Wider World by CS

About blooming time!

Chiang Mai's floral extravaganza begins next week after being delayed by the flood crisis

• Published: 6/12/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: Life

Flowers are in full bloom at the International Horticultural Exposition: Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011, which officially begins December 14 and will run until March 14, in Mae Hia district in Chiang Mai.

Hor Kham Luang, a majestic Lanna-style pavilion, is once again the centrepiece of the Royal Flora expo.PHOTOS: PONGPET MEKLOY

About 2.5 million trees and flowers of 2,200 types are being displayed in the 470-rai plot of land featuring picturesque gardens from 27 countries, an illuminated garden and the 40-metre-high Giant Flora Wheel. The aim is to mark yesterday's 84th birthday of His Majesty the King, the 80th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen next August and the 60th birthday of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in July 2012.
"The expo is now ready to welcome visitors," said the Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Wongsamut, adding that it would also be more memorable than the last Royal Ratchaphruek held in 2006.
The main highlight is the international garden zone which features newcomers such as Canada, Pakistan, South Korea and Taiwan. The Canada garden has a replica of Niagara Falls, and examples of inukshuk stone landmarks and wood-carved Totem poles, both prevalent structures in North America. The Netherlands showcases a windmill with a front yard decorated with plots of orange lily, which is also known as "Fire Lily".
The Indian garden displays a remarkable sculpture of Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity, which is the Hindu god of success, for visitors to pay respect to along with the Bodhi tree from India. A replica of Fuji Mountain and cherry blossom are exhibited in the Japan garden. A giant golden shower tree stands tall in the Kenyan garden while West Africa nation Mauritania displays houses with a cactus garden imitating a desert atmosphere.

Visitors can show their respect to His Majesty the King by adding crystal balls to the crystal trees.

There will also be various international performances. For example, South Korea will host two rounds of Korean traditional dance and a samul nori (a genre of percussion music) performance on December 15 and 16, while Argentina will display two rounds of tango dance December 17-20.
Another must-see is the "Imagination Light Garden" made with illuminated plants and flora with decorative glow-in-the-dark butterflies which will fly like they are dancing in tune with music. A 40-metre-high Ferris wheel will give a chance for visitors to have a bird's-eye view of the massive gardens and the beautiful landscape at the height of a 14-storey building.
The Kid's Eco Park is also another highlight aimed to educate children about the impact of global warming while the landmark of the expo is Hor Kham Luang, a Lanna-style pavilion exhibiting the work of HM the King through some 3,000 royal projects that have helped improve the lives of those living in rural areas in the past decades.
The exhibition will also present 200 pictures and songs composed by HM the King, said Upatam Nisitsukcharoen, director of the event's administration office.
In addition, the flora extravaganza also hosts a lotus zone where you can see the world's smallest lotus, giant lotuses which can change in colour from white to purple in six days and various types of lotuses from around the world. There is also an area promoting a green-initiative garden where you can learn how to grow vegetables and crops in a limited space such as a building roof or balcony.
The government set aside a budget of about 390 million baht for the event and it is expected to lure more than two million visitors during the three-month period. Since August 8, about 190,000 tickets have been sold and about 10,000 people have visited the expo since November 9, the previous launch date for the expo, which was rescheduled for December 14 due to the flood crisis.
Although the ribbon-cutting ceremony was postponed to next week, the expo has opened its doors for those who already purchased the tickets and could not cancel their trips to visit the site although the full services such as performances or light and sound shows are rescheduled to be held after the opening ceremony. The event is expected to welcome at least 20,000 visitors a day.
"The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek expo will be another showcase that Thailand has a capacity to host a large international event," said Horticulture Research Institute director Suwit Chaikiattiyos, adding the expo would also help stimulate the tourism industry and attract more international tourists to Thailand.

FREE ROYAL FLORA TICKETS!

We have 10 tickets to give away. The rule is simple: starting from 10am sharp tomorrow the first two persons to email to pongpetm@bangkokpost.co.th with "Royal Flora Give Away" in the subject field will receive five tickets each.
Apart from the tickets, we also have a Royal Flora umbrella courtesy of Air Asia, one of the sponsors of the exposition, as consolation prize for the third email.
Please make sure you also give us the postal address where the tickets can be sent to in case you're one of the winners. As for the umbrella, in case the owner of the third email could not come to pick it up at the Bangkok Post office in Klong Toei, we'll contact the next person who is able to do so.
Please note that emails which arrive before 10am will be considered invalid.