Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
17 Apr 2024
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100.0 %
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Feedback
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Details
Description
1.0 About ourselves.
We moved away from a bustling city to a jungle hillside on the outskirts of Alor Setar, Kedah to try establish a self-sustaining community.
Apart from learning and going through the slow but steady progress transforming the hillside jungle into what we have today; a traditional but unique dwelling, a workshop, areas of vegetation and animals, we still retain our light-heartedness at the end of the day, unwind with conversation or chill by playing musical instruments and a game of chess if the mind is still raring to go!
We love cultural exchange, are proud of the little-known history here and try to incorporate sustainable practices of the past that are fast disappearing.
As such, we hope our passion rubs off on the volunteers’ experience of Malaysia with us. We are curious people and we hope for volunteers who engage back.
Our previous project was about building the amenities using recycled materials incorporating traditional ways. Now we are trying to move to the next phase.
2.0 About our Project:
2.1 Planting:
We need to enhance our self-sustaining capabilities. The first thing we are looking at is our vegetable and fruit produce. There are various seasonal fruits and vegetables already growing in this hilly area, we need help preparing more planting beds.
Modern practices often lead to long-term damage to farmland. Healthy soil depends on the nutrients it is given and the active microbiome within it. Hence composting becomes a key element for the healthy growth of plants and vegetables. This natural decomposition process creates the necessary bacterial ecosystem to nourish the soil. As was practised in the past.
We have learned some healing properties of wild herbs and grasses, flowers and leaves growing in abundance around us. We have catalogued some, more to come and also look to process them into oils and other uses.
2.2 Irrigation:
Rainwater can be harvested for this purpose and our objective is to establish a rudimentary system for collection.
What we need to do includes sourcing materials, digging, levelling the ground, fabrication and installation. Bamboo is a sustainable way of directing water for use around our land as was done by the jungle hill tribes.
3.0 About our Organisation: centred around the list of duties;
3.1.0 Upkeep
3.1.1 General Daily Chores
It’s very easy to be messy living in a community. Every little action that avoids us cleaning up after one another is a really good start. This includes things like kitchen, laundry, housekeeping and personal hygiene.
3.1.2 On personal hygiene, everybody is responsible to keep their sleeping area clean. Personal laundry will be done weekly. Change your own bedsheets and hang your own laundry. We provide designated baskets for your dirty clothes.
3.1.3 As in parts of Asia, we also don’t use toilet paper in our toilets.
3.1.4 Kitchen
At the moment between us at the hill, we have 2-3 meals a day of which dinner is the most constant. We do grocery runs once a week and we are currently short of creative chefs. It’s just a bunch of guys so food is basic but we also catch live fish for supper. We welcome input in our kitchen department as well. Keep the sink clean and be responsible for your own dishes and cutlery.
3.1.5 Waste Management
Due care in rubbish disposal is paramount due to the windy conditions which strew rubbish everywhere as well as animals frequently looting our bins and kitchen for leftovers. Jars that aren’t closed properly attract unwanted insects, as will spills that aren’t cleaned up immediately.
Leftover foods can be used to supplement livestock feed for our farm animals and pets, as could peels and other vegetable waste contribute to our compost.
3.2.0 Maintenance
We are always looking for ways to improve our creature comforts. Little things like improving our indoor fish pond, sealing up leaks and doing up the general aesthetics around the house like painting have made us recognise that these are not distractions and as such be treated accordingly. So a handyman will be most perfect.
4.0 About our Team
4.1 We are a loose team of 7, Ivan and Ari (father-son), our sagely Simon, and locals Zack, Li, Yeh and Zam.
4.2 It is an eclectic mix of people that have been instrumental in the transformation of this hillside abode as we strive for sustainability.
4.3 We have a backhoe for earthworks. We have built with cement, stone, earth, wood, bamboo, metals and made our own furniture.
4.4 Living in the heart of nature brings out the green fingers in our team as well as livestock care. It takes time to see the fruits of our labour and in that time we have learned a lot.
