Posts Tagged ‘Thailand’

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Pattaya On The Gulf Of Thailand

Friday, April 27th, 2012

Pattaya is a city made for fun on the northeastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand. It is situated in Chonburi Province around 150 kilometres south of Bangkok. In the Sixties, Pattaya was hardly known, yet the American soldiers fighting in Vietnam started using it for R&R and it began to expand. Pattaya is most famous for its entertainment and its nightlife, but in fact it has a lot more than that to offer.

As far as just sport goes, Pattaya offers horse riding, swimming, scuba diving, wind surfing, golfing, tennis and jet skiing among others. However, dissimilar to most sporting towns or cities, it does not begin to go to sleep as the sun goes down.

The bars, restaurants, discos and Go-Go start to open in abundance at about four o’clock. The bars are of each kind to suit every niche market.

There are Welsh bars, American bars, Irish bars, Lady Boy bars and every other sort of bar you can think of. Likewise with the restaurants, there are specialized restaurants for every country in the world. There are bush game restaurants, Chinese, Japanese, American, French, German and fish restaurants. In fact there are thousands of restaurants and bars all attempting to seem unique.

I am certain that you could stay in Pattaya for months without going to the same bar or eating the same sort of food twice. This is just as well because there are representatives from all the country in the world there as well. You will hear English, Russian and every European and Asian language spoken in Pattaya on a regular basis.

Pattaya gets over one million visitors a year. Most of these visitors are men, yet the local government is attempting to do more to attract women and families by relocating the girlie bars back away from the beach.

Despite it being quite large, you can stay in your favourite part of Pattaya yet find nearly everything you desire near-by. However, if you do have to get about, nothing could be simpler. Most people merely hop on a ‘Baht Bus’. These small open-backed pick-ups can be seen going about the city by fairly predictable routes once you understand the layout of the city.

The ‘fixed fare’ is ten Baht for as far as you like to go on the route, although some drivers will strive to get more out of you if you go a long way. Thais pay five Baht. If you do not feel confident enough to forecast where the bus is going, you could get on one of the thousands of motorcycle taxis.

They are more expensive at around forty to sixty Baht, yet they will go anywhere you like quickly – weaving in and out of log-jammed cars. Ask for a quote before you leave to avoid disappointment on both parties. If you do not want to hire a car, there are other options. You could rent a motorcycle or motorbike. A motorcycle costs about 100 Baht a day at the cheapest, but be wary of the traffic in Pattaya it can be fairly chaotic.

Owen Jones has just published his first book which is called Behind The Smile: the story of Lek, a Thai bar girl in Pattaya in Thailand.

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North Eastern Thailand

Monday, December 5th, 2011

I met my wife when on vacation in Pattaya, which is about 45 minutes south of the new international airport by taxi and the airport is around halfway to Bangkok. I met her on the first day I arrived on a double date with a friend who was already there. Within a fortnight she took me back to meet her family in what I later discovered to be north-eastern Thailand.

Isaan is called north-eastern Thailand as well, which is actually confusing because where we are is further north but not so far east. Anyway, most individuals who call Isaan the north east live in Bangkok and Pattaya, the two big hang-outs for foreigners (known as farang or falang in Thai), and we are all north-east from there.

One look at the map and you will see what I mean. If you travel north out of Bangkok, in due course you will come to Phitchit, which is formally the start of the north and the northern race as they call themselves.

Then comes Phitsanulok, once a capital of Thailand. A further 40 kilometres north is Sukhotai and Sri Satchenali, Thailand’s first capital and the spiritual home of Thailand. The original city is still there, uninhabited and mostly restored.

I live in the next province to the east called Uttaradit, which borders on Laos to the east and the old mountain kingdom of Nan to the north. About 10% of the population of Nan are of the various Hill Tribes. One of these, the Mlabri, are nomadic hunter gatherers who live in temporary shelters made from branches and leaves. Until very recently, they were living a stone-age existence and their language had never been heard by Western people before 1978 as far as we know.

This is 250 km north-east from where I live. Sukhotai is about 30 km east. So much difference within 300 km. This region was part of the old kingdom of Lanna, which translates as ‘ a million rice fields’ or even ‘millions of rice fields’. Phichai or Fort Phichai, 12 km away, used to be the capital of Uttaradit province. Phraya Phichai Dap Hak (Phichai of the two-handed swords) fought here in the late 18th Century. He is Thailand’s most respected and famous warrior.

