On my recent trip to Ecuador I met up again with an old friend.

Enrique Alarcon and his wife Alegría live in the coastal town of Puerto López. They work as guides in the national park Machalilla and used to run a hostal. Two years ago I stayed with them and tried to teach their children some English. This time I introduced them to my girlfriend and we talked about something else.

Enrique is an expert at bamboo constructions. He built the house they live in, the furniture they use and a bridge across the nearby river. All 100% bamboo.

Now he is involved in a project in Rio Blanco (15 miles land inwards) , where he will build a 30m bamboo bridge across a river.

He wants to build this bridge with foreign volunteers. They will live with the locals, practice Spanish and learn all they want about bamboo constructing.  They need about eight volunteers and the project will take the better part of two months this summer. Volunteers will pay a small fee for food and housing.

I volunteered to ask around among my friends in the Netherlands and see if I still know adventurous people who just finished school or otherwise have nothing better to do.

So if you’re interested in a big working holiday and if you would like to practice your bridge building techniques or your Spanish or if you just want to work (on your tan) this summer: let me know a.s.a.p..

Groetjes Poe