Glamping for Foodies: the Vinha da Manta experience
The Vinha da Manta experience starts with the drive there. Skirting Guarda*, you head to the Mondego Valley which hugs the Serra de Estrela mountain (a natural park and the only place you can go skiing in Portugal). Through a few picturesque villages – including Chaos! – that boast a gorgeous view of a dammed (not damned) lake, you then turn towards Faia before finally seeing a sign for Vinha da Manta that takes you up a dirt track lined by old stone walls. Arriving at Vinha da Manta,
Going “Wild” in rural Colombia: the B&B life and Chasing Waterfalls
While in Colombia, we spent two weeks volunteering on yet another great project we found through Workaway: an eco-tourism Bed & Breakfast (B&B) called “Finca Agrreste”. The name is inspired from the word “agreste” with one “r” which means “savage” or “wild” in Spanish. The property lies a few hours North of Bogota, between the towns of Nemocon – known for its salt mine – and Suesca. The manager, Felipe Galindo, used to work in petrochemical engineering. Today, he manages six B&B properties in the general region of the
For the love of Avocado!
Fact: avocados are delicious. I am not sure it is possible to get tired of eating avocado – its versatility as a food is limited only by our imagination. I have heard of replacing butter with avocado in baking recipes as well as breading and frying slices of avocado as fries. All that to say, we would love to have avocados on our future farm. So as we perused Workaway, we decided to look for an avocado farm to go spend some time on and learn what growing avocados
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
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