Things on the farm are going well, I have settled into more of less of a routine in the mornings and after that every day has something new in store for me.
I rise and shine with the roosters every morning... 6am (except on the weekends) an since I'm usually the first one out of the house I take the dogs for a walk. The dogs are a huge Italian Mastif and a little pug. Both of them were orphaned because they have major health problems and Liela happily adopted them. They are great dogs but have a sad story and take a lot of care. When the doggy business is done it's off to feed and water the goats, rabbits and chicken. With the two of us working together (the strange German and myself) this usually takes about an hour. Thankfully Hartwig takes care of the pigs, they are HUGE 500lbs and have big teeth and have been known to chase. I haven't yet built up the nerve to cross over into the pig pen. They are hilarious looking and true to their name eat absolutely everything: walnut shells, coffee grinds, tea leafs, moldy onions, rotting potatoes... nothing will go to waste in this house. Then the German (the other helper) and I make ourselves a large breakfast, sadly what has always been my favorite meal of the day has become my least because usually it's just me and him as the kids are off to school with Hartwig. When Leila is up me and her go do the goat milking (I'm getting better everyday) and care for them which has come to be a lot.
Last weekend we took a trip to a friends farm who are being forced to moved off and they were in desperate help to get the place cleared out and cleaned. It was a great drive through the country, we passed through 4 of Austria's 9 districts. Lot's of big snowy mountains and lovely valleys, the little villages are so great! Once we got there the work was not so pleasant. A huge goat stable needed to be cleaned. It was filthy and back breaking but we managed to get it all done and it was definitely something to feel good about at the end of the day. From that farm we took 13 more goats with us which take a lot of tending to so the days have been very full. One has a bad injury on its udder and it has twins so only one of the babies is getting milk so we have to chase down another goat who has plenty of milk and get her to let the little one to drink from her. She doesn't like it though so tries to sit on the baby and it's such a struggle to hold it up and keep the baby there while 25 other goats are surrounding you seeking attention. I told Leila of my dry and troublesome skin and she introduced me to a great product. It's MUD! (though a special and expensive mud) I use it every time I shower as shampoo, conditioner and soap. It's really great... who would have thought!
I have been enjoying and learning to cook all sorts of Austrian/Hungarian dishes, baking lots of bread, digging up old and building new fences, bailing hay, sorting through grains, salad picking, etc. There is so much that needs to be done done daily in order to keep the farm running. They pretty much have helpers here year round.
The public busses that go from village to village are like luxory travel buses so clean and big and warm and modern. Definitely a step up from the filth of tri-met and infinitely better from those in Nepal that were I once had a goat sitting across the aisle for me and were also shared with chicken! and when they were completely full to standing room only on the inside people just climbed up and rode on top. The villages are so fun to wander around the narrow, winding streets, the ruins, shops... everything is so old, full of history and amazing.
It is plenty busy here and still quite cold. Snowing some days, windy, rainy, gray... where is spring?!? I am still exploring the country roads and trails and seeing the landscape. Yannic takes me exploring to his secret spots and there are some rocks around where we do some bouldering but it is super sketchy. I'm about twice his size and everything I want to grab breaks on me, ayia yai. When it's too cold outside Hannah is teaching me to hula-hoop and juggle and we have learned a duet together on the piano. It has been great to have a place to settle for a bit. I have a few more weeks here on the farm and have finally asked for and received permission to take some days off to do some travelling.
...no goat cheese yet
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Finally some photos
Sorry, but sadly I can't figure out this blog thing well enough to label the photos and they are in chronological order starting at the bottom and going up.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
A Farmers Life for Me
I am beginning to adjust to the farming lifestyle. The family that I am staying with and working for is great. The mom Leila is a craniosacaral practitioner who does her business at home so is here most of the time, the father works in Vienna (80km to the west) two kids Yannic 13 and Hannah 11, 16 goats, 3 pigs, 6 rabbits, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and many chickens and geese and ducks. I have been milking goats, tending to all the other animals, cooking, bakings, searching for eggs, gardening and learning a lot. There is another helper here from Germany he's 45 and quite strange... the Morth's aren't sure if they are going to allow him to stay, he's very stubborn. Otherwise, the family and farm is strictly organic and uses only sustainable energy, their provider sources just wind, hydro and solar energy. They are really, really great. They all speak english, though most of the time they are speaking German and I sit there having no idea what is going on... a bit awkward but okay. The house is quite spacious as there are 6 of us here and they have guests stay quite frequently. It sounds like they have some helpers around more or less year round some stay a few days others stay a few months.
The scenery is amazing. While they are in a valley, a short walk up the hill you can see several surrounding farms and snowy mountains (they said they will take me skiing!!) I think I could go for a run almost everyday and take a new route each time! The Danube River is nearby and all along it are beautiful little villages and castles and such. I haven't been out to see a whole lot yet just last night when we drove down to the river and picked enough wild garlic and greens to make a salad for 9 of us!
