Showing 1 - 10 of 13
The strength of the land
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 23/10/2016
» I once wrote an article about His Majesty the King's Royal Project for an information and policy studies institute in London, which commissioned me to write about development issues in this part of the world.
Passing the smell test
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 17/04/2016
» Ten years ago, Kriepob Limkangwalmongkol wrote to say that Phuket, where he lived, had many Chinese Taoist temples and they burned quite a lot of mai juang, or theptaro wood, to cleanse the atmosphere during their numerous ceremonies, especially during the annual vegetarian festival.
Sweet wave
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 14/02/2016
» As a regular visitor, I already knew what to expect at this year’s annual agricultural fair at Kasetsart University. There would be fruit tree saplings, ornamental plants and agricultural machinery for sale. There would be seasonal fruit and agricultural crops. Nearly half of the produce on sale, however, would be fried food, and things only remotely related to agriculture, such as furniture, footwear, accessories, clothing and cosmetics.
More than their rare share
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 11/10/2015
» The early bird gets the worm, so serious collectors do not visit Chatuchak plant market on Wednesdays and Thursdays. They go on Tuesdays, in order to be the first to get their hands on rare or newly introduced plants. The market does not really get busy until 6pm, when office people have returned from work, but many stalls are ready for business as early as 3pm.
An offer I couldn't refuse
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 20/09/2015
» Out of the blue, I heard from an old friend I have not seen for decades. “Would you have time to come and see my villa in Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani?” she asked. “It’s very close to Bangkok and I would like to have your opinion. I’ve owned it for over 30 years, starting from scratch by digging up ponds. It is not for anything but pleasure and respite from Bangkok.”
All the fruits of the fair
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 24/05/2015
» Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha seems to have the lot of agriculturists at heart. Once again he turned the road behind Government House into a marketplace, this time for Thai fruit and vegetables, and presided over the opening ceremony himself on May 6. Dubbed the Thai Fruit and Vegetable Festival, the market opens at 10am every day. It closes at 7pm from Monday to Thursday and at 8pm from Friday to Sunday until the end of this month.
Sweet tips for sour trees
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 15/02/2015
» The recently concluded agricultural fair at Kasetsart University might not be the much-awaited event it used to be for agriculturists and fair-goers from all over the country. However, I go every year anyway as there are always new plants to see. Lek Monchai’s lime hybrid, for example, was not even registered. Making its debut at the fair, he had not even decided what to name it.
Where have all the gardeners gone?
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 08/06/2014
» Is the Chatuchak midweek plant market dying a slow but natural death? Last Wednesday I went to see how the market was faring after the latest coup d’etat, and found it to be just a shadow of its old self.
Roots run deep for tree enthusiasts
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 22/09/2013
» It is common knowledge that the Chatuchak Weekend Market takes on another identity as a plant market every Wednesday and Thursday. What most people do not know is that they can go shopping for plants as early as Tuesday afternoon, when the plants arrive at Chatuchak. The place starts to get busy at 2pm as six-wheel trucks and pick-ups arrive from suburban nurseries and the provinces to unload their cargo. By 5pm many stalls are ready for business.
Pretty plumeria the plant to pick
B Magazine, Normita Thongtham, Published on 01/09/2013
» If you like flowers and have the space, plant plumeria. At Chatuchak about three metres away from Gate 3, there are many cultivars to choose from every Wednesday and Thursday during the midweek plant market. Gone are my childhood days when plumeria flowers were only white with yellow centre; these days they come in all shades of red, pink, yellow and orange, as well as pinkish salmon, pinkish chocolate, pinkish blue and other colour combinations.