secret Sale Item

Last day of the Holiday Secret Sale Item. Todays Secret Sale Item will be the Escama line again. All fair trade work, and all recycled materials. 50% off up until closing at 6:30 pm pacific time. After today we will only have the Secret Sale Item on Monday and Fridays. Please keep checking in with us and have a great Holiday.

Sincerely,

Fred

Secret Sale Item

If you did not hear my wife and I had our second son Friday December 18th at 12:44 pm. What a wonderful Christmas gift. There is nothing I need in life more than my wife and my two sons. Sebastian and Marccello will be very special, you will see they will change the world! I can already see it in my four year old. He clearly cares about the well being of the people around him and gets enjoyment from seeing other people happy.

Today on the way home from Nanna's Sebastian asked me while sitting in his car-seat, "so papa what did the doctor say about Marccello? Is he going to be ok?" It was like talking to an adult. He had me explain everything that the doctor told us. I explained that the doctor was checking the balance of the red and white blood cells and that tomorrow we would have our last exam and the doctor would determine if we need to go back to the hospital. What was most interesting with this exchange was how this baby that just came into

Sebastian's life four days ago was and is obviously very important to him already. Sebastian is very empathetic for his age. I believe if he is able to pursue the path that leads him to happiness it will be a path that involves making other people's lives better. I look forward to all the things I will learn from both Sebastian and Marccello. I hope everyone during this holiday season and far beyond it can see the great potential in their own children or the children they come to know. On a similar note if any of you readers want to read about some incredible young people, read the blog post in the South American Secrets blog posts from march 2009. The post cover some incredible individuals who live in the Jungle in Ecuador.

Now we have to come up with a Secret Sale Item. What would be appropriate for such an occasion. We do have to take into account we only have two days of shopping before Christmas! This is what we are going to do. Anyone who comes into the store on Wednesday December 23rd or orders on line and spends $75 will receive a bonus free Ecuadorian scarf (our number one selling item) or a $20 gift certificate.

Merry Christmas

Fred

Secret Sale Item

A slice of life from South American Secrets store; The old adage of a little bird told me came true the other evening as a small bird flew into the store and stayed for several hours to the delight of our customers. Everyone offered suggestions on how to escort this little fellow out. This segues into our secret Sale Item. That little bird whispered to put our popular corset blouse on sale. It is 100% Peruvian cotton and is already pre-shrunk. It comes in beautiful Christmas red, white, and a burnt orange. This item is on sale Tuesday at 10 am until Wednesday 10 am.

Feliz Navidad,

Maria

Secret Sale Item

Happy Holidays , Today we have our Putumayo line as our Secret Sale Item . This is fair trade music . So what ever style of music you like from Salsa to Reggae to Blues to Rock , you will find it here . Great stocking stuffer . From Sunday 10:00 am til Monday 6:00pm 50% off all Putumayo Cd's . Cheers , Shelby

Baby Marccello Johnson

Greetings all, Yesterday 12/18/09 at 12:44 pm Janneth & Fred Johnson welcomed in their second son 7.75 lbs 21" long Marccello . Sebastian 4 yrs. will be a wonderful big brother.Fred will be back to chat tomorrow. Cheers , Shelby

SECRET SALE ITEM

Hello, the holidays are just around the corner. We are working with a fantastic company in Peru , called Intinellas . They have been around more than 10 years . There woven garments are 100 % pre-shrunk cotton that meet the current trends of fashion. Today our Secret Sale Item will be our Picotera Blouse . Today Friday from 10 am through Sunday 10 am they will be 50% off. Happy shopping , Shelby

Secret Sale Item

I have found that as we get nearer to the close of the Christmas shopping season jewelery becomes a hotter item. It makes sense. Other than rings jewelery does not require a size, it is not going to shrink when it gets washed and it lasts much longer than a pare of socks.

This line of jewelery is great. It is made in Brazil and comes in so many different designs, and the designs change each year. The best part of this line is its price. This gold necklace in the photo is $144.95.

So the Secret Sale Item today is the Brazilian gold necklace line. Any order will include a gift card for half the value of the purchase price of the ordered necklace. For example if you were buying this necklace in the photo your South American Secrets gift card would be $72.48. This offer is good Thursday from 10 am until Friday 10 am. Call in your order, order on line, or come on in to our store.
Sincerely,
Fred Johnson

Secret Sale Item/shopping norms latino vs american

We are deep in the Holiday shopping season. There are less then 10 days left. So I thought it would be fun to talk about two very different perspectives on shopping.

While living in

South America I noticed some distinct cultural shopping norms between how people approach shopping in South America and how they approach it here in the states. Starting with the obvious, we are much more about the purchase. The Latino community in South America I lived in was much more about getting the family together and going down to the artisan market or to a mail as a group. Here in the states we may be able to do a little bit of our shopping together as a family but the truth is it seems much more at a certain point a necessity to go shopping alone to get things done. Right there is a big part of the difference, the gifts are so important, we rush around in the states rather than slowing down and enjoying each other. Here we get into our cars, fight the traffic to get to a mail or shopping center. We go to battle against others who would take the parking spot we thought was rightly ours. We even get up at 3 am on the day after thanksgiving to wait in line at a store to get something thirty or fifty percent off that we probably don't need.

