Gina Ryan

Thanks Cris and Rebecca!

Hello,

Five months ago, we built our first natural swimming pool (yey!) with lots of recommended plants, a bubble system, and a filter (made out of an old inner tub from a washing machine). I live in Thailand and for the past few months, it's been the rainy season (overcast) but now that the rainy season is ending we are seeing more sun - and it looks like, more algae.

Once I accepted this new development, I have been enjoying removing the green string algae daily. But then I thought, "hey I bet I could do something better with this dark green awesomeness instead of throwing it over and away."

My husband, who is Thai, says that people around here eat it, and while I do plan on investigating that eventually, I wanted to know if anyone out there had some other ideas in the meantime. Although if anyone out there has some tips on how to 'prepare' string algae for safe consumption, I would LOVE to know that too.

Looking forward to your responses,
Gina

Dear Adam,

Thank you for your reply and well wishes.

Before posting, I took the time to read through various postings on this forum and other forums to get an idea of the kinds of exchanges that exist, both from potential hosts and potential guests. From what I read, my offer of exchange falls within the range of what's out there (at least in my reading), albeit and admittedly on the low end for certain things (on the high end for others, which I will explain later). You make good points and these are all conditions that I am hoping to work toward. I posted what our situation currently is as accurately and transparently as I could, and noted that the exchange is negotiable. And investment brings investment - I would be much more willing to invest more in longer term, caring, dedicated visitors than someone wanting to pass through for a week. I didn't want to emphasize that point in my original post because it's the kind of thing that happens best organically (in my experience). On the plus side of this exchange, this is a place to experiment (without paying to) and there is possibly less labour time than the typical exchange to allow more free time for travelers to pursue other interests that brought them to Thailand in the first place. Again, all negotiable, all depending on the needs and interests of the other person(s).

I am sorry to say that I don't whole-heartedly agree with you, however, on the value or intentions of my offer of exchange. I have met travelers who have expressed interest in the kind of exchange that I am proposing (long before my post). I think that there are several possibilities of exchanges and permaculture experiences out there. Obviously people who aren't interested in this project because it doesn't make sense for them won't respond. There are others who may already be traveling in Northern Thailand who may be looking for something just like this. For others who may not already be traveling but want to see if they can transfer their temperate permaculture knowledge to the tropics without paying for a course, with a place in which they can experiment, and with free housing, that could also be interesting.

My intention is about sharing what I have, which includes a truly beautiful little home in a fascinating part of the world, and sharing the experience of figuring out how to create meaningfully on it. If right now that does not align with anything that fits anyone out there, no worries; I will continue to do my bit of work and learning. But not putting out this possibility into the world means that it definitely won't happen. And I have learned that what some judge as valueless can be incredibly valuable to others. But please don't misunderstand my intentions: I am not "just looking for free help with developing [my] place." I am looking for permies who see the value in this (for them) and with whom we can share ideas and experiences. For me, there is no rush as to when all of this happens; it is an experience. I love learning with others; it inspires and motivates me. And perhaps in the beginning, some guests may know more about permaculture and we will now more about Thailand; with each exchange we hope to grow with our visitors.

I agree with you Adam, that as my situation changes, as we grow, get stronger, bigger, better, and have more to offer, it will be important to update the information. For now, I am searching for people who might be interested in joining the (small) beginnings of the adventure.

Kind regards,
Gina

Hi Jason,

How far would you be willing to go? I just posted an invitation looking for permies in Northern Thailand. You are welcome to check it out. A large family would be lovely and very welcome. I am not sure if our space is big enough, but it might be. The local children are lovely, but only speak Thai for the most part. I can try my best to answer any and all additional questions you may have.

Kind regards,
Gina

Looking for help in Northern Thailand

Who we are
A couple in our thirties with a big dream: to develop our land into a wondrous garden of magic where people can enjoy a serene retreat into the jungle and eat off the trees as they wander the gardens.
Gina – Canadian, music teacher at an international school in Chiang Mai, percussionist, hiker, very new to permaculture, organized and caring
Chai – Thai, a trekking guide, a great cook, a creative person, a jungle man wonder, loving and kind

What we have
Almost two acres of land (on a slope) near a lovely waterfalls in the middle of the jungle about 40 minutes from Chiang Mai.
We have a little ‘house’ with electricity, which is currently all open (no walls), except for the simple bathroom. This means that when we sleep over, we sleep in a tent.