Anyway, I live in amongst all this lot. Unfortunately, I do not speak Thai well enough for anyone to give details of it to me and nobody that I know speaks English well enough to do it either. Even my wife. I wish I knew more of this fascinating place where very very few foreigners ever venture.

There are five of us here at the moment in a 20 km radius. An English teacher, a Canadian teacher, a retired Dutchman and a retired Englishman and me. Often there is an Irishman and another Canadian, but they have gone home for a spell. I usually do not see a foreigner or hold a detailed conversation for weeks on end. And I love it here.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on a lot of subjects, but is now involved with Khao Phansa – The Candle Festival. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Package Holidays to Thailand.

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Why I Now Live In Thailand

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

After my first night out in Pattaya, Thailand, when I met a lady on a blind date organized by one of my best friends, I sat up in bed and I recalled the details of the evening before. We had begun in The Pig and Whistle, where I was residing on Soi 7.

The Pig is a lovely, peaceful, sedate, air-conditioned oasis of serenity in a street, which is one of the most raucous, noisiest and most crowded streets in Pattaya.

We went outside into the soi (lane) and into a stream of people not dissimilar to that of a crowd heading for a football match, except that all the women were dressed in skimpy clothes. We had called into one of those outdoor bars, where my friend had a surprise awaiting me.

His girlfriend of a time, whom I knew nothing of and a friend of hers who wished to meet up with me. The four of us had dallied there an hour before walking the thirty metres to Beach Road.

The traffic is one-way on Beach Road, so we took a Baht Taxi North (a pick-up truck) going with the flow and got off two or three kilometres further on just before Walking Street, which is the most notorious street in Pattaya.

We had entered a complex of bars and sat at one at random. It was only then that I realized that the bars were all set out around a Muay Thai boxing ring, where the fighting was continuous and free, although foreigners are expected to contribute a prize to the winner of every bout of 20-100 Baht ($1-$3).

We stayed there an hour and moved on to Walking Street to have something to eat. We ate at a seafood specialist restaurant which has a pier or jetty as its dining region. The food was fantastic and the mood was romantic with the moon reflecting on the sea and the atmospheric lighting.

I don’t think that I had a opportunity in reality, I fell for my gorgeous date that night and I saw her each day for the rest of my 30 days holiday. We had a brilliant time and when I had to go, I decided to find out if I could settle in Thailand.

I went home and calculated, that if I was cautious and a few things fell in my favour, I would most likely have enough money to stay there for ten years.

Six weeks later, I went back to Thailand and Joy was waiting for me at the airport. Nothing had altered between us and we took a bus to visit her family in northern Thailand.

We slept in a room that her brother had given up for us and everybody made me feel very welcome. Joy’s family live in a traditional teak home built on stilts and everybody lived and slept in one space in the traditional way, with the exception of Joy’s brother, who had built an extension, because he was eager to get married soon.

I really like that village and still live there now, seven years later. Joy and I are married and have our own home – a traditional, European, concrete-block bungalow not five metres from Joy’s mum, who is a brilliant mother-in-law.

Her family appear to appreciate what a big step it was for me to come here alone and are determined to be there for me, if I need help, like my own family in Wales would be. The job at hand is learning Thai as no one else in the village, except for my wife, speaks English.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on a variety of subjects , but is currently involved with Yoga Holidays and Yoga Retreats. If you want to know more about our Travel Blog, click a link.

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Why I Live In Thailand

Monday, July 18th, 2011

After my first night out in Pattaya, Thailand, when I met a lady on a blind date organized by one of my best friends, I sat up in bed and I recalled the details of the evening before. We had started in The Pig and Whistle, where I was staying on Soi 7. The Pig is a nice, quiet, serene, air-conditioned oasis of tranquility in a street, which is one of the liveliest, noisiest and busiest streets in Pattaya.

We ventured outside into the soi and into a torrent of people not unlike that of a queue heading for a football match, except that all the women were dressed in bikinis. We had called into one of those outdoor bars, where my friend had a surprise in the offing for me. His girlfriend of a while, whom I knew nothing about and a friend of hers who wanted to meet up with me. The four of us had stayed there an hour before walking the thirty metres to Beach Road. The traffic is one-way on Beach Road, so we took a Baht Taxi North going with the flow and got off two or three kilometres further on just before Walking Street, which is the most notorious street in Pattaya.

