Campaign Notes - Day 6

It’s been a week since OKM found out that he would be DAP’s candidate for the parliament seat of Serdang. Not sure about most people but I usually spend a lot more time planning for a 3 day vacation than the time we had leading up to Nominations and the Campaign. Today is Day 6 and I give kudos to everyone in #teamOKM (mostly novices) for our combined efforts to do everything required to MAKE a campaign happen i.e. strategize, prepare publicity material, sort out logistics, raise funds, craft speeches, work with and create good will with not just one but three adun teams : Balakong, Seri Kembangan, Bangi) (in addition to the actual work of Campaigning). It’s been an immensely steep learning curve - we have had to leave the PJ mode behind and step into the Serdang way of things, think and speak in BM and Mandarin. We are super grateful to the Dun teams of course, that they have been so kind to share their space and plans with us. We are also thankful for a 2 week campaign period because we really needed this week to shift into gear. Heard that for 2008 the campaign period was only a week! We really need to ramp it up next week so please continue to pray for us.

Some Serdang Stats for you: Over 130000 voters up 40k from 2008 – through Teo Nie Ching’s voter registration efforts and self- registered young voters in the Bangi area. Seri Kembangan and Balakong make up the 48% Chinese majority who are supposed to be strongly loyal to Yap Pian Hon, the 70 year old BN candidate. He is said to have been working the ground in the last 5 years in preparation for this election. All in all, P102 promises to be an interesting fight.   

baan boo loo - a simple house

In this global village where Shangri Las and Four Seasons can be found in most major travel destinations, the search for authenticity often yields somewhat kitsch representations of tradition. Another buzz word in travel is green-tourism but many resorts that claim to be eco-friendly often fail to even scratch the surface of what it means to be environmentally sustainable, which simply stated is to conserve resources, reduce wastage and curb environmental degradation for future generations, and by doing so, foster wellness for ourselves today.

It is in such a climate that BaanBooLoo in the ancient city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand stands out for traveler seeking respite and a glimpse into a rustic yet luxurious way of life, when natural and built environments harmonized because the art of building respected and responded to the physical world.

The story of BaanBooLoo is that of Adisak Sittichainate, who after a decade of working as a computer programmer in Bangkok decided he had had enough of the rat race so he packed up his bags and left for London to teach traditional Thai massage. During the summers, he would return to his homeland with students who wanted to learn more about the origins of Thai massage philosophy. It was during one of these trips home that he decided to build his Home.

Chiang Mai for the uninitiated was once fortified. The old part of town is still surrounded by a moat but only portions of the defensive wall remain. BaanBooLoo is located on a typical residential plot within the ‘walled’ city. Amongst its neighbors are double story flats and temples. A narrow road that branches off the main thoroughfare leads one past a vegetable stall and a sundry shop in mazelike fashion before arriving at the guest house resort. And stepping into the bamboo walled compound of BaanBooLoo, a sense of coming home to one’s own secret garden.

Adi built BaanBooLoo from ground up, literally. The property occupies a fairly decent sized lot, over half an acre, and was concrete sealed when he first purchased it. Life sprung up immediately once the ground cover was excavated to allow rainwater to seep back into the earth and be purified by substrata layers instead of running off to storm drains. Trees were then planted before the buildings were sited resulting in organic structural forms that also make for an intriguing composition of indoor-outdoor and garden spaces.

At Baan Boo Loo, Adi has applied vernacular Thai Lanna principles of natural ventilation by raising buildings on stilts 12’ above the ground and leaving gaps between the floor boards so that cool air passing below seeps through to take the place of warmer air that has risen to the high raked ceilings. Guest rooms are also oriented to catch prevailing south winds and employ small and large openings to encourage the passage of air through the house. One of Adi’s own innovations that has water from an old well channeled onto the roof to lessen heat buildup is an indirect way of cooling the space below and also reduces the amount of heat released from the roof, a phenomena known as heat island effect that contributes to an increase in atmospheric temperatures otherwise known as global warming. The rooms have air conditioners and fans as well but they mainly function as back-up means of cooling. Another architectural feature that responds to the climate is the steeply pitched double roofs which lessen the impact of heavy rains on the houses in addition to giving them their signature look.

BaanBooLoo is constructed of recycled teak salvaged from villages in the outskirts. Other building materials are either also recycled and where possible local to reduce their carbon footprint. Keeping it local, the herbs and other plants in the garden are native varieties used in Thai cooking such as lemon grass and ginger. One of my favorite dishes prepared by Om the resident cook, was a sticky pudding made with rice harvested from the small organic rice field at Baan Boo Loo’s sister property across the lane. I also took immense pleasure in the tea served with lime, mint and ginger from the garden and my breakfast eggs from the chickens next door.

As BaanBooLoo is centrally located, shops and places of interest are in close proximity. Late mornings could therefore be spent exploring the city on bicycles provided for guests or on foot if one so wished. Alternatively, one could practice yoga at the clubhouse on the sister property where Om’s cooking school is also located. A perfect afternoon however, would be to sit in the cool space under the house with a book or to lie in the hammock in the shady scented garden with butterflies as companions.

The underlying theme of wellness extends into the guest suites, each uniquely designed and furnished in traditional Thai style with richly colored fabrics and hand carved furniture. Bright accents against the warmth golden tones of teak combine beautifully to create an ambience both soothing and intimate, and blooms from the garden bring a hint of nature indoors. This palette is continued in the bathrooms with highlights of stained glass and tiny fish in planter pots providing specks of color and movement.  

Besides the guest suites of the main house, there are the tree house and rice barn pavilions. We stayed in the tree house pavilion which is like something out a book, and sitting in the balcony with a book was like being a bird in a tree. The other pavilion is a refurbished rice barn also raised on stilts. It is open on one side with views of the Doi Suthep Mountain and partially to the sky yet very private and secluded. According to Adi the experience of sleeping or bathing there is pure bliss. I will have to take his word until a time I can return to BaanBooLoo – Simple House.