What happens when a prominent Swedish Swedish Biologist with a PHD in Plant Physiology meets beautiful lady from Northern Thailand?

He marries the lovely lass, relocates from Sweden to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand and together with his wife’s family opens up Dokmai Garden, the newest ethnobotanical and horticultural attraction in Northern Thailand. Dokmai’s Grand Opening was in Spring 2009.

The Swedish biologist’s name in question is Dr. Eric Danell, and before relocating to Thailand, he had an illustrious career as an educator and in botanical research. His field of expertise was Mycology – the study of mushrooms and other funguses.

Located about 20 minutes outside of Chiang Mai, Dokmai was developed on the grounds of a former longan plantation. The gardens, which occupy an area of 24 rai or 4 hectares, has over 500 selected tropical species including a variety of Thai natives as well as vegetables and fruits.

The New Gardens is definitely a family affair as Erik has integrated his wife and her entire family in the new ecotourism business venture – Ketsanee is the President, her sister is the marketing manager and her brother is the head gardener, while Erik’s official position is scientific consultant. Ketsanee and her family come from humble origins as rice farmers and agriculturalists in rural Northeastern Thailand.

In addition to promoting horticultural tourism, the doctor continues his research in the cultivation of mushrooms for medicinal purposes in collaboration with the University at Chiang Mai.

Eric gave me a tour of the compound and pointed out the educational aspect of the gardens. Most of the plants and trees are not only labeled with their latin and common name, but a brief profile on each species is provided - i.e. cultivation, medicinal uses and cultural history. I have visited many botanical gardens and horticultural facilities, and this is the only garden that I know of that provides such valuable background information.
Horticultural enthusiasts will find this information to be very instructive. This descriptive profile is provided not only in English but also in Thai and Japanese.

There is also wonderful restaurant on the premises – breakfast and lunch are served - as well as a gift shop where you can buy some unique Thai handicrafts in addition to literature and books on the plants of Thailand. There are even changing rooms available! Entrance fee is 300 baht.

Dokmai is a Love Affair in more ways than one.

The best place to shop for T-shirts in Thailand is the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. There is no other place in Thailand that has the variety that is offered here. The designs range from the sexually explicit (naughty) to the comically inane; in between, you can find a variety of very elegant and stylish T-shirts with some very aesthetically pleasing designs.

The most outrageous T-Shirts that I have seen in recent memory has to be a toss up between the T-shirt that lambasted our former President George W Bush and the x-rated “Blowjob is better than No Job” T-shirt. The Blowjob T-Shirt in particular was executed very well with very bold white lettering against a black background – very simple and to the point, elegant and classy in its own vulgar way.

I was walking through the Night Bazaar last year when I saw the Blowjob T-shirt. I did a double take as it was so outrageous and I had the sales clerk hold it up for me so I could take a picture. Walking away from the outdoor shop, I suddenly reversed directions and headed back to the shop. I had decided to to buy the T-shirt as a collector’s item.

Most Thai people cannot read or understand English very well; those that are well versed in English – like my ladyfriend, Khun Moongmink – do not know what the expression blow job means anyhow. Even the Thai people who understand the meaning of Blow Job might chuckle when looking at the T-Shirt or look the other way. You must understand that as a Buddhist country, Thailand is a very tolerant country. There is an expression in Thai, “Mai Pen Rai”. Literally it means Never Mind or Who Cares which really describes Thai mentality to a tee.

Back in the USA, I have to be very careful where and when I wear this Blowjob T-shirt as I would be inviting a lot of stares, and I can imagine that many ladies would be very disgusted. Who knows, some very prude lady might make a complaint to the local police!

Normally when I visit Chiang Mai, I stay at Tawan Court, a small budget hotel located a couple blocks away from Chiang Mai’s popular Night Bazaar. While there really isn’t anything really special about the hotel (the rooms are somewhat drab and need new carpeting), I feel comfortable staying there because the management is very friendly and the location is ideal. As the hotel rates go up every year, you would think that the owners would spend some extra monies on refurbishing the rooms.

On my last visit to Chiang Mai in December 2009, I decided to ignore my loyalties to Tawan Court and try something different. After considerable research online, I found the Banilah Hotel, a very stylish looking budget hotel located away from the tourist districts in a neighborhood popular with the University crowd.

The images on Banilah’s website are very flattering in an attempt to portray the hotel as a boutique property. While the office has a nice ambiance, the rooms were sort of dark and drab with very small and cramped bathroom facilities. When you take a shower, the toilet will get all wet. The hotel, which is over 3 years old, is beginning to show some signs of wear and tear. As with most local and budget hotels, there are no in-room safes or safe deposit boxes available at the front desk.

