating.

On a positive note, the views from our hike today were absolutely incredible. Lake Titicaca is enormous! We could see the famous Isla del Sol and even as far as Peru on the opposite shores. It is a brilliant blue with swirls of darkness where algae grow heavily. Adela told me there are lots of fish and also enormous rays that live in the Lake. She enjoys swimming when it’s warm weather, so I really hope we can swim together before I leave. It’s strange to pack a bikini and also a down jacket, hat, and gloves. But I guess that’s the Bolivian Altiplano for you!

The crosses supposedly ward off rain

Now time to bring back the sheep

Right now, La Paz on Foot (a sustainable eco-tour company) is working with Okola on putting together a proposal for the Cultural Conservatory, an NGO whose mission is to support the conservation of customs and traditions of indigenous cultures in the Americas. Working in the U.S., Canada, Paraguay, and now Bolivia, they visited Okola in 2013 and were impressed with the agritourism project and agro-biodiversity conservation work. Thus, the Cultural Conservatory now wants to support Okola with the continued conservation of its biodiversity in the form of native Andean crops. This project will involve designing and training a tourism program focused on agrobiodiversity with a focus on its use for community tourism and expanding the museum. Other aspects of the project include brainstorming concrete initiatives to promote the continued conservation, maintenance, and use of the agro-biodiversity (e.g. native potatoes, corn, quinoa, beans, canahua, etc.)) so that ancient varieties aren’t lost forever. Ideas thus far include a communal parcel OR small plots at the family level where farmers display various crops for possible use with tourists, sales to a local restaurant in La Paz, or distribution among those who work the plot. Okola has two weeks to submit a proposal, bearing in mind the guidelines of the NGO, which mandate the participation of the entire community with an emphasis on women, children, and the elderly. Moreover, if Okola can secure this support, it will be in the long-term over many years instead of a one-time project-based donation.

I was able to attend a meeting between the president of Okola’s Tourism Body (Tomas), a couple of other Okola community members, and a colleague of La Paz on Foot. They talked about how the project involves safeguarding and recovering indigenous knowledge, as well as ensuring that the wide variety of native crops continue to be cultivated, especially in the context of rural out-migration of the youth. An example discussed was “Fiesta de Papas” (party of potatoes) to attract tourists and promote diversity through traditional potato dishes. For this and in general, there is a need for training and capacity building in the preparation of traditional dishes (e.g. torta de quinua or quinoa cake) to incentivize the continued use and cultivation of native crops. The tourism body needs to identify hardworking families to commit to grow and possibly sell for the project, with other options of working with the local school or youth as intermediaries to sell produce as added income. In the meeting, the community members seemed to agree that the cooperative model is a good idea but with many inherent problems (e.g. community members moving back and forth between Okola and La Paz), so the family level is probably better. Of course household food security is the priority, but if they can also promote their agricultural products amongst tourists and sell any remaining surplus, this would be ideal.

"Man is the own architect of his life"

Community Museum of Santiago de Okola

"Welcome to Santiago de Okola"

"Wheat, introduced by the Spanish in the 16th century constitutes an important crop for the community

The 3,200 varieties of quinoa, native to the Bolivian Altiplano, are exported to the whole world"

"Agrobiodiversity: what is it and why is it important?"

After visiting the community museum and having an interview with the school director, we took the boat out on the lake. I’ve decided that paddling a rowboat is much more difficult than it looks: a testament to my inability to multitask, especially trying to row with my left arm, which is much less coordinated. Adela and I paddled out past the “Puerta Misteriosa” (mysterious door), a curious looking geological structure of large rocks (maybe granite?) near the Sleeping Dragon mountain. The lake isn’t clear in many places but very cloudy with suspended sediment and mats of algae. We docked on a small beach behind the mountain where I was able to go for a swim and lay out in the sun. I definitely could have stayed there all day as it felt like a mini-vacation while most of my body was screaming out for vitamin D since I’ve maintained conservative dress for the last eight months. But alas, I knew I should get back to interviews and farm work.

