[Sdpg] NATURAL BUILDING IN THAILAND
Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson
lakinroe at silcom.com
Wed Oct 23 07:37:56 PDT 2002
NATURAL BUILDING IN THAILAND
November 2002 - February 2003
You are welcome to join in any or all of the earthen
building projects that are
happening in Thailand this winter, whether you are an
experienced builder or not.
Starting this November, hundreds of people will be coming
together from different
parts of the world to work with a widespread people's
movement of villagers,
grassroots activists, students and others.
Since last winter's collaboration between Kleiwerks
Natural Building (USA),
Spirit in Education Movement and Wongsanit Ashram
(Thailand), earthen building
in Thailand has spread like wildfire. This year there are
a number of exciting
projects in the works, including the building of a whole
village. The materials and techniques we will be working
with throughout include
adobe, cob, earthen plasters and paints, bamboo, thatch,
stone and other readily
available natural materials.
OTHER EVENTS:
There will be 3 Interfaith Solidarity Forest Walks,
organized by the
Hilltribe People of Northern Thailand and Spirit in
Education Movement
(details below). There's also opportunity to participate
in classes and make
side trips, visiting different parts of Thailand,
including national parks,
meditation retreat centers, Thai massage and Thai cooking
schools, islands,
cities and village communities.
OVERALL SCHEDULE (More details below):
*Building Thailand's First Earthen Village; all of
November, 2002
*Chiang Mai University, Building an Art Home; December 1-10
*2 Interfaith Solidarity Forest Walks; December 3-11
*Dhamma Park, Building a Community Gallery; December 18-28
*Interfaith Solidarity Forest Walk; December 28-January 5,
2003
*Building a Small Cottage; January 9-14
*Jo's Place, Building a Small House and Finishing Details
on Last Year's
Project; January 17-26
*3rd Global Community Gathering and International
Children's Festival;
January 31-February 11
*Vipassana Center, Building a Meditation Space; Mid-February
*Natural Building in India; March
GETTING THERE:
You will have to make your own travel arrangements. The
sooner you book your
flight, the better. Depending on when you fly, fares can
be as little as
$600-$800 from the West Coast, and $750-$900 from the East
Coast. You may
even find cheaper ways to get there than this, in which
case let us know!
Prices are highest between December 8-26, and its pretty
slim-pickings
anywhere near those dates. Again, the sooner you get your
ticket the better,
as far as fares and availability. So far we've found
www.orbitz.com to be a
good source for low fares. If you are coming from NYC,
October 28th, contact
janell at kleiwerks.com for details on flying with a group of
us. If you can
arrive on October 29th, you can join a group of us who
will be travelling
together to the village project. This is not necessary,
only more convenient
for you.
VISA:
All you need is your passport and a roundtrip ticket and
you will
automatically be given a 2 month visa at the airport when
you arrive. If you
plan on staying longer than 2 months you can get an
automatic one month visa
extension by crossing a border, re-entering immediately if
you wish. You can
do this every month for as long as you stay in Thailand.
You can also get a
3 month visa ahead of time from the Thai consulate in the
USA. No
vaccinations are needed to enter Thailand. For more
details check a
guidebook.
COST:
The cost of travelling in Thailand can range dramatically,
depending on how
you go. As for the building projects, no one will be
turned away for lack of
funds -AND- everyone is encouraged to contribute what they
can, within the
suggested sliding scale. Your contribution covers the
program, healthy and
delicious Thai meals (vegan with fish and chicken
options), accomodations
(camping or cabins according to the project), as well as
providing
scholarships for Thai villagers and activists. Sliding
scales are as
follows: (for the whole month) November Village Project
$300-$1,200; ten day
projects $200-$800; six day project in January $95-$495.
Again, no one will
be turned away for lack of funds.
REGISTRATION:
If you are planning to come please send your address,
phone number, email,
which project(s) you will be joining, and a non-refundable
deposit of $100
per project, in the form of a POSTAL money order only,
signed to 'Janell
Kapoor.' Again, no one will be turned away for lack of
funds AND please give
what you can. Your contact info and deposit will then be
transferred over to
the folks in Thailand and you will be sent further project
details. The
remainder of your contribution can be given in cash at the
project site.
Email your registration to: janell at kleiwerks.com
-AND-
Send: the same information WITH YOUR DEPOSIT to:
Janell Kapoor
Kleiwerks Natural Building
57 Clearwater Drive
Willingboro, NJ 08046.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Email Janell Kapoor (USA Contact) at janell at kleiwerks.com.
For further
questions about Thailand you can also refer to guide books.
PROJECT DETAILS BY DATE:
This is the most exciting of all the projects...
