The Northern Rose

19 Jul 2010

The Color Green

Green is a highly inspirational color for Living your Life, don’t you think?

We sincerely believe that most of us wish to live in a Green World. However to keep it green, lush, alive and kicking we've simply got to come together and find ways to work together in a more efficient manner.

At The Northern Rose we would like to contribute towards making our region more green.

With this blog post we are now officially kick-starting by founding and supporting the Northern Green community. We’ve initially set up on-line camps on Facebook Community Pages for all fans and on the Ning community platform for members of Northern who actively wishes to contribute towards our shared vision and efforts.

The northern region of Thailand, of which large parts historically are known as the Lanna Region, host many talented and determined entrepreneurs.

To become a sustainable and a social caring entrepreneur is a truly challenging task in the current competitive economical climate. However the awareness among entrepreneurs and consumers are growing which is an inspirational sign. This is certainly a main motivator that engages us in spreading some green vibes, inspire people to do more green deeds and showcasing entrepreneurial sources of inspiration that we come across.

Here are some inspirational green entrepreneurs that we’ve met so far (list developing):

> Onyx Design

> Mark Emery - Bamboo Consultant

We hereby cordially invite everyone that wish to participate in our efforts by joining Northern Green. Welcome :)

Background story - Getting started
Recently my fellow co-founder of TNR, Per Sundberg and i got in to a discussion about how these examples and inspirational sources could be shared. We where also looking for local communities in our area that pulled together innovative entrepreneurs and progressive thinkers. In our research we found some highly inspirational small entrepreneurs and communities in Chiang Mai. However the biggest dilemma was that it was difficult to find common ground or spanning community to share experiences, best practises and coach each other to develop ones business or enterprise. So we thought such an idea cannot just be left behind. We immediately started brainstorming how we could participate toward creating such a community. We thought to ourselves that we ought to contribute back to the society in which we live our daily lives in a more active way. This would surely not only inspire our own lives, making it more meaningful, but also it could have the potential to inspire others with similar thoughts and ideas.
A few days later, i had lunch with Olivier Laurent, one of the co-founders of Onyx Design.
Olivier shared almost exactly the same thoughts as us, so we instantly decided that it would be a great idea to get together over lunch. Could we possibly find some common ground on how to set up some kind of bridge spanning community that could be a resource of sustainable and social development for entrepreneurs in our region? During our brainstorming session Per popped the name Northern Green by chance. We all thought it was a brilliant name for a community supporting sustainable and social entrepreneurship here in the northern region of Thailand.

2 Jul 2010

The Bamboo Mission - Making Northern Thailand Greener

A Field trip with Northern Green to a Bamboo factory in Chiang Mai

A huge bamboo gate welcomes us to a fantastic bamboo factory. Row after row with bamboo pools stands drying on the factory grounds. We can also see a beautiful prototype pavilion created with ancient weaving bamboo techniques from Thailand. The sala, as it is called in thai, is designed by the 24 hours architecture group in Holland. It looks like a spaceship in bamboo. - Low tech is becoming high tech, explains Mark Emery, an Australian Bamboo consultant.

Mark has travelled extensively since he left Australia. In the last couple of years Mark has worked with bamboo projects in Colombia, Bali and recently Koh Kud (Kood) Island Thailand, where he made an impressing bamboo bridge for the famous Six Senses Resort. In Chiang Mai he is currently assisting, with his unique knowledge to build a Green School out of sustainable materials, such as bamboo and adobe clay (soil and binding rice husks).

“Thai people don’t have a culture of constructing houses in bamboo, but they use bamboo for plenty of other things. So we start from their bamboo basket weaving traditions and adapt these skills to constructing houses”.

The International school due to open in 2011, not far from Hang Dong golf course, is founded by an Austrian couple who aims to implement green thinking into the teachings of the school, as well as having the lowest carbon footprints of any international schools in the world.

Bamboo is a durable and timeless material as long as it is protected from strong heat and rain, means Mark. Bamboo has got a slightly bad reputation, but that’s because people don’t know how to use it. One of the most important things about bamboo is to collect it at the right age. The bamboo being used here has to be at least three years old. It’s collected from the hills surrounding Chiang Mai and brought to the factory by the villagers.
Later on, hopefully we can move the production out direct to villages, Mark explains.

