Today is the second day I have been at Bahia de Caraquez and a part of the Planet Drum community. Bahia is a formerly booming city on the coast of Ecuador. It was hit three times by natural disasters (el Niño, an earthquake, and a marine virus which crippled the local shrimping industry), resulting in a decrease in population by roughly half, and a high unemployment rate. In the city´s rebuilding stage, people were excited to make a new start with a new environmental focus, and with the backing of the mayor, declared Bahia an ´¨eco-city¨. Schools formed eco-clubs, human powered taxis lined the streets, and a new waste collection system was set up in which trash would be separated into organic waste, recyclable waste, and refuse. However, time has passed, the funds ran out, and Bahia today is an eco-city mostly in name. The eco-taxies still remain, but trash is no longer separated. Mainly, Bahia can be characterized as a lively and friendly small town with nice beaches and lots of run-down habitations.
More on what I´m actually doing here will come later...
