Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 2 days
Feedback
15
Email verified
Badges (2)
Details
Description
Some people wonder why I do the things I do.
I wonder why they don't.
Hello and bom dia!
Thank you for visiting my profile. I hope everything is clear, and makes you wanna come live and work here for some time.
If you have any question, don’t hesitate to contact me.
I’m Dirk (57), living in this wonderful part of South Portugal since a couple of years.
In a former live, I worked as a photographer and in tourism. I've been travelling as much as I could, in many European countries as well as in Morocco, Reunion-Island, India and others. Backpacking and Couchsurfing as well as in 5 star hotels.
Now I settled on 4,5 hectares of beautiful land in the amazing Algarvian west coast, taking care about 2 dogs, one cat and around 100 free living chicken.
I'm interested in music, Arts, movies, photography, philosophy, reading, meeting new people and discover new countries and cultures. I'm curious and open-minded and like to share experiences with people from all around the world!
I love unspoiled nature, the ocean, the laughing of a child, forests, water, and ... silence.
I do meditation, yoga and massages, and introspection, reflection and personal development are very important for me.
And, currently the most important: I’m interested in environmental questions. I think it's highly time to change our perverted economic system, and to come back to a simpler, more spiritual live. Slow and close to nature.
I’m vegetarian, no smoker, and I speak German, French and English – and absolutely have and want to learn Portuguese.
2019 I bought this beautiful small farm, with a typical Portuguese taipa (rammed earth) house and 4,5 ha of beautiful land in this amazing region.
The farm is composed by an endemic forest (cork oak, arbutus and pine), a fruit tree plantation (mandarin, orange, olive, fig, apple, plum, pear, apricot, lemon, …), a vineyard, some not cultivated land and a small garden.
The farm is 10 minutes driving to Aljezur, a beautiful small village with all facilities (shops, restaurants, markets, laundries, internet, busses to Lisbon…) and 20 minutes to the greatest beaches in the region.
I will host for at least 2 weeks and as long as it is comfortable for you and me. We usually work together 4-5 hours / day, 5 days a week, with Saturday and another day - depending on the weather - free. We usually discuss all of this together when you arrive to have the best time together. And by the way, I prefer to host people who are really interested in my project, and therefore took the time to read my whole profile. So I invite you to put the word “Yuachuma” on the beginning of your request.
Obrigado, see you soon,
Dirk
Living intensely every moment...
When walking, walk. When eating, eat. When reading, read.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
UN sustainablity goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
As we live somehow together during your stay, there is a lot of time for exchange and sharing. And enough free time for everybody to have his program or follow his own interests.
Help
If you have some special skills in permaculture gardening, natural build techniques (rammed earth building), carpentry / wood constructions, it would be just perfect.
And if you like cooking, give yoga lessons, do massage, like gardening or taking care about animals, its fine as well.
In fact a lot of things are to do here, we will find a work for you in any case – if you’re really willing to work seriously and help to develop the place.
I would be happy if you’re open minded, respectful and curious.
Some examples about what to do next:
- Installation of an irrigation system
- Constructing of several pergolas (wood)
- Pruning grapevines
- Pruning orange trees
- Constructing storages (wood)
- Constructing a compost toilet
- Installing tanks to collect rainwater from the roofs
- Starting a little vegetable organic (permaculture) garden
- Building light constructions (a small green house, an outside shower, …)
- Constructing stone walls
And for sure the regular stuff, like feeding the animals, cleaning the chicken house, cooking, house cleaning, …
We would define together witch work you can and want to do, it’s useless to ask you tasks you don’t like or are not confortable with.
I need physical help for all the stuff to do here, but I’m open for good ideas and advices as well.
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Portuguese: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
I really would like (and have) to learn Portuguese… And it would not be bad to improve my English as well.
Accommodation
You will sleep in a confortable bed, either in your own room or in a beautiful small wooden cottage. Should I have lots of requests you might have to share your room with other Workawayers, but I would mention this before your arrival.
And, if you have your own camper-van or caravan, you’re welcome as well, you can park on the land.
The environment is peaceful and the nights amazingly silent (if the dogs don’t bark and until the roosters wake you up in the morning).
You can use Wi-Fi (not very fast), the washing machine and the bathroom with hot water.
Depending on the daily program and our common wish, we can cook and eat together (which was normally the case up to now), and in any case the kitchen is at your disposal.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
Wifi is here, but sometimes the connection is slow…
Space for parking camper vans
Lot's of space…
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Around 4 hours a day, 4-5 days a week
Feedback (10)
Quinta Yuachuma was my first workaway experience and I'm so grateful for that. I remember the first wow effect when we got to Dirk's place - beautiful valley surounded by forest and only a few houses. Place covered with sunshine almost all the time. Lya and Tessie happily running around us. They are so sweet, playful and… read more
dirk is a great person, he really cares for his animals and his land, and he was willing to teach me a lot about the inner workings of a farm. he also was happy for me to tag along on beach dog walks, and nights at the new local bar that had opened - very fun!
i would enjoy coming back, but next time i would… read more
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(4.9)
Quinta Yuachuma was my first workaway experience and I'm so grateful for that. I remember the first wow effect when we got to Dirk's place - beautiful valley surounded by forest and only a few houses. Place covered with sunshine almost all the time. Lya and Tessie happily running around us. They are so sweet, playful and… read more
dirk is a great person, he really cares for his animals and his land, and he was willing to teach me a lot about the inner workings of a farm. he also was happy for me to tag along on beach dog walks, and nights at the new local bar that had opened - very fun!
i would enjoy coming back, but next time i would… read more
She stayed only a few days (because I didn’t have more space), but me and the other Workawayers liked her spirit, and we really spent a good time together.
Nymphe, thank you again and all the best.
I just want to say that I am incredibly grateful...
He is an open-minded, positive, easy-going person which likes to laugh as well as good exchanges. He was always helpful, worked a lot on my land and had also his own ideas and initiatives.
We had a great time and I can definitely recommend him.
Firstly waking up is the most peacefull thing there when stepping outside. The green hilly area is beautifull, it's warm and the two dogs always give you a warm cuddly welcome. If… read more
We had many extremly funny and pleasant meals all together but also some really interesting and sincere conversations .… read more
It was our first workaway experience and it was amazing. We were informed about what to do and then we were really autonomous about the work to do on the land.
We had the opportunity to do several task, discover about principles of permaculture (for example the care of trees), and being… read more
He stayed on my farm for three weeks and it was a real pleasure to have him here.
Giacomo was a great help. He is an open-minded, positive, easy-going and intelligent person. He was always helpful, worked a lot on my land (also with his own ideas and initiatives) and helped around the house with cooking and cleaning. He… read more
Helen is a quiet and respectful person, and she is always willing to help wherever help is needed.
We usually started working after a long breakfast and it was always… read more
Daniela was a big help for me. She was very involved with my project and contributed a lot to it’s development, by work and ideas, she had an easy and loving contact with all of my animals, and she… read more
Dirk's place is a wonderful small farm, close to nature, allowing for many opportunities for inward and outward learning. Above all, I appreciated Dirk's openness and interest in learning and co-developing… read more