Enjoy the pictures from this field trip of the Northern Green group. We hope to pay a visit to the school in the near future and show how the project is developing.

- You will find the factory on Canal Rd, On your left side coming from Mae Hia market Not far from The Royal Ratchapreuk Expo. Just look for the impressive bamboo and straw gate. It’s hard to miss really :)

Check out more of Mark's work on Bambooroo | Facebook.

21 Jun 2010

Pool Mania in The Northern Rose

Swimming pools in Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand

The Northern Rose can not claim to have seen or experienced all the best pools in Northern Thailand. But we do have our favorites. If you are traveling to Chiang Mai or the North of Thailand the Swimming Pool will most certainly be one of the reasons for choosing a hotel or a resort. Here are some of out favorites. Please give us feedback on your own favorite pool next time you stumble upon one. If you got some nice pics just send an e-mail with the pic to thenorthernrose [at] gmail.com - All for the benefit of future visitors to Northern Thailand.

Shangri La hotel Chiang Mai - Why, well just look at the size. Then we have a jacuzzi where you can control the water temperature yourself. And of course, try the Shangri-La. Sunday brunch for a very reasonable prize and they will give you acces to their pool as well.

Veranda on the way to Samoeng. Mmm, the view

Dusit Island hotel Chiang Rai - The pool at the Dusit resort on and island in The Kok river has a wonderful view over Mekok. Good size and with a bar.

The Nest - This mini resort in the city of stars, Chiang Dao gives great value for the money and an experience completely different from all the normal hotels, resorts, and boutique hotels. When you pay just around a 1000 baht per night you hardly expect all this service included but yes, The Nest mini resort also has a pool and with a stunning view.

Yes, and of course we have to mention The Home in Park swimming pool. This is our home, and to a certain extent our office.

11 Jun 2010

Sunset stroll in the Old City of Chiang Mai

It’s a late Saturday afternoon and we start our walk from the noisy streets of modern Chiang Mai, and let low key blue street signs guide us into another world of ancient back streets and alleys, or soi's as they are referred to in Thai. After just a few minutes’ walk we are surrounded by everyday village life, right in the centre of this big bustling city. Here is a sense of relaxed calmness that contrasts the acoustic junk and bustling traffic outside. The sound image of the back alleys contains sugary sweet Thai Pop music from the sound systems of outdated transistors. We also hear the soft mumbling and monotone voices of the monks from Buddhist temples. Gentle vibrations from the cicadas cuts through the tropical heat and gently we sway along in its rhythm.The temperature is pleasant at this time of the day though, and feels like a mild summer’s day somewhere back home. Suddenly the cicadas become silent, but soon after they start over like an old saw mill. This time the sound is chilling and cuts right through the air, and then it’s all silent again. Swallows are tightly gathered in some of the trees. From an old Indian trumpet tree, bats are getting ready for their evening flight.

The first main attraction we see is the famous temple of Wat Phra Singh. Since Chiang Mai once was the capital of a northern Thai state, the old city nucleus still remains. Its square shaped form is surrounded by water channels. The plentiful temples once built as monuments for eternity, are the only true remains of the ancient kingdom of Lanna. However, the atmosphere in the old town still contains a genuine laid back feeling. The temples serves us as revealing guide posts giving gentle directions to recover the true charm that lies hidden in the narrow soi´s. The contrasts in the area are both fascinating and somewhat scaring. In the alleys you find shacks constructed from corrugated steel, mixed with huge old traditional teak houses behind golden colored fences.

Dirty white concrete townhouses are everywhere. Next to these houses stand temples with shiny glass mosaics and softly smiling Buddha images. There are two symbols that are recurring during our walk; the clay pots outside the entrance of the houses, and the roof decorations in the shape of a V. Those pots are full of water, a proof of hospitality. A lost traveler never lacked water in the old days. The V on the roof is there to scare of ghosts. In northern Thailand these auspicious signs are known as kalaes. The electric wires are in a complete mess, and below them there is the constant threat of tropical trees growing strait in to them. Why Thai people plant tropical trees this way remains a mystery? But it seems as everything is replaceable in this tropical world. Concrete houses can easily be destroyed and replaced by new ones. It takes just a short while for these kinds of houses to fade and crack. Luckily, there are still Thai traditional houses contrasting these monstrous constructions. Old teak houses on stilts still hold out, even though the environment is in a constant change. Teak is cooler than concrete and the stilt houses had practical functions to keep insects, snakes and lizards out. Once upon a time Thai houses mostly stood along the country’s rivers. Building on stilts protected their owners against flooding.

