Permaquest

Currently going into my 4th week at Finca de los Perezosos. How fast days go!

Yesterday Marcelino  (the man behind the finca) showed us how to graft & do air layering (cloning). Cool! Very useful- I have a peach tree to clone when I get back to California. 

For air layering:

 1)  Cut around the circumference of the branch, a bit deeper than the bark. 

2) Then, make another cut about 3” away. 

3) Using the knife, peel away the bark & 1st layer to expose the skin through the 3” section. 

4) Take damp, shredded coconut husk and make into a ball surrounding exposed area. Secure by wrapping plastic around the ball. 

5) After 2 months, roots should grow in the coconut/ plastic sack. Voila- a clone! Then cut & transplant!

* I’m wondering how to do this without coconut husk. I learned you can use birth control pills instead of coconut (weird, right?) but that is not organic. 

I’ve also learned how to clone bananas. Bananas are like apples in the way that they have been farmed for so long that they no longer have seeds. All bananas are clones. On our farm, we have about 4 different types of bananas, but all the shrubs (not trees!) look exactly the same. To clone, you simply dig out the offshoot, fertilize (we soak in balo/ water solution for a day), and plant in the ground with ash and balo leaves to fertilize (to add carbon). It is important to plant them really straight or they grow crooked. 

John also grows goyaba or as we gringos say, guava. In Costa Rica, I had a very difficult time finding guava that did not have a maggot growing inside of it. Most people use the rhind in smoothies and throw out the middle, due to maggot infestation. Well, I got to John’s and they are doing it a bit differently! When the fruit is a bit smaller than a golf ball, we put it in a white paper bag (see photo) with a twist tie and amazingly, no maggot! 

Things I am beginning to think about are- 1)  business plan for future tropical farm project 2) going home in 2 weeks!

I’ve now gone to five farms and lived at two. I’d like to check out an urban garden in Panama City before I leave Panama and head back to Costa Rica-but who knows where the wind will take me!

Today I clearned an area in a chicken coop with a machete - yes, I am a swashbuckeler now! It is extremely satisfying to use a sharp machete. Anyway, rotated chickens to new area and planted beans in their old pen. 

We’ve also finished a fruit dehydrator and we’ve started making dried star fruit, guava, banana, and mango- yeah! 

Feeling fortunate to have so much fruit and freshness around. :)

Positivity from Panama,

T

The Permaquest continues! I’m finally living the dream :)

I’m currently outside of Penonome, Panama at Finca Perezosos, or the lazy man’s farm http://www.organicpanamapermaculture.com/. Perezoso means lazy & sloth. I got here about a week ago now and I’ve been learning a lot about tropical farming, permaculture, “chopping and dropping”, and living the lady life. Lazy farming, so you come back in 5 years and the farm is still functioning as a system. Cool.

Backtrack… 

I was at Celina’s farm, Tocori Verde, and I felt I needed to do more farming. Celina was in the middle of opening her new store in downtown Puerto Viejo and there wasen’t a whole lot for me to do on the farm.  I helped out with the store called Planeta Verde or Green Planet, by painting, preparing, etc., but I felt called to the farm.  I was a bit defeated after looking into a few Costa Rican projects that would charge me $400-$500 per month just to come and volunteer. I understand that food is expensive in Costa Rica and I’d be gaining a lot of valuable knowledge, but damn! You want me to pay YOU how much so I can work? No can do. 

 I had found some beautiful eco projects and stayed at a beautiful organic farm/homestead, but I had not yet stayed on a permaculture farm 1.5 months into my journey *gasp!* What was stopping me? Money, I suppose. Time to change my perspective. So I gave Celina some notice that I was probably going to leave Costa Rica and attempt meeting a friend in Boas del Toro, Panama. Panama is notoriously cheaper than Costa Rica. I ended up leaving from Celina’s a few days later, passing by Niko’s on the way to El Mecanico, where I’d arranged to be picked up by a shuttle service to Panama. 

The main thing I noticed on either side of the boarder was it was Chiquita Banana country. Seriously. All that was visable for miles, er… kilometros was banana plantations and some homes and school children. We passed conveyer belts with blue plastic banana bags that had precious bananas inside, once hanging from the trees. Banana Rebulic indeed. 

We- and by we I mean me and 4 other extranjeros- had to get out of the van to go to the customs office and have our passports stamped. We walked over a train tressle, did the same on the Panamanian side and additionally pay $3. Next we got into another van with a different driver and drove for about 1.5 hours through Panama to a boat dock- also Banana Republic with big Chiquita containers. Some government officials came to talk to us, sounds like they were having some problems with the boarder inspectors chargin $5 instead of $3. I had to fill out a document stating that I was charged fairly (which I was).  We put our backpacks on the boat and headed out to Bocas del Toro! 

