Ulla Dohlon, born in Sweden in 1930, first visited Thailand in 1959 and has been here ever since. She was married to Eric (senior), a highly-qualified mechanical engineer, and the pair lived in India throughout the 1950s, moving to Thailand in 1959. Eric retired 20 years later but died in 1991.
Known for many years as the hostess-with-the- mostest, Ulla has lived in the same house in Jomtien for 25 years, located next to her daughter, Inga, who is a Thai national and works as an insurance agent locally. Ulla’s son Eric (junior) has a similar business in Phuket. Ulla is best known as a very keen and successful bridge player and she still manages the occasional game at home in spite of macular degeneration.
The birthday dinner was an Indian feast and the guest of honour was Peter Malhotra, owner of the Pattaya Mail, a close friend of 40 years plus standing. Ulla talked of her early days in 1960s Pattaya when nobody bothered to lock up when going out and the lack of constant electricity meant people had to buy a huge ice box to keep provisions cool. How the world has changed!
