Our Holiday Camping Moment

Posted by charmie on December 27, 2013

It dawned on us that is has been four months since our last camping trip. It was a beautiful night on the shores of Palau and we felt like we had the island to ourselves. I will never forget the “two-person” tent that we bought at a local store and once we popped it open we realized it was only big enough for one small child. Needless to say we to slept toppled on each other in random angles. Like playing twister, in a half awake state haha!

The holidays were here and though it didn’t really feel like the Christmas as we knew it from home, we were happy to spend it together for the first time.. ever. We decided no gifts, accompanying each other through this journey and experiences thousands of miles away from home was a gift that we couldn’t have imagined asking for. This year we traded the Christmas tree to for a teepee, we weren’t with family, but we had each other, and we didn’t exchange presents but grateful for intangible moments that continue to fill the pages of our journals.

The night we camped got down to a chilly 40 degrees(F)! We found this little compound called Maetachang which consisted of straw huts and tepees made out of leaves by serendipitous luck. Aaron was taking random back roads on the motorbike when he drove past this little commune already set up with tents and a huge campfire. We needed a place to shoot our hill tribe dresses that we added recently to the shop, and this place couldn’t have been more perfect to mix work and play. It was ran by a sweet lady who was an amazing cook, and a man full of smiles and the only thing he was serious about was keeping the campfire alive. Everything on site was made by materials found on or near the compound, the tables and chairs in the lawn were imperfectly made from scrap wood, wild chickens roamed, and they even offered food which they cooked on the campfire. Such a whole chicken for 200 baht (about $7). It was settled by a rice field and right beside a serene creek which we were lucky to have the place to ourselves. It was a beautiful day and night spent on this magical space of nature. We will definitely be back for more stargazing with beers and stories around the campfire.

Hope everyone had an amazing holiday!

Enter the winter solstice

Posted by charmie on December 22, 2013

We have officially entered the winter solstice. As we trade long sunny days for longer starry nights we are gravitated to travel inward. Enjoy quiet days with yourself, a journal, and your imagination. Be alone with your thoughts and let go of things that weigh on your soul. Forever be a student, and play with abandon. Reflect on the past, live in the present, and move forward with intention.

Artisan Spotlight: Hmong Tribe Batik

Posted by charmie on December 13, 2013

I’ve always appreciated the craftsmanship that went into our Hmong textiles. From the meticulous cross-stitching, to the embroidery, and their Batik techniques. Today we decided to learn first hand from Hmong artisans about the Batik techniques that I love so much in not only in our textiles but also in our wanderer ponchos. All I can say is wow, these women have great attention to detail, a deep knowledge to meanings of patterns, along with very steady hands! The Batik dying process includes tools handmade in their village which had different size points for making lines. Kind of reminded me of calligraphy pens! They use it to dip into beeswax that is harvested from their village. The beeswax is melted over a clay pot of fire which in time will turn black. They then draw their traditional patterns on a hand drawn grid all from memory. Specific patterns had different meanings and the one we are drawing below means good luck and protection for a baby, which they use to stitch into a baby carrier. I told her I didn’t have a baby yet, then she replied “When you do, bring your baby to our village”.

After the pattern is drawn, we then dip it into indigo which is harvested from their land. Winhus pictured below is showing us the indigo leaves prior to mixing it with ash and water to create the dye. From here the process can take days to weeks depending on preferred hue of indigo. You dip, then hang dry, and dip again. Once you have achieved the hue you prefer, you then dip the fabric into boiling water to melt off the wax and reveal the contrast of patterns. Ta-da! All the women in this tribe are such talented artisans and take much pride in their work. After months of working on one piece they then take it to the market to sell. Talk about delayed gratification! What a beautiful and slow process each piece is. They mentioned most of the kids in the village have started to lose interest in learning and is most interested in modern technology. Therefore only the older women in the village still hold this knowledge of their traditional Batik technique and through their textiles they work to preserve remnants of their culture.

