Very near to my house but it was my first time there

There were many parks in Bangkok. This was the one I went. One day, Pee Winai Chongsomjit, my former colleague while I was working for the Department of Cooperatives Promotion and one year senior at Ksetsart University showed up to my house and asked me to join him to Suan Mok Foundation. Suan Mok was the name of a temple in Chaiya District Suratanee. So, this was the Bangkok Branch. I have just known that it was only 5 kilometre from my house. It was stood at the old train authority golf course or behind Thailand Petroleum Authority. The place was consisted of the big park for walking and bike riding [there were bike rentals], and a big building for Buddhist teaching activities.


After parking the car and walking in, we would spot the beautiful sight seeing. Our eyes could be rested. Bring your sun glasses and camera if you need them.


Building of Buddhism. I assumed that this building used to be club house for the golf course before. But when I saw them, there were many activities for Suan Mok Foundation such as exhibition, seminar, book displays and exchange, etc. Beside, in the noon time there were various delicious food for every one with no fix rate charge, just only putting any amount of banknotes or coins in the box.


Booth for books store. There was the cutout picture of Than Buddhatas, the abbot who was the founder of this foundation and has recently passed away. However, his books and reputation still be in Thai people minds and will be forever.


Panel speeches for our happiness guide, I heard someone up there mentioned about activities of Sor wor tor chor.


A group of children with some lessons. It was great to sit out door in the park. Fresh air and natural green.


A good place to rest my eyes, different from walking in a shopping centre. There was only problem that in holidays, the visitors were too crowded because there were not many parks in Bangkok. People like coming to be under the nature.


Beautiful scenery. I hope your camera is better than mine, bring the wide angle if you have one.


In any direction of scenery, lawn, trees and swamps were shown around the place.


I like the people sitting in the park, happy and quiet. In the cold countries, parks are the place for the old people to come and have some rest.


Look at that lady, being happy in the park shade? I hope so. She looked like resting.


Statue of whom I didnot ask, but it was on the back wall of the wide plaza for people sitting down. The music from the group of volunteer student was here.


Students from Mahidol University who were fond of musics. Everyones, musicians, and all audiences were happy. They could request the songs from the band.


What else we could do for a rest, just listening, forgot about the past and did not think of the next hours. Relax, men and ladies!


Photographer. Perhaps, she took a picture of mine while I was standing upstair and of course, I took her too.


Taking picture with a volunteer. She was cute and talkative. She said she owned a book store at the highway bus station and she came here for contribution. I met many people here working as volunteers.


Everyone needed to be taken picture with her.


The exhibition for the book exchange programme it was a good programme because we could get idea from the wider area by exchange.


The display of the books which were ready for exchange.


Pee Winai Chongsomjit, making himself easy for a while at the plaza with the music.

There were activities on the weekend and holidays but on the working days, the place was quiet. If coming to the park for resting minds, we should come on the week days but if coming on the holidays, we could learn of buddhism and natural fact principle. Chavalvut

Samutsakorn on Sunday in a long week end

I met Sudsakorn, my junior colleague at the technical seminar at Kasetsart University, kampaengsan. Recently he was the Leader of the Agricultural Extension Office in Samutsakorn. I asked if I could visit the farms there and he said yes. I therefore invited Pee Mor Suvit to go there on Sunday. It was the long weekend, Friday to Sunday which he should have stayed home with the family but however, Sudsakorn agreed to host us. So this was how the story began.


Planning at the office

On the first stop, we went to visit the fruit farm at Ban Paew, the farmer's name was Wee rung go. He was very brave to invest in technology. He said he lost a lot of money buying new cutivars from far away farms. Presently, he sold a lot of baby plants of new varieties to other farmers and fruits to the markets.


Fruits to serve to the visitors. Thai spirit, if you go any where you could get the warm hospitality from The Thais. This place was the open hut on the canal side. Good place to sit and had some conversation.


Giant mangoes, the taste was like Kiewsaway, eatable in green and ripe, sweet, tender and good smell.


