Working the land in Tasmania
One of the first projects we got really excited on Workaway, when we started looking for places to volunteer during our around-the-world belated and extended honeymoon trip, was Tiger Hill Farm. Paul Kean, the owner of the property, was a little surprised at our email as it came more than a year ahead of time (we might have been slightly over-eager). However, that gave us the opportunity to Skype once or twice and confirm that our time in Australia would include a few weeks in Tasmania. All thanks
Reflections from halfway around the world
Can a year of travel and experiences change a person? Or maybe I should ask how could it not? Being at the “halfway mark” of our one year around-the-world belated honeymoon “sabbatical”, both geographically and time-wise, it seemed like a propitious time to pause and reflect on our adventures so far. To date, we have visited a selection of countries in Europe, East and South Africa, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Next is South and Central America. We have narrowly missed bombings (Thailand, August 2016) and two earthquakes
Free-range is eggxactly where it’s at
Sometimes when you get to a destination it feels like you are coming home, usually a combination of the how you respond to the physical space and most importantly the people. That’s what Kenilworth Free Range Farm was to us. We arrived in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast on a dark and rainy night (yes, the irony was not lost on us), having taken a bus for a few hours from Brisbane airport. We spent one night in the McWilliams’ home “in town” before heading to Kenilworth Free Range
Yoga, farming, fencing and bug foraging in Perth
The story of how we ended up on this particular farm in Perth started when I was in high school and a new kid, Jesse, sat next to me during orchestra practice because our instruments – he played the viola and I played the cello – dictated it. Fifteen years or so later we’re still friends (orchestra was a bonding experience), and when we started organizing our around the world honeymoon with wwoofing planned along the way, I remembered Jesse’s family used to have an organic farm in Australia.
UNObsessed
I do not remember a time when I did not love UNO. It is a simple card game, yet there are so many different rules and variations that can be applied, that there are myriad ways to play which can easily be adapted to younger children or over-enthusiastic adults. Over the years, I slowly brought Francois over from being a sceptic to almost (almost!) outmatching my love of the game. Now, we play everywhere, anywhere, anytime – in the line waiting to board a bus, in airports, in cars
The Bali Dream & Why we hate mosquitos
A week in Bali with our good friend Mathieu from New York, using a cute boutique hotel in Ubud as a base while surfing, snorkeling, and exploring an island renown for being an exotic paradise. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? It mostly was. I say “mostly” because on our way to Bali we realized Francois had a fever and muscle pains. Not good when you have just spent a few months traveling around regions known for their mosquitos often being hosts for illnesses such as malaria or dengue fever. We had
Myanmar – not the golden child of SE Asia but still worth a visit
Over the past five years or so, a growing number of friends have traveled to Myanmar. No matter their background, travel experience, or personality, everyone raved about it. As a results, we were excited to discover the country and came in with high expectations. Often a mistake, but it was inevitable. We had a classic ten-day program: two days each in Yangon, Mandalay, and Bagan, an overnight trek from Kalaw to Inle Lake, and another day and night in Yangon before flying back to Bangkok. The unaccounted for days/nights
Four Seasons Farming in Chiang Mai: Part II
Continued from the blog about the Four Seasons Chiang Mai, their vegetable garden, and Royal Projects in Thailand. When a friend pointed us to a permaculture farm about 90min north of Chiang Mai (thank you Stella!), we investigated and decided to go for a visit (volunteering requires a different visa in Thailand so that was unfortunately not an option). This turned into a fascinating 24h excursion. We arrived at Earth Home Thailand in the afternoon and were treated to a delicious late lunch prepared by the founder, P’Thongbai Leknamnarong. After
Four Seasons Farming in Chiang Mai: Part I
We love food and we are aspiring farmers, so with the anniversary of our civil wedding coming up on August 2 and having just found out about the Thai Royal Projects focused on organic farming as an alternative to opium production and which the Four Seasons Chiang Mai worked closely with… naturally, I reached out to the Four Seasons to explain our interest and book a table for dinner to celebrate our (belated) honeymoon. The Four Seasons Chiang Mai feels like a hidden piece of paradise, combining modern amenities
Getting to know Elephants in Thailand
When our initial plan for Thailand, a ten-day Permaculture Design Course (PDC) at Rak Tamachat farm, fell through due to a change of date on their part, we were on the road and taken by surprise. In spite of many friends raving about Thailand, I was a bit worried it would be overly touristy and that our lack of research would backfire into a lukewarm trip. Luckily, Facebook saved the day. We crowdsourced what we should do during our ten days, and the verdict was loud and clear: go play