As we left the boat dock, I noticed canoes full of little school kids in blue uniforms, unaccompanied by adults. What was this aquatic world I was entering? After about a 30 min boat ride, we arrived in Bocas Town and I found a hostel with 2 of the girls from my shuttle. We settled in and went to Star Fish beach, which had some seriously huge star fish. It also had a significant amount of trash- I guess we’re not in Costa Rica anymore! The next day I took a tour for $20 of 3 islands, saw dolphins, and we snorked at a beautiful reef- good deal. After a few days of seeing some picturesque beaches, and a mama and baby sloth, and living it up a bit too much that I had one of those “what am I doing!?” moments. Oh and I barely missed crossing paths with my friend and she was no longer there.   I went to sleep confused as to why I was in Bocas del Toro, which had a Spring Break vibe, and not at a farm studying permaculture.  I awoke at Aqua Lounge Hostel around 8AM while everyone else slept. I suppose I was still on on an early schedule from living farm life. I got on my computer determined to find a permaculture project in Panama. 

I found Finca Perezosos  right away. I decided just to cut to the chase and call the number on the website and see if they had any volunteer positions available. The owner, Jon, answered and asked me to call back a bit later. I wrote an email and he said he had availability! Yeah! I ended up bumping into a friend shortly after and spending the day at the beach  and then we island hopped to Bastimentos Island- the Jamaican Island. Basically, everyone there is Jamaican or a Jamaican decendent. Everyone is “cool” and they “respect the light”.  Everyone speeks Jamaican English and Spanish. Whoa! Beautiful! I instantly fell in love. I stayed in Bastamentos for 3 nights, with the excuse of waiting around a bit for a different friend who was supposed to get to Bocas who never did, but got to enjoy paradise. Many ideas a’brewing and it came to me that here is a place with beautiful people, beautiful islands, beautiful ocean, and a whole lot of trash. So much trash that I don’t see how tourists will keep coming if the trash problem keeps growing. Costa Rica has their trash problem figured out far more than Panama. Bocas, especially Bastamentos is a place I could actually have a positive impact. 

The icing on the cake: 

Here’s a little story from my 1st day in Bastamentos: While out swimming, my friend and I had a very disgusting experience.  I started to feel panic-ey, like I was in some very dirty water. “What’s that!?” I said, “A jellyfish?” I started to see more and more of these white “jellyfish”. I felt like I didn’t want to be in the water and I climbed out. My friend was less hesitant and pulled a black plastic bag from the water.  As he pulled, the bag broke and about 100 of the “jellyfish” came pouring out on & around him. We realized they weren’t jellyfish but in reality poopy baby wipes that had been thrown “away” with some sort of alcohol & other chemicals that were now burning his hands. Gross! We got out of the water quickly, a bit shaken from our gross experience. It really hit me hard. I’m interested in having  a future eco project/ farm in a place like Bastimentos- something to empower the local youth with a community center  and a community garden for whoever wants to come be part of something beautiful, with lots of volunteers, and a bed and breakfast for eco-tourists (and boy, are there a lot of tourists…). 

I’ve been reading The Human Farm by Katie Smith which is about the agricultural history of Honduras, which talks about school gardens as a means of getting parents involved. Cool. I also talked with some locals in Bastamentos who thought an after school program would be great- those kids only go to school 4 hours a day! It woudn’t have to be just environmental, but a friend was talking about giving incentives for bags of beach trash- nice. 

Anyway, I left Bocas (finally) via a 2 boats, a cab, and 2 busses,  and I met some cool people on the way. One was the victim of a brown recluse spider bite  , which is apparently flesh-eating but not fatal, on their way to the hospital… And the other was this chick who lives & surfs in Bocas del Toro who wants to talk more about a community center- nice!

I finally made it to Penonome by nightfall- the geographic center of Panama- and was picked up by Jon- El Perezoso- the farm owner. I’ve been sort of isolated but it is nice to have time to read and learn some cool tropical farm design concepts and hang out in nature. There is a beautiful river and I’m about 1.5 hours from Panama City, where I will soon be visiting. And I am looking to participate in a local 10K on Sunday morning- we will see how that goes! Anyway, suerte y amor de Panama! 

T 

4/5/12

Wow! I’ve been slacking in my updates. I’ve been without internet access on the farm and when I come into town I have only had time to skype mom & dad and handle some emails… slacking! Basically, things have been great. I’ve been staying mostly at Celina’s farm. Some friends have come and gone through Puerto Viejo. I’ve been on farm time- going to bed early and getting up at dawn. I’ve been doing lots of arts and crafts- (see dream catcher photo)! Also, the owner of the farm is opening up a shop in downtown Puerto Viejo, so I’ve been helping her get that together. Opens in 2 days!

