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We are in "El Jardin",
that is located 250 km from Salta capital.
Alcira Mercado, table management from El Jardín: We go to this place by 9 Route entering
for intersection of La Candelaria,
El Tala, also 6 Provincial Route.
El Jardin is a town that is located in the south of Salta province,
Reimundo Sanz, mayor of El Jardin: it is limiting with Tucuman.
We are just 400 or 500 meters from the boundary
where Tala River passes.
"El Jardín" name
was given in federals time
when they came to this place and forced residents
to use their flag Banda Punzo.
Because they refused,
they went to a place located above,
that is called "Old Houses"
and they spotted the landscape from there,
and looking that everything was green and flowery,
they called "El Jardin" (The Garden).
We believe that answered to Jesuit foundations,
because we have a square, church, primary school,
police office, and behind us we have post office.
It is a cattle farm town;
we work purely in the tobacco production,
there are several tobacco producers.
There are also small pepper producers,
family farms are grown and some honey too.
Then there is a place, El Espinal,
where are family farmers, tobacco, and some corn producers.
Tobacco is a weakness because
Gabriela Subelza Burgos, technician responsible: ...it just takes 3-4 months for working,
so then the rest of the year, they work at public sector
or dedicate to search different tasks to work on.
Here in "El Jardin" what is very profitable,
and it is a stronghold of the town,
is the tourist attraction, as it is still a *** area,
where we have a transition, wich is the zone of yunga
and subandina sierra.
Here, recently, we are starting
to develop the tourist area.
We have a beautiful campsite, here.
where there are grills, restrooms and hot water showers.
We also installed bungalows with private baths.
Also Potrerillo camping, and Paso Zarate, are well prepared
and people love to come in summer.
Presenting Sunchal place, we have walking areas
in different parts of El Jardin.
Lorena Uncos, entrepreneur For instance, there are places like Espinal, and Potrerillo.
People who come to know, stay 2 or 3 days,
they go to the camping, and they are truly happy and satisfied
because there are very nice places, here.
We have to raise awareness people
as in shops, restaurants, or coffe shops
about preparing ourself to receive visitors,
to serve people properly, so they return later.
The route is not under well conditions.
Catalina Valdez, entrepreneur: It is not easy for cars to get here
I say that If we have a good route, everything will improve.
That's what's missing.
Everthing will change with pavement, surely
not only for tourists, so they can arrive
but for moving out the tobacco production, as well.
This could improve our transports,
but I think they do not put it to prevent breakage.
That's what's missing
Right now, we are in contact with Tourism Pastoral
wich helps us and collaborates with us,
also the municipality is helping us to develop this activity.
The truth is that Tourism Ministry's work
Father Miguel Zarate, priest of El Tala: is important to our community
because it makes them connect their lives,
not only participating in Sunday Mass
but through their projects, as well.
They mix Christ life with their everyday life,
we always insist on taking part in projects and that kind of activities.
Through Tourism Pastoral, there was a course at El Jardin
with different municipalities, and Renata (Lic.Gonzalez)
who came and conduced the course,
she was teaching, giving lectures and technical theory.
At this time, we have six candidates
for tour guides, suitable guides,
who will take the exam.
For this, Tourism Pastoral has been a motivator agent for training,
supporting us for the guide's exam.
We are still working with Tourism Pastoral,
Griselda Apaza, entrepreneur: participating in courses that they bring
and the municipality of El Jardín too,
which are so important to El Jardín, Potrerillo and El Espinal.
It would be an important job opportunity
to be able to welcome tourists in a better way
and be able to train ourself to do it.
There is a person who is Digno Ruiz,
who was excited when we told him to take a course about bird watching,
also proposed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
He's doing it, still very excited, and it ends in November.
He started in the locality, signing all the birds,
because there wasn't any database of them.
I expect the continuity of courses and visits.
We are taking exams for provincial guides, now.
Gabriela, she advises us, she gives us the courses
and helps us to study more efficiently.
It is a huge help to work more independently
and be able to give tourists a better service.
I was always aware about the pastoral's courses
that were given in El Jardin and El Espinal,
because people were asking me at some things they wanted to do.
They are always with good spirit to work with tourism pastoral
and so, they take this opportunity as a challenge to work,
to progress as a person and as a community.
In El Jardín, we are using these great tools
that Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Province of Salta present
that is the "Cultural Development Citizen Fund".
We are presenting some projects, these are for example:
dining rooms in El Jardin, there are also accommodations proyects,
and we have the idea of doing some walking guide.
We have presented five projects to Cultural Citizen Fund,
which until now, we had no answer yet.
Basically, these projects are gastronomic topics
and a folkloric dances workshop.
Then, they came with a shelter project
and we are still waiting for it to concrete
and Renata is still working on it.
We are studying the possibility to use two bricks stoves,
which are not used now,
and transform them into accommodation
since, many people come through 6 route
it is the royal path.
We introduced the bird watching project with Nino Ruiz,
who is doing the bird watching course, here in the city, through Pastoral.
First, my mother's (Catalina Valdez) project wasn't accepted
nor Nino Ruiz project wasn't accepted, either,
but we will continue insisting.
El Espinal area, is a beautiful area,
many people come from Tucuman and Rosario de la Frontera, on weekends.
On Sundays, we have a soccer field where they gathered to play sports,
for this reason, the idea of working with meals and stuff came up.
We had initiative to present a project about a dining room
and we presented this to Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Salta.
Then I contacted people from Salta Tourism Pastoral
and we could start working together, slowly.
The idea is to enlarge our dining room,
because we have very few machines and we need more.
The project is essential because we attend many people
and we don't have all services so they can eat or buy.
We strongly believe that this is
another activity that could provide us resources
beside from tobacco production.
Well, in future we think we must raise awareness to community,
youth, and for that we are being helped a lot by Tourism Pastoral,
because they are attending and training to young people, here.
I wish organized activities and thought from the community,
and that we can choose as inhabitants from this place,
what kind of tourism we want,
and how can we develop better.
In the future, I hope that
people who are involved at the local level,
with their own difficulties, of course,
I hope they put a little more effort to this,
do not afraid of challenge
or to connect their Christian life with their work.
Because people's projects and goals
are Tourism Pastoral's projects and goals, as well.
In future, I would love to be working in our farm, The Potrerillo,
I would love to be part of hosting,
I would like to make a soccer field where now we have a pen,
I dream about it.
I love tourism and this is also my mother's dream.
So I would love to continue while she is alive, it will be a progress.
We are going forward with the other communities,
with El Tala, La Candelaria, according to the experiences
we are earning from here and those about knowing a little more of the territory.
Traduccion: Analia Maezo
Subtitulado: Motion Inc.