lots of fun times have happened in the last month on my new favorite continent. from cruising valparaiso scoping graffeti to spending time in the dryest place on earth to floating the amazon with my family to perusing machu pichu to seeing condors fly canyon twice as deep as the grand and finally climbing a 20,000 foot mountain. its been quite the adventure and i have spent many an hour on overnight buses, quick flights and hecktic taxi rides. i have been stomache sick, altitude drunk and upside down alot. i could go on and on but i will let the images and captions speak for themselves. click the following link to reach my picasa album and view my sometimes shotty photography mixed with a few stunners:
PHOTO PHUN
hope all is well.
in love and light.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saturday, March 7, 2009
permaculture
through a heap of synchnicities including power outages, chance encounters and smiles, i was able to find a permaculutre farm near El Bolson, Argentina at which to donate my time and energy towards while learning about sustainible living. i spent two weeks sharing on this four-year old farm near the rio azul and gained more practical knowledge than i could have read in dozens of books. what is permaculture one might ask? here is a brief descrption, from a book :)
¨Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature. ¨ -Introduction to Permaculture: Concepts and Resources. By Steve Diver, ATTRA Publication #CT083. 2002
i was glad to have been able to find a place such as this farm. it is operated by an awesome young man named alex who is an american that grew up in indosesia, studied in the usa and has been living in argentina for 5 years. he is very involved with the local community both as a farmer and a teacher at a waldorf school, and has a steady stream of volunteers from all over the world as well as locals who help keep the farm going. the main theme was experimentation. we were constanly trying out new ideas and imporoving upon old ones. new planiting ideas, new ways to regulate the chickens, new kinds of cheese, new mud for the walls, new kinds of foods and new ways of interacting with one another. there was no electricity on the farm and we relied on a wood burning stove and earthen oven for cooking, a nearby spring for water, a solar dryer for dehydration, composting toilets eggs form the chickens and a cow for yoghert, cheese and milk. i felt totally connected to everything on the farm, all my work and all the food. it was a wonderfully freeing feeling to be close to total self-sufecietcy and know that if all else failed there was food in the earth to eat and good company to relax in candle light with.
most of my time was spent building a kitchen and community center. we built in a totally natural way using wood from the surrounding area, straw from the farm, glass form recycled bottles, mud and clay from the earth and love from our hearts. the foundation was river rocks, followed by home made pallets of wood filled with straw and covered with a mud mixture that hardend as if it was concrete. i was also involved in chicken rangering, cooking, bamboo curing, plant seeding, seed saving, harvesting, jam making, weed eating (literally), wheat and rye threshing, wood chopping, foundation laying, sanding and just about anything life related. my time was apparently short, but i feel as though i experienced so much. i am very greatful to have had the chance to learn and so happy to have met all the wonderful people that take part in the farm.
permaculture, and this farm in general, are not methods of returing to times past. they are not soley for an escape from technology or the world at large, but they are rather well thought out designs for living in harmony with nature and our true selves while existing simply and abundatly by ones own means. the methodology may seem to hint to days past, but really it is a leap forward while using time tested practices and nature as a true teacher and provider.it is a (re)evolution of how we look at our lives and our connection to food and the world around us.
the farm is down in the valley to the right.
the growing areas which are divided into allyes, mandalas and regions is situated in order to provided the most benifit to all plants. everything is planted in rotation, near to other natural helpers and cover-crops of ryes are used after each cycle to repelntish the nitrogen to the earth. cereals and grains are grown further to the right along with a few different species of maize.
night time dinner of farm goodies
door to the kitchen with re-used wine bottles for decoration above it. the sign reads: dance with roots in the ground, energy of the wind, flow of the water, and the joyful spirit of the fire. lets dance together!
home-made and self-invented wheat-thresher with the lovely girls from oregon workin it. truly an amazing inverntion that may end up revoltionizing small farm abilities in the area and abroad as small portable threshers are not today readily avalible. the creator used an old lawn-mower engine and welded this amazing invertion to life. it produced perfect seeds and saved much time and energy.