La puerta misteriosa ("the mysterious door")

quinoa by the shores of Lake Titicaca

Archaeological zone - no grafiti or climbing

The afternoon and evening, however, were marked with the glorious acts of food collection in various forms. We harvested potatoes next to the lake since the heavy rains were causing the water to inundate the tubers. I still really enjoy the act of harvesting, especially potatoes, which reminds me of digging for buried treasure and becoming unnaturally excited when stumbling upon a bountiful loot.

This dog loved me

After this, I joined Adela and her friend from the village to go fishing. Immediately, images of fishing with my dad in search of rainbow trout in small brooks in Massachusetts or striped bass along the Cape Cod Canal came to mind. This fishing, however, was nothing like that of my childhood. Instead of bait and poles, we dragged a large net through the water close to the shore. After doing this several times, we filled an awayu (woolen blanket) with small minnow-like fish called ispi. Ispi represent an important source of income for people on the lake and also home consumption. It was quite an experience helping to drag the net through the water, which was warm relative to the air as the sun was setting and temperatures were beginning to drop. That night, we enjoyed a delicious dinner of potatoes and fried ispi, heads, tails, bones, and all, which were sort of like crunchy French fries.

I spent the following morning interviewing Tomas Laruta, the president of Okola’s tourism body. This was an extremely intriguing conversation and reminded me of many big picture themes I am exploring this year, namely about the importance of food, systems thinking, and general sustainability. Sadly, Okola has been a less than ideal site for exploring quinoa issues. The extent to which I’ve interacted with the crop here has been seeing it in farmers’ plots, learning that there are seven varieties native to Okola, and eating it for lunch today. I was told that if I really want to see quinoa, I need to come during the month of April for harvest. Who knew? While lacking in quinoa, however, Okola has been bursting in other life lessons. Let me share parts of my fascinating chat with Tomas, who was born in Okola in 1933 (making him an 81-year-old spunky man). After being raised and educated on the Lake, he spent several years traveling throughout Central and South America (e.g. Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Argentina, Peru etc.) studying on scholarships and working. He is an avid believer in cross-cultural interactions and traveling to broaden one’s perspective of the world.

Our interview translated from Spanish to the best of my ability:

He recounted some history of the community of Santiago de Okola and Lake Titicaca:

“Our ancestors, in the time of Tiwanaku before Christ, already knew about agriculture – the times to sow and harvest and different varieties. In this time, they knew about quinoa, canahua, potatoes, and wheat, and everything they ate was their own, grown from the earth. These ancient Andean foods sustained them and fishing too.”

He lamented the plight of modern food, stressing how today, it is totally processed, artificial, and made from chemicals, whereas, “ancestral food before was strong, which allowed the youth in this time to marry at 30-35 years old and not have children until after. Now, they get married at 12-15 and have children very young. In the past, people would live to more than 100 years old: 120, 130 140. Today, lives are short because the food is not good. I married at 28-years-old and today, they’re having kids at age 12. I don’t know why. According to history, the changes have been in the food because the food before was healthy and pure, without chemicals and processing, totally natural. Before, people didn’t know sugar and used little salt, not like today.”

I asked him about agro-tourism and its connections with the conservation of agro-biodiversity:

“Agro-tourism is the basic principal that is very important for this generation. If they don’t know, they won’t rescue traditional and ancient Andean foods. For example, varieties of quinoa. If young people don’t know, they might mistake it for a weed and rip out all the varieties. Now there are various varieties of quinoa (7 in Okola, 3,200 in the Altiplano). Before on the Altiplano, no one valued quinoa. It was poor man’s food, food for the countryside (“comida de los campesinos”). Now it’s neither; it’s expensive to buy.

We conserve agro-biodiversity because legacy of ours ancestors, our grandparents and great-grandparents left us these things. Agro-biodiversity is the [traditional indigenous] wisdom. For example, if you have come here to take pictures and document the lives of a family, this is conservation of their wisdom. The importance of agro-biodiversity is the knowledge for the present and the future, especially in the context of climate change. We would have to fight including the sowing and harvesting seasons because of climate change. This is a main problem: climate change. We can’t sow our crops on time because the rains are late. There isn’t proper spring, summer, or fall. But ultimately, we have to all fight together for food and agro-biodiversity for the present and future.”