I am off to go chop and retreive firewood for the house so we don't all freeze!
The scenery is amazing. While they are in a valley, a short walk up the hill you can see several surrounding farms and snowy mountains (they said they will take me skiing!!) I think I could go for a run almost everyday and take a new route each time! The Danube River is nearby and all along it are beautiful little villages and castles and such. I haven't been out to see a whole lot yet just last night when we drove down to the river and picked enough wild garlic and greens to make a salad for 9 of us!
I am off to go chop and retreive firewood for the house so we don't all freeze!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Happy Holi!
Day 1 of my trek coincided with Shiva's (a holy God's) birthday. It is celebrated by having a big feast at the end of the day. In order to have this feast kids need to earn money. In order to earn money kids hold a rope across the road, trail, wherever people need to cross and in order to cross you have to give the kids money. So driving out of Kathmandu in our big tourist van there were kids trying to stop us and the hundreds of other vehicles with tiny rope, it didn't work out so well for them. However, as we got on the trail there was no way to pass but to give them some change. As we climbed higher and higher there were STILL these adorable kids there, but none of us had any money left so at times our guides were able to get them to lower it for us, other times we had to hurdle over or sneak by. Today, my last day in Nepal is the final day of this ongoing celebration, called Happy Holi. It is celebrated all throughout Southern and SE Asia, but is the worst here in Kathmandu. I received warning lastnight as I was falling asleep and heard some gossip about this "Happy Holi". Wear clothes you don't mind getting stained, you're gonna get soaked and foreigners are their main targets.
I woke up early this morning and made it out to breakfast before any of it got started, just in case taking the bare minimum with me in a plastic bag. I spent some time making phone calls after that and by the time I headed back for my hostel it had started. It was madness, I walked out and immediately had a bucket of water dropped on my head, then water balloons thrown at me, then water balloons with dye in them, then kids running up with powdered paint rubbing it all over me, my hair, arms, legs, body. Go figure, as I hate shopping I decided to wait and do it my last day here. Very few shops are open and getting to them is impossible. So I ran around a bit looking for anything and as time passed it just got worse. The guys began to get drunk and were attacking me in groups, grabbing and touching everywhere. I gave up and made it back to my hostel, thank god I splurged and decided to spend my lastnight in one with a restaurant, hot shower, internet, taxi service and gift shop… I am not going out on the streets again and have a few hours left to kill here. Luckily there are a lot of people doing the same thing so I have good company. Thank god it all washed off with ease too. I would have got some weird looks boarding a plane, arriving in Austria and meeting my host family.
I am so excited for Austria and the farm! The outback, koalas, kangaroos… =)
I woke up early this morning and made it out to breakfast before any of it got started, just in case taking the bare minimum with me in a plastic bag. I spent some time making phone calls after that and by the time I headed back for my hostel it had started. It was madness, I walked out and immediately had a bucket of water dropped on my head, then water balloons thrown at me, then water balloons with dye in them, then kids running up with powdered paint rubbing it all over me, my hair, arms, legs, body. Go figure, as I hate shopping I decided to wait and do it my last day here. Very few shops are open and getting to them is impossible. So I ran around a bit looking for anything and as time passed it just got worse. The guys began to get drunk and were attacking me in groups, grabbing and touching everywhere. I gave up and made it back to my hostel, thank god I splurged and decided to spend my lastnight in one with a restaurant, hot shower, internet, taxi service and gift shop… I am not going out on the streets again and have a few hours left to kill here. Luckily there are a lot of people doing the same thing so I have good company. Thank god it all washed off with ease too. I would have got some weird looks boarding a plane, arriving in Austria and meeting my host family.
I am so excited for Austria and the farm! The outback, koalas, kangaroos… =)
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Happy Nice Trek
So upon my arrival in Nepal I was instantly panicked about the trek I had signed up for. It was the only part of my travels that I had planned ahead of time, I had done very little research and selected it because it fit my two criteria: 1. it was within the time frame that I was here in Nepal and 2. it didn't go to elevations where my wussy self would freeze (you'd think I was raised in Hawaii, not Wyoming). I was panicked because I thought I'd spent too much for it and was weary of my fellow trekkers (I don't know why). It only took the 1hour introduction meeting to settle my fears, the trek was AMAZING!!!!!
It was the perfect introduction not just to trekking, but to the country, culture and people of Nepal as well. It was a mix of everything from tree toilets to flushing toilets, tent camping to luxury hotels, dirty dirt roads to beautiful rhododendron jungle, bumpy rides in the back of a pickup to comfy tourist buses, steep steep climbs to flats the steep steep descents and crowded cities to tiny tea house towns.
The first part was a short 3 day tea house trek around the Kathmandu Valley, the mountain views were more amazing than I had anticipated and only got better as the days went on. Yes, I'm taking loads of photos, but I have to tell you now they just don't do the scenery justice. We got to see some beautiful landscapes and visited cozy, welcoming little towns and villages along the way with knowledgeable guides telling us the history and livelihoods of the local people.
