Help at a chemical-free farm, orchard and dog sanctuary in Raub, Pahang, Malaysia

Malaysia

Favourited 121 times

Host rating
Feedback
15
Last activity
26/01/2020
Reply rate
80.0 %
Average reply time:
within 2 days
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Availability

2020

Min stay requested: at least 1 month

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What's this?

Details

Description
I have an 8 acre orchard growing durians and bananas. We have full utilities including wifi.
This place also serves as a dog sanctuary for 100 + abandoned and abused dogs.
i also have chickens and would like to grow lots of organic vegetables.
I want to build a self sustaining farm with organic food to feed my workers and dogs
i would appreciate someone with agriculture and engineering experience to help me get my biodigester working again.
Type of help
Gardening
Building
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Farmstay
Help with Eco project
Help in the house
Animal care
Teaching
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
My workaways will learn how to take care of an organic farm and interact with my other workers.
They will eat Malaysian food and fruits.
Help
I just bought a biodigester from china but is unable to get it working properly. Anybody with experience on running a biodigester would be greatly appreciated
exerienced dog handlers are most welcome but that's not a criteria. Love for dogs a definite criteria.
experienced farm management is great but again not a criteria.
anybody with knowledge of aquaponic growing of vegetables are also welcome. Teach me how to run my farm/orchard/dog sanctuary effectively and cost effectively and i'll guarantee you a holiday you'll remember forever.
Cooking skills are welcome as I would love to learn from you and teach you how to cook our local meals.

I prefer that you stay at least one month so you can finish whatever project you are entrusted with before leaving us.
Languages spoken
english
Accommodation
A room with proper amenities eg hot water, aircon, wifi Can use the kitchen and living hall as well
What else ...
This is a place near a small town and a gold mine yet there's plenty of forest activities if you are interested. It 's called Raub in the state of Pahang
The city of kuala lumpur is a 2 hours drive away where you can go during your off days on sunday or saturday.
plenty of transport such as buses and taxis to take you from raub to kuala lumpur or our very own casino at genting highlands.
i expect my guests to treat my place and my workers with respect and act with decorum as this is a muslim country even though you are living in a chinese farm in a chinese town. No smoking. Only social drinking.
The weather here is hot with occasional rains all year through.
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Photos

Arnold and Loiuse working on my garden patch.

Feedback left by and about host (15)

18/06/2019

Left by Workawayer (georgia & giorgio) for host

The farm is a truly beautiful place. This includes the house itself, the surroundings and especially the rooftop garden. The dogs were wonderful to be around. We fell in love with them all.
Jenny is a very generous person. She took us to lovely restaurants and was always very considerate of us being vegetarian. She always surprised us with her… read more very giving nature. We're so glad we met Jenny and her husband who let us stay in their beautiful house in KL before we went to Raub.
We were at the farm for 1 month outside of durian harvesting season so there wasn't much farm work to do. The lady that looks after the dogs went away so we were able to care for the dogs which is absolutely amazing for us! However we would've liked to have learnt more about planting and gardening in general but this wasn't so available.
A typical day for us at thr farm: let the dogs out of the cages and hose down the cages, medication to dogs, cleaning poo, feeding dogs, picking ripe vegetables (and later eating them yum yum), sweeping and mopping the floors of the house, general cleaning. Twice a week giorgio would help spraying the trees with the workers (man's job!) and a few times we needed to collect dead branches into piles in the orchard. We also helped refloor the chicken and duck coup.
We really liked having such fresh fruit and veg and a brilliant kitchen to cook in.
I would say the schedule is not structured so you can start work in the morning when you like but we definitely did not get 2 days off a week... But you don't really need it unless you want to go somewhere and then I'm sure you can just ask! Even so, on your "off" time you will be around other people working which makes you feel bad to just sit back and relax. Danny the farm supervisor and the workers are great and happy to take you out when jenny is not around however on the farm we found they wouldn't say hello in the morning or wouldnt communicate well. You have to ask a lot if you can help with something and it was only after a couple weeks we began to know what to do to be useful because we had to learn from just watching what was helpful instead of being told so much. Although we felt these issues (which is probably just cultural differences!) the workers were very kind and they would offer us durian that they couldn't sell, share food and we did have a good laugh too.
This is a great place to come to for some time to have a base, fresh fruit and veg, superb bedroom, amazing views, quiet non tourist area and a very caring host :) thank you Jenny for everything.

(Excellent )

29/01/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Adriana B. & Jovany)

Adriana and jovani are a beautiful couple. They are friendly, creative and happy all the time bringing sunshine to all who gets to know them.
I shall miss them and hope they return one day

(Excellent )

28/01/2019

Left by Workawayer (Adriana B. & Jovany) for host

Being with Jenny at the farm was like returning home after being away for a long time. We were made feel like family right away; Jenny and Jay were extremely welcoming. They shared incredible stories and delicious local meals with us and let us stay in their home in KL before we even got to the farm.
The farm itself was beautiful, peaceful, and… read more

(Excellent )

09/08/2018

Left by Workawayer (Hamed) for host

at beginning i told jenny that i will stay 4 weeks then i asked her to stay one more week
i don't know , from where should i start ? "LOL"
about jenny :
really , she is very cool , great , and very very kind . she made me feel that i'm in my home ..she isn't hard manageri, i can say : she is my sister :)
about danny : he is her son and farm… read more

(Excellent )

26/04/2018

Left by Workawayer (Daryane & karyne) for host

For my first workaway experience, it could not have been better. I was a part of the farm family, a friend. People here are so amazing, nice and friendly! If you’re looking for a place to learn about Chinese lifestyle, the culture and eat local food, it’s the place for you. Also, there’s no stress, this is peacefull and relax, I fell in love with… read more

