:: Some Philosophy said...we are Generation Y, working at the first working place rarely over three years because we can't stand the low income while demanding for a greater salary, that's why we decide to leave the job and try our own challenge by being self-employed with the hope for making more money.. The first idea of Gen-Y businesses are milk shop, coffee shop or online shop, as more and more people think the same way is increasing supply to cover demand, this considers as unbalanced market between buyers and sellers. Resulting in rare successful and not many people will consider agriculture is an interesting piece of art...

Final project before graduate for some students shows it's interesting as they learn and directly experience by living with one of the village family, work as they work, eat as they eat, finally they see something difference, something interesting, something new which most of the new generation tend to forget about..

Who would never ever thought that an aged man, who ride a bike on a village street in country side earns more than 100k. a month.. We are the one, who never stopped desires, allow social crown to lead us go the wrong way. Fake and in-honest social, other get that I must get it too, other buy that, I must by that too, we try to keep us in a high social status, try to prove that we are someone rich since we were born, which make us never get "enough" only "more and more". It is weird to talk about this but at least it makes me think about it, what about you? what do you think???...

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reviewed by : https://www.facebook.com/PalapiliiThailand

:: SOOK TRAVEL is one of campaigns which created by Budgeting Support for a Better Health and Life Style Association. It's an sustainable traveling event, which is opened to public, to tour in interesting provinces included group activities. The association has created many very interesting trips as shown above. I was lucky during July because I have some days off so I could join a trip to "Bang Plub village"

:: If you would like to view the trips click at this link for more information and fill in application http://goo.gl/R6epBE. The Sook travel Team will appoint all travelers at the association head office, which you can search in Google Map how to get there. At the meeting spot before the tour starting you just have to register your name and have some morning snack. When every bodies are ready you all be will calling to get onto the bus.

This is my schedule for Bang Plub trip..

07.00 - 07.30 : Register on the first floor, Health Study Office
07.30 - 09.30 : Traveling to "Bang Plub Village"
09.30 - 10.00 : Listen to history and story of Bang Plub Village
10.00 - 12.00 : Enjoying biking, learn and practice "how to make coconut sugar" and " Fruit preservation"
12.00 - 13.00 : Lunch which prepared by the villagers
13.00 - 15.00 : Biking and experience "how to make charcoal out of fruits" and "Bio Orange farm"
15.30 - 16.00 : Activities summary and go back

:: How does it sound to you? for me it's such a high valuable time to spend within a day because I will experience how do the villagers live their daily life and even more I can do somethings they do, it is a day trip but I can touch the way of life here. Moreover, it is very near to Bangkok...

:: It is very good timing leaving from the association office and arriving at Bang Plub as the time is scheduled. Arriving !! then we get to the reception room to hear the campaign explanation from project leader, which is well communicate by the leader, but I won't talk about that because it will get too long, just a very short conclusion this is like a discussion class to speak out their point of view and exchange our opinions. There are good points each society but it's depends on what we see and how we see it. The most important here is that almost all families are allowing the King Project of living, that's why this village becomes famous for being example of succeeding King Project for both within Thailand and oversea.

:: Here we go the first activity "how to make coconut sugar" the lecturer will teach us from beginning to the finished product which ready to be placed in the market. The teaching is very open, no hiding recipe and techniques but again I won't write down the recipe here because it's too long, if you are interesting in please contact the village by yourself. For me here will tell you by pictures of "How to make coconut sugar" alright!!!! let's go...

:: Firstly, when we get coconut sugar, which is still very watery, put into the big opened pan to reduce until bubbly..then observe its color if the color starts changing to red reduce the heat. Then remove the pan from stove to continue reduction without the heat under until it's cool down, it will take about 15 minutes...

:: Then use a table spoon to portion the palm sugar and pour into a mold, leave it for 20 minutes. after then we will get a pure natural coconut sugar without any addition..

How to make coconut sugar

:: The schedule is a bit adapted by the organizer want us to see more villagers live style, we have time no worry..so we walk through the village of Bang Plub.. on the walk or biking trail will have signs to tell us, here is the learning spots to collect village living style for our experiences...

:: Here is a learning spot, how to make a canal beside the trees, the lecturer give us good knowledge with good reason which reflects the result.. The nature can answer its question completely by itself...

:: He talk about why we plant coconut between other trees, just because this area is clay, type of soil, coconut trees have a lot of fibrous root which help to make the ground better for other trees. What he's just told us is very basic but it's not a basic sense for city living life style because many of us have never thought about that...

:: Car smoke smell, sewage smell which I normally breath in I forget it all because here is very clean and natural, the villagers mostly do planting farm as the main thing and this can be the main income if the people are strong and harmonious, which Bang Plub is proving to myself that it is really can..

