Making a Radio From a Coconut

By Julia
Pai, Thailand

It feels wrong to have wifi access in a traditionally thatched bamboo hut. Wrong, yet awesome. But that is the reality at Tacomepai, the permaculture farm in Northern Thailand Tom and I had the pleasure of staying at for a few days this week. Sandoz, the energetic Thai owner, is conveniently an electrical engineer by trade and has toiled happily for the past 6 years to build his property into a homestay farm for anyone interested in learning natural building skills, permaculture practices and Thai culture.

One of the 8 unique bandas at Tacomepai

  The result is a graceful melding of the modern and the ancient. Yes, the eight huts on the property may have electricity and internet, but all were constructed utilizing only natural materials found on the farm (teak, bamboo, mud brick and palm leaves). Sure, there’s a town 6km away that slings lattes and tourist t-shirts, but there’s no need to go there most days – food comes from the farm.

Sandoz planing wood by hand

Permaculture is a farming system whereby systems are put in place to sustain the farm as naturally as possible and reduce unnecessary waste. Chives, a natural insecticide, are planted amongst other vegetables to protect them from pests. Geese are employed (very happily, I may add) to stand near the communal sink and gobble up human leftovers while we clean our plates. Their manure is them used as fertilizer under the coffee plants. The weeds around the coffee plants are trimmed, but not pulled, to protect the soil’s moisture. Bamboo is used not only for building, but for making cups, plates, spoons, charcoal (used to filter water), mats and decorations.

Sandoz's mom and Aussie Shelly weaving baskets from banana leaves

Of course, with community farms come characters. There was the old French lady that looked like Rousseau from Lost and could never answer a question in a full sentence. There was a thirteen-year-old boy named Dream whose mother was named, yes, Running Horse. There was the self-riotous, Manhattan-bred hippie with a gangrenous third-degree burn on his leg who insisted on treating it by stuffing it with Marlboro tobacco. I could go on…

 By and large, however, the visitors on the farm were down-to-earth people interested in Sandot’s vision for sustainable living. After spending our first day on the farm weeding and sanding wood, the second day we attended a natural building workshop led by gregarious Aussies who taught us how to shape bamboo and make mud bricks. This workshop included some manual labor: an excursion to pick up some freshly cut bamboo and transport it back to the farm.

Giving the truck full of bamboo a little push!

Valley beyond Tacomepai

Bike-powered washing machine - genius!

 Despite our short stay at Tacomepai, I learned a lot. Staying on a successful farm surrounded by intelligent, enthusiastic people gets me really excited for our farm stays in New Zealand. We’re eager to learn more about self-sufficient farming. I can’t wait for Tom and I to have our own piece of paradise someday, minus the hippies.