In other news, about a week ago, I told my friends Celina and Niko that I was interested in starting a bird rescue/habitat WHEN I have my own project/ farm/ retreat/ B&B here in costa rica. Literally the next day, without knowing about our discussion, Celina’s boyfriend brought us a baby oropendula (= gold pendulum). It is a bird related to tucans and blackbirds. Celina and I have become its mothers, feeding him banana, manzana de agua, and bugs and worms I’ve been digging up for him in the yard. The oropendulas look  and sound like Dr. Suessian characters, with crazy calls and loads of tear-drop shaped nests in their trees. They are very busy, I assume feeding their babies all day. Needless to say, our baby bird, Goldie, was very hungry. Always wanting food and growing quickly. As much as we wanted to take care of him, we didn’t know how. Celina and I haven’t had time for him either with the shop and her having to leave town, so today I realized he would be all alone again. Not fair to him. So i packed him up, hiked down and up and down the hill to the road (1 mile? 2 miles?), hitch hiked (yes I carry mace just in case), and a neighbor picked me up. He thought what I was doing was very noble and he picked up his lady friend and they drove me directly to the Jaguar Rescue Center and thanked me for my service. Little Goldie was very stressed out and I was nervous that he was getting weak and might not make the journey, but when I got him there he ate and made friends with a 2-month-old baby monkey. So, basically, he is in good hands and there is a nursery for him and a bird rehab place where they can come and go as they please or just go when they are ready. Yay! And I am going to start volunteering there so I can still see the cute little bugger. pantherrescue.com Surfer, the sloth, was so freaking cute. 

Anyway, feeling good and productive and helpful. I want to check out some more farms and see the turtles and all that good stuff, but I’m happy growing some roots for the moment and enjoying life on the caribbean. Pura Vida! <3 <3 <3

(from last week…) 

Epic downpour! Here at Tocori Verde now about a week and just experienced my first hike from the road to the farm in heavy rain. Must be about a mile- quite the over the river & through the woods, to Celina’s- except with more monkies, panthers, and snakes in the story than I rememnber.  I woulldn’t say the rain was cold per say, but a bit chilly for my taste at 8pm after a quick visit to Puerto Viejo. Thank goodness Celina & Clif were with me. I’ve got to figure out the lost headlamp situation, and fast! 

So, I’m writing this from my awesome jungle canopy bed at the farm I’ve been calling home for the past week or so. I even have my own room in this gorgeous, vibrantly-colored farm house. Finca Tocori Verde is also the home to Celina, an inspiring artist/ furnature designer/ farm owner. There are 3 dogs-  (whom I bathed earlier today… the jungle dogs sure needed it!), 3 cats, a horse named Panita who can eat a… wait for it… a horse load of bananas, lots of chickens & 4 baby chicks that peep around, a turkey who tries to chase me (we are NOT friends), and a human family who lives in the guest house- more about them in a bit. 

It has been great here. I was sucked into Dominical on the Pacific for the second time- unsure of my next move. I had some friends I  met from Virginia driving to San Jose for their flight home, so I caught a ride with them, thinking I could take a bus to the Caribbean to hang out with Celina and Niko. While in SJ for the night, I got an email reply from Celina, saying I should come to the farm! Yes! So…  I saw the Virginians off and caught the 6AM bus to Puerto Viejo. I arrived around 10:30AM with no definite plans (or any plans) of how to meet up with Celina and/or Niko. When I got off the bus many people shoved fliers at me. I asked one hostel keeper if I could use his phone for a local number. I called Celina and she answered! Niko was at her house and she said he would come pick me up around 2PM. And now for some downtime… Went to Veronica’s vegan cafe- good food, used the internet, had them guardar mi mochila for a bit (guard my backpack) as I toured around PV. 

The Caribbean looks totally different than the Pacific- in PV the beach is much smaller and it is much more humid and buggy. The waves are smaller, but I head that is not always the case. I continued exploring, keeping in mind where I was supposed to find Niko. While in a clothing shop, he came up to me, about an hour early- holler! We hung out in viejo for a few hours ans then bussed it back to Cataratas II- the mountain here Tocori Verde is and where Niko recently bought a little casita down the road! 

On the walk up to Niko’s we saw something run across our path. It was black with a long body and a long tale- una pantura- a black panther. Hardly anyone ever sees these and they are very dangerous. I never caught a glimpse of his face, but there was one about 1/4 mile from Niko’s front door. OMG. Fortunately, we didn’t see it again, or its mother- definetly a young one- and it was most likely going for the neighbor’s chickens. Whoa. 

