Happiness can be a cool breeze in the morning and a cup of coffee with pastries while listening to the sound of flowing water to a counterpoint of a birdsong. This is the experience offered at Kays Espresso Bar, a new cafe in Chanthaburi Province with a scent of coffee in the garden.
/// Thailand ///
Story: Aphasri Mimana /// Photography: Sitthisak Namkham /// Gardener: Suan Lila Raiyaa Nongphluem
Kwinwan Sangwan, a shop owner tells how it got started: “This was a dream of my Dad. We wanted the shop to be so pretty outdoors and in that customers would stop by to take pictures.”
“For the landscaping, we contracted Sak Rueangphrom. From the start, we wanted an English-style garden with a hint of tropical and a lot of places for people to sit and maybe drink coffee or tea.”
Sak took the challenge and delivered as ordered, even if there were a few problems to deal with.
“The first time I saw the worksite it looked like a desert, but somehow we managed to turn that around. The first problem was the clay topsoil, sticky and tightly compacted. We broke shovels digging, had to switch pickaxes. The good thing was that the ground didn’t absorb too much water, and wasn’t about to collapse.
“Then the weather. In Chanthaburi it rains a lot, so we adapted, using water-tolerant varieties such as flame nettle, ferns, crepe ginger, etc. Once it rained seven days and nights, but the trees recovered quickly and by now their roots have extended and can handle any amount of rain.”
The hardscape includes the large metal fountain in a modern style to match the building, with a pond and waterfall. Further on is a metal frame gazebo, and then a big rust-colored faucet set in an upright hollow log. A flagstone path of red sandstone runs throughout the garden.
Old benches are set in the back, by a gray wall covered in climbing vines, with bright ground cover colors and a bird bath planter filled with beautiful flowers. English-style chairs are found in various shady spots.
Sak adds, “we had to adapt the original model to include big shade trees such as giant crape-myrtle, freshwater mangrove, canna, etc., relying on hardscape and ornaments to create the sense of an English garden: urn-shaped planters, bird baths, fences, arbors. It came out just as we wanted: shady, pleasant, not overdone. Bees, butterflies, birds, crickets, and cicadas live and sing here, a relaxing sound.”
Here is a shop owner who loves sharing nature with his customers, and with the animals who make their home in the garden. For a taste of this happiness, stop in sometimes at Kays Espresso Bar, on Yanwirote Road right in Chanthaburi. We guarantee you’ll get hooked.
link: https://www.facebook.com/kaysespresso/