How long have you been here? How has it changed?
Since I was born. Pakklong wasn’t like today. It was an ordinary half-day market, not 24/7 like now.

Are you here all day?
No. There are different “shifts.” I have my space from 6am to 6pm.

Are you busy all day?
People come here all day, but things get really chaotic early in the morning and late at night. Unless it’s really too hectic, I usually have time to talk to people and help them.

How’s the money?
It depends. Normally, 50 roses go for B30, but during peak times, like Valentine’s Day, graduation or wedding seasons, the prices go up. In some years, prices have gone up to B150 for a bouquet before Valentine’s Day.

People say it’s better to come here early in the morning—is this true?
Flowers come in at 6pm every day at the Wat Ratchaburana market. So they’re fresher in the evening. People like me who get their space in the morning take the flowers home and keep them until it’s their time to sell.

Which flower is the best seller?
I’m more into roses because they sell well all year round.

Any tricks of the trade?
The nurseries wrap the flowers, so normally all I have to do is dip the head and bottom in clear water. But during the Valentine’s Day period, most sellers put the flowers in an ice tank, so when we take them out, the buds are bigger and fresher and they’ll last almost two weeks longer. But when you take them off the ice, they will bloom for only one day. So it’s risky to buy them before Valentine’s Day, because sometimes you end up with flowers that wither in three hours.