Meanwhile Latino shoppers are not perfect or overly considerate either. They too have to drive in traffic to get to where they want to go, find a parking spot and wait in line to buy something they want. Now when I refer to "Latino" don't we primarily think "developing country"? Lack of infrastructure and novices at commerce? Well the truth is there are a lot of things the U.S. could learn from the Latino community by the way they shop and were importance is placed. For example in many countries in South America parking lots at local mails have handicapped parking, parking for pregnet woman and parking for women with infants. To me this seems like such a civil gesture.

It is not common in South America to hear about these crazy early morning sales were people are beating each other up and trampling one another to get the last doll on sale at the toy store. People in South America generally do not have the money to go crazy and buy everything they are told they have to have. Children get a gift from key members of the family but by no means do you see a tone of money spent on things that end up under the Christmas tree. I would argue that channels the focus of Christmas more toward what Christmas is really about, us focusing on each other. Instead of having the best of everything, Latinos get to dance together, eat together, drink together. That really makes Christmas about people and that is what it should be about. With the state of the economy we should get back to our older traditional customs. This year if money is tight and you are not able to get the people you love and care about the gift you want, channel the focus to not what you didn't get them but rather how lucky you are to have them in your life. Tell them how much you love them, give them a hug and simply say thank you. We have to appreciate what we have and we need to look around to see who we have. We are very very blessed. Speaking for myself I don't car if I loose my house and my business. All that is important is my family, friends, and my health. I know if I keep my focus on what is important I can recover from anything. Anyway thanks for reading the blog and lets get to the Secret Sale Item.

To be fitting to the topic of the blog post I have chosen the Chocho rojo jewelry line as our Secret Sale Item. It is a red seed that is considered by communities in the Amazon to be good luck. As well as having a great story, the Chocho rojo line is well priced under $29.95. With the 50% of the most expensive piece would $14.98. The various bracelets and earrings will be $7.50 and less. This sale is good From 10 am Wednesday until 10 am Thursday.

Secret Sale Item

Hi all!

Apologize to all who have been following the daily blog and not seeing a new post for a few days. We were experiencing some technical difficulties. But that is all done now and I am going to try and make it up to our readers. Our Secret Sale Item for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday will be everything. Anything ordered on line will be 25% off. If you register as a blog reader we will give the discount in store as well. Check back later to read our conversation about differences in Latin shopping norms and traditional American shopping norms.

Secret Sale Item

Greetings!!. Today it is wet & rainy here in Sonoma . Our item today is from Peru where two gentlemen started a company a few years ago. Their products are amazing , they use 100% pre-shrunk organic cotton. Machine washable and dryer safe. Fred met them at one of the Peruvian fashion shows and he fell in love with their high quality products. So today's Secret Sale Item will be our Bobo Blouses. They come in White , Navy Blue , Choc. Brown and Dark Green. If it is to wet to go outside, just enjoy shopping on-line or feel free to call in an order . Happy shopping. Cheers, Shelby.

Secret Sale Item

Hello everyone. December 10th suppose to be my due date. But seems like the baby is not ready to be in this world yet, and I'm sure he knows better why. So, here I am, writing this blog, so everyone has the chance to take advantage of our daily secret sale item. As you can see in the picture, this hat is a classic one. Made of wool, is one of our best sellers. Comes from the well-known textile city of Otavalo in Ecuador, comes in different sizes and we are always available to help you choose the perfect one. Don't forget you can also call us or order online. Just ask for our popular "Pano Hat" that will be 50% off until Friday at 10:00 am. Thanks. Janneth.

Secret Sale Item Friday Dec.11 , 2009

Greetings , Here at South American Secrets we have some of the best Artisan's producing our products. Fred works closely with each and everyone of them. The Kiruba caps are made of Ecuador's finest leather. Today's Secret Sale Item is the Kiruba Leather Cap. So from 10:00am Friday till Saturday 10:00am you may purchase this cap for 50% off.

This morning one of our very special clients came in with an awesome gift box full of Gourmet Olive Oils , Dipping Oils and incredible White Wine. Thank you Daniel . Cheers , Shelby

Secret Sale Item

Greetings, We have a fantastic Peruvian line. Comfy 100% cotton, pre-shrunk, machine wash and dry. Today Wednesday starting at 10:00 am thru Thursday 10:00 am , our Secret Sale Item will be our Jalapita skirts 50% off. The skirts come in 5 colors Army Green, White, Chocolate Brown, Grey/Green and Black. Sizes small-to-xxl. This skirt looks great on everyone. Happy shopping. Shelby

Secret Sale Item

After yesterday's long post about "social consciousness" and "fair trade" and their role in our everyday life, I would like to do just a quick post. My wife should be going into labor with our second child any moment now, so Shelby and Maria will be more involved in making the blog-post for a few days. Maybe we will be able to convince Shelby to blog about some of her experiences in Ecuador. Shelby is a hip-city-girl who until a few years ago had never been out of the United States. South American Secrets changed that buy flying her to Ecuador to get her properly trained on where the product comes from and who benefits from the proceeds. For a city girl she learned real quick how people live in the Jungle. And I will leave it there for now.