We got to rest our legs a couple days and take a fun two day rafting trip. It was a lot of fun, though the Trisuli River didn't quite compare to the white water of Idaho... which was fine by me, I was welcoming these rest days because I started feeling quite ill.
The illness lasted well into the third part of the trek, the real 5 day trek complete with porters and sherpas. However, the trip was so catered and we were so spoiled and there were enough drugs available I was able to survive and still thoroughly enjoy it all. My meds were taken each morning as morning tea was brought our tents and we sipped on it while taking in a breathtaking view of the mountains while we packed up our things and seated ourselves at a fully set breakfast table. I couldn't believe the accomadations! The food was always great everything from traditional Nepali rice and dal bhat, to burritos, to pizza and even hot apple pie... high up on a mountain top! Guilt always settled in as I watched the porters pack up our tents, mattresses, backpacks, tables, chairs, cooking supplies, pretty much anything you could think of really, load it all up and hike on up ahead with 30+kg of gear carried "doho" style where there is a strap that the put over thier forehead and carry it that way, apparantly thats how they carry heavy loads on the farms which is where most porters work in the off season. These guys (probably all in their 20's) were really incredible!
Our last feast and farewell to the porters and guides (12 porters, 1 chef and 3 guides, for 5 trekkers) was topped off with a delish chocolate cake stating: Happy Nepal Trek. Indeed it was. While it was well worth everything I think the next time I trek in Nepal (hopefully there is a next time) I will definitely save some dollars doing something less catetered and more adventuresome.
With my remaining few days here in Nepal I was really excited to go to Chitwan National Park and do a jungle safari in hopes of seeing wild elephants, rhinos and tigers. I went to book my trip only to find out they aren't letting anyone go because there are riots and strikes going on there... I couldn't believe it. So I asked for suggestions on what else I could do and everything they named I had already done on the trek. There is one town I found in my faithful Lonely Planet which hopefully will afford me some fun in the next couple days though and get me out of the congestion of Kathmandu before I head off to the farm in Austria, I'm so excited for it!
It was the perfect introduction not just to trekking, but to the country, culture and people of Nepal as well. It was a mix of everything from tree toilets to flushing toilets, tent camping to luxury hotels, dirty dirt roads to beautiful rhododendron jungle, bumpy rides in the back of a pickup to comfy tourist buses, steep steep climbs to flats the steep steep descents and crowded cities to tiny tea house towns.
The first part was a short 3 day tea house trek around the Kathmandu Valley, the mountain views were more amazing than I had anticipated and only got better as the days went on. Yes, I'm taking loads of photos, but I have to tell you now they just don't do the scenery justice. We got to see some beautiful landscapes and visited cozy, welcoming little towns and villages along the way with knowledgeable guides telling us the history and livelihoods of the local people.
We got to rest our legs a couple days and take a fun two day rafting trip. It was a lot of fun, though the Trisuli River didn't quite compare to the white water of Idaho... which was fine by me, I was welcoming these rest days because I started feeling quite ill.
The illness lasted well into the third part of the trek, the real 5 day trek complete with porters and sherpas. However, the trip was so catered and we were so spoiled and there were enough drugs available I was able to survive and still thoroughly enjoy it all. My meds were taken each morning as morning tea was brought our tents and we sipped on it while taking in a breathtaking view of the mountains while we packed up our things and seated ourselves at a fully set breakfast table. I couldn't believe the accomadations! The food was always great everything from traditional Nepali rice and dal bhat, to burritos, to pizza and even hot apple pie... high up on a mountain top! Guilt always settled in as I watched the porters pack up our tents, mattresses, backpacks, tables, chairs, cooking supplies, pretty much anything you could think of really, load it all up and hike on up ahead with 30+kg of gear carried "doho" style where there is a strap that the put over thier forehead and carry it that way, apparantly thats how they carry heavy loads on the farms which is where most porters work in the off season. These guys (probably all in their 20's) were really incredible!
Our last feast and farewell to the porters and guides (12 porters, 1 chef and 3 guides, for 5 trekkers) was topped off with a delish chocolate cake stating: Happy Nepal Trek. Indeed it was. While it was well worth everything I think the next time I trek in Nepal (hopefully there is a next time) I will definitely save some dollars doing something less catetered and more adventuresome.
With my remaining few days here in Nepal I was really excited to go to Chitwan National Park and do a jungle safari in hopes of seeing wild elephants, rhinos and tigers. I went to book my trip only to find out they aren't letting anyone go because there are riots and strikes going on there... I couldn't believe it. So I asked for suggestions on what else I could do and everything they named I had already done on the trek. There is one town I found in my faithful Lonely Planet which hopefully will afford me some fun in the next couple days though and get me out of the congestion of Kathmandu before I head off to the farm in Austria, I'm so excited for it!
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