On the plus side, all the rooms have free Wifi and TV. In addition, the hotel offers complementary use of bicycles to all their guests.

Two of my biggest criticisms with Banilah are:

• The hotel management exercised very poor judgment by laying down a water hose across the narrow walkway to the guestrooms without putting up a caution sign. Somebody easily could have tripped and had an accident.
• The hotel staff doesn’t necessarily answer their phones during their normal business hours of 9:00AM – 6:00PM. That definitely created a problem for me. To give you some idea, I was near Taphae Gate in Chiang Mai (the opposite side of town) and was getting ready to return to Banilah by Tuk tuk about 4:30PM in the afternoon. As I was leaving on an early morning flight to Singapore, I had to retrieve my valuables from the hotel safe by 7:00PM (the hotel office closes at that time). As most of the tuk tuk drivers probably did not know of the hotel and where it was located, I tried calling the hotel numerous times to get directions but there was no answer. Fortunately the tuk tuk driver that I hired knew the way and I reached the hotel in less than 15 minutes.

Even though the hotel is a pretty good value, in light of my recent experience, I really cannot recommend Banilah Hotel at this time. Management needs to be more responsible to its guests, and most Western visitors might be not too pleased with its offbeat location. Then again, the hotel seems to cater mostly to a Thai clientele.

On my first visit to Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2003, I explored the magnificent Doi Suthep Temple, one of the most revered temples in Thailand. Located just outside the city, Doi Suthep Temple is situated on the top of Mount Suthep. Overlooking the smog-filled valley and the city of Chiang Mai, the panoramic views from the temple are fantastic.

While walking around this religious complex, I was fascinated by this little tyke who was getting indoctrinated by her big sister in the ways of Buddhist rituals. They were crouched in front of one of the many bells that lined one side of the main temple. As the big sister rang the bell, the little tyke watched in excitement. The body language of the little tyke says it all (see photo on the left).

According to Buddhist belief, ringing the bells at temples brings good luck and may drive away evil spirits. I guess it doesn’t hurt to ring as many bells as possible at a Buddhist religious site, and make a prayer while doing it!

Mae Pun Din, Po Tum San (Mae Pundin for short) has to be one of the most unique places to stay in Chiang Mai. In English, it means ‘Mom enjoys clay works while Dad prefers working in the garden’. Located just off the highway in Chiang Mai’s Mae Rim district, Mae Pundin is an easy 20-minute drive to the famous night bazaar. Owned by a Thai couple in their early 70’s - Chaleo & her husband Anong - this rather eclectic homestay/guesthouse and art gallery offers both terracotta pottery workshops and Thai cooking classes.

Surrounded by lush tropical gardens, the centerpiece of Mae Pundin is a very lovely teak house built in the traditional Lanna style of Northern Thailand. Scattered throughout the
gardens are clay figurines of many types of animals - elephants, birds, pigs, frogs, dogs and monkeys as well as some clay representations of the Buddha. It seems that the pig is the owner’s favorite animal as they are more figurines and representations of pigs than any other animal in her garden and art studio. My favorite is a female monkey swinging from the branch of a tree carrying her baby. Looks so real!

A very bubbly and cheerful lady, Chaleo is an accomplished artist and has developed quite a reputation over the years. Mae Pundin has been featured in several very prominent Thai house and garden magazines and has been host to a number of rather famous people including the Princess Mother, one of most revered persons in Thai history and mother of Thailand’s King. While the Princess Mother stayed at Mae Pundin, she modeled for Chaleo - situated on a small wooden table on the 2nd floor of the teak house is a very lifelike clay bust of her. According to Chaleo, the King’s niece is also a regular visitor to Mae Pundin. Inviting me into her colorful open-air studio, the first thing I happened to notice were the many unusual brightly painted caricatures carved into the wall. Besides the many smiling piglike figures (her favorite, of course), there is an outstanding representation of Chaleo and her husband. (See picture at top) Scattered throughout the small studio are some examples of her fine work.

Mae Pundin offers a special package, which features a pottery workshop and cooking classes at a very affordable 1200 Baht per day per person including all meals. As far as accommodations go, there is a choice of six rooms - four rooms at the lower garden level and two rooms upstairs in the teak house, all of which are available at 600 baht per day including breakfast. My preference would be one of the two large very comfortable rooms located upstairs in the teak house. Looking out onto a large living area complete with a library, TV and DVD player, these rooms share one large bathroom but are very cool and mosquito free (compared to the rooms at the garden level) – the large beds have their own mosquito net just in case. The living room is decorated tastefully with watercolor prints, artifacts and relics of the Lanna culture. I give Mae Pundin a big thumbs up!