Today or tomorrow will probably be my last chance to blog without total sleep deprivation. Anyway here is your Secret Sale Item today. For anyone doing holiday shopping today is your lucky day. Anyone who buys a $50 gift certificate will get a free hammock, like the hammock you see in the picture. There are two colors, brown and black, and blue and black. This hammock normally sales for over $100. We have it on sale now, but today it is yours simply for buying a gift certificate. This offer is valid Tuesday 10 am until Wednesday 10 am. (hammock stand is not included with this offer)
Sincerely,
Fred

Secret Sale Item/Social consciousness

Today I am going to talk about social consciousness and its importance, so if you just want to see what the Secret Sale Item is scroll down to the bottom of this post and you will find it there.

Social consciousness is very important to me, much of my business model is based on it. "Fair trade" which is to me a very over used term and sometimes misleading. Yes I am guilty of it, I consider South American Secrets a "fair trade" company as we use typical "fair trade" practices with the communities we work with in South America. For those of you who don't already know "fair trade" is a market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. I will add it is also considered by many a social movement. Other than the term being used way to liberally I would say it has some very good proponents. I think what is most important is the social ramifications of trying to be "fair trade" and what it does for us as individuals, families, and communities as a whole. In that I mean it raises our social consciousness. When we walk into a store we look at brand X, Y, and Z and usually decide on the product that appear to be the best quality, have the best price and is most user friendly. There is nothing wrong with using this logic to make a decision on which product to purchase. Having said that this thinking does need to be refined. Thinking about how this product was made, who it was made by, and what
the environmental, and social impact is to the communities that are producing product X,Y, and Z should alter our choosing process.

Without going into a dialog that could take another hour to read I want to make my point. Fair trade is a good model to work with, but what we have to understand is when we are making a purchase we need to ask ourselves a few questions. When I choose to buy brand Z, I am saying first brand Z cares about me and the people who make it's products. Second the materials used in it are not impacting the environment in a negative way. Then after these two questions are answered I make the determination whether it is the best quality for the price and if it is user friendly. I would like us to think about how we could really make a positive difference as consumers if we refined our decision making process. For example I would like to take my wife out for lunch tomorrow to a restaurant in Sonoma called Maya. Before taking her to a restaurant I ask myself do the owners care about me (the community) and its own employees? After further investigation yes they do. They are very active in the community and after speaking to many of their staff members I can say Maya has taken a conscious effort to make their staff members safe and happy. Now you may say what a strange example! How does one research a restaurant? If you are like me, you go to the same place over and over again. I choose to go back to Maya because I have seen first hand its business model, its community awareness and tasted some great food.

Another example would be the bank you use. Does the bank you use take care of its employees and its community? Does the bank care about you? I can think of three banks that do not care about anything but making money. They are Chase, Wells Fargo, and Bank of American. IF we ask ourselves the question, do the banks care about me, the community, or their staff members? These banks obviously don't. So I say go to your local bank. The likelihood that they have a vested interest in you and our community is much much higher. My point is if we ask ourselves who cares about us, about the environment, and about the community that is where we should be putting our dollars. " Fair trade" or social conscious shopping is how we are going to change our learned bad habits. It is also the way we will keep businesses who care about us in business. Lets start by asking ourselves what establishments give us a sense of community? What companies are socially conscious about our children's education and future? IF it is all about the benjermens than lets not continue to invest in their business model. The socially conscious side of "fair trade" does not need to be practiced just by products made in developing countries, it can be applied in all our day to day purchases, products made locally or imported.

Secret Sale Item for today is Minka fair trade alpaca line. From 10 am Monday until 10 am Tuesday this line will be 50% off. to find the Minka alpaca line go to alpaca category on our home page.

Secret Sale Item

This lovely blouse is made in Peru. It has been pre-shrunk. It comes in two colors White or Grey/green. It is 100% cotton.Machine wash and dry. Today's Secret Sale Item is our Juana Blouses.This item is 50% off from Sunday 10:00 am till Monday 10:00 am.
Sincerely,
Shelby

Secret Sale Item

I have been blessed to work with some fantastic models who do a great job showing off South American Secrets various clothing lines. Like most retail companies the models used don't always represent the clients style or womanly shape. Therefor it could be assumed our clothes are made for only small women. This is not the case. Our Sizes usually go up to XXL. Today we will celebrate the more voluptuous woman, or the full figured woman and make our Secret Sale Item size large, extra large, and extra extra large. These sizes will be 50% off from 10 am Saturday until 10 am Sunday. Hope to see you on line or in the store.
Sincerely,
Fred

Secret Sale Item

If you walk into the physical store of South American Secrets you can see we have some good holiday sales going on right now. For example we have the Ecuadorian scarves on sale for $10 marked down from $14.95, but if you are lucky enough to know about the Secret Sale Item you will only pay $7.48. Yes we are marking the scarves half off today for our Secret Sale Item. From 10 am Friday until 10 am Saturday all Ecuadorian scarves will be 50% off. Hope to see you on line or in the store.
Sincerely,
Fred