We decide to take a break at a cafe. We enjoy fresh roasted Arabica beans harvested from the mountains surrounding Chiang Mai. Then we proceed into another soi. In that alley, two old men are drinking what looks like Thai rum. A lady helps them to mix their cocktail. She mix soda, big chunks of ice and just a touch of what is actual rum but in Thailand all strong liquor is called whisky. Suddenly we notice two ladies gossiping about something. Maybe they chat about us?

Some monk novices are on their way home from the local Internet cafe. We can hear when their flip flop sandals scratch the small stones covering the entrance to their temple. One by one the novices disappear through the gate. An old abbot yells at them. He flies up from his chair and chases them in to their monk cells. Left in the temple garden is only his radio. Hopelessly outdated and with a crackling noise the radio stands there. Left alone in the garden. We smile while we watch the radio. Those radios are everywhere in Thailand. It’s seems like a somewhat typical Thai symbol. From a kitchen nearby a scent of fried of basil and chili fills the air. We almost sneeze. Someone is frying pad ka pao, a hot and spicy Thai dish. We catch a glimpse of the chef, a smiling lady behind a curtain of fire that arises from her wok pan. She throws the ingredients up in the air with great skill. A repairman stays open late. He looks up at us, and then goes on with his work fixing a TV with a screen that is far from flat. Three kids with a big ladder pass us on ONE motorbike(!). The dogs bark and then silence.

On our right, we spot a wonderful boutique hotel. Baan Klang Wiang at Ratchamangka soi 6. The owner explains it has only ten rooms. Here they cherish the old handicraft traditions of Lanna and every room has a view over a garden. ”Home is not only where you live, but where they understand you” it says in their brochure. After admiring the hotel we leave and arrive just a few minutes later at the ancient temple of Wat Chedi Luang. An truly impressive ruin of the temple tower can be seen from many places in the old town. An earthquake in the 16th century destroyed parts of the chedi. The temple used to be a center for theological discussions and meetings. The blood orange sun is about to set. Suddenly the tropical darkness takes over, eating the chedi bit by bit.Feeling tired near the end of our walk we catch a new hotel sign; ”Welcome to true serenity" it says. At the Bodhi Serene Hotel roof terrace we round off our relaxing Soi stroll with a mighty cocktail while we watch the houses being lit up for the night.

26 May 2010

Onyx – Taking the traditions of northern Thai handicraft a step further

Entrepreneurs of the Northern Rose (1)
Located not far from the famous traditional handicraft district of Ban Tawai, we find Onyx Designs. An innovative furniture maker that specializes in bamboo, rattan and water hyacinths for their products.

With contemporary Belgian design and the skills of talented Thai craftsmen the result makes an exciting blend of east and west. Onyx is a fresh and modern initiative that brings out the best of indigenous traditions and giving it a new touch.

Olivier Laurent is one of the founders of Onyx. Feeling fed up chasing deadlines and caught up in the stress in a major European company, Olivier left Europe for Chiang Mai. When his friend Xavier who was already in Thailand asked if he wanted to join in to start up a new business, Olivier didn’t hesitate. It took him only a month to move to Chiang Mai and soon after Onyx saw the daylight. In the beginning Onyx was trying to make their products in Ban Tawai but the result wasn’t 100% satisfactory, so they decided to open their own factory. For a good three years now Onyx founders have been working hard to build their brand and developing their products.

Onyx has a vision of creating furniture from sustainable sources. Water hyacinths are a nuisance in the rivers anyway and rattan can be planted and harvested from rainforests without causing damage to the forest.

The Northern Rose had its first contact with Olivier at a Green Fair in Nimmanhemin Street in December last year. At that point we were a bit disappointed to see that many companies at the fair just seemed to use “green products” as a marketing tool. Onyx was one of the few companies that caught our eyes. Olivier admits that there is still a lot of work to realize the idea of 100% green products but it’s getting easier every year, and the environmental awareness increases gradually a as the Thai suppliers becomes more aware of these issues.