Who we are looking for
A couple, a couple of friends, a single person, a family, (other) who would enjoy living in the jungle (we go to the land only 1-2 days per week, so you would have the run of the place for most of the time), and with:
-some permaculture/PDC/farming experience, preferably in tropical climates, but we understand that you may be coming for the chance to experience tropical permaculture
-lots of physical and mental energy to put to use in various projects
-a willingness to experiment, work hard, collaborate, and be innovative
-an interest in creating food gardens and small edible forests, guilds, working with water systems, developing composts, creating a magical but practical landscape and sustainable system. (Possibly doing some natural building – but this may be much later on down the road; possibly creating a mini terraced rice field.)
- love and attention to maintain and develop the land
-And someone(s) who is open to living in a different culture (assuming you are not Thai!) and flexible in terms of living in a fabulous, but developing country in which things may work differently and not always efficiently as you are used to.

Why we are searching for someone
It occurred to me (Gina) that we have something pretty awesome to share with permaculturists and permie-travelers who want to experience Northern Thailand on a budget while at the same time want to develop their permaculture skills and deepen their knowledge. We can only spend one or two days per week on the land because we work in the city and as a result, we are finding it difficult to put in place our permaculture ideas on our own – and basically to establish any meaningful permaculture system. We could use the help, but just as importantly, someone(s) with whom we can share ideas and grow together.

Our eventual goal
To create a magical, permaculture-practicing retreat with guest houses and edible gardens.

The exchange
- A modest budget for small projects
- Housing for labor
This means that, once here, you would have to budget for food (as low as $4/day, if you eat local - and what you plant, you can eat) and local transportation (you can walk to the village but you may want to rent a scooter, approximately $5/day, or buy a bicycle). We can also arrange for you to go to Chiang Mai one or two times per month, and can pick you up at the Chiang Mai airport or bus/train station when you arrive.
For longer stays, you will need to do visa runs so that you can legally stay in the country (this is a fairly common practice and there are several companies that drive visa-runners to the boarder so that they can reenter Thailand).
Right now, we have a 2-person tent and basic bedding, plus mosquito net, but you may want to bring or buy something more comfortable in terms of mats and sleeping bag. We hope to eventually upgrade this arrangement for our guests, but this is what it is now.
Our ‘kitchen’ is still very basic – camp fire style, but as we continue to work on our house, this will grow too.
That covers the basics! Additional expenses depend on the purpose of your trip.

Additional (optional) benefits for you!
You can get involved with the local community. The village is part of several King’s projects and overall most villagers live very sustainably – and you can learn a lot about local herbs and plants through observation. If you are looking to build up some ESL teaching experience, the local school (of nine students and four teachers) would openly welcome you. There is a good chance that you will learn some basic Thai and be invited into homes to share meals and enjoy local food, depending on how you choose to cultivate your relationship with the village community.

There is a great Permaculture center that offers courses about 30 minutes away, called the Panya Project, as well as its Thai counterpart – PunPun. You may want to plan to take a course before or after spending time at our place or to simply touch base with an awesome group of people. (Panya is where Gina took her first permaculture course).

Time frame
There is no minimum or maximum time frame and there is no start or finish date. We are flexible and are looking for the right person(s) who would fit with our project and who would feel that they are also getting something valuable in return.

A couple of final, but important considerations that are non-negotiable (and out of our control)
-The village has a VERY strict no drugs policy (what you do outside of the village and off the land is your own business) and if/when drugs are found, the village will either send in the police or ask us to send you on your way, neither of which is an appealing scenario. And while our land is actually further up the road from the village and fairly isolated, some villagers may be in the nearby jungle at all times of the day and night, hunting and foraging, which is pretty cool.
-Please respect the local culture and people in the village (this should be very easy to do as everyone is kind, curious, and easy-going). Chai is originally from the village and can help you get acquainted.