Secret Sale Item

While most of our clients are women, we at South American Secrets try to have something for men too. As you can see on our website we always carry a good collection of Panama hats. We also have nice Peruvian cotton shirts and pants for men, but there is a special section that is all about cigars. We just got some great new Romeo and Julieta Bullys, some Ashton, and Monticristos in to name a few brands. So for you men and ladies who enjoy a good cigar hopefully you are reading this or someone is telling you about it because I can almost promise you there is no where else in the area that will be selling individual cigars for 50% off. From 10 am Thursday until 10 pm Friday all cigars will be 50% off. Yes cigars are our Secret Sale Item. The only cigars not discounted will be the gift box cigar samplers. So there you have it, hope you all get to take advantage of the sale.
See ya there,
Fred

Secret Sale Item

Greetings all. December is here and for South American Secrets is a month of great expectations!! As a Latin-American family and business owners, we have always tried to keep as our priority, the spirit of solidarity and responsibility that we have as human beings to improve the society where we live, and the cultures which we come from. More than growing as a business, our goal is to show what South American communities and individuals' creativity and hard work can do, so other people can understand, respect and support their efforts to have a better life. We want to be a bridge between two different worlds and to achieve it, we offer the variety of products many of you already know. To celebrate this holiday season and every day of the year, let's support and enjoy the result of many men and women's well-done job. Today Wednesday, you can get one product that has been made with the most high-quality wool in Ecuador: our Wool Sacha Ponchos that will be 50% off until Thursday Dec 3rd at 10 am.

Secret Sale Item

Before I get into the Secret Sale Item I would like to say a few words about Sonoma's loss over the holiday weekend. In the next 10 days I will be a papa for the second time, I feel blessed to no end. As a parent my heart pains for the Maloney Family, John, Susan and thier two children. In the little time I knew this family it was clear they were good people. As a soon to be papa again I ask that we all think of the Maloney family and be greatful for what we have and to cherish the time we do have with our families. It is accedents like this that put what is really important in perspective. Bad Economy, morgage forclosers, loss of work, none of these things are irriversable. If you have children, or grandchildren, enjoy them. As parents you already should know children are our everything. For those that don't read Sonomanews.com thier is a donation fund for the Maloney's 19 year daughter. She is the only surviving sibling. The fund is to raise money for her college tuition.

The Secret Sale Item is the Saco Con Pitas sweater. It comes in white, black, and burnt orange. It will be 50% off of $29.95 from 10 am Tuesday until 10 am Wednesday.
Thanks Fred

Secret Sale Item

Today is Cyber Monday. That means most people will shop on line today. So I am going to try to make it worth everyone's time to shop on line with South American Secrets. Today the fair trade Brazilian bottle top purse line will be our Secret Sale Item.. The entire line is 50% off from 10 am Monday until 10 am Tuesday. And to sweeten the sale we will add a box of Brazilian Cigarillos or some Ecuadoran Chocolates to each order. Your choice! Please go to our purse category on our website and see the various purses the fine ladies of Escama have made for us.
Thanks
Fred

Secret Sale Item

The holiday season is here. We officially kicked off the season over the Thanksgiving weekend with some great sales on the web and in the store, but I just noticed we have not done much yet for men. Therefor this time I am putting all men's shirts as our Secret Sale Item. This great Peruvian cotton shirt is very comfortable and stylish. It is priced at $29.95 so with the 50% discount it will be $14.48. This sale will starts 10am Sunday morning when the peruvian chess sets goe off sale. The shirts will be on sale until Monday 6pm.

Thanks Fred

Secret Sale Item

Happy Black Friday all. If we think back to why we eat turkey and give thanks on thanksgiving Day, we should recall that it was a cold winters day and the pilgrims were without food or firewood when the Indians came to the rescue. In honor of the Indians and their gifts to the Pilgrims South American Secrets has made today's Secret Sale Item the Peruvian Chess Sets. These chess sets come in four sizes mini, small, medium, and extra large. They are hand painted ceramics on folding wooden boards. It is the Incas verses the Spaniards. The idea is to keep playing until the Incas finally win. All chess sets will be 50% off. This sale will run until Sunday morning 10am. Find the chess sets on our website or come on in the store and we will take care of you.
Fred

Happy Thanksgiving, we will be closed Thursday Nov.26,2009.You can still shop our website.Starting Wednesday Nov.25,2009 6:00pm and ending Nov.27,2009 Black Friday at 10:00am, our Super Secret Sale Item will be all the past items that have been a Secret Sale Item from Nov. 14 thur Nov.25.So take a look to see what you have missed, and order now.We will be open again on Friday Nov.27, 2009.

Secret Sale Item

South American Secrets is ready for the Holidays and for the cold weather too!!! Are you????

Our Alpaca products are the best option to keep you warm and cozy.

Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile at an altitude of 3500m. to 5000m. above sea level. Alpacas are considerably smaller than llamas and they have been legendary known for their fine fiber which is as soft as cashmere, and warmer, lighter and stronger than wool. Our Alpaca products come from Arequipa-Peru, considered the center of the alpaca textile industry. This unique fiber comes in various natural colors and is used for making knitted and woven items such as blankets, sweaters, scarves, gloves, hats, coats, ponchos etc. If you haven't enjoyed the softness of any of these alpaca products, here is a big opportunity to do it!!! Our secret sale item is the Unique Alpaca Poncho Wrap. It is 50% off until Wednesday 25th at 6:00pm.

Secret Sale Item

Greetings all. I'm Shelby. Today I want to share with all of you the celebration we had last night, here at South American Secrets. Maria and I, surprised Fred and Janneth with a baby shower. As you already know, they are expecting their second son, due Dec. 9, 2009. Family and friends gathered to help celebrate our new addition. Big Brother Sebastian 4 1/2, helped mom open all the wonderful gifts. To his surprise, there were gifts for him as well. Sebastian is going to be an awesome big brother. Fantastic time had by all.
So, after such a nice time and celebration, we are ready to let you know our Secret Sale Item: the Muneca Hat. Made in Ecuador, you can choose from 5 different nice colors. Only at $24.95, until tomorrow tuesday 24th at 6:00 pm.

Secret Sale Item

Today I am extending yesterday's Secret Sale Item. The Brazilian Gold Jewelry line is such a great buy I hope people get the opportunity to see how special it is. Her are two more photos and one more day to take advantage of the Sale. Come into the store or by on line. This line will be 50% off until Sunday at 6pm.

Secret Sale Item

I went to my a mixer tonight. What is a mixer you ask? My wife asked the same thing. I would describe a mixer as a typical American social or wine/cocktail party. We as northern Americans frequently say we are going to a party when indeed we are going to a cocktail party or a social. I have brought my wife to many so called american parties and when we get there, there are bunch people standing around drinking wine and talking politics or about what ever is pop-culture for that week. My wife always smiles and I know what she is thinking because she has told me here thoughts on American parties before. She smerks and says "americans don't have parties, they have sit-arounds." She says "a party has music and dancing not a bunch of drinking, eating and talking." She is right, we have mixers, mixers is the correct term for northern american parties. I like both mixers and the type of parties my wife's culture indulges in. If you dont already know my wife Janneth is from Ecuador which is of course in south America, so they too are Americans which is why I specified our parties as north American parties.

The mixer was fun, it was put on by the Sebastiani family. There children go to school with my son. It was very sweet of them, they put this on for all the parents to have a venue to get to know each other. If you don't know the Sebastiani name google it and you see they are quite significant historically to Sonoma and the wine world. So in honor of the Sebastiani family we introduce the Secret Sale Item. This item comes from a country that is well known for its crazy parties. It also just got picked for the 2016 Olympics. What country is it? Brazil! Today the Secret Sale Item is our Brazilian line of gold Jewelery. So from the minute this blog post until 6pm Saturday this entire line of earring, and necklaces are 50% off. This makes it a great day to think about going GOLD! Find what you want on our website or just come on in the store. We would love to hear your perspective on what you believe defines a party.

Secret Sale Item

I really do try to get this blog post done before 6pm but I am a few weeks from having my second son, so some times I find that nesting takes precedent over everything else. So today's Secret Sale Item is coffee as I will need much of it to make it through the next few weeks, no actually the next few months. There you have it! All you coffee fans check it out! Our coffee Jewelry line, bracelets, earrings, and necklaces. This is a product that took some years to perfect but we did it. It requires a specific amount of toasting, too much and you can't get a needle through it without it falling apart, too little and the seed will age and fall apart over time. It is a great product from Ecuador, when you pull it out of its bag you smell the strong aroma of roasted coffee. Of course over time the smell becomes much more subtle. I like to make the joke some times that this is the only jewelry that can save you if you can't find an open coffee shop on the way to work. Anyway, in honor of coffee the Secret Sale Item is our coffee jewelry line. From the moment this blog post until 6pm Friday this line will be 50% off. The coffee line runs from $14.95 to $36.95. So if you haven't figured it out yet 50% off of $14.95 is half that ($7.48). Go on line take advantage of this sale or just come on by at the store in Sonoma and join us in some coffee?

Secret Sale Item

Happy Wednesday everyone! Just going to do a short blog post today. Today we got in our fair trade alpaca line. The alpaca comes in natural tones, brown black, gray, cream etc... This product is handmade in the Andes. It takes about 5 months for an order to be finished. The woman knit the clothing while watching there animals in the fields. Interesting enough the line is designed by a fashion designer and the women go according to the design they have been given. It is a fusion of new wold fashion with old world methods. I will have it on line soon for everyone to see.

As for today we need to talk about today's Secret Sale Item. From 6pm today (Monday) thru Thursday 6pm we will have All our Putumayo music 50% off. That means each cd will be $7.48. I hope everyone gets a chance to take advantage of this Secret Sale Item. You will never find Putumayo music at this price. The selection of music is vast covering music from almost every country in the world. So if you like Salsa music you will love the Putumayo line. If you like Reggae you will love this line of music. Maybe you like Blues or Rock, this line is great and what is most special is it is all fair trade music. Please place your order on line or in the store.
thanks!