We had entered a complex of bars and sat at one at random. It was only then that I noticed that the bars were all set out surrounding a Muay Thai boxing ring, where the fighting was uninterrupted and free, although foreigners are expected to contribute a prize to the winner of each bout; 20-100 Baht suffices.

We stayed there an hour and moved on to Walking Street to have a meal. We dined at a seafood specialist restaurant which has a pier or jetty as its dining area. The food was fantastic and the ambiance was romantic with the moon reflecting on the sea and the atmospheric lighting.

I don’t believe I had had a chance in reality, I fell for my gorgeous date that night and I saw her every day for the rest of my 30 days holiday. We had a magnificent time and when I had to go, I determined to see if I could live in Thailand. I went home and worked out, that if I was careful and a few things went in my favour, I would most likely have enough money to live there for ten years.

Six weeks later, I returned to Thailand and Joy was waiting for me at the airport. Nothing had altered between us and we caught a bus to visit her family in northern Thailand. We slept in a room that her brother had given up for us and everyone made me feel very welcome. Joy’s family live in a traditional teak house built on stilts and everybody lived and slept in one room in the traditional way, except for Joy’s brother, who had built an extension, because he was hoping to get married soon.

I love that village and still live there now, five years later. Joy and I are married and have our own house – a traditional, European, concrete-block bungalow not five metres from Joy’s mum, who is a wonderful mother-in-law. Her family seem to realize what a big step it was for me to come here alone and are determined to be there for me, if I need help, like my own family in Britain would be. The job at hand is learning Thai as no one else in the village, besides my wife, speaks English.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on several topics, but is now involved with Khao Phansa – The Candle Festival. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Package Holidays to Thailand.

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Thailand – The Land Of Smiles

Sunday, July 17th, 2011

Thailand is the most popular tourist destination in South-East Asia and has been for decades. This is because the climate alters throughout the year from hot to cool and even cold, if you want to look for it; Thai food is world-famous; the range of wildlife is broad as is the flora; the diving is excellent and the people are friendly and welcoming. Thailand is not known as the Land of Smiles for no reason.

There are also a great deal of festivals, some of which are religious, which equals Buddhist, and others are not. Thailand has been Buddhist ever since the country came into being in the Thirteen Century, but the people were Buddhist long before that. Or at least the majority of them were. There were also throw-backs to older religions just as in the West.

In the West Christmas and Easter were moved to conceal pagan festivals, but in Thailand they merely have the old festivals as well. One of the biggest festivals is Loy Krathong in November (the first full moon in the twelfth lunar month). Loy Krathong is a delightful festival to appease the goddess or water, Ganga, for using and abusing (polluting) her.

Nowadays, people still remember the old significance of Loy Krathong (‘Floating Boats’), but it has been taken adopted by lovers too. People float symbolic boats out onto the water and ask the goddess to pardon them and to grant a wish. Lovers push their boats out together and many believe that if the boats, krathong, float out side-by-side then they will have a trouble-free year together.

Numerous women don traditional Thai costumes for the evening, particularly if they are going out for a meal or to a party. Some men do as well, but not so many.

Also in November is the world-famous Elephant roundup in Surin. The elephant roundup is also well-liked with foreigners and Thais alike. The city of Surin is full on this weekend so if you want to go it is worth booking your hotel with your travel ticket otherwise you might be stranded. Not that it is cold or likely to rain.

Bridge Over the River Kwae week is in November. The bridge is a moving reminder of the horror that prisoners of war from all around the world underwent at the hands of the Japanese overlords at the time. More Thais died than foreigners although Thailand was thought of as ‘friendly’ by the occupying Japanese.

In December it is the King’s birthday and Fathers’ Day on the 5th. The king is very extremely well thought of in Thailand and many people will light candles in their garden on the roadside to the king in the early evening. This is a very pretty sight, particularly in the villages where street lighting is usually negligible. Constitution Day is on the 10th and is a bank holiday, which normally means a party.

Christmas is celebrated in the cities by tourists, ex-pats and young Thais although it has no real religious implication outside the Christian churches in the larger cities.

New Year’s Day is huge. There are parties that will last all night, dancing, feasting and fireworks.

Thailand is a wonderful place to come to in November and December and although it is thought of as high season, I am certain that you will find it cheaper to come on vacation to Thailand – The Land of Smiles – than it is to remain at home in the cold.

Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on several topics, but is now involved with Loy Krathong. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Package Holidays to Thailand.

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Scuba Diving And Snorkeling Vacations

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Numerous individuals who get pleasure from scuba diving and snorkeling pick their vacation destinations with their leisure pursuit in mind. Some of the top vacation destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling are the Caribbean, Mexico, the Mediterranean and Thailand. Most individuals like to go to view the aquatic wildlife, which means that the water has to be relatively clear.

Most divers like to look for marine animals and scenery, whilst others like to look for wrecks. As it happens fish and plants like to inhabit wrecks too because they offer protection from predators.

So diving wrecks offers excitement and the opportunity to observe wildlife. However, there is the added excitement of treasure hunting.

If you like the idea of diving wrecks and looking for artefacts and treasure, you need to know that wrecks are perilous, because you can be caught on railings, trapped in rooms or even get your oxygen line cut by some sharp edge, causing you to come up too quickly, which could give you the bends.

Not just that, but it is frequently illegal to go treasure hunting on wrecks that are not in international water (that is, more than fifteen miles off shore) and that normally means deep water where there is little chance of you being rescued if you become a cropper. Diving wrecks without a guide is a very dangerous business indeed.

However, most countries where scuba diving and snorkeling are well-liked vacation pastimes also have diving clubs, schools and instructors on the beaches or linked with the better hotels.

For example, in Thailand, there are literally hundreds of diving schools for holiday makers in Pattaya, Phuket, Hua Hin, Ko Samui and Pi-Pi. You can either approach one of these clubs yourself or ask your hotel to suggest one.

Most of the diving schools in these popular seaside resorts in Thailand are run from bars by ex-pats, but this does not mean that they are not completely professional. People like to dive in the warm sea in the morning and early afternoon and then retire to the bar to eat something and plan the next day’s journey. Most of these bar-diving schools either have their own boats or share a boat with friends.

Membership is normally free or it may be a nominal amount in order to comply with local laws, but it is unlikely to cost over $10 for a fortnight. If you do not have your diving equipment with you, you can normally rent it or if you have never been diving before, you can earn your basic diver’s certificate during your holiday.

Numerous divers use the diving trail to see southern Thailand. The destinations that I mentioned above are not very far apart. You could drive it in a hire car, travel in a bus during the night from one to the other or fly from one resort to the next in 30-40 minutes. Car hire, VIP bus travel and internal flights are fairly cheap in Thailand.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is now engaged with BodyGlove swimwear. If you would like to know more about Body Glove Wetsuit Sales, please go over to our website for some impressive deals.

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Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand As A Holiday Destination

Sunday, June 26th, 2011

Pattaya is a city built for fun on the northeastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand. It is located in Chonburi Province around 150 kilometres south of Bangkok. In the Sixties, Pattaya was scarcely known, yet the American soldiers fighting in Vietnam began using it for R&R and it began to grow. Pattaya is most famous for its entertainment and its nightlife, but in fact it has a great deal more than that to give.

As far as only sport goes, Pattaya offers horse riding, swimming, diving, wind surfing, golfing, tennis and jet skiing among others. However, unlike most sporting towns or cities, it does not begin to go to sleep when the sun goes down.

The bars, restaurants, discos and strip bars begin to open in abundance at about four o’clock. The bars are of every persuasion to suit every niche market.

There are Welsh bars, American bars, Irish bars, Lady Boy bars and each other type of bar you can think of. Likewise with the restaurants, there are specialized restaurants for every country. There are bush game restaurants, Chinese, Japanese, American, French, German and fish restaurants. In fact there are thousands of restaurants and bars all trying to become unique.

I am sure that you could stay in Pattaya for months without going the same bar or eating the same sort of food twice. This is just as well because there are representatives from each country in the world there as well. You will hear English, Russian and every European and Asian language spoken in Pattaya on an everyday basis.

Pattaya gets over one million visitors a year. Most of these visitors are men, but the local government is attempting to do more to appeal to women and families by relocating the girlie bars back away from the beach.

Despite it being fairly big, you can stay in your favourite part of Pattaya and find nearly everything you want near-by. However, if you do have to travel about, nothing could be simpler. Most individuals just hop on a ‘Baht Bus’. These small open-backed pick-ups can be seen going about the city by fairly predictable routes when you understand the layout of the city.

