Jalan-Jalan Cari Orkid : Bangkok, Thailand..Part 1

            As promised in the last post, Here I am in Bangkok, Thailand. Actually me and my friends have been planning to come here since the last four years, but because of the 'colour shirt drama' and the flooding last year, all have to be cancelled. But things are doing well, so without much planning I managed to sneak in Bangkok this time around. The main thing that brought me here was of course exclusively for 'orchid shopping'. Me, my friends and several other 'orchid' members stayed in Bangkok for a few days,  scouring local orchid nurseries for interesting new plants for our collection..

            Seperti yang dijanjikan dalam pos terdahulu, Alkisahnya sampailah juga saya di Bangkok, setelah empat tahun cuba nak ke sana, yalah ada macam-macam cerita di sini dulu masa nak pergi tu, baju kuning, baju merah, pastu banjir lagi terpaksalah kensel semuanya..Tapi nampaknya dalam dok kalut-kalut dengan kerja tup-tup ter-sampai la jugak saya dengan 'geng orkid' di Bangkok..Jadi kami tinggal di sana selama beberapa hari keluar masuk ladang orkid nak cari pokok untuk koleksi..

           At last.. here I stand, in Suvarnabhumi Airport..just arrived in Bangkok, Thailand.

           Akhirnya...dapat jugak jejakkan kaki...

Chom Orchids Nursery 1

This was the first nursery that we've visited..

Ni lah nurseri pertama yang kami lawati..

          Warm morning sun bathed the entrance to the orchid nursery, actually this was not open to the public. We are the lucky few who managed to enter this nice backyard nursery. Thanks to Mr. Low Siam Leng our FOMOS president which happens for organizing this trip and a good friend with the owner of the nursery.

          Sinaran matahari pagi menyambut kedatangan kami di pintu masuk nurseri..sebenarnya tempat ni tak dibuka kepada orang ramai, jadi kami yang bernasib baik dapat masuk. Terima kasih kapada En Low Siam Leng presiden FOMOS yang menganjurkan trip ni dan pada masa yang sama kenal baik dengan tauke nurseri..

All the orchid plants here are vanda and Ascocenda. No other species or hybrids. 

Semua orkid di sini ialah Vanda dan Ascocenda. majoritinya kacukan, ada la satu dua spesis..

           Actually you didnt came here just to buy orchids, but at the same time you can observe how their practice, technique that they use to maintain the nursery. You can learn a thing or two!

           Ni yang bagusnya dapat pi nurseri di tempat orang, bukan setakat nak membeli, tapi boleh tengok macam mana nurseri ni diuruskan, teknik dan kaedah penjagaan orkid yang dipraktikkan oleh mereka. Macam dalam gambar ni, orkid yang sedang berputik disungkupkan dengan beg plastik untuk mengelakkan serangga datang buat onar..kalau tak bungkus macam ni jangan harap..

            Here the flowers are blooming already, protected from the pests by the clear plastic bag cover (which are reusable)

            Bunga-bunga vanda ni sedang berkembang di dalam sungkupan plastik. Terlindung daripada air dan serangga perosak..

          Rows of blooming orchids neatly hanged and arranged according to their type and colour. This is a very nice clean place.

          Deretan orkid yang disusun mengikut jenis dan warna bunga..memang kemas dan bersih tempat ni..

A view through the plastic covering a fully bloom orchid spike.

A view from one side of the nursery..

Pandangan di sebelah luar nurseri. letaknya di belakang rumah saja.. tapi luas..

All vandas here were showing their best with proper care and culture..

Semua Vanda dan Ascocenda di sini memang cantik-cantik..sebab dijaga rapi supaya kualiti setiap pokoknya terjamin..

         Vanda and Ascocenda orchids from this nursery were exported to foreign countries like US, Europe and Japan where the demand was there..

         Vanda di nurseri ni lebih kepada untuk pasaran luar negara seperti US, Eropah dan Jepun..kerana permintaan lebin banyak di negara-negara tersebut..

Vandas hybrids come in rainbow of colours and shades..

Kiranya semua warna pelangi ada pada hibrid vanda ni..tu tak kira yang warna pelik-pelik lagi..

          Thousands of young orchid plants were hung according to their type, sizes and maturity.

          Beribu-ribu  anak-anak orkid yang belum matang disusun dengan teratur mengikut jenis dan saiz tumbesarannya..

          Vanda Pimchai Beauty..a very nice colour with contrasting shades, unfortunately 'not for sale' even if it can, I still could not grow vandas in my garden because of the watering demand of these hybrid and species..