Secret sale Item

It was over 10 years ago now that I met my friend Roberto out in Otavalo. My
Ecuadorian friend Oscar and I were just talking about starting up a socially conscious company that could help marginalized communities in Northern Ecuador, when we by chance met Roberto who would soon become a huge part of our success. Roberto was and is a traditional Otavalanian who happens to be from the generation were this community has been most effected by globalization. A very difficult time for a young man in a traditional community. This generation was forced to adapt to changing times and watch centeries of tradition be altered forever, or become irelavent and live the life as a monument of the past. For example the traditional language is Quechua but since the advent of computers in school their traditional language had to take a back seat to Spanish as keyboards were not set up to accommodate their alphabet. The issues Roberto and his family had to face was one of generational divide. Roberto's parents had worn the traditional garb all thier lives. Otavalanian men used White pants, a white shirt, blue pancho, black shoe/slippers and a stiff wool hat. Meanwhile the woman had embroderd white blouses, a blue skirt and gold painted beads that represented thier social states and wealth. Then comes Roberto's generation that is now wearing more comfortalbe shoes imported from the states, europe, or Asia. As well as cloths you and I would be caught wearing. As goods and information become more available for the first time, tradition was put by the wayside. You all know the story, globalization, it has its positive and negative effects. Anyway Roberto took the traditional Ecuadorian product and made it more available for exportation. As we started working with him, he went from a one room showroom with some looms in his fathers house to a three story house and manufacturing plant. We started with a 100 scarves and now sell about 12,000 a year. Later we started carrying his ruanas (poncho wraps) which leads us into the Secret Sale Item for the day. From 6pm Tuesday until 6pm Wednesday we will have all ruanas or ponchos 50% off. It is a great way of celebrating our long relationship with this bright Ecuadorian socially conscious business man. Roberto is one of South American Secrets many cool stories behind the product.

Second secret sale post

We had some technical difficulties yesterday so I am posting yesterdays secret sale item today and another one for today, so from 6pm today until 6pm Tuesday there are two secret sale items to take advantage of. The first item is our Chocho rojo line of jewelery. Chocho Rojo is a seed from from the Amazon Jungle. Its natural color is red. This seed, also known as Chocho Platillo, is believed to protect those who wear it from negativity. Tribes members in the Amazon have a tradition of always carrying a few seeds with them to attract positive energy. Some tribes put one seed on the wrist of newborns to keep them safe. As you can see on our website this jewelery comes in various necklaces bracelets and earrings. Of course like all the Secret Sale items, they are 50% off the original price. The prices on the pieces vary form $10.95 to $29.95, so today your price is half that and that will be our secret.

The second Secret sale item is a product from a fair trade co-op in Brazil. This community makes all kinds of goodies out of recycled beer and soda tabs. The official Secret sale item is the Chica cosmetic purse. This purse normaly runs $46.95. Today it will be half off that ($23.48) great idea for Christmas, but that is our secret right!

Steve and Gail Wolf's story

Story of the day. Today November 5th 2009 marks the 48th anniversary of Steve and Gail Wolf. If you have a moment to read a little further you will see perhaps why they have such a successful marriage.

About six weeks ago Steve and Gail came into our store and Gail saw some gold brazillian earrings and a necklace that she liked. Steve saw that she liked the jewelry but that she did'nt feel good about spending money on herself. Steve a few days later called us at the store and told Shelby the store manager that he would like to buy the jewelery his wife had seen that day and let us know it would be for their 48th wedding anniversary. The earrings had already sold by the time he called so we had to special order them from Brazil to see that he could give them to his wife for the anniversary. We were able to get the pieces to him faster then expected and he was thrilled. He was so excited he gave them to Gail a month before their wedding anniversary.

What I like most about this story is how excited he is to take care of his wife after all those years and that thier anniversay is still very special to him. There is no question those two still enjoy the romantic side of life. I myself have only been married 8 years but I feel like the luckiest man alive, I trust if I can maintain the passion for love as Steve can for Gail I will be just as happy as he is in forty some odd years. Congratulations Steve and Gail you are a great example for all of us to follow.

Now for the secret sale item I promised to give out in this blog post. All dresses will be 50 percent off from 6pm November 14th to 6pm November 15. They can be purchased on line or in our store by calling or walking in, but only for blog readers

South American Secrets/Sonoma life

I have wanted to promote the everyday life and stories that happen in our little south american secrets' world in Sonoma, so I will be changing the idea of the blog to better fit our readers interest. First we will be talking about what is interesting in Sonoma life and what may be pertinent to life of our friends and producers in South America. So basically the blog each day will talk about what is interesting in local news and what is happening in the store for example what is new in stock and what is on sale. To promote the blog we will be running a different sale every day starting November 15. Those who read the blog and know about it will be the only persons to be able to take advantage of the sale. Each day one item will be 50 percent off from 6pm to 6pm the following day. That item will be able to be purchased on line or in the physical store via visiting it or calling it. I encourage would be readers to let me know how I can better entertain and serve them. Please stay tuned as I will be giving out the sale item ahead of time in the next blog.

