Varisara Mahagayee Varisara (Leetrakul) Mahagayee, otherwise known as “Rose,” would be dubbed as “crazy” by her friends. Some of those friends have faded with time and different paths chosen while others are still as close as ever. However, when they invite Rose to go shopping, it will only be at sales time! Not that Rose is stingy or tight-fisted but because most of her money is spent sparingly on others than her own self! What has made this brand-name dressed girl, one who never appreciated the beauty of nature and trees or shrieked at going out in the sun, become a lady who is deeply in love with the environment? She became so grateful that she set up a foundation named, “The Rabbit in the Moon.” We will soon find out. 01 “I don’t know if I delve in things too much or I’m just crazy (laughing) but the moment I felt love for nature, it was as if I could speak to the forests and communicate with nature. If people concentrate real hard to correspond with nature and feel that there is a response, they would have the same exact feelings like mine.” Confused? Let’s start over. Everyone is familiar with the face of Rose, Varisara (Leetrakul) Mahagayee, who has been seen as a movie star or emcee numerous times on the television screen. Her life is the example of many girls – strong, intense and full of color. But then the phase occurred, as do most adolescents encounter at this age – and that is the stage of trying to find meaning in life. “It was during the ages of 26 – 27, when I felt most stressful, trying to explore and experiment many things, and trying to figure out what I wanted. Was my life only involved with travel and work? I worked in the tv program, “Venture across the world,” and those were the times when I spent money lavishly. I was young then, with a high paying job that required only two days at each job. When we went abroad with the team, I would travel as if life in the world could only be beautiful, luxurious and fun. I was working with Sam at the time, a well-renowned celebrity and when people noticed him, it was great that I was recognized too.” “In those times, I never saw the lives of people that were different from mine. I had the notion that I was a celebrity and better than everyone else. I wasn’t aware of problems and issues of others and felt perfectly alright with that! It was always focused on making myself happy but when I saw other societies, I was shocked and realized that I had been a spendthrift.” 02 "It was when I went trekking in the woods at Suan Peung District in Ratchburi province right on the border of Myanmar, and I saw the beauty of nature and observed the lifestyles of the pleasant villagers. They were naive, eating simply and leading their lives with the nature and forests. They did not seem at all stressed nor did they struggle for things. They managed to live happily but why do we crave endlessly? So that’s why I like to go there to rest and relax.” “There was this one time a forest fire occurred and while I was helping extinguish it, I could feel a current wind of hot air against my skin, as if telling me that it was hurt. I really don’t know if I was imagining things but I felt a communication spark. A couple months later, I returned to the same place. I took a walk with the village kids and went to the tip of the Doi. There was a breeze, a rainbow arched over the mountain, and I was standing directly under the fog. The cool winds told me that it was no longer hurt from the fires, thanking us for our help. That is when I felt happy and comfortable to contribute to this type of work and there was no need to wait for any kind of compensation. This was my way of consuming happiness, which began in B.E. 2539, and in B.E. 2543, the foundation was established.” 03 “The name of the foundation, “The Rabbit in the Moon,” sounds quite dreamy but we work with children and want to communicate to them so that they understand our goals. It would not be as entertaining if I made up a name like, “Varisara and friends,” so I decided to create a fun theme of story-telling for the kids. They were tales we have heard when we were young. The children would feel warm and safe and we would be able to assist in forming a bright imagination for them.” “We work with the environment, focusing on conserving the forests. We begin with instilling a conscience in the children about growing trees. We teach them how to feel and love the beauty of nature and have fun in the process of it. Our projects are involved in learning about nature via art methods. We teach them through songs and drawings and as they grow older, we take them to the forests to educate them. I admit it was a lot of trials and errors for the first few years because the three of us (my husband, the foundation president and me) all came from different backgrounds, namely Interior Design, Mass Communications and Arts, respectively. We began by reading textbooks and getting a grasp before relaying it into a language that the kids would understand better.” “I try to bring the children in the woods so that they are able to build an emotional connection so that they feel the love and need to take care of nature, rather than just read from textbooks. For example, we take them in the woods and shoot the seeds rolled up in dirt, which is better than having them sit, dig and plant the seeds. They pray for the growth of the plants and they each find a leaf of any plant and write about it. Together they raise the leaves and ask that the forests take them. A light breeze would come, taking the leaves away and the children would be moved, as if they could communicate with nature!” 