(Excellent )

05/03/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Ciara & Gary)

Ciara and Gary are both exceptional helpers, fast learners and honest hardworking people. I am lucky to have them stay at my farm.
I hope to see them again one day. Their easygoing and fun attitude endears them to everyone they meet.
God bless you my friends.
Jenny

(Excellent )

23/02/2018

Left by Workawayer (Ciara & Gary) for host

Jenny's durian farm near Raub is a little slice of paradise. We initially agreed to stay on the farm for 1 month, and ended up extending it to stay for 10 weeks We would have loved to stay longer except we had a long haul flight back home to catch :disappointed:

The work on the farm is not too difficult. You don't really need any previous… read more experience in farm work - as long as you are relatively fit and willing to work you will enjoy it. We were working with Frankie (main farm worker) on the durian trees, spraying foliar, fertilising, cutting grass, harvesting bananas and papayas, electrical work (Gary is a qualified electrician), fixing machinery/pumps etc. You won't run out of things to do on the farm! If you like planting/gardening you can help with the plants in the garden, growing veggies and helping Jenny with her rooftop plants.

We were also helping out with the dogs (which is not really work as they are so lovely :heart: ) There are so many rescue dogs on the farm, all with their own individual personalities. We got so attached to all of them, it was incredibly difficult to leave them behind when we had to go. I have never lived somewhere with so many dogs to cuddle and pet and feed. It is really a dog-lover's paradise.

The farm house is lovely and modern. We had our own private large comfy double room, with a shared bathroom. Aircon & ceiling fan, mozzie screens on the windows, hot water shower, everything you could need or want is there. There are 2 large living areas with TVs & couches that you can use, and also a large roof terrace with bbq, seating and magnificent views over the mountains. The kitchen is modern, with a huge fridge freezer, lots of pots & pans, microwave, an induction cooker & access to a gas hob & oven. You have access to a motorbike to go to the nearest village (5 mins drive) or the nearby supermarket (10 - 15 mins ride) or Jenny's son Danny will drive you there once a week to buy your groceries if you prefer. There is also a bicycle if you would like to see the surrounding countryside on that.

You can eat the fruit, veggies & eggs from the farm. You can have rambutan, papaya, durian, bananas, aubergines, chillis, ginger, lemons, spinach, chives, and many more. All organic, fresh and delicious!

Jenny is such a wonderful person, it is always a pleasure to be in her company. She always wants you to feel at home and part of the family. For example, at Christmas she had a big bbq party on the roof with lots of food, drinks, and friends visiting, which really helped us to feel at home. She even let us stay at her townhouse in PJ before and after our time on the farm, and had her driver bring us to the airport when we left.

A big thanks to Jenny, Mr Oooi, Danny, Frankie, Ah Ngan, Ah Mui & Linda for everything. We miss everyone terribly since we left the farm, and can't wait to go back another time to stay on the farm.

(Excellent )

22/12/2017

Left by Workawayer (Frank ) for host

Dear Jenny is a great host / person. She made us welcome since the first minute. Accommodation is spacious. Just finished second 10-week stay. Work is fun and understood without much explanations. We erected fences, fixed machinery, planted and cared for trees, sow veggies and reanimated the growth of the many durian trees. It's satisfying to see… read more

(Excellent )

19/09/2017

Left by Workawayer (Surja) for host

My first workaway experience. Couldn't be better. The time spent with Jenny and the workers on the farm was amazing experience. I learned a lot of new thinks about gardening. The farm is located in a wonderful peaceful place. I fall in love with all the dogs and animal living there. My boyfriend and I spent about two month working there. It's a… read more

(Excellent )

18/09/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Michael)

Michael and Surja are a dream couple to host. They did so much on my farm without any instructions from me. They are dedicated and committed to finishing all the projects they started and are always fun to be with.
I love having them around.

(Excellent )

17/09/2017

Left by Workawayer (Michael) for host

A dream! My girlfriend and me spend about 2 Months with Jenny's family. The time we had was gorgeous and the experience on the farm was very interesting and gave us the possibility to use ourskills to improve the farm. The workers on the farm works well together and help you with all you need. Surja together with Linda took care of the homework… read more

(Excellent )

06/11/2015

Left by host for Workawayer (Arnold & Louise)

To Louise and Arnold,
If everyone of my workaways are as good as you two I would be overjoyed. Thank you for teaching Linda and me on ways to improve my farm.
I have enjoyed what little time we had and learnt a lot from you two. Linda I am sure misses you a lot and hope we can one day see you again at our farm

(Excellent )

05/11/2015

Left by Workawayer (Arnold & Louise) for host

We stayed twice with Jenny, first was for 10 days and the second time was for two and a half months. That says a lot of how much we liked staying there and working on her farm with Linda. Jenny always made us feel welcome and she never treated us like strangers. Everything in the farm was shared to us - the nice house as well as the… read more

(Excellent )

26/10/2015

Left by host for Workawayer (Philip)

I do hope to visit the canary island one day and maybe we can meet then if you are not busy travelling.Meanwhile Arnold and Louise are back with us and I am learning a lot from them too.
Do feel free to come back anytime soon. There will always be room for you

(Excellent )

19/07/2015

Left by Workawayer (Philip) for host

Jenny made us feeling very home, even if we just stayed for a couple of days. if you like dogs and durians it is the perfect place to stay! we have been transplanting some trees. In jennys garden and fruitforest is always some creative work to do. the accomadation she supplies is very good. we are happy about the experience staying there and… read more

(Very good )

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Host ref number: 488953285137

Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in Malaysia Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in Asia Individual Malaysia Animal welfare Malaysia Last minute Homestays, Volunteering & Working Holidays in Malaysia

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