4.5 We also have a larger community of collaborators with whom we share and exchange ideas and resources for mutual and long-term benefit.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
The most direct form of cultural exchange happens in the home. Home brings community and the rest is on the willing recipient.
In the home, you get the food that reflects our culture. You also will experience our way of life, values and customs as part of our community as we go through our daily lives.
In the home also, we get to share stories and for those musically inclined, expand our repertoire and understanding of other cultural or ethnic music.
In addition, the lucky ones, will also get to participate in impromptu or seasonal events or gatherings or excursions. We would recommend that you accept these invitations and go with the flow.
Help
Enhancing Food Sustenance
We need to re-look into our ways of growing fruits, vegetables and poultry care. Major additions or reorganisation on cards but it all needs to be looked at ‘holistically’ so that it gels all areas together.
We have found that rainwater harvesting for irrigation purposes is a must. We must build water catchment tanks as feeders for the crops.
Occasional building
Most of our building works have been accomplished in the early stages with previous Workawayers using traditional methods and joineries. We also used repurposed wood for our builds. That does not necessarily mean it is the end of the building endeavours, depending on our needs we may initiate another building spree.
A further note, we have extreme seasons being either blazing hot or showers and thunderstorms with strong winds. Sometimes it even gets chilly in the evenings.
We would advise you to bring an old office shirt that could be worn over a T-shirt as a protective cover against the burning sun, possible thorn scratches and insect bites etc. Brimmed straw hats are useful in the sun as well as rain.
Sweat pants are really good as it is totally non-restrictive, tucked into socks help keep creepy crawlies out.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Malay: Fluent
Accommodation
Common sleeping area
Mosquito nets
Common kitchen
Common shower
Toilets
Washing machine
Fridge
Hot/cold water dispenser
Available on site:
Reading Areas
Musical instruments (guitar & percussive)
Board games and card
Space for yoga
What else ...
We are close to the border of Thailand, so it could be your first stop arriving in Malaysia, or your last stop before going to Thailand.
Nearest train station would be Anak Bukit, nearest bus station would be Tanah Merah Jitra (but easier to get to Shahab Perdana Alor Setar) and airport, Sultan Abdul Halim (domestic only).
Nearby places (within 5km)
Shops/pharmacy
Clinics
Banks
Restaurants
Airport 7.5km
Train station 10km
Internet cafe (local town 3km)
We have 4G internet connection but we do not have WiFi.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
We have enough space. Not sure of the required amenities for campervans though.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (30)
Unfortunately, Sarah arrived at a challenging time maintenance-wise and additional chores that added to the organisational chaos. It didn't help that she was not real feeling well for some parts of her… read more
We lived with 3 local guys who were supposed to cook, but after day 1 i had to take over. (Snacks, fruits - we had to buy for… read more
She is independent and sets her goals to achieve and will take up the slack in the overall activities. She would often cook vegan dishes to share.
She helped dismantle a wooden hut and restoration work like removing nails, scraping off the old paint,… read more
That helped me dismantle a small wooden chalet/hut, to be reused elsewhere, planted some trees, cleared and… read more
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.8)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(4.7)
Unfortunately, Sarah arrived at a challenging time maintenance-wise and additional chores that added to the organisational chaos. It didn't help that she was not real feeling well for some parts of her… read more
We lived with 3 local guys who were supposed to cook, but after day 1 i had to take over. (Snacks, fruits - we had to buy for… read more
She is independent and sets her goals to achieve and will take up the slack in the overall activities. She would often cook vegan dishes to share.
She helped dismantle a wooden hut and restoration work like removing nails, scraping off the old paint,… read more
That helped me dismantle a small wooden chalet/hut, to be reused elsewhere, planted some trees, cleared and… read more
He willingly engages in conversation and is very easy going with everyone. He seemed to have enjoyed the food… read more
I'd definitely come back here if I travel this way in the future
He is very attentive in conversation and is prepared to attempt any given tasks and work independently. He plays the guitar and so filled the air with songs. He has quite a wide repertoire.
