This week I visited PooPooPaper Park.  It's a cultural experience and eco-friendly, naturally built, outdoor museum that teaches about the production of paper made from elephant poop fibers.  And there is an element of arts and crafts, as we were invited to create a Do It Yourself paper product at the end.  

It was a fascinating outing to say the least, and was such fun!  My friend, Amanda, and I laughed and learned and laughed some more.  We learned all about the process, touched elephant poop and held naturally dyed elephant poop balls in our hands before spreading them out to make the paper.

We learned that elephant poop does not smell, as elephants are vegetarian.  They eat huge amounts of food each day, which is why they are a good source of poop for the paper products that are made.  Plentiful in quantity, the elephant poop is also the most fibrous of all the animals, so great for paper products.

After collecting the poop, it is first boiled in order to eliminate the sand and dirt and any other debris from the ground, where they of course poop.  After boiling, the poo fibers are removed.  The next step is for the fibers to be mixed with natural food dyes, water and a little bit of scrap poo paper, which binds the fibers and color.  Then large palm-sized balls are formed that feel moist and heavy.

One ball is then placed on a large wood framed screen and mixed with water while the paper maker breaks up the fibers of the ball.  The fibers are spread by hand, over the entire surface of the screen, being sure to fill in holes - much like baking a thin sheet of brownies or cookies and spreading evenly over the entire pan.  Then, the framed screens are placed in the sun to dry - first almost horizontally, and then as they are partially dried, they are placed in a more vertical position to complete the drying process.  Beautifully colored paper is drying all over the park.

When completely dried, the paper sheets are easily removed from the screens, and then they are cut into sheets for use in making all sorts of products - bookmarks, note cards, passport holders, address books, fans and notepads, to name a few.

Many children's groups and families visit the park, as it is a reasonably priced learning experience that is also lots of fun!  The little cafe also sell large sized elephant poo cookies - not made from poop, but rather chocolate chips.  And the fruit smoothies, salads and other snacks available are made from produce in their organic garden.

Believe it or not, they also have other types of poop items that are made from recycled Thai buffalo poo, cow poo, horse poo and other natural waste fibers, along with a variety of books, clothing and other crafted and fair trade products that align with their commitment to humanity and the planet.

I couldn't have imagined such an outing if I tried.  What a memorable, fun and different cultural experience!  Chiang Mai is full of wonderful surprises.

Sending You Love from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Thank you for taking this journey with me! 

I will be taking some time off from blog writing, in order to spend time visiting and traveling with my family. Back in a couple of weeks - Namaste.

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Looking back at my three months in Thailand, one of the most outstanding features of this country
is the vibrancy and richness of color.

Having lived previously in Chicago's urban environment, my entire wardrobe was predominantly black
and grey. The rare color was a splash in a scarf or piece of jewelry. And most city dwellers dressed in the
same colors. So my visual landscape was also mostly black and grey.  The Chicago skyline does have
beautiful architecture and some variance in building color, and on a sunny day, the sky and the
lakefront provide color.  Not to minimize the beauty of Chicago, but color is not one of its prominent attributes.

In Chiang Mai, there is color everywhere. The lush nature during rainy season bursts with richness
and brightness. The abundance of temples glisten and shine in golden splendor with carpets and
flowers of many hues providing color to further enliven the golds of Buddha statues and pillars.

The food stands that line the streets, display fresh fruits and vegetables as part of the landscape.
The red trucks and blue Tuk-tuks add to the color of the street scenes.

And the beautiful fabrics that elephant pants, skirts and tops are made from adds yet more color and
pattern.  The colors are not orchestrated in a planned and well thought out manner. Part of the charm
is that everything is random and not planned as part of a whole.

Details and planning are evident in each individual food stand or shop or temple, but the overall layout
appears to be pretty ad hoc.  Each burst of color seems to be its own visual miracle, like the flowering
bush in the graphic.  That bush is right outside my door, and I watched its blossoms unfold and grow
more vibrant day by day.

There are certainly plenty of grey and black cars and people wearing dark colors in Chiang Mai.
But with so much more color available for the eyes, it is the color that stands out and captures my attention.

I've been wearing elephant pants of assorted colors and patterns since I got here. I even wear two
different patterns at times - quite unusual for me. And I love the color!  It feels so alive and full of energy
and joy to me. Not sure how well it will go over in Chicago land, but I plan to continue wearing my
elephant pants and sharing color with the world. 

Sending You Love from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Thank you for taking this journey with me! 

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In Chiang Mai, I'm finding, it is surprisingly easy to meet an artist.  They love to be in the shops where their art is sold.  They gladly share about their art and often their ancient crafts.  The cottonfarm located in Raming Tea House on the second floor is a visual breath of fresh air and feeling of such lightness and calm, as the fabrics and clothes are displayed so creatively.  Those hung from the very high ceiling make a visual art piece in the center of the room. 

The dark wood floors and the white lattice touches blend with the fabrics and clothes and solid wood pieces, also for sale - all handmade, handwoven and naturally hand dyed. The rim of the room has displays of clothing and tablecloths, some woven in a very ancient style that very few people are able to produce.  It is truly a place of beauty that values unique wood and cotton pieces, ancient weaving and dyeing techniques and uses a huge space to display very few items, which further gives each piece a highly valued, special feel to them. 