The ‘fixed fare’ is ten Baht for as far as you want to go on the route, even though some drivers will endeavor to trick more out of you if you go a long distance. Thais pay five Baht. If you do not feel confident enough to predict where the bus is going, you could hire on one of the thousands of motorcycle taxis.

They are more expensive at about forty to sixty Baht, yet they will go anywhere you like. Ask for a quote before you leave to avoid disappointment on both sides. If you do not want to rent a car, there are other options. You could rent a motorcycle or motorbike. A motorcycle costs around 100 Baht a day at the cheapest, but beware the traffic in Pattaya it can be fairly chaotic.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on numerous topics, but is now concerned with Songkran – the old Thai New Year. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Package Holidays to Thailand.

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Buddhism And The Main Buddhist Sects

Sunday, June 5th, 2011

After Buddha’s death in 483 BC, his nearest followers (his disciple monks) took time off their preaching to write down his sermons (sutras) and his regulations (vinayas). In the old tradition of Buddha, monks originally walked the countryside preaching and teaching for nine months of the year and went to sit out the monsoon season in a retreat for three months.

These retreats became monasteries and temples. The retreat into monasteries was important in the development of different interpretations of Buddha’s teachings and in due course led to the formation of various sects which gained popularity in various regions of Asia.

There are three foremost Buddhist sects: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana or Tantric Buddism.

Theravada Buddhism is the predominant sect in Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand and is the sect that remains most loyal to Buddha’s original doctrines. Theravada Buddhism teaches that the road to the attainment of personal Nirvana is the goal of life. It is a very individualistic religion in that everybody is alone on their own path to enlightenment.

Mahayana Buddism became the largest sect and spread along the Silk Road from India through China to east Asia beginning in about 200 BC. Mahayana Buddhists worship Buddha and the Buddhist saints (bodhisattvas – meaning ‘wisdom beings’).

Bodhisattvas are beings that restrain themselves from attaining Nirvana (and therefore leaving the wheel of life or cycle of birth, death and reincarnation) so that they may help others achieve Nirvana, which is a major difference between it and Theravada Buddhism.

Mahayana Buddhism is more easily absorbed by different cultures than the other forms which accounts for it having spread so far. The Buddhist emperor Ashoka (272-232 BC) gave Mahayana a colossal boost in popularity by despatching missionaries to Sri Lanka, south-east Asia and China from where it was carried to Korea and Japan in the Sixth Century anno domini.

Zen Buddhism grew in popularity in Japan and China in the Seventh Century. Zen Buddhism is a variant of Mahayana Buddhism and teaches that Nirvana can be achieved through mental conditioning and meditation.

Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism arose in the Seventh Century as well and is most common in Tibet and Mongolia. Vajrayana Buddhism tries to identify the initiate with a visualized deity. Tantric cannon includes esoteric writings, teaching that meditation can engage the mind by the use of mantras (chants), mudras (hand gestures) and mandalas (visible icons). The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and temporal head of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhists.

Buddhism reached its height of popularity in China during the T’ang dynasty in the Ninth Century, when it was partially suppressed by royal command. Similarly Zen attained its height of popularity in the Nineteen Century when the Japanese royal family switched to Shintoism taking numerous royal hangers-on with it. Buddhism declined in India too in the Eighth Century because lots of its principles were absorbed into Hinduism. Buddism was virtually extinct in India by the Thirteenth Century.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on many subjects but is at present involved with Easter.If you would like to read more, please go over to our web site entitled Celebrating Easter

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A Brief History Of Buddhism

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Buddhism was started by the adherents of Siddhartha Gautama (circa 563-483 BC). He was born into a Hindu family of the kshatriya caste in what is now known as Nepal. At the age of 29, he left his wife and young son and went in search of enlightenment.

He achieved enlightenment some time later while sitting under a bodhi tree near Patna. After 49 days of rapture and resisting temptations (Mara), He, now known as Buddha, formed an order of monks and went forth to teach the word. After 45 years of teaching their philosophy of enlightenment Buddha died and reached Nirvana, the state in which ‘ideas and consciousness cease to exist’.

One of the most central concepts to Buddhists is the Tipitaka (the ‘Three Baskets’), which is a record of the Buddha’s doctrines as set down by His early followers after his death. The texts in these ‘three baskets’ tell the story of Buddha’s life (Buddha); record his laws (Dharma); and his guidelines for establishing and running a monastic order (Sangha).