Visitors from Pratumthanee coming for buying the baby plants of new cultivars such as red mangoes


Pee Mor Suvit[white shirt] and one visitor who was the ex-teacher and now a farmer in Pratumthanee


Beautiful scenery where we were sitting and talking


Delicious jack fruit in this farm. Flies were very common for the fruits here.


Poster advertizing Red Mangoes. The man in the picture was Arjarn Prateep, he was the native here, and used to be the well known horticulturist of Dept. of Agriculture. At the moment, he retired.


New variety, red mangoes, named Chakrapat [ Emperor]


Red Mangoes, closer, look good.


Giant size came from these trees. Khun Weerunggo used the method of grafting, so there could be many kinds of mango in one plant.


Farm owner, Khun Weerunggo with the chief agr. extension officer, Sudsakorn.

Mango tree which bear the big fruits as performing above.


The big house and his name. Who said that being farmer was a hard life. I could not believe it after visiting this farm.


In central regions of Thailand, there are canals for transportation, irrigation and drainage when there are the heavy rains. Canals are the blood vessels for Thais.

The second stop, also in Ban Paew, we went to visit the group of local people who processed the bio-solution to prevent insect pests. This was promoted by the government, Dept. of Land Development for the use of micro-organism. This was the good way of farm safety. Besides, there were also micro-organism for soil fertility, and root diseases, etc.


On the way to visit farmers


Making the solution by fermenting all the herbs and mixed with Por Dor 7[bacteria] from Land Development Department[LDD]. This was the farm activity of LDD. too.


The group leader and staff were explaing their activities. These included how to organize the group business. They got some seed fund from the previous government [PM. Gen. Surayuth] and tried to increase this fund for the group where as every member were able to get the bio-solution to use on their farms. These methods, they could minimize risks of chemical residue and reduce the production cost.


Taking pictures with the villagers. One of these leaders [green shirt] was the LDD volunteer [Mor Din Ar Sa].


Bio-solution for insects prevention


Beauitful scenery. People like to come here for being with nature.


Coming back from farmers group, then we made the quick stop at the Sub-district learning centre. Firstly this idea was from the agricultural technology transfer centre and then they included all other activities in this centre. It was in Sub-district level


Frog farming at the centre


Lots of frog, foreign breed.


Mushroom plant at the learning centre.


Everything was in this area. It was like the one stop service centre. Main objective was the sufficient economy for lives. Agricultural Development was involved here.


Therefore, this centre was for integrated activities from the government


At the third or the last stop, we went to other Sufficient Economic Learning Centre in Muang District, it was led by a lady. She said that, sometimes ago, she was in debt about 1.5 million baht from shrimp farming in the south because of Tsunami. She then came back home with nothing. Fortunately, she read about sufficient economy from our beloved King and she followed him. She and her family with 2 children saved everything and utilized all resources they could acquired including knowledge to make the bio-solution. She sold the bio-solution to the neighbours, operated the diversified farming[mushroom, egg-chicken and new varieties of plant]. Now she bought more land to make the sufficient economic training centre for the group member, and demonstrated her activities. Besides, she and her member were starting the roadside stores and resturant by renting more land near the city.


Home made bio-solution for sanitary and plant health.


Mushroom plant in her diversified farm as an additional income. She said her children ate everything from the farm, eggs, vegetable, etc.


House was the fundamental basis for lives. This was the advertizing board at her house door. The board said " Good society started at home" I accepted it.


She was invited to give lectures many times and at many places, and many groups came to visit her house and listen to her story. She was happy to show everyone about her adventure at which she followed the teaching of our king. The listeners never felt sleepy in front of her lectures.


Here she was a heroine of sufficient economy.

This was all for one day. I enjoyed the time so much and would like to thank Sudsakorn who should usually have stayed home with the family on long weekend but instead he came to host us for this valuable trip. Thanks again Sudsakorn and everyone in these stories. Chavalvut