fish caught via harpoon in the river running next to the farm. the fish was over a meter long and weighed at least 50 pounds! the fisherman above, pastore, was a wiz with both his harpoon and a chaisaw which he used for everything from sanding to trimming to precision building to standing with one leg on the second story creating a notch for the roof while upside-down....
inside of alexs house, hand built and perfeced.
outside view of the house which is in perfect ratio geometry of the human body, seven sided and has a living roof for temp control and shelter.
farm with kitchen in the background.
bio-intensive mandala garden for transplatable veggies and fragile plants.
me making jam from wild blackberries and apples i harvested from the forrest surrounding the farm. sooo delicious.
community work day. some fellow permaculturists from a nearby center come on sudays to help and share a feast of fresh food.
community. communities build upon everything. from relgion to gangs, for support or on facebook, sports, schooling and work, art and music, on the internet and for everything in between. community is what humans do to feel connected and it is how we organize and find meaning. its really powerful to be a part of a community that surrounds something as vital as food and shares everything in order to survive. communities unite us. food sustains us. our homes we create define us. spirituality insipires us. any combination is a whirlwind of creativity, love and warmth. thanks for being in a community with me, no matter how far apart we may be. love and blessings.
namaste
¨Permaculture is about designing ecological human habitats and food production systems. It is a land use and community building movement which strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, microclimate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities. The focus is not on these elements themselves, but rather on the relationships created among them by the way we place them in the landscape. This synergy is further enhanced by mimicking patterns found in nature. ¨ -Introduction to Permaculture: Concepts and Resources. By Steve Diver, ATTRA Publication #CT083. 2002
i was glad to have been able to find a place such as this farm. it is operated by an awesome young man named alex who is an american that grew up in indosesia, studied in the usa and has been living in argentina for 5 years. he is very involved with the local community both as a farmer and a teacher at a waldorf school, and has a steady stream of volunteers from all over the world as well as locals who help keep the farm going. the main theme was experimentation. we were constanly trying out new ideas and imporoving upon old ones. new planiting ideas, new ways to regulate the chickens, new kinds of cheese, new mud for the walls, new kinds of foods and new ways of interacting with one another. there was no electricity on the farm and we relied on a wood burning stove and earthen oven for cooking, a nearby spring for water, a solar dryer for dehydration, composting toilets eggs form the chickens and a cow for yoghert, cheese and milk. i felt totally connected to everything on the farm, all my work and all the food. it was a wonderfully freeing feeling to be close to total self-sufecietcy and know that if all else failed there was food in the earth to eat and good company to relax in candle light with.
most of my time was spent building a kitchen and community center. we built in a totally natural way using wood from the surrounding area, straw from the farm, glass form recycled bottles, mud and clay from the earth and love from our hearts. the foundation was river rocks, followed by home made pallets of wood filled with straw and covered with a mud mixture that hardend as if it was concrete. i was also involved in chicken rangering, cooking, bamboo curing, plant seeding, seed saving, harvesting, jam making, weed eating (literally), wheat and rye threshing, wood chopping, foundation laying, sanding and just about anything life related. my time was apparently short, but i feel as though i experienced so much. i am very greatful to have had the chance to learn and so happy to have met all the wonderful people that take part in the farm.
permaculture, and this farm in general, are not methods of returing to times past. they are not soley for an escape from technology or the world at large, but they are rather well thought out designs for living in harmony with nature and our true selves while existing simply and abundatly by ones own means. the methodology may seem to hint to days past, but really it is a leap forward while using time tested practices and nature as a true teacher and provider.it is a (re)evolution of how we look at our lives and our connection to food and the world around us.
the farm is down in the valley to the right.the growing areas which are divided into allyes, mandalas and regions is situated in order to provided the most benifit to all plants. everything is planted in rotation, near to other natural helpers and cover-crops of ryes are used after each cycle to repelntish the nitrogen to the earth. cereals and grains are grown further to the right along with a few different species of maize. 
night time dinner of farm goodies 
door to the kitchen with re-used wine bottles for decoration above it. the sign reads: dance with roots in the ground, energy of the wind, flow of the water, and the joyful spirit of the fire. lets dance together! 