He built 3 earth separators for the nursery to remove rocks from the dirt. Used the same to… read more
Aside from work, Ivan took us to fruit store to try durian, Roti restaurant, hiking to an incredible place, etc.. I really enjoyed my stay there, thank you very much :)
She learnt to use basic tools to make wooden frames and progressed to using basic electric tools.
Although a vegetarian, Jeanne seemed to delight in the food prepared.
A great person to work on a team with.
She is naturally curious and is willing to get involved with whatever tasks that needs doing. She cooks, cleans and is a magnate to cats and dogs.
She helped us pick, peel and make and bottle Mangosteen jam and several cakes. Went fruit picking,… read more
She arrived during our transition period where most of the busy spell was done. It was time to take stock and reorganise.
She helped patiently all the sporadic work in tidying up all the loose ends of unfinished tasks, tidying up around the place and gardening… read more
After a while, he became more familiar and independent.
An easy going person and a non fussy eater. Willing to try any food. A pleasure to have.
i was lucky to visit during the fruit season through which I experienced the harvesting and selling proccess of mangosteen, rambutan and langsat. What i really enjoyed was the variety of Jobs: gardening, working at the fruit plantation, housekeeping and construction work.
Ivan is a very open… read more
A bubbly person, likes to get on with gardening activities. A helpful hand around the place and easily mingled with other team members.
It was a short stay but it was good.
Warm and open place.
Thank you :)
He is a ready participant for any activity. He helped in the extraction of bamboo, cut it to length, removed branches, split and shaved of the sharp edges to weave into fence around the… read more
Ivan and Ari were… read more
They do spend much time on their own deep in conversation and exploring nearby areas.
They arrived towards the tail end of our activities and got involved with work in the nursery area and switched between the nursery and the garden, to making a gate… read more
He is strong, capable of welding works and is not afraid to express ideas or work independently.
He is energetic with a sense of humour.… read more
She then got started with the general garden care and was meticulous.
When… read more
We did many different tasks during our stay, woodwork, cooking, planting and much more. We did get to choose what we wanted to work with and we took away many valuable experiences.
Beside the work, we had many… read more
At once wanting to start contributing to the tasks at hand. Eva gravitated towards kitchen duties and blended her time to fulfill her desire to learn other aspects of our project seamlessly. She helped with the gardening, composting, planting, and did woodworking… read more
More seriously, our stay at Yvan's was just amazing, we had the chance to live fabulous moments of life, to make outstanding encounters. All these memories cannot be forgotten. From the very first day, Yvan and Ari welcomed us in such a way that we could immediately feel at home, being from then on full members of… read more
They arrived and quickly got involved with the basic gardening activities like earth separation, seed germination, then assisted in some cementing works and giving a hand to other on going tasks.
They did some landscape and indoor plant shelves out of wood and found potted plants from around the place to redecorate… read more
What?? Is it already friday?? But I trought it is Tuesday.....
Always somebody around to have a good talk, playing chess, guitar or cards. We spent half of the day in the living room, learning about each other religion, culture, education, way of thinking,.... and the other half outside, in the… read more
She cooks and got involved in the vegetable patch extension and planting preparation.
She prepared and built, with help, a wooden bed nestled on a rock wall.
She then proceeded to make shelves for personal item storage, built a sunbed from offcuts.… read more
Ivan and his son Ari are two remarkable people. They both have unique gifts which give real potential for the community they hope to build on the hill by the jungle.
I am most grateful for their patience with me. I really did little work and mostly just played guitar all day, for which they seemed okay… read more
Willing to help out anywhere that required assistance gardening, erecting a shed with some concreting works and handling kitchen duties and cat care.
He has a large repertoire of songs he can play and sing on the guitar, we enjoyed many… read more
They arrived at the perfect time. Our designated cook was away and Montse took over the kitchen for a while.
Raul focused on the garden, planting and establishing a composting site.
Always ready to help, willing to make adjustments and highly cooperative in whatever situation we found ourselves in.
Jara settled in very quick,… read more
It’s a new project and there are many open fronts, so if you are proactive you’ll find something to do or help.
There is always (or almost) a guitar playing , good conversations and smiles around.