Another thing is the agricultural wisdom– un sabio [a man with lots of capabilities that can tell the future, what will happen today and tomorrow, around the world] – there are people that believe in this, but few. Regardless, we need to analyze the earth and soil. Every year we are tilling the soil and we don’t let it rest. “Agricultural” is a key word all over the world because as human beings, we cannot survive without food and the food comes from the earth. The earth and system can be improved; we can know when to sow or what classification of crops to grow in certain locations. Food is important for everyone: indigenous people or Mestizo classes [mixed European/upper class]; it doesn’t matter. Agro-tourism will help with this; in sharing food and agriculture with the world. When foreigners come here and eat, everything they consume is grown here. When people like you come here, it sticks in your head; it’s education and awareness raising. If a small child eats well, their brains will develop quickly. If a young child eats poorly, they will suffer and fall asleep in school. Then food is the main base. We want the youth to have this traditional knowledge and to continue these practices in the future, for more improvement. We’re not only humans, we’re passengers who live for a short time on this earth and then move on. But few in the world think about food; today it is less. There was a German woman who visited here who wanted to cook and eat what we grow here. She wanted to peel potatoes and I asked her why, and she said in her country everyone goes to the supermarket and buys all ready-made food. No one knows how to cook or do these things.”

What do you think about agricultural development and modern technology?

“Agricultural development is very important because it will help maintain the agro-biodiversity. Now technology is also important for agro-biodiversity because today there isn’t natural manure to fertilize the fields or enough rain and the climate is changing. So we need to use new technology to promote animal husbandry and irrigate our fields. It is possible to maintain both traditional life and adopt modern technology simultaneously.”

Do you think that producers in Bolivia should continue to export their quinoa to other countries?

“As a Bolivian, I agree that it is a good thing that the world knows about quinoa as an Andean food. But the government needs to promote the production of quinoa through modern technology and study the land and where cultivation should take place. For example, mustard is a weed that is also judicial. Before, we cared for it. Our government in Bolivia says the countryside should produce this and that but there isn’t any help.”

In your opinion, what are the largest challenges or problems in the community and its farms?

“Here in this region, we have the social problems of little help from the government and internal issues among the inhabitants of communities with little cooperation between us. Before, there was lots of cooperation and understanding. But now, there isn’t because there are fewer people living in the countryside and those that remain have different ways of thinking.”

What are other solutions to rural out-migration?

“For me, I think that the major problem in the youth is the food because they eat a lot of pasta because it is quick and easy to cook. But it is a totally bad food. Another is yogurt and cheap sodas, which are tasty. The youth today have another way of thinking. Many things have disappeared. They want to know the world quickly and abandon their villages. They are thinking that they want to leave the lives of their grandparents, their foods and habits. They don’t think there are any opportunities in the countryside. There needs to be some kind of support to encourage the youth to stay here, such as education about real life that exists in this region and support in production, installing small factories for textiles so that they can earn an income. If they are incentivized, they will stay. But this isn’t the situation. Today they want a spouse, a baby, and their ready – this is their life. There were many things in the past. For example, in agropecuaria, I had a scholarship to learn about agriculture in other countries. With this, people can go to different places and learn, but today this is lacking. More education, both formal and informal, in Andean culture and agriculture can help maintain the youth in our communities. At present, there aren’t courses in agriculture. But when I was in school, I both learned and taught about it. I think when you were a kid, you must have learned about nutrition and how to eat. As partners, we are working with Stephen Taranto and people from the United States with grants because there is no government support. This is one of the first problems. The youth needs to be able to make an economic living to stay here with improved lives.”

Do you have goals for the future of Okola?

“We want to maintain the youth here productively. In agro-biodiversity, handicrafts, agro-tourism etc. If we have the youth, we have a future. Few people understand what I’m saying. In high school, there isn’t relevant material. If schools applied information about agriculture and food consumption, things would be much different. I can have chats with the school but there is no incentive. The problem is that if we talk, it’s all great and it enters one ear and goes out the other. Thus, these things need to be taught basically and slowing: what is agro-biodiversity, why is it important, what is agro-tourism or tourism etc. The philosophy is the same because agro-biodiversity and food are interlinked. Few young people in the community know about the importance of agro-biodiversity or agro-tourism. If the government prepared a program to teach, this would be great.”