Yorkin - Women’s artisan group of upper Talamanca Indigneous reserve
WOMEN’S ARTISAN GROUP OF UPPER TALAMANCA INDIGENOUS RESERVE
One of our favorite tours, travel up river in a motorized canoe and learn about traditions and customs as presented by this BriBri women’s group.
A river trip in a traditional dugout canoe begins this unique opportunity to share and learn from a culture struggling to maintain its identity. Participate in daily life, take interpretive hikes; practice your basket weaving, chocolate production, roof thatching, & cooking skills; learn some of the BriBri language, history and folklore, from ancient times, to Colombian times, to the current struggle.
DAY TRIP
Round trip transportation by boat from Bambú, presentations, hike, lunch.
In this tour we will visit a Bribri Indigenous territory, located in the heart of the humid tropical forest in the Talamanca Mountains. This special experience will allow us to discover part the Bribri culture. The tour begins in Bambú, the reserve’s closest commercial town. There we will ride along the Yorkín River in an indigenous canoe, watching the exuberant vegetation of the Costa Rican and the Panamanian side of the river.
One hour later, we will be arriving to Yorkín’s indigenous territory, from where we will walk 25 minutes to get to the Stibrawpa women’s house Lodge. A local guide will tell us about this organization and its purposes, then take us for a walk along the natural trail, where we will learn about the local trees, medicinal plants and community’s crops. For lunch, we will enjoy a typical meal. We will also participate in the process of making chocolate and will learn how they weave leaves to make their homes. After this unforgettable natural and cultural experience, we will return.
Cost: $65 5 hours
OVERNIGHT VISIT
Round trip transportation by boat from Bambú, presentations, hikes, lodging, 3 meals
GENERAL ITINERARY
This itinerary is intended to give you an idea of your visit. Times are not exact and activities may vary depending on group and weather.
6:15 AM Depart for the community of BriBrí
Departing from the main bus stop in Puerto Viejo (or Cahuita), or private transportation.
6:45 AM Arrive to BriBrí, plenty of time to take your morning tea, or travel direct to Bambú
7:30 or 8:00 Bus to small town of Bambú (if not using private transportation)
8:30-9:00 Arrive to Bambú and meet with your guide from the Yorkín community
Boat (or about a 3-4 hour hike) from Bambú to Yorkín
10:30 Arrival to the community in front of the community’s school.
20-30 minute muddy hike to women’s group (Estibrawpa) Casa de Mujeres
NOON
Lunch including typical foods.
1:00 PM Hike around the community or the forest, a waterfall or tiny hot spring
A demonstration traditional art, agriculture, construction, cooking
A discussion of history, folklore, tradition, current issues.
3:00 If you do the DAY TRIP Only, you’d depart for your return to the town of Bambú around this time
5:00 Rest and clean up in the new shower facilities built by volunteers
6:00 Dinner and visiting
8:00 PM It’s dark, time for bed, simple lodging (with mosquito net) either in the community center
DAY 2
7:00 AM Breakfast
9:00 Hike around the community or the forest, waterfall or tiny hot spring
A demonstration traditional art, agriculture, construction, cooking
A discussion of history, folklore, tradition, current issues
11:00 Lunch
NOON Boat out in dugout canoe
1:00 Return to Bambú to head on to your next adventure.
RUBBER BOOTS! Rain Jacket
Water Bottle (filled for hike in) Sun Block
Flash Light
Insect repellent: For your security it is recommended that you make a best effort to avoid insect bites.
A little extra money if you’d like to purchase souvenirs like handicrafts and chocolate.
Additional Snacks if you tend to need extra calories.
Cost: $80 2 Days
$73—Hike in & boat out of Bambú
ADDITIONAL DAYS
$35—Each additional Day in this community.
Volunteers needed
This remote community is looking for volunteers (minimum 1 month) to help with various projects, from teaching English, tutoring kids in the school, to trail maintenance, to contruction.
Greetings Potential Volunteer to Yorkin
The following is kind of an FAQ page for ya…
Who will I be working under?
The association you will work with is a women’s cooperative called Estibrawpa, it has about 16 families as members. They have a project where they invite in visitors (tourists) to spend a little time with them and get to know their way of life. So, you’d be working with them and helping them out with projects they see necessary.
Will I have an English Speaking contact?
I am Alaine, I work at the ATEC office and would be available if there is anything I could do to help, but mostly the volunteer working with the community up in Yorkín.
I have advised a few volunteers up in Yorkin, but I Yorkin is a remote community. I live 4 km out of Puerto Viejo. It’s about an hour to an hour and a half by bus and then a 2-3 hour walk or an hour boat ride to get into the Yorkin community. Both Puerto Viejo and Yorkin are in the same county but, Yorkin is quite remote.
ATEC--750-0191 or 750-0398
I am willing to do most any work, but I think I would be best at teaching English, sports, arts or working on the coffee plantation.??
I can tell you that Estibrawpa has had probably a 100 of volunteers spend time in their community since they started their project in 1992. Still, only one young man speaks English. (Cesar, who speaks some basic English--but that’s from an intensive course he took) It is a big challenge to learn another language. The families of Estibrawpa have it on the top of their list of what they’d like a volunteer to work on—teaching English. In teaching English, I’m sure you’d have some good plans, but I would recommend that you first talk with Bernarda and Prisca (the president and treasurer of the association) about their goals.
I often try to recommend to volunteers that they teach useful language for the Estibrawpa eco-tourist endeavor. Drilling basic phrases that they would need to know with visitors. Words for the food they eat, the plants they grow, health issues in case someone isn’t feeling well, presentations on the association, stories about the community, basic conversation--where are you from, why are you interested in being here--, there is a boat ride into the community from the small town of Bambu, I’d Love to see the boat guys learn how to communicate a little with the visitors on that boat ride (talk about the trees, the birds, the history of the river, the Reserve, the Park)
I’d be interested in working on the coffee plantation.
