HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn officially opens the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006 show in Chiang Mai. The international horticultural exposition runs until January 31 next year.

Words of praise and complaints filled the air on the first day of the Royal Flora 2006 Ratchaphruek.

Approximately 30,000 people attended the opening day of the 92-day international horticultural exposition, opened yesterday evening by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, and Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thira Sutabutra were also present for the ceremony plus honorary guests from 54 countries.

While those who visited the event yesterday appreciated the beauty of the gardens, landscape and floral presentations, many complained about the services and administration.

The inadequacy of electric trailers and golf cars to take the visitors around the exposition was the main subject of complaints.

"I appreciated the exposition, but the trailer service is unacceptable," said Major General Thanee Wattanaphuti, a 76-year-old retired soldier, who waited three hours to get a trailer.

Thanee said the exposition was of the same high standard as the flower show he attended in the Netherlands four years ago, but the service here did not compare.

Soon after the gate was opened, the main station for trailers and golf cars became a scene of chaos, packed with visitors angry about inadequate vehicles and the staff's inability to arrange a queue.

While the organisers expected about 30,000 visitors a day, their total number of trailers and golf cars can only serve about 1,000 people - for round trips that take about 40 minutes each.

The food halls were a subject of complaint. One elderly woman from Lampang said she had to eat standing as no seat was available. And some toilets, including those near the Press Centre were already out of order.

Of all services provided by the organisers, the shuttle bus taking people from various areas downtown to the exposition site was the one most praised by visitors. Many appreciated the bus service and said it was much better than expected.

Despite the strong sunshine and high temperature, people from various provinces flooded to the show from early morning. Reed Tradex, a private company contracted by the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to do administrative work for the exposition, announced a few days ago that all tickets for the first day had sold out, but many visitors still went to buy tickets at the site.

The international garden zone seemed to be the most crowded site and the gardens featuring flora from the countries of Bhutan, Japan, China, the Netherlands and Belgium were among the most popular.

The Thai tropical garden did not attract many visitors.

The Royal Pavilion, described as the "heart" of the expo and a "must-see" attraction, was closed yesterday to prepare for the opening ceremony by the Princess.

Air-conditioned exhibition halls were crowded, as people used them to get cool and avoid the sun outside.

Bottle trees from Australia were the talk of the town among many visitors due to their remarkable shape, but some other special trees were hard to locate.

A Bangkok visitor who only said her name was Piyaporn, voiced disappointment at the Wollemia nobilis, the famed Aussie pine tree which dates back to the era of the dinosaurs. The tree was too small and displayed in a site she felt was not so remarkable.

"I had to walk around inside the [tropical trees] dome several times before I was able to recognise it," she said.

She also felt that information boards on each tree were too small and put in places that made them hard to read.

Pennapa Hongthong

The Nation

Chiang Mai