- Some years ago, it was hard to find LED lamps for our Bulb chairs but now it’s no problem says Olivier.

At the moment the factory has half a dozen workers. The Oxbow sofa made of “honey” rattan and water hyacinth takes more than two weeks to make. Some of the necessary machines used are imported from Belgium, and modified by Olivier and Xavier to suit their new purpose of cutting and bending rattan. No strong smell of chemicals can be felt in the factory and the workers go on with their job at their own pace.

- We can’t show any three dimension sketch for our workers. They are very talented but the best way is to make a model and then let the workers copy it, Olivier explains. At the same time it takes a lot of work to reach perfection to meet the target set by the Belgian designer Gaëtan Van de Wyer.

This kind of material is best suited for indoor use claims Olivier. If you want furniture for outdoor use, you would better use synthetic rattan, he says further.

Before we leave we have a look at the furniture Onyx displays in the small showroom. We at The Northern Rose are very excited to find these encouraging entrepreneurs, and we will keep looking for interesting people and products to present to our readers. Our target is to find entrepreneurs that strive to make green products, or that shows and example when it comes to social entrepreneurship, or both. We are grateful for any tips that we might get from our readers.

By the way, next time you see an article about Onyx. Remember where you saw it first!

11 May 2010

Treasures waiting to get explored - Wat Pumin

The influential temple in the hidden valley

Wat Pumin, arguably the most influential temple in modern northern Thai painting is located in Nan.

The murals in Wat Pumin depict a sensitive time in northern Thai history. This is when the French appeared in the late 19^th century. There appears to be plenty of politics to be read in to these murals and they also show daily life with a sense of irony and humor.

In Wat Pumin you can walk for hours and study these fantastic murals:

Click here to download:

Treasures_waiting_to_get_explo.zip (1540 KB)

Nan is still one of the least visited provinces of Thailand, a province that TAT has tried to promote for years. Just like Loei it’s still really in the backwaters. Just waiting to be explored! Wat Pumin is one of the reasons to go there.

Text and photos
Per Sundberg

13 Apr 2010

Songkran- Seasonal Greetings from Thailand

Songkran - Time for Thai New Year
The golden shower trees currently explodes in yellow and the mango season is soon to reach its peak. Now its the time to indulge in the most deliocious of all thai desserts, mango with sticky rice and coconot milk . The Nam Dokmai mangoes are soft as luke warm butter this time of the year and just melts in the mouth.
Its also the third new year of this year, Songkran. We have already celebrated western and chinese new years. As we have already mentioned in previous posts Thai people love fun and festivals so why have only one new year when you can have three?

The Songkran festival, the highlight of all festivals has probably a Hindu origin from India.
The name comes from Sanskrit and describes the sun's motion in the zodiac. When the sun leaves Aries and enters the Ox. That is the period known as Maha Songkran.
Officially, however, a date for the new year is set at 13th of April.

A huge water throwing party
Most people celebrate this holidays by playing water that is splashing water. The kids loves it and the adults becomes kids again.
It is de facto warm in April, the cold water cools (nowadays its even cooler since the buckets are full of ice cubes). The idea is to be generous with water when there is not a lot of it. Then you might get favorable monsoon rains for the rain season.
The water is also used for ritual purity, during Songkran people ritually bathe and wash their Buddha statues.
Still younger people visit their elders to show respect and to pour blessed water over their hands.
During Songkran parades and beauty contests(again) are held and at some places and rockets are fired to get rid of evil spirits from the previous year.
The first day of the new year, Sok Wan Thaloeng is considered to be in the middle of the hottest
period and when day and night hours were evenly distributed.
Actually, every day of Songkran has its function, during Songkrans second day a chedi is built of sand. This symbolizes chedi that holds Buddha's ashes.

But again nowadays, Songkran is mostly about war- a huge war of water splashing. If you enjoy this kind of fun, join the crowds at the old city gates. The war is on!

We are now taking a short break for holidays but hang in there more material coming soon.