Fred

P.S. the photo is of the last fashion show we went to in Peru. Its focus was organic materials and Fair Trade producers.

It has been a while since I posted on the blog. The latest news is South American Secrets has a baby in the oven. Due date is between December 8th and 11th. Our Winter Tour has been cancelled do to baby number 2. The next tour will be in July 2010. Please let us know if there are interested persons. The donation has not changed it is still $1000 for the 7 days, and all the money goes to the communities. Please see privious posts for more informations about the tour and the communities.

The Story of Afro-Ecuadorian Student Erminda Nazareno from Urbina

Erminda is studying to be a nurse. South American Secrets started funding her about the same time as Yadira. Erminda like Yadira is passionate about her studies and her community. Every year she struts us through Urbina, everyone loves her and it is clear they see she will be a good future leader. It seems to be something most of our students have in common. When they show the travelers or would be tourist their communities and introduce the community members to us, it is like a parade through the streets as everyone comes forward to express their gratitude for taking an interest in their village.
Like all the other students, actually like everyone in the various communities, Erminda has a story that makes her special. About a year ago we were having dinner with a group of students and she began to share a piece of her childhood with us that really illustrated the life of many children of the Esmeraldes Jungle life. I had asked her where the children go to school. I saw the kindergarten and the classrooms for children attending first through eighth grade, but I did not see a high school. Erminda told me after eighth grade she went to school in San Lorenzo, which is where most of the students travel to in order to continue their education if their parents can afford the costs. She explained school was not expensive, it was governmentally subsidized. There were and are not any fees to go to school but materials and uniforms are not supplied, and transpiration is the biggest hurtle as getting out of the jungle to San Lorezo to get to school is easier said than done. Each way is a three to four hour trip that the students have to make on their own. As children become of age and are ready to take the next step and study in San Lorezo parents are forced to make a very difficult decision for their children.
First option the parents have is to send their children to Esmeraldas or Guayaquil to study with a family member who already lives there. Not many have this luxury and if they do it means seeing their 12 year old once of twice a year. The second option is to let them make the five day a week homage to San Lorezo where they are traveling up to eight hours a day just to get back and fourth to school. With this option comes the horror of having their children one day just never return home, disappearing from the face of the planet. Imagine asking your twelve year old to walk to school by him or herself with no way of communicating with you until he or she gets back that night. Talk about the worst kind of waiting game. Third and most common option is no continued education.
As Erminda told me of what her parents decided to do for her she began to show an emotional side to her I had never seen before. This story was truly from the heart. She explained that her parents took on two and three jobs at a time working themselves to no end, taking food out of their own mouths to feed and educate her and her sister.
Every week Erminda was given enough money to walk and to take a bus part way to school. This money was to get her through the week. It was not enough to eat everyday and have transportation to and from San Lorenzo, so she had to decide what days she would eat. All while having the daily physical demands on her, she had the pressure of knowing that if she did not do well in school her parents were sacrificing thier own health, diet, and well being for her for nothing.
While finishing her story she told me it is very difficult to see children on the dirt roads in the jungle in their school clothing because she knows they are going through the same sacrifices as she did and not all of them will make it. The story reminds me of the life patten of turtles. Two turtles lay hundreds of eggs and wait for them to hatch, when they hatch the baby turtles make their way from the whole they were born in, out towards the ocean. On their way to the water the baby turtles are snatched by birds and other animals. Then when they get into the water where other bigger fish eat them. Only a few turtles from the hundreds that are born actually live to be adults.
Like the baby turtles the parents of these students have very little control over their end-all success. Like the baby turtles, many of the children are snatched up by those who would seek out a vulnerable twelve year old child. Then like the baby turtle when they get into the water, or become educated, the corruption of life as they know it takes that education and makes it mute.

Why traveling on this Reality Tour is Special

As you can imagine the Esmeraldas jungle (forest) is beautiful and immense. South American Secrets is one of the few socially conscious companies to lead tours into this part of Ecuador. There are many Ecuadorians who will never have the chance to see this incredible part of their own country. If we can't revers the deforestation soon our children and our children's children will not have the chance to see the jungle's majesty or the animals and eco-system it habitats. The Forest is very isolated and feels like a place you would find in Africa. The Afro-Ecuadorian dialect of Spanish still uses many African words, If you close your eyes and listen to the Afro-Ecuadorian speak you will think you are in Africa. It is difficult to say exactly what percent of the population the Afro-Ecuadorians really make-up in Ecuador. Some studies say three percent and other studies say as much as thirty percent. I would argue it is between seven to ten percent. These communities have been so marginalized it is very difficult to get a real accurate census of the Afro-Ecuadorian population. More than accuracy the Ecuadorian government for many years have demonstrated an incredible lack of interest in the culture and infrastructure of these communities.

While their roads, bridges, and infrastructure have been abandoned, their pride, intelligence, and culture remain a sight to see. They are truly South American Secrets' greatest secret. We encourage anyone who would like to see a different world full of nature, music, passion and hope, they should join us on our next trip into the jungle. Those who travel with us on the tour become part of a larger story and a part of a world not every one will see.

