After a job well done making a garden bed, we pose for a photo. Farang, remember, means (western) foreigner. Our stay at Good Earth Agriculture was good, and we accomplished quite a bit while there, both on and off the farm.
We learned about growing things in a tropical environment, including the process of composting, making fertilizer, making soil, making a garden bed, planting and weeding (some things are the same everywhere!).
Be sure to check out our photos on flickr for some additional information about the processes we used. But rest assured, it involved scooping buffalo poop. And sweating a lot. It was over 90 every day, so we would work from 7:30 or 8 until noon at the latest, and then maybe do a bit again in the late afternoon.
We also got to see into Thai life in a small village and a small city, including at a local Thai school. There are many photos of our visit to Kanlayaprasit School on our flickr page, as well as of our entire stay just north of Prakonchai in the little village known as Ban Sai.
Ah yes, Ban Sai, where four 640ml bottles of Archa Beer (6% alcohol, or so) sell for 100 Baht ($2.86) and a huge bunch of banannas (about 20) go for 10 Baht ($0.29). A big bowl of noodles with some greens and meat, absolutely delicious, is also 10 Baht. So is the scoop of ice cream from the woman on a motorbike who drove right up to the farmhouse. Things got a bit pricier in Prakonchai, where a stir fry on rice was 20 Baht ($0.57) and a whole watermelon (maybe 1-2 kilos) was 25 Baht ($0.71). All prices US.
We also enjoyed playing with Jane, trying to see life in Thailand through the eyes of a 6 year old. Who loves Connect 4, a puzzle kids book, being flung into the pile of hay and eating fried bugs.
Now, hopefully, our seeds have sprouted and Good Earth Agriculture will have a nice crop of gourds, peas, watermelon, tomatoes, and probably some other things I’m forgetting, on the way.
