As you may recall, my two concrete goals for this Southeast Asian journey were 1) to meditate in Myanmar; and 2) to volunteer at the Vang Vieng Organic Farm.
The first goal I accomplished to my satisfaction back in July, and since then I had been eagerly anticipating my stint with Mr. T in Vang Vieng.
Years ago, a friend of mine volunteered here and had the time of his life, working with a bunch of village kids to build a community center out of mud bricks. Â I am happy to report that the community center is in good shape and still a beloved activity area for local children.
I was hoping to spend some time in the quiet countryside and learn basic organic farming techniques. Â Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed the first day I arrived.
In the last couple of years, locals have built a row of tubing bars along the river just downstream of the Organic Farm. Â These bars blast deafening western pop music from about 11 AM to 5 PM everyday, sending tangible vibrations through all matter, living or not, within a several hundred meter radius. Â It was impossible to concentrate, relax, or enjoy myself with the thumping bass and sickeningly catchy melodies constantly forcing themselves into my eardrums. Â Even my trusty earplugs were no use.
The organic farming front wasn’t much better. Â It was the end of rainy season and not much planting or harvesting was going on. Â All I could do was help take care of the goats – which turned out to be even more fun than it sounds.
First thing every morning, we’d get up to sweep goat shit. Â The goats live in a raised structure with cracks between the wooden boards, allowing their pellets to be swept onto the ground below. Â Once the poop is on the ground, it is swept up and placed into earthworm composting tubs. Â Every few months, the contents of the tubs are emptied and used for fertilizer.
And here, the story of our goat cheese begins.
