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April 2013
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A SONGKRAN WITHOUT THE WET By Dave Stamboulis
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o, trust me, this isn’t an advertisement for a new wetsuit. I was recently out to dinner with some Thai friends and several of them talked animatedly about escaping the wet New Year. I was rather taken aback, as I thought the only people who got tired of getting doused and sprayed were foreigners. As it turned out, my friends had the exact same thoughts as I did, mainly that yeah, Songkran is a lot of fun, but once you’ve been through the festivities a few times, it gets a bit old. It’s too hot out at this time of the year, and escaping to Chiang Mai or the beach doesn’t work because everything is booked out at outrageous prices, not to mention the traffic, drunk drivers, and everything else that makes this the worst time of year to travel.
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So barring a retreat to one’s room with cases of cold drinks and plenty of sacks of ice, where else is there to go? Most of the neighboring countries aren’t any kind of safe haven, as they are celebrating their own version of Songkran too: Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos are all getting wet, and in Luang Prabang, they even step it up a notch to make the festivities last a full week! While a holiday in Paris, London, or New York might sound pleasant, for most people they don’t have enough holiday time to make such a long, expensive trip worthwhile… and hey, you are probably going to get wet there also, due to the rain and drizzle that tends to typify the beginning of spring in those places. Fortunately, there is a great escape that isn’t too far away, isn’t expensive, and tends to have something for everyone. Northeastern India – where you have your pick of Darjeeling, Sikkim, Assam, and more – is my favorite Songkran retreat. There are plenty of budget flights to Kolkata which take around four hours, and from there, one can hop on a comfortable sleeper train overnight to Jaipalguri, just below the foothills of Darjeeling, which has a pleasant climate and is a popular escape from the boiling plains. Darjeeling is famed for its tea plantations, old steam locomotive train service, and is home to many Tibetan refugees. The town sits on a ridge looking out at the third highest mountain in the world, Kanchenjunga (8598 meters), which straddles the nearby border with eastern Nepal, and its up-
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By The Way Go. Northeastern India is most accessible by flights to Kolkata and Guwahati (the capital of Assam). AirAsia, IndiGo, and Air India Express are the budget carriers. Once there, overnight trains (from Kolkata) go to New Jaipalguri (for Darjeeling), as well as to Assam. Shared jeeps are the preferred mode of travel for Sikkim and Darjeeling, and there are plenty of departures between Darjeeling and Gangtok (capital of Sikkim). Do. Trekking the area around Kanchenjunga, rhododendrons in bloom, Darjeeling tea plantations, Kaziranga National Park, Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim. Note. A permit is required to visit Sikkim, but it is a mere formality and is best obtained upon arrival in Darjeeling. Foreigners are allowed to stay in Sikkim for two weeks at a time.
per zones are mostly traffic-free, with plenty of places for strolling, Buddhist monasteries to visit, and, of course, the rolling seas of green tea for miles on all sides. There is plenty of good Indian, Tibetan, and international food in Darjeeling, as it receives many foreign travelers as well as being a popular place for Asians to come and study English, and English is the language of communication spoken everywhere in town. Continuing north of Darjeeling, the terrain gets steeper, with the mountains closing in on all sides as one travels through the eastern Himalayas. Here, one enters the state of Sikkim, which although belonging to India, has an ethnic Nepali majority and culturally and geographically feels more like Bhutan. In fact, some travelers like to joke that Sikkim is Bhutan without having to pay US$200 a day (the requirement for travel in Bhutan). One can go trekking around Kanchenjunga, soak in hot springs, visit colorful Buddhist monasteries, and April is high season in terms of all the rhododendrons being in bloom. Sikkim is bounded by Nepal and Bhutan on either side, and by Tibet to the north, which gives you an idea of just what kind of spectacular terrain you are traveling in. Another area one can combine with a jaunt to Darjeeling and Sikkim is to visit the state of Assam. Located along the Brahmaputra River Valley, Assam is very lush and green and also home to a thriving tea industry. There used to be heavy political strife in this area, and it was quite regulated in terms of tourism, but these days, one is free to wander anywhere, and the prime reason to come here is to pay a visit to Kaziranga National Park, home to the largest population of rare one-horned Asian rhinoceros. Another plus of travel at this time of year here is that the Assamese are celebrating their own New Year, and there are many dances and festivals going on. Known as Rongali or Bohag Bihu, the holiday is well known for troupes of children dressed in traditional garb going door to door to perform dances throughout each community, and as there are not many tourists in Assam, you are likely to be welcomed with curious and wide-open arms.
