Panya, Chiang Mai, Thailand - January 2011

January 2011, my winter vacation, 3 weeks.

I've gone to Thailand almost every vacation I had. Why not, it's absolutely beautiful, the weather is perfect, the food is incredible, the people are super friendly, and there are so many wonderful things to experience.

This time, I went to this eco-farm called Panya Project, north of Chiang Mai in norther Thailand. I took a "Natural Building Course" that lasted 2 weeks. 

Pun Pun was to the left and Panya was to the right. Pun Pun was a Thai run organic farm that had volunteers and wwoofers as well. We went there later during our stay and enjoyed some coffee and home made cookies.

This was our dorm. We stayed on the top, and the people who were there more long term where in the rooms on the bottom.

Mine is the 2nd last on the left. You can see all the blankets I had there. First night I slept with 3 blankets and I was FREEZING!! 2nd night I slept with 5 blankets and I was much better. I was surprised by how cold it got up north.

This was the back of the sala. The place where we ate, and hung out and all watched movies and had our lectures.

Ahead is the library, and upstairs is the computer and some spare work clothes.

Pretty candle spot built into the pillar.

Compost toilet! LOVED IT!! The 2 on the left are full and have been left now to compost. The 2 on the right with the burgundy curtains were being used. 

Someone is doing their business at the moment :).

This was one of the toilets. Behind are the backs of rice husks used to cover your dodo once you're finished. The walls did not connect with the roof, so it was almost like you were out in the open. It was very nice :)

This is the garage, where the tools and storage was. 

Very funky design on the outside.

In the garage.

This was the amazing oven they build next to the kitchen. We made personal pizzas there one of the nights.

Main area at night.

Kitchen, and duty board on the left.

This was the alcohol room. Here, they made all sorts of interesting concoctions. They also made Kombucha. 

This was an experiment, where they tried to make a dark room to grow mushrooms in. Maybe they'll get back to that in the future.

The nursery.

One of the kitties.

The other one.

Compost. Lovely lovely compost that's ready to be used.

Papaya plants ready for harvest.

Some Thai around the walls to help us learn.

Banana circle. Grey water from the kitchen or showers will be siphoned in the middle of the banana tree circle. No waste there :).

Lovely Lemon Grass!! The anti mosquito plant! Love the smell!! LOVE IT!!

Overlooking an experiment, trying to make a lake for fish.

Great sauna they made.

It's small, but gets super hot!

And here we go! In the mud pit! Mixing mud and straw and rice husks to make our Adobe bricks.

All happy and muddy :)

And then we make the brinks. It was so easy.

Then we had to leave them out in the sun for a few weeks to dry.

Next project was to fix up the wall between the men and women shower, and decorate and paint the outside of the wall.

And the finished product.

So beautiful!! 

That is a bottle, and you can peek in if you like :)

More compost

We're turning over a pile of smoking compost. So cool!!

This was another project. We were making a rain collecting tank from cement.

This was the base, and the size.

Put chicken wire all around so it can hold the cement.

Apply cement :)

And it's ready :). YAY!!!

Then we went to visit Pun Pun, just a short walk away.

They had their own bricks laying out in the sun to dry.

Outhouse. Very cool looking.

Solar water heater.

A really large building made of Adobe bricks.

Everyone sitting outside at the Pun Pun coffee shop enjoying some cool drinks.

So many cool people :)

Breakfast bananas picked from our own banana trees.

Planting tomato seedlings.

Beer bottle river.

Preparing a meal.

Pizza night prep.

Ingredients :)

Darts in the evening. I was surprisingly good :)

After a muddy day, we went to the local water hole to swim, wash and cool off.

Cheese making :). Step 1: Add milk to the large pot.

Step 2: Add herbs and boil.

Step 3: Add a little bit of vinegar and continue to cook.

Step 4: Then it starts to curdle :).

Step 5: Separate the cheese from the liquid.

Step 6: Strain, and then eat :)

Then we each got to make some alcohol. Mine was with pineapple, ginger and chilly. I have no idea how it came out.

Relaxing in the hammock. 

Ben had inspirational dreads. I will get mine soon and they'll look just as amazing :).

Transplanting banana trees.

Jeffoa playing with bees wax :)

Yup, that's a very French/Belgian mustache. 

Permaculture in a nutshell.

Ime taking some blankets up to the sauna to spend the night outside watching the full moon.

Hahahahaha! Why? I don't know.

Scratching glass to prep for cutting.

Then you wrap a string soaked in a flammable liquid around the bottle on the scratched spot.

After a little while, you put it in cold water, and the bottle should crack right on the line you made.

This was for our next project. 

We had to re-do the floor in this house because termites had gotten in.

Then we added gravel, but it had to be pounded down.

Then we had to roll some mud with straw and elephant dung to make the last layer.

We were mixing some stuff.

Adding the bottle bottoms.

Pretty layers :)

Finished product. Now to let it dry.

Walking to the little village nearby.

We met this really cool couple.

The monk was blessing the food.

A house made of Adobe bricks.

Amazing decoration and design.

Love the light.

A very important monk had died, and this was his party/burning. It was spectacular.