home-made and self-invented wheat-thresher with the lovely girls from oregon workin it. truly an amazing inverntion that may end up revoltionizing small farm abilities in the area and abroad as small portable threshers are not today readily avalible. the creator used an old lawn-mower engine and welded this amazing invertion to life. it produced perfect seeds and saved much time and energy.fish caught via harpoon in the river running next to the farm. the fish was over a meter long and weighed at least 50 pounds! the fisherman above, pastore, was a wiz with both his harpoon and a chaisaw which he used for everything from sanding to trimming to precision building to standing with one leg on the second story creating a notch for the roof while upside-down.... 
inside of alexs house, hand built and perfeced. 
outside view of the house which is in perfect ratio geometry of the human body, seven sided and has a living roof for temp control and shelter. 
farm with kitchen in the background. 
bio-intensive mandala garden for transplatable veggies and fragile plants.me making jam from wild blackberries and apples i harvested from the forrest surrounding the farm. sooo delicious. 
community work day. some fellow permaculturists from a nearby center come on sudays to help and share a feast of fresh food.community. communities build upon everything. from relgion to gangs, for support or on facebook, sports, schooling and work, art and music, on the internet and for everything in between. community is what humans do to feel connected and it is how we organize and find meaning. its really powerful to be a part of a community that surrounds something as vital as food and shares everything in order to survive. communities unite us. food sustains us. our homes we create define us. spirituality insipires us. any combination is a whirlwind of creativity, love and warmth. thanks for being in a community with me, no matter how far apart we may be. love and blessings.
namaste
Sunday, March 1, 2009
patagonia
mountains again. as the bus sped along on a 24 hour long ride accros the heart of argentina, we passed from cities quickly to grassland, then steadily to a desert with red stone and mesas, through a lake district and then, boom, mountains surge to the sky. the peaks of the range were jagged and full of growth still as they slowly creep trying to join the large blue sky above. it always feels good to return to the mountains after being in flat land and these peaks did not disapoint. i spent a few nights in a wonderful town called El Bolson. it sits in a valley with towering peaks all around and called to me due to its flourishing movement of permaculutre farms (more on this later), artists, microbrewerys and hiking terrain. the town felt like a music festival should feel with colorful people everywhere, street vending, impromptu concerts and plenty of well-worn travelers sharing stories over a beer in the park. about nine years ago argentina suffered an economic collapse which saw multiple presidents in a month, huge infaltaion and loss of bank security. to shield themselves from the market, the hype and to find a solution, El Bolson decided to stop using pesos. they instead had meetings at the local school once a week and set out whatever goods they had to share. a barter system emerged and sustained the town, increased its cohesiveness and openned its doors to a new way interaction. money returned to the town a while after the crisis settled, but the vibe is still one of sharing, community and freedom. beautiful.
after soaking in the town for a few days i set off for the mountains above it. i hiked along the rio raqhel and rio azul up towards their source looming overhead. the forrest was lush and the trail steep. as i climbed upwards, solo through the forrest my legs slowly remembered hiking, my lungs adjusted to altitude and my mind felt free to roam the thoughts that seems to always to be ever more peaceful the higher i climb. after a long hike filled with many relaxation breaks and yerba mate sessions, i reached a rufugio (literally: refuge). these wonderful encampments are houses scatterd through the mountains in patagonia and have a family or group operating shelter, camp sites, homecooked food and kitchen space, often with cervesa casera (home brew) and rest for weary legs. these little shelters are a welcome sight to trekkers and facilitate a great place to kick back and chat with fellows mountaineers. it was a perfect balance for me to hike alone with my thoughts during the day and share a warm meal with new friends after the sun had set.
someone told me pictures are worth a thousand words.....
valley of the rio raqchel below.
there is something quite satifying about following a river from its place of use in a city all the way to its roots above. the water grew ever cleaner, colder until the snowcone in the sky became visable with a pristine lake trickeling away. my first glacer up close. wow.