Buddhists believe in reincarnation and the wheel of life in a comparable fashion to Hindus. They also believe that this cycle of life, death and rebirth can be broken by attaining enlightenment. Enlightenment can be achieved by adherence to the Four Noble Truths.

Life is impermanent despite the cycle of life, death and rebirth and can only create suffering (dukka) because of the pursuit of mortal desires. Suffering and desire can just be conquered by achieving Nirvana, which can be achieved by following the Eightfold Path, otherwise known as the ‘Middle Way’.

The Middle Way consists of: correct belief, thought, speech, action, livelihood, work, mindfulness and concentration. These make up the nucleus of Buddhist ethics.

A hallmark of Buddhism is the monastic order. Men can become monks for a few years or for life. There is also a female monastic order. In some sects, boys enter a monastery for a period of between a few weeks and a few months as part of their passage into adulthood. Boys in Thailand are expected to become monks for a number of weeks before they eventually get married.

Monks live an ascetic life in monasteries or temples. Every village has a temple in much the same manner as western villages have a church, but every temple tries to maintain a population of at least nine monks, which is considered the ideal number for some of their duties like blessing a house or carrying out a wedding ceremony.

Buddhist monks live on alms given by the local villagers. In Thailand the young monks walk the streets in the early morning collecting donations of food, which has to be consumed before midday, after which they may not eat. Monks are not permitted any contact with women at all. They may not even sit next to them on a bus or give the fare to a female bus conductress.

Buddhist temples are primarily for personal contemplation and meditation. They are open to anyone twenty-four hours a day and people use them to gain respite from the hustle and bustle of every day life. Group prayer meetings are far less common a trait of Buddhism than they are in Judaism, Christianity, Islam or even Hinduism.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on many topics but is currently concerned with Easter.If you would like to read more, please go over to our website entitled Celebrating Easter

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How To Grow Orchids Thai Style

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Orchids have the reputation of being hard to grow in the West. Gardeners shy off from trying to grow them because they think that they are a problem to grow and because they are costly. This is easily understood, but there is more to the story than that. The fact is that most countries have their own native orchid species, so it is possible to grow orchids wherever you live, if you choose the right variety.

The other side of the coin is that what most gardeners in the West think of as orchids are orchids from exotic countries and they can be a problem to grow. I say a problem to grow, but that is not the whole story either. If you can make an environment comparable to where the orchids come from, it need not be a problem at all.

A lot of the spectacular orchids are parasites, like mistletoe is a parasite plant in the temperate countries of the West. These orchids often grow on trees. In trees and on trees, that is. So, their natural environment is to become attached to the bark of a living tree or to be lodged in the fork of a branch.

The orchid will then draw its nutrients and water from the inside of its host much in the same way as does a flea or a bed bug. Another thing to be aware of is that if a plant lives under the canopy of a tree, it hardly ever, if ever, experiences direct sunlight. Wooded areas are also pretty humid. It is also worth mentioning that exotic plants usually come from warm or hot countries.

Therefore, if you can recreate these conditions of providing warmth, humidity and a host, growing foreign orchids should not be that much of difficulty. And in truth, it is not, although in the West it may require a greenhouse.

Thailand is home to numerous parasitic orchids, most of which grow on trees in the forests, which are warm to hot and humid, but most people do not live in those conditions. Most Thais live in either open villages or cities where conditions are not favorable to growing jungle orchid varieties. However, most Thai gardeners do not want or even have greenhouses.

Instead, if a Thai gardener is interested in nurturing jungle orchid varieties, he or she will purchase (or acquire) the root complex of a dead tree which also has a tree stump of, say, a metre attached. They will then move this tree stump in to a very shady place, say, under a canopy and grow their wild jungle orchids on that.

How is that done?, you may ask. Well, it is actually simplicity itself. First you acquire a sample of the orchid and then you affix it to the stump with a ‘strap’ of something that will both permit the orchid to expand and to breathe. Most Thais use some of the fibres from inside a coconut.

The gardener will strap the baby orchid to the stump using the coconut matting as a band-aid with either staples or small nails. By the time the orchid has buried its roots into the host, the matting will have rotted away, as will probably the staples.

The only thing left to do is to keep the tree and the infant plant well watered so that it can suck the remaining nutrients out of the dead tree. They will flourish for many years under these conditions and the tree stump will be a living flower pot, of sorts.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on several subjects, but is now concerned with Loy Krathong. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at Package Holidays to Thailand.

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