If you are interested, please contact us. While this initial post is pretty long, we know you may have more questions, which we are happy to answer. We want to make sure that you have a full picture of what we have to offer before you commit to traveling all the way to Northern Thailand.

Oh, and three more info bits (which could be pros or cons, depending on you)
1) There is no wifi at the land or village, so you would have to go into town for access
2) The land is quite isolated, which you can really feel at night time. This might be a consideration and possibly a safety issue for single people. On weekends, there are sometimes groups that spend the day and night nearby the waterfalls and in the 3 nearby guest houses. That could be a great chance to meet Thais who are coming out to enjoy nature.
3) We are very new to permaculture and are in a transition state. That means that not everything that we have done is 100% permaculture, much of which has to do with our own limited education and/or using local resources. That said, we very much want to make a clear transition and are working toward that goal.

We suggest that you think about what you may want to get out of this exchange during your time with us (ex, “understanding herb spirals,” “developing water systems”, etc.) and we invite you to include these interests in your message. Don’t worry, you won’t be committed to this and neither will we! But, in addition to our projects, we would like to support and accommodate your interests as much as possible and then we can plan as best as possible. For example, major planting efforts are best done in the wet season, whereas natural building is best done during the dry season; some projects you would like to work on, we may not be able to budget for, etc… But this will get a dialogue started.

Looking forward to hearing from you,
Gina and Chai

Dear Paul,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to my questions.

I probably didn't express my situation very well. The poison has not yet been used, and this is something that I am desperately trying to avoid.

I am new to permaculture, having just taken my first permaculture course last summer. It opened my eyes to a whole other world of possibility, for which I am grateful. For the past year, I worked on small sections of land, which I strategically picked. Using the grass for mulch was difficult at times because it often seemed to be seeding, but we used it when we could. Additionally, we built swales in a few places.

I think our challenge stems from the reality that, at this point anyways, we can only work (and be) on our land one or two times per week. This is definitely a disadvantage in creating permanent systems. A friend recently suggested that we make our home on the land open to traveling permies, exchanging free housing for some help to really get moving. This idea makes a lot of sense regarding truly establishing systems and I love the idea of sharing our space and sala, which is in a beautiful jungle.

I posted on this forum to reach out to a community, many of whom have a wealth of experience, for support and ideas. I was so lucky to experience a loving, helpful, and warm group of teachers during my first course, all of whom I felt comfortable asking any kinds of questions as I started to learn about permaculture. This is my perception of permaculture communities.

We are all at different stages in our growth in permaculture; some of us have vast experience and knowledge and some of us are still very much at the beginning of the process; some of us may be fully immersed while others of us are in a transition state. I apologize if I have offended some members of the community in how I described my current situation; but that said, how do we grow if we can’t openly communicate the situation that we feel we are in? How can we feel comfortable asking sincere questions in the hopes of getting help when we have to worry about being judged?

Thank you again for your feedback. I appreciate it.

Kind regards,
Gina

Hi everyone,

Last year I took my first permaculture course. I live in Northern Thailand and my partner and I own some nice land (almost 2 acres). Nice, except for the unmanageable, overpowering elephant grass, which grows almost everywhere. It is expensive to cut, and my partner, who has been fed up with the grass for over a year, has proposed a poison, which is used by most local farmers and villagers when they want to prepare the land for other purposes. I asked for a postponement while I came up with a plan (surely there would be a plan!). But my efforts at some hard core mulching were gradually taken over and now after a four-week trip, that section of tall plants is barely visible through the elephant grass. In another area, I dug out some of the crazy root systems and planted tua brasil ground cover with some other plants and small trees. Every week was a battle and again, after 4 weeks away, it was like I didn't do anything. I noticed that the elephant grass almost seemed to sense when new plants were entered and competed because it would grow right through them.
After consulting with a local permaculture group, who said 'well, maybe sometimes you have to do this once so you can move on' and after all of these attempts, I have finally given in to the elephant grass poison.

All to say, I have two questions:
1. Any other last ditch efforts?
2. How can I repair the soil once we put the elephant grass poison down? Farmers practice this here, and I too want to plant food. I am not intending on selling my food or labeling it as organic, but I do want to minimize the amount of toxicity in my own food, especially what I grow.

Thanks for your thoughts,
Gina