headwaters forming
rufugio hielo azul offed smile and cider-like home brew
rugugio natacion with a lake on its toes and a large grey backbone behind.
refugio cajon azul had its own organic garden to select diner from as well as some sheep, cows and a horse or two... fresh beets in the mounts, ummmm
my little week long trek cleared my head and slowed my pace. after 8 hour days in hare krishna farm land, its was nice to unwind with some cool mountain air.
along the way i met a guy from seattle at one of the refugios. we were talking about the usa and i brought up the wahhhh wahhh economy (just for jason). we quicky skirted the issue to avoid falling in the void of sorrow that the conversation often brings these days. later i asked him what he did back home. his reply ¨well, the wahh wahh economy got me laid off...¨ before i could offer condolences i realized, he was in patagonia! he was smiling! he was living! its real when you lose your job. its not just absract economy talk. but its even more real to take your chance and live it up in patagonia. this guy turned wahhh wahh into hooooraaaaayyyy! its always how you slice the situation that creates reality. things ¨happen¨ to us all the time, but it is how we that react which makes it what it is. it is us who chooses what the outcome is. nothing happens, we make it, we manifest it. what do we want to make today.....? do we want to transform society back to one with mutuality and fair trading el bolson style? do we want to sieze our freedom and follow our hearts intution? if there is a bleak situation, its often the best chance to turnit all around. there is always light to be found when you look hard enough.....
make it a great day.
wishing love and bliss to all.
ananda
namaste
after soaking in the town for a few days i set off for the mountains above it. i hiked along the rio raqhel and rio azul up towards their source looming overhead. the forrest was lush and the trail steep. as i climbed upwards, solo through the forrest my legs slowly remembered hiking, my lungs adjusted to altitude and my mind felt free to roam the thoughts that seems to always to be ever more peaceful the higher i climb. after a long hike filled with many relaxation breaks and yerba mate sessions, i reached a rufugio (literally: refuge). these wonderful encampments are houses scatterd through the mountains in patagonia and have a family or group operating shelter, camp sites, homecooked food and kitchen space, often with cervesa casera (home brew) and rest for weary legs. these little shelters are a welcome sight to trekkers and facilitate a great place to kick back and chat with fellows mountaineers. it was a perfect balance for me to hike alone with my thoughts during the day and share a warm meal with new friends after the sun had set.
someone told me pictures are worth a thousand words.....
valley of the rio raqchel below.
there is something quite satifying about following a river from its place of use in a city all the way to its roots above. the water grew ever cleaner, colder until the snowcone in the sky became visable with a pristine lake trickeling away. my first glacer up close. wow.
headwaters forming
rufugio hielo azul offed smile and cider-like home brew
rugugio natacion with a lake on its toes and a large grey backbone behind.
refugio cajon azul had its own organic garden to select diner from as well as some sheep, cows and a horse or two... fresh beets in the mounts, ummmm
my little week long trek cleared my head and slowed my pace. after 8 hour days in hare krishna farm land, its was nice to unwind with some cool mountain air.
along the way i met a guy from seattle at one of the refugios. we were talking about the usa and i brought up the wahhhh wahhh economy (just for jason). we quicky skirted the issue to avoid falling in the void of sorrow that the conversation often brings these days. later i asked him what he did back home. his reply ¨well, the wahh wahh economy got me laid off...¨ before i could offer condolences i realized, he was in patagonia! he was smiling! he was living! its real when you lose your job. its not just absract economy talk. but its even more real to take your chance and live it up in patagonia. this guy turned wahhh wahh into hooooraaaaayyyy! its always how you slice the situation that creates reality. things ¨happen¨ to us all the time, but it is how we that react which makes it what it is. it is us who chooses what the outcome is. nothing happens, we make it, we manifest it. what do we want to make today.....? do we want to transform society back to one with mutuality and fair trading el bolson style? do we want to sieze our freedom and follow our hearts intution? if there is a bleak situation, its often the best chance to turnit all around. there is always light to be found when you look hard enough.....
make it a great day.
wishing love and bliss to all.
ananda
namaste
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