Extended stay opportunity for digital nomads by the sea in Prachuap Khirikhan province, Thailand

Details

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  Description

  Shalom, we are Katrin (former anthropologist) and Alex (former psychologist), Austrian Jews who have had a home in Thailand for more than fifteen years, and two others in Turkey and Bulgaria. Originally we rotated between these three locations throughout the year - until we built an aviary and planted an orchard here in Thailand, which tied us quite firmly to the spot. As this made it almost impossible for us to travel, we posted an SOS here on Workaway some time ago - and the result was phenomenal. We were contacted by so many friendly volunteers willing to substitute for us while we would be in Europe that we had a real dilemma having to say no to so many others. However, the choice has already been made and we are fully booked until our return in October. But it's not the end of all days and we would like to stay with this project and continue to invite people to join us, even if we will be here again starting from the autumn.
  
  We live directly by the sea in the narrowest part of the country in the province of Prachuap Khirikhan. It hardly rains here even during the monsoon season, which is ideal for a beach visit, but less so for our garden. The locality is an anthropologically extremely interesting area with a highly original fishing village culture. Western tourists are rare, the few who have found a foothold here are rather outsiders and dropouts from the stressful reality of their own societies. The most unlikely thing that awaits you here is therefore an intellectual conversation.
  
  The work is roughly estimated at a maximum of one hour in the morning and the same in the evening. It is an easy and pleasant task that actually brings a lot of joy and will definitely charge you with enthusiasm and cheerfulness. In addition, you will have the rare opportunity to be in an authentic place and gain insights that are hardly accessible to the average tourist in this country. Your contribution – and everyone who writes to us should be aware of this – does NOT consist of your time NOR of your effort, but solely of your RESPONSIBILITY.
  
  Most of our birds are rescued parrots - birds that their owners no longer wanted, or birds that we bought out of misery, or birds that simply flew to us. If we bought a bird from a breeder, it was only to find a mate for the one we had just rescued. We had them in large cages until we ended up with so many that we built them a double aviary (not all species get along with each other). The work had barely finished - and we started collecting doves, which for various reasons do not survive outdoors. We already have a few of them - in the same large cages that we were left after the parrots. They should also get an aviary in autumn, but this time made of wood. Will we find a willing craftsman among you who could help Alex with the construction?

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care
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  Interests

  

  Culture

  

  Self development

  

  History

  

  Beach

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  Books

  

  Writing

  

  Photography

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  Fitness

  

  Camping

  

  Winter sports

  

  Mountain

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Hiking

  

  Cycling
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We have lived in many countries and felt at home everywhere - Alex therefore speaks over twenty languages fluently and can communicate in ten more, the younger Katrin a little less. Nevertheless, as Jews we are an integral part of Western culture and feel fully committed to it. As psychologists and anthropologists, we analyze other cultures, study them, learn from them and try to integrate ourselves into them, but this does not mean that we blindly and naively accept contradictions. For example, we were able to fully integrate into Turkish culture despite our (admittedly) rather negative attitude towards Islam. And, as you can see from the reviews below, also into the great and admirable Russian culture, and this without ever having physically been to Russia. But sadly, even partial integration into Thai culture is not possible due to the distinctive racist attitude of most Thais towards Western visitors - even if these speak Thai fluently, understand Thai customs and know Thai history better than they do. (This is definitely a country-specific matter, as from our own experience integration is quite possible in Malaysia, Indonesia or Vietnam.) It has taken us many years to get to the heart of the matter - and of course we pass on the results of our research to our visitors.

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  Help

  It's all about the birds and the orchard. The aviary is divided into two compartments, one of which is inhabited by lovebirds and the other by parrotlets. The birds must be given fresh water, grain and vegetables every day. In each compartment there is a small fountain that must be kept clean, the water must be refilled daily and should be changed once a week. There is straw on the floor, which makes cleaning the aviary much easier – about every two weeks it is thrown away, swept and fresh straw laid out. Vitamins are regularly added to the water and every now and then, when the birds break something on their toys, these have to be replaced. And that's practically all. A daily ritual involves scattering seeds about an hour before dusk. The birds will then come and perch in your palm or on your shoulder to take the seeds directly from your hand.
  
  As far as the orchard is concerned, things are even simpler. Each tree has a sprinkler from the irrigation system that only needs to be turned on every three days for about twenty minutes. There are two flowerbeds with plants, both of which also have their own irrigation system, and only a handful of flower pots need to be watered with a watering can. The lawn should be sprayed about twice a week, but it does not need to be mowed as it is a type of grass that does not grow too vigorously. Likewise, there is no need to prune trees or other plants, so all you really have to do is water them. We currently have our own bananas, papayas and mangoes; the remaining trees are still too small and do not bear fruit yet.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  Bulgarian: Fluent
  Czech: Fluent
  German: Fluent
  Greek: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Indonesian: Fluent
  Italian: Fluent
  Polish: Fluent
  Romanian: Fluent
  Russian: Fluent
  Slovak: Fluent
  Serbian: Fluent
  Thai: Fluent
  Turkish: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  We haven't listed all languages - it would probably look very pretentious (but it's not...) Beyond that - we're still learning. From books, but also from everyone we come into contact with.
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  Accommodation

  During our absence, our workawayers live in our house. Unfortunately, this will no longer be possible from autumn onwards (the house is too small), so we will rent out a modern and clean bungalow in our neighbourhood for you. As for food, we are vegetarians and therefore cook ourselves. Anyway, if you like Thai cuisine, there are several popular restaurants nearby. We will visit the local fruit and vegetable market together and give you all the information you need about which foods to avoid and where not to buy them. As a means of transport, you can use our Saleng (motorcycle with sidecar, visible in one of the pictures), with which you can easily do all your shopping etc. An international driving license would be an advantage, as driving licenses from countries other than ASEAN are not recognized here.

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  What else ...

  We will assist you with visa extensions if necessary. It is very important not to underestimate this. With sufficient responsibility and cooperation with the authorities, it is now possible to extend your stay in Thailand for more than six months without any problems.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  We will provide accommodation and food. You remain in control of your time and have a vehicle at your disposal. Anyway, that's not enough to make a living. You should at least have some money of your own or earn it online. The digital nomad is therefore the ideal adjutant for us. What we really want to avoid are the kind of people who travel the world with no money, convinced that there are "good people" everywhere to help them "travel", and many of whom switched to Workaway after CouchSurfing stopped working. We had our own experiences in this regard and do not want to repeat them. Digital nomads are folks who work - and it doesn't matter that they may not earn much. They work, and that is what matters. Like so many other Jews, we tend to be generous – and this habit has often been exploited by others. This must not happen here.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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