Petra Maria Hellman is from Turku, Finland. She has travelled the world, and, in 2017, her journey brought her to Otres. Like many before her, she planned to stay for a day or two, but Otres captured her heart and the days turned into months. Petra left when Otres shrank but stayed in Cambodia. After hearing that her friends were beginning to rebuild the community in the jungle, she quickly joined them. Since then, she has watched Nesat grow from land plots and dirt roads into an expat jungle paradise.
Her own contribution to the Nesat community is “Petra’s Haberdashery” (“HAB”), a small boutique where guests can buy clothing and souvenirs. The name came from Petra’s partner, while discussing what they might do in the village, her partner suggested the word “haberdashery”. Petra had never heard the word before, but she was immediately sold — it sounded cute and quirky, just the kind of thing she wanted to bring to Nesat.
Petra is hopeful about Nesat’s future. She plans to sit at her little rooftop café above the boutique, talking with guests, making new friends, and watching Nesat grow.