We met the designer of the clothing and other fabric items (tablecloths, table runners, place mats and napkins).  She shared about the hand weaving and delicate nature of some of the fabrics, requiring a very soft touch on the loom.  She also shared that she learned hand stitching techniques in Japan that are no longer done in Japan, as the younger generation is less interested in the very labor intense work of the stitching.  We learned so much, and she gladly shared about her craft. She was lovely and happy to pose for a photo.

Sometimes the artist owns the creative space, like John's Gallery Tree House on Tha Phae Road.  His sign out front shows his sense of humor -  Sweat Shop, I'll sweat and you shop:)  I've been in the Tree House twice, and each time, John has been around and came over to introduce himself.  His beautifully painted, brightly colored artwork, with inspirational phrases, come in every size and shape imaginable.  John loves to paint, and has created many hundreds and maybe even thousands of pieces of art.  Walking through the Tree House is an experience in and of itself.  It is an actual huge tree, with natural little room-like spaces following the natural flow of this tree.  He also has rock art and wall hangings.  It is something to behold.

The book binding shop we happened upon, uses hand stitching and will customize size and paper for your book/s.  From journals to notebooks and books for a novel or cookbook - whatever you'd like to be made, they will hand make the cover and stitch the binding.  The books were beautiful to see and touch.

Another artist I met was a very young woman, early twenties, that designed beautiful note cards.  She captured the gentleness and spirit of the Thai people in her art.  She was helping in the shop that sold her cards, and this shop again had maybe a few dozen, at most, items for sale.  They had a large lovely wood desk and chair set in front of the street window, with pens and a nice writing space to sit and write out your card or postcard right then and there.  They sold stamps too - no add-on charge, just the stamp cost - and after you finished writing and stamping your cards, you placed them in the wood tray on the desk, and then they would take them to the post office for you.  All for no charge, and the cards were less than $1 each.

It's the many small touches in Thailand that make it such a special place.  I appreciate and love the beauty and caring that is evident in these small details.  With only two more weeks here, I am noticing daily those things that I will miss about Chiang Mai.

Sending You Love from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Thank you for taking this journey with me! 

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The Recipe Below!
Thanks to my California friends, Amanda and Justin, who have moved to Thailand, I joined in an incredibly fun day of cooking school.  Another California couple, new friends, Katherine and Tom, were also part of the group.  It was such a great experience and so well organized!  And this day long experience, including transportation to and from the hotel cost $33 - a bargain for sure!

I was picked up at my hotel at 8:30am and once everyone was gathered together, we all went to the local market.  We selected fresh produce for our recipes, tasted a few things none of us had tried before and learned quite a bit about the Thai foods available at the local market.  It was fun to go to the local market, a much different experience than going to the typical tourist markets that I'd been to.  Mostly, since I've been here, I was leery of trying much new, when I didn't know what it was.  So, having a Thai guide was really nice.

The style of the cooking school is Traditional Thai Akha.  The Akha people immigrated and became citizens of Thailand in the early 1900's.  They were originally from China, Laos and Myanmar.  There are now 80,000 Akha people living in small villages, mainly in the mountains of Thailand.  The Akha have their own traditions, culture, beliefs, just as many hill tribes do.  Their cooking style is very healthy and fresh.  I can attest to the delicious tastes!

Since the population is so small, our leader, Neeti, an Akha woman, was passionate about sharing her traditions and cooking style with us.  I loved that she cooked like my grandma - no exact measuring, and much heart put into the cooking.  A pinch of this and a touch of that, with no measuring cups or spoons.  She tasted, looked and felt consistency of the pastes - her senses were her guides.  And she was so good at it, that Neeti could show us how to do it too.

We did get recipes that have measurements, but even the recipes often have 1-2 of something or 2-3 of another ingredient.  Personal taste and the variances of fresh produce allow for flexibility.

We learned how to make 11 dishes, and we ate all the way through the experience, which lasted until nearly 4pm when I arrived back at my hotel. Neeti was incredibly patient and so knowledgeable. She was also funny and fun to be around.  Our group really had a great day, ate such delicious foods and learned much.

My stomach felt more full on that day than I have been since I arrived here, in Thailand.  Yet, in typical Thai food fashion, within a short time, I didn't  feel overly full.  The foods are so light and fibrous, that they are easily digested and do not have any lingering heavy feeling.

A simple recipe that was so flavorful, delicious and one of my favorites. 
Akha Salad
Ingredients:
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced in thin half moons
1 cucumber, peel the skin off and slice thin
1 tablespoon Fresh Coriander finely chopped
1  teaspoon fresh lime juice (or to taste)
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon ground peanuts (or to taste)
Mix everything in salad bowl and enjoy!

Anyone planning to visit Chiang Mai, I highly recommend the Thai Akha Kitchen Cooking School experience. 
It was fantastic!  I'm thinking of going back for a refresher before I leave.

Namaste,
Sending You Love from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Thank you for taking this journey with me! 

If you haven't signed up for the blog post updates, please do.
I also welcome you to leave a comment below or post one on my BestYOU facebook page.
Sharing your thoughts is a gift to all of us!