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Foodscapes

Posted by charmie on December 12, 2013

National Geographic “Your Shot” community is such a visual discovery through the lens of everyday photographers, travelers, and spontaneous adventurers. They posted a “foodscape” assignment and we immediately thought about my uncle Jong whom we recently visited during our stay in the Philippines. He’s quite a man of the wild, knows how to fix anything, build anything, catch anything, and cook everything. We have a little family compound by the ocean off of the island Mindoro. Below is his photo captured by Aaron as he cooks what he’s caught for us over an open fire. Below this photo are the top photos from the NCS foodscape assignment. Aren’t they incredible?! So many stories these photos have captured. They open our eyes to wonder, and evoke a sense of adventure.

Early morning markets, Hoi An, Vietnam

Kolkata India

This was taken in a small village in southeast of china called Lishui.People are busy gathering and picking the pumpkin to the market.

These are two sea gypsies that are cooking the catch of the day.

Iranian villager woman carries the tray of fruits and traditional nuts at the yard of her house during Chaharshanbe Souri.

Click on images for photographer profiles and while you’re at it, check out their amazing shots!

Artist Spaces

Posted by charmie on December 9, 2013

Give an artist space and let it become their canvas. This past weekend we explored the curious world of Jakawan Baandin settled on the mountainsides of Chiang Mai Thailand. My mind was blown, creatively stimulated, and curiously peaked. Everything inside and outside of these colorful concrete mounds were envisioned by the artist and translated into a playful journey down the rabbit hole. Every corner evoked wonder, and every detail was magic. Each home on the compound are themed differently such as the Moroccan room or elephant room and filled with his work of carvings, weldings, paintings, and installations. Completely spontaneous and full of discovery, we will be back for a stay of mind expansion and inspiration. After leaving his compound I can feel my views on living evolving to a change. How beautiful it is to completely express yourself down to every inch of your living. On the drive back, me and Aaron found ourselves sitting in silence daydreaming about our earth mound compound in the middle of the desert one day. <3

Tribal Textiles

Posted by charmie on December 6, 2013

We stacking high with lots of tribal textiles for you indigenous hearts, teepee makers, festival fairies, and gypsy crafters! Some shiny, new and fresh off the hands of the Hmong tribe artisans, while others have been passed down for generations and have now made it into our vintage series of textiles. Whichever tickles your fancy, we’re sure these tribal beauties will keep you warm, or have you winning the raddest picnic blanket award. Each one of a kind, so call dibs on your favorite before it gets picked up! Check out our textile collection HERE.

Our Humble Abode in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Posted by charmie on November 29, 2013

Once was a traditional rice barn is now converted into beautiful and cozy teak-wood home.

Our sunny living room under our bedrooom is outdoors.

I can just sit here all day and sip hot tea.

Looking out from our living room into the garden

Entrance to our Thai style kitchen.

I make Aaron eat fruit every now and then 😉

Upstairs balcony to our bedroom has been one of my favorite reading spots.

Big windows on every side of the wall makes for a sunny sanctuary.

Wooden beams and Aaron’s office haha!

Garden spot covered in exotic blooms.

Ample space and fresh air.

Looking into the fish pond

This tree has been bearing the sweetest berries!

Yesterday, me and Aaron signed on to a new apartment in downtown Chiang Mai a bit closer to all the action and completely opposite of our zen oasis we currently call home. Change is inevitable and over time I’ve come to embrace it and often times, crave it. Before we pack our bags and bid our current home away from home farewell, I wanted to do a proper home gratitude post. It has showered us with fruits from the garden, woke us up to bird songs, led us to ample spaces for reflection, and even came with a stylish landlord and her super chubby golden retriever.

My landlord has put in lots of TLC to turn an acre lot to run it into this sunny sanctuary full of plant life and koi ponds. If you haven’t already guessed she is a yogi and an artist with a keen sense on traditional Thai homes. She converted old rice barns into cozy cottages that rose like tree-houses and sewed many of the intricate bedding herself. Interiors are all teak wood and packed with character, each home on the compound is as photogenic as the next.