They don’t have coffee plantations, they grow cacao and bananas and manage a few other traditional plants for demonstration to visitors and some rice and root vegetables for consumption.
I’ve checked out your website- greencoast.com and I’m very excited!
There is some good info on Yorkin on greencoast.com. The greencoast.com site is a bit outdated, we have a coupla “geeks” working on it, and eventually it will have some current information. Ask us to send you ATEC’s newsletter so you have a bit of info on us.
Fees? Costs?
Yorkin is a very poor community. Talamanca, our county, is the poorest county in the poorest province in a quite poor developing country. I know that most volunteers volunteer in order to do good, to help people, we understand that, but there are so many people in Costa Rica, in Yorkin, that would Love to have a job that fed and housed them. Managing a volunteer, helping an outsider get used to a completely new way of life and feel comfortable, takes time. Yes, the people of Yorkin are Wonderful people, but they are poor.
If a volunteer is in the community for a month or less, they ask that you pay a daily lodging fee of $5 a day. After a month, Estibrawpa does not charge any fees. But a volunteer must pay for food and transportation (coming in and out of the community in motorized canoe—the gas is muy caro). You can either purchase your own food in town and they will teach you to cook it. Or you can pay them at the community house to cook for you (breakfast about $4-5, lunch and diner about $5 each) or some combination of the two.
They can’t even provide toilet paper.
I would like to get some information about directions from the San Jose airport.
From the airport you can take a taxi ($18) to the Terminal de buses “Gran Caribe”
Or take the public bus from the airport ($2) to “el Centro” and then take a taxi ($2) to the bus terminal or walk ($0) to the bus terminal if you can get directions or a map it’s only about 8-10 blocks from the town center.
From the bus terminal take a taxi to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca (make sure it’s not a different Puerto Viejo) about 4 1/2 hour trip on the public bus. (About $10)
Spend the night in Puerto Viejo.
In the morning (6:30 or 7:30)
take the public bus from Puerto Viejo to the little town of BriBri. (~30 mins $1)
From BriBri take a rickety bus to the very little town of Bambu
(~30-60 mins depending on which bus you catch $1)
From Bambu, (you’ll have had to arrange this before hand) meet a member of the Yorkin community to probably boat in (you can walk also, but not with all of your gear) the boat ride is usually around an hour long. The boat ride into the community is expensive. Often we can plan for a new volunteer to enter when the boat has to come out any way and then the costs can be shared. If they make a special trip just for you it costs a lot, like $50 or $60 just for the gasoline!
From the Telire river bank in the community of Yorkin, walk about half an hour to the community house of Estibrawpa.
What is it like to live in Yorkin?
Yikes, hard to answer. There is a period of adjustment when entering a completely different culture, atmosphere, and way of life.
I can speak of the volunteers I’ve seen spend time in Yorkin. For a person from a developed country to live in a community with no electricity, with outdoor bathrooms, lots of bugs and new critters, very rustic conditions, is a BIG adjustment. It’s remote, you can not just go “take a break” from it. Of course you can boat or walk out and visit a more tourist town like Puerto Viejo and Cahuita, but it takes a bit of time.
(I’ve had friends visit me, from the states, our house in the bush outside the more tourist city of Puerto Viejo, and cry when they walked in because it’s so different than what they have experienced in their lives, and I have electricity, a fridge, no walls, but at least my house has a computer)
With a very open attitude, patience, some preparation it really can be an amazing and rewarding experience. I don’t mean to sound like a know it all dork, but it ain’t just a simple thing.
Most volunteers are very sad to have to leave and the community misses them immensely also—especially the kids.
I have seen several volunteers that feel lonely and isolated when they first arrive in the community. That is normal and ok. Imagine how a stranger might feel coming into your community. Once you establish some relationships, you can begin to feel like a member of the family. The people of this community are humble and very kind and generous, timid, and welcoming.
Is there electricity?
Nope, no computer, one communal cellular telephone—charged with one solar panel—no alarm clocks, no oven, one or two light bulbs, no newspapers, few books, absolutely no malls, and a very little grocery stores with only some basic basics. Again, I sound like an ass, but I feel, in order for you and the community to have a positive experience, your stay has to be looked at with realistic expectations. Most people who have decided to go have absolutely loved their experience, but it is not for everyone.
Any other advice for volunteers in the Yorkin community
Spending time there takes a lot of adjustment, it’s a different world.
But, I want you to have the most realistic information I can share with you And, I want the people of Yorkin to have a positive experience as well. The volunteers that I have seen not succeed are the one’s that jumped in with little information.
or with out bug spray, bug spray is essential.
Do I need to speak Spanish?
Yes. Start studying now! You can still come if you have little Spanish—but it makes everything that much harder. Learn the phrases that you’re going to want to teach them. Learn to talk about yourself and understand about others.
What if I need more supervision?
There is an organization in Talamanca that works with volunteers and assists them their entire time in the community. Some people need a team to have a good experience, some don’t. They charge a fee, but I have gotten some good feedback from their volunteers. http://www.mytropicaladventure.com
or you could write to
Laura
At Caribbean Hands
She’s getting her own volunteer program going in Talamanca.
Ok, that’s what I know for now. It’s either way too much, or not enough info. I hope that you understand that my intentions in communicating like this are in your and Yorkin’s best interest. Please write again with anything.
Pura Vida,
Alaine
ATEC