Jan & Per

5 Apr 2010

Turning up the heat in Luang Prabang

The herbal steam bath experience

Luang Prabang, the jewel of the Mekong with its French colonial heritage and golden temples has a treasure that not all visitors come to think of. When you spend your days in the tropical heat visiting temples, museums, seeing textile villages as Ban Phanom or doing boat trips to the caves of Pak Ou. What do you long for? Probably you would love a nice cool swim in a waterfall or at the hotel pool.

However one of the major attractions of Luang Prabang is to enjoy Herbal Steam Sauna. Small places where you can get real nice herbal steams are here and there, but one recommendation is the Luang Prabang Red Cross. For just 10 000 Kip (around 1 US) you can enjoy an herbal steam sauna with more than 25 different local herbs. They have lockers available at the Red Cross and they will provide you with a towel and a sarong. If you want a massage they provide that as well for a price of 40 000 Kip (5 US) an hour. Mr Saeng, the guy that I usually get massage from work in the orthopedic department of the hospital of Luang Prabang and also helps out at the Red Cross after work. For the best effect it is recommended to start with massage and follow up with sauna.

The atmosphere here is just fantastic. There is of course a male and a female steam room but the lounge outside where you can indulge in free herbal teas and watch TV is shared. Here local people and travelers relaxes for hours and then occasionally goes in for a real good steam. Besides from getting a great rejuvenating experience you also support the good cause of the Red Cross.

Adress:

Lao Red Cross Steam bath,Luang Prabang,opposite Wat Visoun beside Villa Lane Xang.

Telephone 071 252856

21 Mar 2010

San Khampaeng hot springs

Sights and attractions around Chiang Mai

A great way to study to way of the local life in Chiang Mai is a visit to San Khampaeng Hot Springs outside Chiang Mai. On Sunday this place really comes to life with the locals enjoying picnic, papaya salad and fried chicken in the area. Some people go camping; there are camping facilities in the compound and camping is especially popular in the cold season (November until end of January).

As of the hot springs themselves, yes you can boil eggs! There is also the possibility to get private rooms where you can control the temperature of the water. There is also a public pool in the more private area. Most local Thai people hangout in the section with small canals and pools where the hawkers stand and where there is no extra charge for swimming. If you want a more quiet experience, its better to go to San Khampaeng hot springs in the early morning and stay away from the weekends. Personally I like to go there in the early Sunday mornings, have a nice soak in the springs and after that continue to enjoy the atmosphere of "soft" partying going on.

The most pleasant time of the year to visit would be the cold season but any time of the year is possible. After being in the hot water you actually feel cool when you get out of the water. If you are used to onsen culture in Japan the hot springs themselves might be a bit of disappointment, but if you lower your expectations and look at the springs the way Thai people does, that is a great day out with the family and plenty of opportunities for food, drink and sanuk (fun). Then San Khampaeng hot springs will not let you down. Mineral hot springs are sometimes said to be great stress fighters and to have benefits for rheumatic, cardiovascular conditions, and the metabolic processes in general as well as for the muscular system. Just to mention a few things. Pay respect to the strongs minerals in the water, normally its not advised to be in the hot water more than 15 minutes at a time.

Directions:

Follow the road 1317 out of San Khampaeng district. If you don’t have a car or motorbike then probably the easiest way is to pay a red bus (songthaew) or a taxi to take you there and wait until you are finished.

© Text & Photos: Per Sundberg

16 Mar 2010

Sign of the Thais

Most of us see these peculiar signs pop up everywhere in Thailand and all over Asia for that matter. Images blend with phrases in a rare mix. The meaning may seem a bit hazy, but… What can we say?

From today we will start to build a an Image Library of these incredible signs from the Lanna Region. As we stumble across fresh signs we will of course add them to the collection. Stay posted on updates by following us at Twitter @thenorthernrose

Of course you can also check out the images directly at Flickr, which provides a much nicer fullscreen slideshow.

We more than welcome your contributions and suggestions! If you have pics or locations, please go ahead and send them in. In due time we will select Top Contributions and create a "Sign of the Thai" Gallery at Flickr. Who knows... the selected winner might even be rewarded ;) We just have to figure out a suitable Grand Prize :)

Please share and upload your suggestions Right Here, Right Now

Join the wisdom of the crowd!