Pasherin’s very first visit to Hua Hin was in 1975, just prior to her marriage, when she and her husband-to-be attended the laying of the foundation stone for Chom Dong Villa, with no inclination whatsoever that at a point in the future it would become their Hua Hin residence, through what Pasherin calls a series of serendipitous events.  Chom Dong Villa, meaning “woodland vista” in Thai, was built by Her Majesty Queen Rambai Barni, the wife of His Majesty King Prajadhipok, Rama VII in the later years of her life as her country retreat.  Although she could still have chosen to live in Klai Kangwol Palace, the Queen enjoyed the calmness and tranquillity she found out of public gaze. Pasherin’s parents-in-law built a small cottage on the property, which comprises 40 rai (6.4 hectares) of undulating land on the lower slopes of Hin Lek Fai, so Pasherin and Vara-Poj have had a long association with the property, although they did not take up regular residence until 2007 upon Vara-Poj’s retirement from work.

In the many years between their marriage and Vara-Poj’s retirement, the couple lived around the world, in London, Prague, Bangkok and Rome and raised their three children, a son and two daughters, now aged in their 30s and 40s. Vara-Poj had studied Social Sciences and then taken a Master’s degree in International Relations in preparation for a career as a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although it was her husband who was the diplomat, Pasherin had to overcome her innate shyness to assist him in his role. She recalls the multitasking required to oversee every aspect of events her husband hosted, and her important role in maintaining communications with the wives of other foreign diplomats.  Pasherin is proud that when she establishes friendships, they are generally for life, as she still remains in firm contact with her school friends. Along with being a loyal friend, Pasherin’s other key strengths are her patience and tenacity along with the adaptability she developed being the wife of an ambassador, and part of the team. Flexibility was crucial, as, try as she might, things have a way of not always going as expected. It was fortunate for Pasherin that she has an optimistic outlook and lives by the motto, “Never give up hope”.

While Pasherin now considers herself to be in the retirement phase of life, she is still incredibly busy and doesn’t have a huge amount of time for relaxation. Pasherin’s role as custodian of Chom Dong Villa and Gardens has developed and has many facets. When Pasherin and Vara-Poj were able to make it a priority after his retirement, they found that the villa itself was in need of significant maintenance and restorative work since it had been uninhabited for a period of time, and the gardens were sorely in need of attention too.  With much effort and considerable planning, and initially begun by Pasherin’s parents-in-law, the couple have managed to turn what was basically barren scrubland into a beautifully manicured garden, with surprises around every corner.

 Ably assisted by a small group of six women, volunteer tour guides, Pasherin also regularly conducts garden tours, introducing local residents to the beauty of the garden.  The Villa is still a private home and Pasherin and Vara-Poj jointly created magic for their children and grandchildren, with a Hobbit House, a pirate ship which doubles as a sand-pit, slides and beautiful lighting, sculptures, topiary and a treehouse. Pasherin is lucky to have a group of passionate and long-term staff to assist her in maintaining the extensive grounds. Although there are 7 full-time gardeners, they all have to multitask as housekeepers and cooks when required. Both Vara-Poj and Pasherin oversee the various tasks needed in the garden, dependent on the season. 

Of course, another focus of any garden is beauty and tranquillity.  Strolling through a garden has been shown to induce ataraxia, a state of complete calmness, without any mental or emotional disquiet.  Norwegians will be familiar with the concept of friluftsliv, popularised by playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen in the 1850s, while Japanese people extoll the virtues of Shinrin-yoku, or forest-bathing to boost health and well-being by consciously connecting with the natural environment in a mindful fashion.  Who knew that a garden could do all this?  Clearly HM Queen Rambai Barni and the Snidvongs family. It should come as no surprise to hear that Pasherin sees the growth and development of the garden as one of her life’s greatest achievements, along with mothering her brood of three and then five grandchildren, who all bring joy to her daily life, despite motherhood holding some unique challenges. Pasherin recalls a dear British friend complementing her on the fact that whenever she sets out to do something she always does it well, an accurate observation of a woman who strives to be a good person, giving her best in everything she undertakes.

On reflection, Pasherin realised that she would still like to rekindle her learning of languages, resuscitating her Mandarin, and continuing her Japanese lessons, prompted possibly by her younger daughter who is a linguist. Pasherin still has to learn more about the beauty of Asia, having spent most of her diplomatic life living in various western cultures. If she had the ability to advise her teenage self, Pasherin would only encourage her to always be open to every opportunity that comes your way, aware that her life was going to keep her outside of her native Singapore for half a century.

Pasherin’s greatest hope for the future is that her children and grandchildren continue to live full and happy lives and that even when she is gone, they continue to function well as a family to support each other.  She is most grateful for her good health, and great memory which she inherited from her mother who had a phenomenal memory all her life. She does acknowledge however that a great memory means that you always recall the downs as well as the ups.  For Pasherin, the future she has built for herself, with her own hands, looks bright.  She has a strong social circle of family and friends, she has eleven canine companions, nine who reside in Hua Hin and two who travel to Bangkok when that part of Pasherin’s life calls.  One dog, Panda, has self-proclaimed as Pasherin’s personal body guard and is rarely to be found more than a few pawsteps away.

Pasherin is at a point where she is able to savour the simple things in life, including her guilty pleasure, good milk chocolate and also Singapore-style Hainanese chicken rice. Every day, Pasherin is surrounded by the love and support of her family, and simply spending time in their company is guaranteed to make her happy, her favourite place in the world being wherever her family is.  Each new day, Pasherin likes to explore: if she is travelling, she likes to find and then enjoy a new place, but even the Villa’s garden still has the ability to surprise her, teeming as it is with animal as well as plant life. After almost 49 years of marriage, Pasherin still cites her husband as the living person she most admires.  Even though she does not always agree with Vara-Poj and she knows he employs selective hearing like most husbands, his integrity and his master-plan are still central to the happy functioning of her family, and to Pasherin, that means an awful lot.