THAILAND'S FIRST EARTHEN VILLAGE (November 1-30,
2002)
Chaiyapoom Province, Thep Sathit District, Northeast
(about 5 hours
north of Bangkok)
In 1999, a group of Thai villagers were displaced
from their land because a
dam project flooded them out. After several years of
struggle,
demonstrations and extensive media coverage, they now
have land on a
cliff-side next to a beautiful National Forest. They
will re-build their village
this November, with the help of about 500 friends...
The "Mun yuen" community is a unique group of
villagers who are creating
a self-reliant sustainable community in Northeastern
Thailand. One way to
reach this goal is to use earthen building techniques
for housing. We invite
you to come help and share in this learning project.
It is bound to be an
extraordinary experience.
In total we will build 1 main meeting hall, 21
houses, 2 saunas and 1
storage building for rice. The efforts under this
program will yield a
prototype for other communities wishing to live in
harmony with nature.
Participants will have the opportunity to not only
learn about natural
building, but exchange on community, culture and
ideas with villagers and
each other. Special guests will be there from
Thailand and abroad,
including experienced natural builders, community
organizers and activists,
architects, researchers, Buddhist meditation teachers
and monks,
musicians, artists and others.
Along with the building, there will also be guided
plant walks in the forest,
swimming in the nearby lake, meditation, dancing,
music, ceremonies, as
well as a number of special presentations in which we
will look at earthen
dwellings from different perspectives including:
education,
environment, community, spirituality, health, local
wisdom, society and
economy, gender roles, art and aesthetics and natural
architecture for the
21st Century.
Please note that the camping is primitive and the
weather can be chilly in
the evenings. You will need to bring your own tent.
BUILDING AN ART HOME AT CHIANG MAI UNIVERSITY
(December 1-10, 2002)
Chiang Mai, North (about 12 hours north of Bangkok)
Join a group of students, villagers, researchers and
architects, as we will
be build an Art Home on the campus of the University.
2 INTERFAITH SOLIDARITY FOREST WALKS
In Support of the Indigenous People of Northern Siam
(December 3-11,
2002)
Samoeng District, Chiang Mai Province AND Pai
District, Mae Hong Son
Province; North (about 12 hours north of Bangkok)
These walks started 8 years ago at the request of the
Hilltribe People. The
intention of the walks is to bring an international
and interfaith moral witness
to the struggle of indigenous peoples in their
efforts to evolve their
sustainable way of life and protect their sacred
lands in the face of
modern development. It is also a unique opportunity
for personal growth
through Buddhist meditation and the wisdom of the
forest dwellers. You
will be walking with a group of about 20,
experiencing wilderness and
contemplation in the deep jungle forests. We highly
recommend these
walks, especially if you are involved with
permaculture, deep ecology,
community
organizing, ecovillages and indigenous peoples'
support. Folks from
wealthier countries are being asked to contribute
(raise, if need be) $500
to help support the walks happening, which includes
scholarships for
Southeast Asian activists and contributions to a
village fund. For more
information: visit www.sulak-sivaraksa.org; contact
ashram at cscoms.com
or michel at thecourtofeden.org.
DHAMMA PARK- BUILDING A COMMUNITY ART
GALLERY (December 18-28, 2002)
Lampoon, near Chiang Mai, North (about 12 hours north
of Bangkok)
A spiritual education center with an emphasis on art
and nature. You will
need a tent.
INTERFAITH SOLIDARITY FOREST WALK (December
28-January 5, 2003)
Mae Chaem District, Chiang Mai Province (about 12
hours north of
Bangkok)
See just above for details.
BUILDING A SMALL COTTAGE (January 9-14, 2003)
Chiang Mai Province (about 12 hours north of Bangkok)
This project has been scheduled especially at the
request from college
students who want to participate during their Winter
Break.
JO'S PLACE- BUILDING A SMALL HOUSE, FINISHING AN
OLD ONE
January 17-26, 2003
Sritan Village, Yasathon, Northeast (about 8 hours
northeast of Bangkok)
Join our original team at Jo's Organic Farm (see
project photos). We will
build a small home and use earthen plasters, paints
and decorative
bottlework to finish the community building that was
started last year.
3RD GLOBAL COMMUNITY GATHERING AND
INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL
January 31 - February 11, 2003
Ban Thor Phan, Moo Baan Dek, North (about 5 hours
from Bangkok)
BUILDING A MEDITATION SPACE
Mid-February, 2003
Nakorn Sawan Province, Central Thailand (about 4
hours north of
Bangkok). Join one of Thailand's leading Vipassana
teachers at his new
meditation center.
NATURAL BUILDING IN INDIA
March, 2003
Further details will be sent at a later date.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Email Janell Kapoor (USA Contact) at janell at kleiwerks.com.
For further
questions about Thailand you can also refer to guide books.
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