:: In the nature is rich of living sources the Thai saying says "in the water has fish while in the pad has rice" the meaning is the nature provides everything for living just comparison to our lunch table is full of food right now. We are near to Mae Glong river which well known for local mackerel, well it is on the table, good as said.. I spend 300 bath for this meal is worth it.. eating and get ready for the next activity adventure..

:: Alright!! now we have got to move with bicycle provided by the organizer team, there are many of bicycles, at first I thought from where we would get that many bikes.. but here is not that cheap because Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is a supporter as well. It's real well organized for a long time why I just know about it..right now...

:: We are scheduled to ride to three stations, re-alive fruit, Fruit charcoal and bio-orange farm. the first station is re-alive fruit, here is to add more value to the fruits which fail from quality control. Not to kidding, the papaya normally sale for cheap price but as it pass the re-alive processes, it becomes then 300 bath a kg. .... I am so impressed...

:: They are not only fruits but also vegetables and herbs can be added the value, change it's taste, add more sweetness by well constructed recipe.. I listen to the lecturer, she said it isn't too easy to do this, must take at least a week..

:: For one who may interesting here is my explanation of the process how to re-alive the fruits. Peel all ingredients, then brine them in lime water (calcium hydroxide), wash out the brine, boil until cooked, and wait for cooling down, then brine in syrup ration 1 per 2 (fruit 1 kg. in syrup 2 kg.), leave it overnight. for example papaya must re-do the same 7 times until we get to the final qualified product.. I confirm it's really god..sweet, buttery and crispy..

:: Next station is "Fruit charcoal" It sounds funny making charcoal out of fruits, but who knows this product can make money easily...

Ok, I will tell you...

:: The lecturer is so funny, as he shows up he will talk about himself in a funny way, but the summary is that the fruit charcoal is quite easy to make, it takes about 8 hours and from the processes we can get other 4-5 products in additional..

Let me list down,, if I can remember well

1. Fruit charcoal
2. Ash, the ash can be used for washing vegetable and fruit, put it into water and leave it until the ash and water are separate, this water is a base good to wash out the pesticide and other unwanted chemicals. Other use is to make salty eggs..
3. Fruit oil, it is produced when the fruit is burnt, the mist go on the top of the tank, touching with outside temperature, then become oil, this oil can sale for 100 bath a litter...
4. On the tank at some point it will get really hot, he put a pan and cook omelet or cook other dishes, save energy....
5 And Fruit charcoal, 30 a piece, Oh my god, most use for refresh the air in the car or in cabinet.

:: This is the example use for teaching only, the process is quite easy, just make a stove as in the picture, put the fire wood, the secret is to put all fruits in a separate can, not allow it to touch the flame directly ... believe or not even the rambutan can be a charcoal...

:: He said the charcoal is very popular during valentine day, but made from the rose, see! the rose can also be a charcoal. You might be wonder how does it feel when touching fruit charcoal, it just liked when touching the normal charcoal surface, light feeling and delicate, break able. This is very bilious creative idea, all types of fruit and make charcoal, durian, jack fruit, longan.. oh every things.. 555

:: Riding and riding, arriving at bio pomelo plantation, here is the beginning of many profitable projects, which creates villagers' income. The farmer give us a lot of new knowledge regarding the pomelo, the first thing I notice is the good smell from pomelo's blossom ... >///<

:: we get off the bike and walk into the pomelo forest in about 20 meters we appear in a jungle which almost blind us from the view outside. This period has no pomelo fruit yet only blossom which sprays fresh aroma to all over the place. The lecturer talks about many of techniques they work with in this plantation....But you know...the love the idea, that tricks the nature....!!

:: What is the trick? it began with observation since he started planting the pomelo when is it blooming and when the blossom become the fruit, his observation shows after winter it's time for blooming, continue his study how long will it take from a blossom until becoming an eatable pomelo, the answer is 8 months. Now he knows the dry season ends after rainy season that means it will start blooming when get a lot of water and just let it dry until the leave fall then water them like a big rain poring.. Finally the pomelo believe that is the time to bloom.......

:: So then he treats his pomelo as what he found out from his observation, resulting that he can produce the fruit all seasons,,, He earn big money whole year around, who says being a farmer is poor, no!! not that what I see here. Actually, there are many things to share from this trip but it will be to long to talk about all,,, you have to experience by yourself...

:: Such a day trip is considered as a slow life style, I learn somethings new, I experience ancestry intellect which can be transfer to the next generation in a hope, these kinds of experiences pull me back to re-think carefully "what an I doing in my daily life".Bang Plub is very strong community with strong sense of harmonious, they work as a team to achieve the value of basic life style and it transformed to be the earning which spread out to every member. I can see how to live the life in other focus which has been forgotten from modern community...If someone still think farming is low class of life style....they are the real poor...!!!

They earn more than some of us and live qualified life among the nature..

Thank you to the association for this quality activity and to all travelers whom I met during this trip, I hope we can travel together once again in the future......

See you all...