What we love about it, it’s nestled by the mountains of Chiang Mai, surrounded by rice fields and handicraft villages. We found ourselves never wanting to leave the compound! So, as our lease comes to an end we decided to seek for the exact opposite. We’re trading in the long motorbike rides through the country for quick walks to town surrounded by pedestrians, and the handicraft villages for the buzzing night markets.

We will miss our humble abode, and will spend every minute we can soaking it all in! We’re excited for our next spot and a new chapter here in Thailand.

If you’re interested in staying here check out her website: Ricebarn Thailand and tell Pranchlee we said hello!

Bangkok’s Chinatown

Posted by aaron on November 20, 2013

On our way back to Chiang Mai from Cambodia, we made a pit stop in Bangkok. I’ve read somewhere that you never appreciate Bangkok on your first visit, but if you come back around a second time, you’ll welcome it with open arms. I feel like that statement was pretty spot on for us. Maybe it’s because we found ourselves caught in the tourist trap area of Khaosan Road on our first visit, but second time around we explored deep through the veins of Bangkok’s Chinatown. We must have got lost in it’s alleyways for hours that day. A labyrinth of never ending markets where anything can be found. Vintage records, colorful wigs, antique arcade machines, and even ancient Chinese potions in mysterious bottles. As we got deeper and deeper into the trenches of street food, gold shops, and rows of silks and fabrics, we realized that to describe Bangkok, words fail. We could come everyday and walk down the same road just to come back to write a different story. It’s wild, it’s almost tangible, it’s Bangkok.

Tribal Textiles

Posted by charmie on November 11, 2013

As I’m stocking up for the shop, I have been receiving pre-orders for traditional ethnic textiles hand stitched and hand-dyed by surrounding tribes as a source of sustaining their culture. I have fallen in love with these magical forms of art translated into vibrant fabrics. These textiles connect us with disappearing cultures in the developing world as fast as old-growth forests. Fabrics of the Indigenous people are silent storytellers of traditions, and art. I’m attached to each piece I send off boundaries away, and happy to know they are to be appreciated for their aesthetic significance. If you are interested in pre-ordering tribal textiles please email me at info@newcropshop.com.

Weekend with the Karen Hill Tribe, Thailand

Posted by charmie on November 5, 2013

The beautiful village of Baan Mae Jok

The women were happy to show me how to roll a pipe made out of banana leaves.

My lovely kids (well my students) but my oh my did they have me attached after the first day!

I would normally be intimidated at the thought of managing 35 students of all age ranges, but they were a dream!

A typical kitchen in the village. Here I showed them my spring roll rolling skills 😉

Water buffalo herded through the village twice a day, at the same time everyday.

They hand-weave and naturally dye all their traditional clothing.

The most adorable little boy always followed me and my camera around.

Tending rice fields means lots of rice, and a heavy load.

When we told her to make a chair with sticks, and this is what she came up with!

All their houses were built high enough to avoid flooding, and doubled up as an area to keep livestock.

Early in the morning with her pipe and machete.

To better spend my time here in Thailand, I joined an The Christopher Robert Project which is an organization that visits Thailand’s hill-tribe communities on the weekends and offer in-village tutoring classes for the kids. Many of the hill-tribes reside far distances from schools, therefore making it difficult for the children to attend school. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of working with the Karen Hilltribe in Baan Mae Jok Village. The children stole my heart on the first day. I was shocked at how enthusiastic they were about school. They eagerly arrived to class an hour before we were supposed to start, and were so well-mannered. The most special part about this weekend visit was spending all day with the children in their village and seeing how they lived. Each morning the adults would set off to tend/gather crops, men would head out with their handmade rifle to hunt, and the children spent the day swimming in river and playing in the sun. Everyone had an important role in the village, and even the kids learned early how to cook, hunt, and be an asset to the tribe. It’s always reviving to be surrounded by such simplicity. No excess, no waste. I also had the pleasure of doing day to day activities with the families such as going to church, helping with dinner, and kicking it over fresh grown tobacco rolled in banana leaves!