Pai will turn you into a poet (among other things) by Jordan

Everyday in Pai I become a little more inspired. The people I've met, the conversations I've had, and the true beauty I have experienced all create a package that makes Pai a place people have a difficult time leaving. I have changed my outlook on life on only 2 weeks. Wow! First, there is Sandot, the genius of a man who owns and operates the farm we live at. He has the most stunning spirit of a human I have ever encountered. He is beaming with intelligence and love. I am learning so much from him about living self sufficiently and happily. I mean, I can build a fire, carve a whole kitchen set out of bamboo, have become proficient with a machete, and I can find the basil and cilantro in the massive sea of green. Then there's Joey and his team. These are the local guys that we go rock climbing with. We hang out on his farm most evenings and observe the simple jungle lifestyle. Joey's team are a group of guys that train horses, go on climbing excursions, and basically work together to survive and thrive. They share all and all contribute. It is so beautiful to see something like this! So with that, I was at Joey's last night listening to music under the stars...it started to sprinkle down rain and this poem poured right out of me.

If the rainforest was the desert and the desert was the sea
And birds lived in houses and people lived in trees
If mice hunted lions and snakes started walking
And cats started swimming and fish started talking
Things would seem backwards, a little out of place
The world is not right now, there's something wrong with this pace

But here is the problem, it's already happened
People are hunting diamonds and fighting eachother like lions
We don't live in houses, we live in extra large boxes
Everything we have comes in a complicated package
We are losing intuition because of all the planning
Computers do the work, nine to fivers do the scanning
All of these processes were created by the masses
Look at it, dissect it, are there more opportunities or clashes

When you see something right, you feel that it's fine
What makes more sense, shopping malls or what's yours is mine
Life offers paths that guide us toward the distance
If you chose ones that feel right, things won't seem so twisted

Sawadikah and Photos (Jordan)

Since Pai is so much fun and there is so much to do, I really can’t be bothered to type out a long blog. I’ve found that lists work well in giving you all an idea what is going on over here in Asia. So here is the newest list.

What I do in Pai:
Live on an organic mango farm
Eat at least 4 juicy mangoes per day
Shower in the jungle
Feed the pigs
Cycle to town 7 km through green farm land
Go to Mama’s yoga class
Enjoy a Thai massage
Eat lunch in town, curry, salad, fruit…mmm
Cycle back to the farm
Cook organic veggies from the farm over wood fire with other guests
Listen to Sandot play traditional Thai instruments while his wife sings
Relax in Tai house…our humble abode
Meet the local boys
Ride motor cycles to the Lahu hill tribe village
Stay in a hut over night with the tribe people
Go rock climbing on huge lime stone cliff faces
Make EVERYTHING out of bamboo, cups, bowls, spoons, water jugs, carvings
Go to parties at farms with BBQ, booze, music, fire dancers and plenty of people with dreads
Wake up and do it all over again…that’s Pai folks.

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PERMACULTURE

Permaculture
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Permaculture Mandala summarising the ethics and principles of permaculture design.
Permaculture is both a philosophy or lifestyle ethic as well as a design system which utilizes a systems thinking approach to create sustainable human habitats by analyzing and duplicating nature's patterns (ecology).
The word "permaculture," coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s, is a Portmanteau-style contraction of permanent agriculture as well as permanent culture. Renowned environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki has stated: "What permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any group is doing on the planet."[1]
Today, permaculture can be described as a 'moral and ethical design system for the survival of people and their environment'. It seeks the creation of productive and sustainable ways of living by integrating ecology, landscape, organic gardening, architecture, agroforestry, green or ecological economics, and social systems. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way they are placed together; the whole becoming greater than the sum of its parts. Permaculture is also about careful and contemplative observation of nature and natural systems, and of recognizing universal patterns and principles, then learning to apply these ‘ecological truisms’ to one’s own circumstances in all realms of human activity.

Easy as Pai (Jordan)

Stepping back on to Thai soil was like a breath of fresh air for Megan and I. We were longing to be back in our favorite mountain town, Pai and now here we are. We are staying at Tacome Pai, an organic permaculture farm run by the most beautiful man, Sangut. His great gradmother bought the land 200 years ago with some tobacco and now there are 1200 mango trees, rice fields, peanut, basil, green beans, mint, and coffee crops (this is what I can remember from the tour on arrival). For around $1.50 per night Megan and I have our own bamboo and wood house contructed by hand and love by Sangut himself. It is a traditional house of the Karen tribe people of Burma (you might be familiar with the long neck women adorned with gold rings). Our house has a fire pit between our beds and a front porch over looking the farm and the green mountains, often covered with mist. We are free to eat from all the crops and we contribute $3 per week for home cooked veg meals nightly. Sangut has so much to teach from carving bamboo, harvesting mangoes, making tes, building houses and basically going back to indigenous skills. Permaculture is like the reversal of technology. When we give to the earth it gives back. It is also about focusing on our talents like music, art, and creativity rather than being wasteful as most humans are. What a relief to be here among all of these pro-active people! Check out the site: www.tacomepai.com
Jordan

101 Things About Asia

101 Things About Asia
1. “Hello Moto” is not a slogan for a cell phone service provider; it has a whole other meaning here.
2. The car horn causes more stress than even imaginable, beep, beep, beeeeep!!!
3. Upper lip sweat, lower back sweat, eye lid sweat, earlobe sweat, we have it.
4. You, madam, hey, hello, lady, miss, are all names we respond to.
5. “You buy something” is an order not a request.
6. Nineteen people can easily fit into a van built for 6 in Vietnam, we know ‘cus we were in it.
7. Dog, rabbit, turtle, sea snail…..all on the menu.
8. A motor bike can be used for the same purpose as a U-Haul…who knew.
9. Five on motor bike is not only possible, but common.
10. A hand waving at you ferociously means, hey rich person come spend your dollars here.
11. For some reason Asian men think it’s attractive to have really long hairs growing out of there facial moles.
12. Soy sauce and chili, a staple on the table.
13. Even though it is 100 degrees outside most Vietnamese women are covered head to toe…no sun means whiter skin, whiter skin means more beautiful.
14. Foreigner price is always more expensive than local price.
15. Eating a Thai chili apparently has similar effects to doing speed, tried and tested.
16. A daily activity in Thailand consists of picking lady boys out of the crowds.

To be continued.

Some Vietnam Pics (Jordan)

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