So basically, it all worked out and I’ve been staying here with free room and board in exchange for work. I farm-sat for the past few days- pretty chill but semi-demanding. The dogs ran away and just as Celina warned, Kaya, the pitt, came back wounded- she has a track record of doing this. The chickens flew the coop this morning before dawn- I could not tell how they were so close - and even before that, one cat just wouldn’t shut up at 4:30 this morning. But anyway, I love it here, I’m learning a lot about what having a 60-acre farm is like in the jungle., how to care for animals, how to start your own business, etc etc etc. Lots of crafting- I even taught the teenage girl who lives with her parents in the guest house to make a dream catcher, earrings, and a friendship bracelet today- she was very pleased. 

Dream time. zzzZZZzzz 

Hola! Estoy in San Isidro, Costa Rica. Lots has been going on since I last wrote. Finally getting some extended internet time at a hotel. I left Uvita about 10 days ago for Dominical, a beach town right up the road. Here are a few photos from Uvita.

I was fortunate enough to stay at the beautiful Selva Armonia- my first farm visit- for the evening. http://www.selvaarmonia.com/ . Forty or so people from the festival were invited to stay, decompress, and take part in a beautiful dinner.

I feel it is important to review projects as I go.  This is a very new project that is coming together beautifully. Everyone was friendly and accommodating and I must hand it to the owner for accomplishing so much at such a young age. It is built more for the well-to-do traveler or for wellness retreats than for  backpackers. Understandable. Lots of capital has gone into it. I really liked seeing their garden- my first experience seeing a vegetable garden in the jungle. It was done on raised beds- really raised, on tables so critters & buggies can not reach.  Beautifully done, great design, cob houses, bamboo work, bed rooms, yoga studio, views, bathrooms, and common areas. Inspiring! 

So with every project, I keep thinking in terms of the project I want to some day call my own, weather I start it or join another one. I often say, ok I’d keep those aspects, but those other ones I really could not get down with. One of these aspects is the cost of labor in Costa Rica. I was driven to a mansion that friends were renting for the festival. The cab driver told me in Spanish, yes, I helped build this house. Actually, 80 of us built this huge mansion for $2 per hour. Whew! *Sticker value shock* I started thinking more about community farms and if cheap labor is something I could feel good about with a project of my own. Ideally, I would want the work to be done by the community members, not by exploiting the native population. But, would this then take away income from the native population? What would a fair wage be? How could I involve the local community in a non-exploitative way? 

So, after the farm I went to Dominical and hung out & camped on the beach. Met up with lots of friends there from California and a few newer ones from the festival. Dominical is magical- and a bit of a vortex. I attempted to leave with some people headed to a farm for 2 days until I realized they weren’t leaving. Also attempted to move with Cali friends, but they stayed. Eventually, my friends Yas & Lisa left and invited me to meet them in a few days at Finca Bellavista- a treehouse community and farm South a few hours. I hung out for the weekend, camped on the beach, went surfing, went to the river, and enjoyed being with familiar faces and new ones as well. 

Finally, I left Dominical after about 6 days or so. My first bus to meet the ladies broke down, so I took a 3pm *by myself!* down the Pacific Coast to Piedras Blancas. I slept a bit, then down the road a lady got on next to me with a cardboard box with holes with 12 baby chicks. Lots of the Ticos on the bus were very concerned about me traveling alone and getting off at the right stop. One lady asked where I was going and when she got off, she asked the man behind me to make sure I got off at La Florida stop. Nice to see that part of the country, pretty non-touristy. 

So, I got off at La Florida- the stop for Finca Bellavista- a bit after sunset. It was literally a little school on the side of the road, not some sort of town with a taxi. Crap! I get off with all my backpakcing gear thinking… ok… I go up to a group of Ticos- 2 older men, a woman in  her 20s, and a little girl, and I ask them how to get to Finca Bellavista. They say- its 3 km up that hill! You need a vehicle. I say… yeah… I don’t have a vehicle. They laughed. I asked them if they could help me call a cab # I jotted down from the website. They called and then called another to no avail. I told them, well, I’d better start walking! 

I walk about 1/4 mile and a range rover stops to ask me if I want a lift. I felt out the situation & took the offer. About another 1/4 mile up the road we ran into my friends Lisa & Yasmin! We took them down to the little store and then we had our friend take us up the steep dirt road to the farm. Whew. We paid him a little bit- much less than a cab- and the girls took me to our little tree house in paradise at the second garden project- Finca Bellavista http://www.fincabellavista.net/. More on this story to be continued…. lots of love!!! T

Music, art, camping, & creativity in jungle at Envision Festival, March 1-4. My favorite music festival ever. As the sun rose and the music stopped, howler monkeys gave us their opinion. Met many beautiful people and saw lots of old friends. Wondered what felt sticky on my arm… it was a frog! Realized that besides gardening, I want to pursue a career in water management (hi David!). 

Went snorkeling and saw many beautiful fish and an octopus. 

Currently at Selva Armonia farm in Uvita, with a view over the whale’s tail. Beautiful farm, beautiful people :) 

Lots of love from Costa Rica! Pura vida :) T