          Vanda Pimchai Beauty..terliur tengok..tapi 'not for sale'..kalau boleh pun tak beli jugak sebab buat masa sekarang di kebun saya masih tak sesuai nak tanam vanda..sebab ia memerlukan air yang banyak..kena ada penyiram automatik dulu, baru boleh cuba tanam..

        Beautiful colour, shade, shape, sizes, texture and great display of vanda flowers. 

        Warna, bentuk, saiz, tekstur yang bagus dapat dilihat daripada bunga-bunga vanda yang sedang mekar ini..

          Other than the usual plant eksport, this nursery also doing a cut flower trade as a side business. seen here in these pictures 2 workers were cutting the mature flower. This is Vanda Pachara Delight. Nice dark purplish blue shades.

          Selain dari mengeksport pokok-pokok vanda, nurseri ni juga buat bisnes sampingan, bunga vanda keratan...Jenis hibrid yang ditunjukkan di dalan gambar-gambar di atas ialah Vanda Pachara Delight. Kelihatan dua orang pekerja sedang memotong tangkai-tangkai bunga untuk dipasarkan..

        All the cut flower were arranged in bunches of five stalks waiting to be packed and distributed..

        Semua Vanda yang telah dipotong akan di pasarkan selepas ini..

Chom Nurseri 2

          I thought the owner got only the backyard one nursery but actually he has several more..Three pictures below showing a captured images from his other nursery..still very nice and clean surrounding..

          Ingat ke Chom ni ada nurseri yang di belakang rumah tu saja rupanya ada lagi di tempat lain, tapi tak jauh sangat la..jadi pada ada hari yang sama kami bergerak pula tengok nurseri yang satu lagi..di sini tak ada banyak orkid ang berbunga adi tangkap gambar sikit saja lah..lebuh kurang sama saja..bersih tetap bersih..

Chom Nursery 3

This is another one of their 'branches'..

Ni satu lagi cawangan nurseri yang sama. tapi di sini banyak anak-anak benih meristem yang baru ditanam.

A fish pond located just outside the fence..

Ini sebenarnya kolam ikan, ikan apa tak taulah..

Left, right, up, down all orchids..no wonder they can supply a demand from all over the world..

Kiri, kanan, atas, bawah, orkid..memang sesuailah lah jadi pembekal di seluruh dunia..

Orchid seedlings were left until it large enough to be grown inside a plastic pot..

Orkid yang sedang membesar, main susun-susun macam tu aja..cukup besar baru diubah dalam raga plastik..

Chom Nursery 4

          On the second day we've visited another..This place was located aroung the agricultural area surrounded with paddy fields and sugar canes..so this place was a bit 'weedy' and wet..still all you can see was more vanda and ascocendas..

          Pada hari kedua kami dibawa melawat satu lagi cawangan nurseri ni..Tempat kali ni terletak di kawasan sawah dan ladang tebu, jadi banyak jugalah rumpai-rumpai tumbuh meliar walaupun masih terkawal..di sini pun sama lah tak ada benda lain vanda sesaja...

Old vanda plants were kept here..

Ada juga pokok-pokok vanda yang dah tua diletakkan di sini..

 Vanda Pachara Delight

  
Salmon coloured Rhynchostylis gigantea..

Another old vanda sections...

Ni pokok-pokok vanda yang dah tua dan tak produktif lagi..

          Already noon, It was hot and humid here..feeling hungry.. so looking up walla! there was a water apple tree with lots of ripening fruits..We asked the farm owner, and you bet, It did tasted as good as it looked..

          Masa rupanya dah tengahari, perut dah lapar, pandang-pandang di atas ada pulak buah jambu susu..banyak pulak tu..warnanya pun menggoda habis..Apa lagi mintak kebenaran tuan ladang dapat la merasa..memang sedap..

          All the left over, broken plants or sick plants were burnt..Its the end of the visit to Chom Orchids Nursery that day..

          Mana-mana pokok yang dah tak tau nak buat apa, rosak, atau sakit terpaksalah dibakar.. Jadi tamatlah sudah lawatan ke Chom Orchids Nursery..

           Thats all for now, I will continue with the next Thailand adventure in the next post..before I forget, If you want to see the website of Chom Orchids Nursery click here..

           Ikuti sambungan pengembaraan di Thailand di pos yang seterusnya..sebelum terlupa kalau sesiapa nak tengok website Chom Orchids Nursery klik sini..




                                                        Politeness is the flower of humanity. - Joseph Joubert