About the Roll the Afro-ecuadorian Students have on the Reality Tours

As I have already expressed the tours are about the people.  The students are our educators, our liaisons to the communities, and the ambassadors to their people in the jungle.  It is the South American Secrets afro-ecuadorian students who benefit from the proceeds of the tour.  Every cent raised goes to the students and the communities.  No fee or payment goes to the guides or to South American Secrets.  Over the next few days I will be making new blog postings that go into the background and studies of each of our students.  

About the Esmeraldes Forrest

The Esmeraldas forest is the largest forest or jungle in Ecuador outside of the Amazon. It is also shrinking faster than any other forest in South America. The forest starts in Ecuador and goes right into Colombia. It is full with life. The various communities are connected via rivers that all flow down into the Pacific. The agriculture is as abundant as it is varied in ecological micro-climates. The Esmeraldas forest is the last substantial forest left in Ecuador. All other forests in Ecuador have been destroyed and for this it is important we see its importance and protect it.

About the People in the Jungle

The People in the Esmeraldas Forest are the Chachi , Awa, and the Afro-Ecuadorians. Chachi is a tribe of indigenous Ecuadorians as are the Awa. The Afro Ecuadorians came to Ecuador during the slave trade. It is said a couple of ships capsized and the slaves were able to escape by swimming to shore and running into the jungle. They were permitted to stay in the jungle by the Awa and Chachi. The indigenous communities gave them an area of the jungle to hide and live in and in exchange the then African slaves taught the indigenous the military tactics and weaponry of the Spaniards. With this unified front only the Esmeraldas forest remained unconquered by the Spaniards while the rest of Ecuador fell under spanish rule.

The Good and the Bad

Let's start with the good: the Reality Tour exposes interested travelers to many many different sub-cultures, micro-climates and traditions. Ecuador is an extremely diverse country. It is one of 17 megadiverse countries in the world. In one small area about the size of Colorado you have the Coast, the Andes, and the Jungle. Every few hours of travel you are going into a new world. We enjoy all three of these different regions and micro climates. The tour is called a Reality Tour for a reason, it is designed to be educational. The tour exposes the traveler to sociological, anthropological, ecological, and historical aspects to how globalization has effected the jungle and the people in the jungle. How their customs have changed as the forest life has changed. Most importantly the tour shows the travelers how our own global resources are effected by the negative changes to the forest. We see first hand what the rest of the world only reads about. It puts things in perspective, everyone leaves this tour with much more knowledge than they could have received in a semester of college. Meanwhile 100% of the money the tourist pay to go on this trip goes to the varies communities the travelers visit. Each traveler’s fee pays for one Afro-ecuadorian student to study for a year. All the students are working on graduate or post-graduate studies. The fee is 100% tax deductible. South American Secrets does not take any payment for guiding the tours. It is our mission to expose as many people to this region with the hopes exposure will protect its treasures. We the guides do not take a fee, our mission is to expose the beauty and realty of the jungle to those who would care for it.

Now the bad: In the Jungle, travelers have their comfort levels tested. By no means could we rate the accommodations with stars. If you are a traveler who likes adventure, and you want to test yourself, see a world you can't find outside of the jungle, this trip is for you. If your idea of fun is a vacation in fancy hotels and cocktails on the side of a pool, then this trip is not for you, this trip is more of an educational adventure, not a vacation.

It is important our would be travelers understand there is no communication to the outside world. No phones and no cell phone reception. There is no running water, most people bath in the rivers. Generally there are bathrooms but waste is washed down by pouring buckets of water in toilets. In many places the nearest hospital is 8 hours away form us. Some of what we see is very sad, parts of the Jungle are being cut down, and industries are coming in and poising the land and the waterways. We see first hand the loggers who are doing this and what it is doing to the communities. I would also recommend children under the ages of 12 and seniors with major medical conditions not think about making this trip. All would be travelers should consult their doctors before joining South American Secrets on the Reality Tour.

Things you need to know and do before traveling

1 Check your passport to see that it has more than six months left on it from the date you return from your trip.

2 Consult your doctor about the shots you may need.  As well as choose the type of Marla pills you want to bring.

3 Bring Small denominations of american dollars.  We recommend $100 in ones, $100 in fives, One hundred in tens, and $100 in twenties.  (ecuador uses the american dollar for their currency)

4 Remember to save $45 for the ecuadorian airport exit tax when you are flying home.

5 If you bring a credit card, inform your credit card company you may use it outside of the US.  (many restaurants hotels and shops do except visa, and master card.  Few except American Express, most recongonized credit card in Ecuador is Diners.)

6 If you should decide to bring travelers checks, you need to know there is a fee for cashing them in.  Many places do not take them.

7 Check South American Secrets packing list (see tours)

8 Bring Handy-wipes and or anti-bacteria soap.

Welcome!

Welcome to the South American Secrets blog!  We hope you'll bookmark this page and check back frequently for news and updates from our parts of the world!