10 bangkok trader APRIL 2013
ANG SILA Overlooked By Voicu Mihnea Simandan
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here are many places of interest in Chonburi province, and not all of them are centered around the resort town of Pattaya. Although some of these places are not that popular with local and foreign tourists alike, they are still worth visiting just because they bring a more authentic experience to your travels. One such place is the quiet village of Ang Sila situated in Chonburi province, about 60 kilometers southeast of Bangkok and 50 kilometers north of Pattaya. Like most villages around the Gulf of Thailand, Ang Sila is a fisherman’s village that has long been overshadowed as a tourist attraction due mainly to its vicinity to Bang Saen beach and, to be fair, its very few tourist attractions. In trying to avoid the traffic on Chonburi’s Sukhumvit Road and on the avenue leading down to Bang Saen beach, drivers take a shortcut via Ang Sila, a road that although is longer due to its many winding curbs, is much less used. As such, people just pass through Ang Sila on their way to Khao Sam Muk Hill, also known as Monkey Hill because of its large numbers of monkeys roaming the way up and down the hill, where tourists stop briefly before heading down for the beach chaise lounges and umbrellas of Bang Saen. All they want is to enjoy the famous local seafood and the not-so-clean beach. Often without even blinking twice, drivers pass the Ang Sila Old Market, and once back on a stretch of straight road, they speed by the huge structure of a Chinese temple that pops into their view on the left-hand side of the road. The monkeys, the shrimp, and the sand are waiting for them just a few more kilometers down the road, so there’s no time to stop.
Little do Bangkokians going down to Bang Saen know that the seafood they are about to enjoy comes right from the market at Ang Sila, which has been serving the local community since 1876. Ang Sila has always been a small fishing village whose inhabitants, at the peak of their fame, were once visited by King Rama V. But, their market is the best place in Chonburi to buy fresh seafood, which is literally unloaded from the fishermen’s boats right there and then. Apart from the fish, shrimp, crab, and all the imaginable sea creatures you can buy here, both fresh and dried, another worthy attraction is the 180 or so houses surrounding the market area. The fishermen’s homes are more than a century old, and they give the place an atmosphere one might have witnessed only in the old days when Thailand was known as Siam. Next to the jetties where the fishermen’s families have set up stalls, there’s also an area covered with a multitude of small shops selling locally made products, from dried fish to seashell curtains to stonework. Ang Sila means ‘Basin of Stone,’ and the local stonemasons have created durable stone mortars used in preparing som tam and chili paste. These can be purchased in the market at very affordable prices. The road leading to the market at Ang Sila is in good condition, and the local administration has even paved a large parking area right next to the market. From here, you can take in the salty smell of the sea and snap a few pictures of the fishing boats returning with their catch. And if you really want to make good use of your camera, then definitely make a stop at the huge Chinese temple located only a few kilometers down the road towards Bang Saen Beach. Heading down to Bang Saen, the road is littered with restaurants built on stilts right by the side of the road and over the beach of Ang Sila. Although the water is not as clear as you’d hope from a beach in Thailand, the value for money is great and you can always count on being served fresh seafood. The view is excellent, and depending on the tide, your meal can be accompanied by the relaxing sound of waves pushing on the shore beneath you. To reach the market coming down from Bangkok, turn right at Ang Sila junction at the KM 102 marker on Sukhumvit Road in Chonburi. The market is open between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Also, taking advantage of the fact that Thais like to travel during official holidays, the market is also open on these special days. For more information, you can visit the city’s official website at angsilacity.go.th (Thai only) or call 038-398-497.