Our daughter Jara turned six there, was really especial for us see… read more
A week flew by too fast at Ivans and Ari's place.
Ivan has a great vision. They are building an awesome place for internationals to experience what the nature has to offer in the country side of Malaysia.
We had a good conversations about religion, learned about Malay food, politics, and nature.
In the evenings we all played… read more
She arrived when we were preparing lemongrass/citronella for processing and replanting and straight away got into it.
A willing help with whatever that needed a hand and took over meal preparation several times.
A quick learner and has no problems working independently.
Super… read more
A quiet and respectful person but very open to conversation, a willing participant and very helpful around the house.
She got along well with everyone.
Come back again (with your sax)
At the top of this hill our stay was very nice. We spend almost 2 weeks at Yvan's place. He introduce us to the Malaysian local life. Through a very nice cultural exchange : yoga and music sessions, we worked all together to… read more
Then they dug a drainage outlet, did some cement work and repair rain washed roads.
Very quiet, very polite and very helpful. Fun to be… read more
I really enjoyed the time with them! I was able to try and learn a lot about gardening and their culture.
I am very grateful for all these experiences, the nice conversations, the good music (!!) and the delicious food.
Thank you for this nice time!
She is full of smile, easy going and ready to help out with chores, working… read more
Working hours are flexible, is more about human connection and creating the right ambience. He's project is interesting and he's open to accept suggestions also from the… read more
Filippo and Chiara alternately minded Bruno while the other would help around the place. Chiara mainly helped in the garden, with Bruno clearing rubbish, digging earth, mimicking his… read more
Tristan: willing to try anything. Especially loves woodworking. He insisted to learn using the chainsaw and was happy using the tools around the workshop. Quickly settled in and got on with whatever that needed attention.
A very cheerful person, respectful, can cook up a great meal in a simple kitchen.
Does not need… read more
They have a warm atmosphere in their house, they listen and offer very interesting conversations.
I had the opportunity to sleep one night in the jungle, it was fantastic, a really unique experience!
Zach also took me to discover the… read more
She opted to join camping a night in the jungle to get experience and foregoing all the creature comforts and challenging herself tremendously.
She is a hard worker… read more
Prefers things explained in direct manner so as to allow for her to work independently. She is very at home doing gardening work.
She took up the role of engaging my shy team members very well and helped generate a welcoming… read more
We were able to help Zac one of the team members. We went to his house and cleared out the pond and weed the garden. It was fun work and nice to be able… read more
Any task is good. Just be clear and direct. She prefers it.
A good team member for any informal groups, ready to offer suggestions and participate.
She helped a team member clear out the… read more
It was a very short stay with us, not enough to really get into anything, but they helped us accelerate progress with odd jobs around the place. Especially digging terraces for our next planting project.
They can cook and made a lovely pasta dish for us.… read more
His personal goal was to get out of his comfort zone (I subsequently learnt).
He declared himself a changed man by the third day after spending a night in the jungle in a tent where he helped cut logs, clear up space, plant fruit trees.
All the work (and creatures) were… read more
My main task was to work with woods and I learned so many new things about it.
Ivan is an amazing host, he took me to a waterfall, to the sea and even gave me an unique time, camping in the jungel.
He is not afraid of heavy work and fun to be around with.
Jan quickly familiarised himself with our tools and equipment and helped make a wooden bed using no nails or screws,… read more
Miles: very tall (very handy for reach), soft spoken and very unassuming. Great help around the place.
He helped us organise some of the preparation work to build our wooden lodging : sawing wood from our land, bringing it to the workshop, tidying up joinery and fitment of an unfinished wooden bed project and… read more
As a nubie host, he has not only helped me in my various undertakings around the place, cooked us excellent makeshift meals, but also to prepare us in our journey to hosting more volunteers to come.
A really positive person to… read more
This Workaway project was a complete pleasure in many different ways. First and foremost Ivan, his… read more
Extremely respectful of others. Always welcomed back. Had a great time with him. I think everyone did.
Got several things accomplished in his short stay with us. I thoroughly enjoyed the time with him and the long conversations into the night.