04 Rose's life today is either involved with planning camp trips in Ratchburi or managing the business of her hotel in Bangkok. It sounds luxurious, but it's more small and hip accommodation with a total of seven people administering it. From the name, “Phra Nakorn Norn Len,” you can guess that it is located in the district of the Old Town, most suitable for tourists who are interested in the culture and tradition of Thailand. (The hotel is also closely situated to Khao San Road) “Phra Nakorn Norn Len” is hidden away in Tawet soi 1. A faded yet trendy wooden fence stands as the gate of the hotel. You can imagine yourself in the olden times with green trees surrounding the elevated Thai-style house. The open air space is decorated with antique furniture of cabinets, tables and chairs. Adjacent to it, the three-story building looks like someone’s house and balcony, with its bright patterned curtains, stained-glass window panes and multi-paneled windows and doors. The ambiance is peaceful with singing birds and sounds of leaves rustling in the wind. “The idea of owning and managing this hotel was my mother-in-law's idea because she was concerned that the two of us would be penniless. Because our time was spent on the foundation with no salary, she encouraged us to manage the hotel and we were each given an income of 10,000 baht. We are able to live simply and happily on this salary.” “We intended to create a place to invigorate the health of people, physically and psychologically. There is no smoking and alcohol is kept to a minimal. The hotel is quiet, accommodating peaceful sleeping, with organic food served as breakfast in the mornings. Lunch and dinner is not provided as there are dozens of restaurants in the area. The people will get an opportunity to cook and earn some money, so it is a way of creating a balance in our small community.” “There are no televisions in the rooms, nothing that will hinder your rest and sleep. (laughing) However, there are books and cds for your music pleasure. (The cd player is quite stylish, like a small portable fan attached to the wall. You insert the cd of your choice and pull on a cord to play, sort of like pulling on the cord of a ceiling fan.) There is a rhythm and time for sleep in nature. Birds have a time to wake up, to look for food, and to return to their nests; the sun rises and sets at a certain time; and tides come up and go down at a particular time.” “We hope that our guests try to go according to nature's schedule. Some people are workaholics and can’t even find the time to eat and sleep. That’s why we want to see our visitors find a rhythm in nature's timing. To my pleasant surprise, one guest commented that he has not remembered the last time he had slept so deeply and peacefully. I knew immediately that we had achieved our goal.” [smiling] 05 “Now I spend most of my time outside of Bangkok, in the forests. There is no need to spend money as the foundation in each place has rice, fish and vegetables. I believe that everyone would like to follow the concept of His Majesty the King about living in sufficiency. But we shouldn’t just be aware of the concept but we must implement as well. It would truly be one of His Majesty’s aspirations to see the betterment of the country and its future.” “If it were me in the past, I would have to bring back a couple of expensive bags from my travels abroad. The bags that I bought for 20,000 baht each is nothing compared to the time I spend helping extinguish fires in the woods.” “Those pricey bags still sit somewhere in my house but I’m too ashamed to carry them. (laughing) It is a waste of money but I think I would only be setting an example for people to believe that the bags are pretty and encourage a consumption manner that is not necessary.” “In the past, I always thought of what I would get in life. But now, I think of what I can do. If someone is in trouble and I am capable of helping them, I do. My husband told me a story about thousands of starfish that floated from the ocean and ended up on the beach shores. People began picking them up and returning them to the ocean, one by one. Someone pointed out that no matter how hard they tried, they wouldn’t be able to save all of them. However, it was noted that the ones they did return to the sea were able to survive and that was seemingly enough. I also agree with this viewpoint, where it is not feasible to do everything, but at least accomplish what we have in our hands and that is good enough for me.” Phra Nakorn Norn Len Hotel Tel. 0-2628-8188 - 90 www.phranakorn-nornlen.com