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12 bangkok trader APRIL 2013
NO FAKIN’ IT The Museum of Counterfeit Goods By Dave Stamboulis
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ike it or not, Bangkok tends to get a pretty bad rap as a city of fakes. Lady Gaga’s Rolex quips aside, a stroll down Sukhumvit, Silom, and numerous other market areas about town will reveal a motley collection of not-so-genuine goods, whether they be watches, perfume, Viagra and other pick-me-ups, plenty of designer shoes and clothing, and of course the tens of thousands copied DVDs. Most tourists head back home with at least one ‘bargain’ purchase or two, and even most locals, no matter how hard pressed they are to admit it, likely own a copy of something that’s not real (and you are working on your computer with what kind of software?). There is more than meets the eye to all of this copycatting, and the uniquely named Museum of Counterfeit Goods is out to set the record straight and inform the public as to just how damaging this huge industry is. Made up of a collection of over 4,000 items that have infringed upon trademarks, copyrights, and patents, the Museum of Counterfeit Goods is a oneof-a-kind place. The small museum, which is located on the 26th floor of the Supalai Grand Tower on Rama III Road, is housed in the offices of Tilleke & Gibbins, one of the leading law firms in Thailand and Vietnam, an enterprise that has been at the forefront of patent protection and litigation for the past several decades. The museum got its start in 1989 when the firm began wondering what to do with the huge pool of seized counterfeit goods they were accumulating
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over the years as evidence in court cases that had been seized in police raids. Tilleke & Gibbins decided that an informative display might make for a great public educational tool to create awareness for consumers about intellectual property infringement, and thus, the museum was born. The law firm focuses on three different areas; copyright, trademark, and patent infringement, and displays from their various cases are shown in different forms and products. There are copyrighted works like Lonely Planet guidebooks that have been reprinted page for page, drugs and medical items ranging from Viagra to very common medications that have been replicated, and, of course, all the trademark logos that have been altered or spun off from designer t-shirts to sunglasses to tennis shoes. However, further inspection reveals just how in depth the counterfeiting industry goes, as there are also fake mobile phone batteries, high-end automobile parts, calculators, and even a few signature guitar brands that have been imitated.
The Museum of Counterfeit Goods is most insightful as to the width and depth of the copied products and trademarks industry here. It is quite an eye-opener to see just how pervasive the industry is, ranging from rebottled shampoo products to knockoff products like drinks, snacks, or cigarettes that bear a logo created to look like a famous name brand. As a photographer, I really had to pause and reflect when I came to the case displaying a set of fake Canon battery grips; the difference between the genuine and the fake, other than a bit of off-colored packaging for the fraudulent one, was very hard to tell. The attorneys at Tilleke & Gibbins will inform you about ways you can sort out fake goods, using place, packaging, and pricing to help determine if an item is real, and they also leave consumers with a hotline number to call if they come across fake products. The Museum of Counterfeit Goods is open for viewing on Mondays at 2 p.m. and Thursdays at 10 a.m., and you must make an appointment at least 24 hours in advance to make sure one of the attorneys will be available to show you around. Contact Ms Pinta Punsoni for an appointment at pinta.p@tilleke.com or 02-653-5546.
