NATIONAL 9 (Spotlight Weelky)]

Love To Garden

The wife of Thailand's ambassador to Nepal finds gardening a favorite pastime

By A CORRESPONDENT

For a devout Buddhist, the birthplace of Lord Buddha is regarded as the ultimate destination. When someone gets the opportunity to spend the last leg of his or her foreign assignment in that country, it can only be a matter of immense joy and satisfaction.

Anitsa Vanachinda, wife of Thai Ambassador Powthep Vanachinda, was full of joy when she received news that her husband was being posted to Nepal.

Vanachinda : Enjoying her stay

The official residence of the Thai ambassador in Maharajgunj is surrounded by a beautiful garden. It is just behind the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and below the Police Training Center.

Vanachinda says maintaining the flowers, grass and trees in the garden is often hectic. "I spend half of the day looking after my garden and house. Sometimes we go out for lunch. I have to accompany my husband to parties and other formal functions," Vanachinda says.

"Some of the flowers grown in my garden are similar to Thai flowers."

As the wife of a career diplomat, she has lived in several countries in Asia and Europe in the last 30 years. They were posted in Germany, Malaysia, Italy and Rumania before coming to Nepal.

"When I heard about our posting to Nepal, I felt very happy, because of the country's natural beauty and religious importance," she says.

"I went to Lumbini just a few months after our arrival in Nepal. This is a place where every Buddhist wants to go once in his or her lifetime," Vanachinda says.

The mother of a grown-up daughter, Vanachinda also participates in activities organized by spouses of other diplomats.

"In Thailand, we don't have winters, but this country is different," she says. "Nepal has many things to attract Thai tourists.

"I am really fascinated by the faces of Nepalese, who are laughing all the time," says Vanachinda. "People in Nepal and Thailand have many similarities. They are not aggressive and are always smiling," she says.

A graduate in political science from a university in Bangkok, Vanachinda received her masters degree from the United States in the same subject.

"We use to live in extended family in Thailand which is gradually breaking up in the urban areas."

Vanachinda, who grew up in Bangkok, has visited rural parts of Thailand. After her husband retires, she says she would like to live in a small town instead of the city.

"Whenever I meet people, I share ideas and other things of interest. Particularly, we talk about the problems and challenges of the country." she says.

"I like Thai food," says Vanachinda. "Through the regular flights from Bangkok and through regular visitors, I get Thai vegetables and other food stuffs in Nepal."

"As an Asian, I also like different Asian foods. When we were posted in Malaysia, I didn't have to worry about the food because it was similar to our own. I also like Nepalese food," she says.