Not too long ago, I heard about this middle-aged schoolteacher by the name of Khru Waan who maintained a 2 acre garden in the Yannawa district of Bangkok, about 20 kilometers from the center of the city. She had become a quasi-celebrity of sorts, as she was the subject of a featured story on a local TV program and the Royal Family had officially recognized her efforts towards conservation. According to many people, her plot of land is considered a genuine oasis as it represented the last vestige of greenery in Greater Bangkok, excluding the public parks of course.
As someone who loves plants, flowers and all things green, I decided to pay Khru Waan a visit. Her garden is slightly over two acres and is surrounded by skyscrapers and other manifestations of urbanization. She teaches music at a nearby school and her garden has become a playground for children living in the community, as their homes do not have much space. Fortunately the children were absent on the day I visited Khru Waan - that was fine by me as I truly enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Talking to this lady, I was impressed by her integrity and desire to hold on to the land despite mounting pressures from the outside. Apparently some land developer recently offered to buy her land for 400 million baht (1.76 million in US dollars), but Khru Waan held her ground and refused the offer. Another thing that troubled her was the polluted water that was coming into her land via a nearby drainage ditch - it seems that the people in the surrounding community were throwing garbage into the ditch. She has complained to the local authorities but they are cannot do anything about the situation. In order to hide the filth and ugliness, she may want to plant more trees along the ditch.
Khru Waan and her family do not have plans to sell the land anytime soon. However when she passes on, the land will revert to her nieces and nephews. I am wondering how long they will honor their ancestor's wishes before they succumb to the enormous amount of monies being offered to them by real estate speculators and land developers. Unfortunately this is the way of the world. Let's hope for the best!
Over the years, I have seen Bangkok become a sprawling Concrete Jungle gobbling up the landscape with modern office complexes and highrise buildings. However, thank G_D there are people like Khru Waan who are trying before to preserve this Green Earth!
Bus Goldberg is a seasoned world traveler and the director of Calypso Island Tours, a travel company that specializes in botanical adventures and nature tours to such diverse destinations as Costa Rica, Thailand and the Caribbean. He also maintains his own travel blog, Calypso Island Chronicles which features insightful commentary on traveling in the tropics and ecotourism as well as destination tips, travel anecdotes and humor.
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