I planted about 50 apples two weeks ago. Since I live on the equator, you wouldn’t think it possible, but I am at around 3500 meters and we get wind, so it's plenty cold enough for them to have a winter. They are of Anna, Alabama, Dixie, Fuji & Dorsett varieties.
So, this is my third orchard. The original I have provided updates on a yearly basis. Then last year I started a mango orchard (though mangos are only about 50% of it) and now, an apple orchard (with some citrus, avocados, and sapote). And yes, I do finally have avocados flowering, along with many mangos and even some of the apples. All of them will be plucked after they flower and initiate fruit, in order for the energy to go into growth.
I am somewhere between 400 to 500 trees planted now. For me, the land was one big creative pallatte. I stood and looked at places for a long long time, all over the 4 acres, figuring out what goes where. Many times my intuition was way ahead of my thinking, and I wouldn’t know until much later how it worked into the big picture.
Maybe you’d like to see an update on the progress of the Baobab trees? I have around 18, but there are about 5 that are in their third year, and I am finally figuring out that they will get water year-round.
Babob fruits are amazing. I love getting the whole inside pod and eating the white crust inside. I think I could survive with it and raw honeycomb from our bees, really.
This is a view of the second mango orchard. And four varieties of dragon fruit that were neglected but are now getting attention.
I finally got a Jamaican Cherry, and check out these green lawns! I am doing the lawns before the house is built in this area.
And yes, as you can see at the end, the guest house is done! Next May I start a simple hotel next to it, and then will start a Safari & Stay business. It’s a simple plan (I’ve also included the plan for the guest house up top between the lawns):
Why simple? Cause the guest house is so awesome!
The ground floor is a kitchen with bathrooms, then there’s living space on the second floor, kitchen and living room on the third (the finished windows are amazing).
And up on top, with an incredible view, is the lookout loft where I have my desk, desktop, and chair.
Oh, this was fun, moving the appliances up top:
So, my year of living outside is finished. It was tough, one of the most difficult situations I have been in for quite a while. A few decades have passed since I last lived that sort of life, while hitchhiking on the road in the mid-to-late 80s. But it was really good for me to. I got grounded here and changed many habits in my life that were long overdue. This is the truth!
And I have to thank my wife, Shashi; her sister/husband Shamala & Jer; and my parents for helping to fill the funding gap. Without them, I’d still be in a tent!
I have no internet out here, but I don’t need it (I'm at a local tourist spot on Serengeti Road). I am currently writing, with a chapter due by November (on Buddha Bose), and the other major projects I am working on are in full swing.
I also have many wild birds, which are amazing to see, that are now living here. Bushcats, tortoises, mongoose all hide out. I used to have snakes, but I have since gotten rid of them (along with any mice or rats). Here’s a video of the common krait (not so common here now) —way more deadly than Cobra, and there are always frogs & toads around.
They say the sign of a mature organic orchard is frogs and mushrooms. I have them both galore. Crazy things live here too:
Every evening, a group of Maasai children stops by outside the gate. They are very polite, yet longing for matunda (fruit). They especially like the guavas, passion fruits, and bananas. Eventually, I have it set up to bring my organic and chemical-free fruits to a nearby shop, but I’ll never stop giving them away to the small beings, too.
"I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills..."
Good luck to you.
Beautiful life and creations. Blessed be.. love your focus and life . 💕🦋