While one could argue that many consumers of fake sunglasses or bags might not shell out for a real one if they had to pay the price, the counterfeiting industry goes far deeper than just hurting the manufacturer, de- Museum of Counterfeit Goods – www.tilleke.com – Tilleke & Gibbins, Susigner, or brand company. Fake medication can cause irreparable damage, palai Grand Tower, 26th Fl., 1011 Rama 3 Rd. Tel. 02 653 5546. products like fake phone batteries have been known to explode during use, and it is pretty scary to think about driving a car or motorcycle that has been outfitted with copied parts that have not gone through any system of safety checks or quality control. NEED VISA? VISA ISSUES? As there are no regulations on the pirating industry, the makers of the fake goods have no rights and may be illegal or underage. Additionally, as no tax gets paid by the copycats, the government ends up having less money to use for any kind of social or consumer programs. And as one of the attorneys explained, original artists have less reason to be innovative and creative, knowing that their work is being mass produced and that the overall market is stuck in a cycle of copying as opposed to creating. Despite its reputation, Thailand actually has done a decent job of slowing down the industry. A guide at the museum pointed out that a decade ago, many of the pirate manufacturers were based here in Thailand, whereas now they tend to be in other countries in the region, and use Thailand as a transport and sales hub, which makes capturing and processing the big fish all the more challenging. The law firm works with Thai customs and police to seize shipments of illegal products, and to help their clients win claims and try to minimize the effects of an industry that impacts everyone.
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HAZY DAZE
‘Opium Dream’
By Voicu Mihnea Simandan. Photos by Regin Reyno.
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ason Schoonover is a Canadian writer who is also an avid collector of primitive art and antiquities. He moved to Bangkok in 1982 and, ever since, has split his time between Canada and Thailand, selling ethnological collections to museums and private collectors. Opium Dream was published in 2002 by Asia Books and is still available at bookstores in Thailand and from Amazon. The novel follows the (mis)adventures of Lee Rivers, a Bangkok-based anthropologist and member of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand, who takes on a job unearthing ancient artifacts in Afghanistan, only to find himself hunted… and, accidentally, a threat to the future of Western civilization.
The market value of such a find is in the tens of millions of dollars, and for Rivers, unearthing such a site would put him on the same pedestals in the annals of archeological history as Howard Carter, who discovered the tomb of the Egyptian King Tutankhamun. It simply is a job he cannot refuse. Too bad the attempt on his life in Saigon was repeated in Bangkok, and thus, Rivers realizes he needs a bodyguard. Lee’s ex-CIA friend, now a bar owner in Bangkok, recommends to him Meaw Ly, a beautiful Lao Hmong, who emigrated with her parents to America when she was just a little girl. She now works as a bodyguard for Hollywood superstars and ‘just happened’ to be in Bangkok.
Once in Afghanistan, Lee, Boris, and Meaw are led to Kublai Khan’s burial site where they raise twenty-four statues to the surface, each one representing an individual person from the Mongol’s harem and entourage. This quickly becomes the greatest archeological find of the millennium. But, obviously, someone wants them dead, and a cat-and-mouse race begins. We follow the protagonists across Afghanistan into Pakistan via the Desert of Death, and their flight to Egypt where the mystery of who wants them dead and why unfolds. To complicate things even more, the party of adventurers also It goes without saying that Rivers takes on the job immediately, especially gets tangled up in an opium-smuggling operation, are arrested by the Pakiwhen the find in Afghanistan is suspected to be the burial site of Kublai stani army, then by the Egyptian one, even interviewed by CNN’s most recKhan, the 13th-century Mongol ruler who conquered China. Chinese ideo- ognizable anchor. grams incised at the base of each statue at the burial site apparently attest to the fact that, just like Qin’s terra cotta Army, Kublai Khan has been buried At the same time, a background story unfolds that involves Hasheem, an with a large collection of statues. enigmatic Afghan, head of a new group called the Seed of the New Genesis, Upon returning from a trip to the hill tribes in the jungles of Vietnam, where he was commissioned to buy a textile collection for the Smithsonian Institution, Rivers’s life is already under threat. Before he meets his Russian friend Boris Anklovitch, a former journalist who covered the Afghan-Russian War, and before he even accepts his friend’s offer of joining him on an archeological dig in Afghanistan, several hit men want him dead.
bangkok trader APRIL 2013 17
venturous Dream, Adventurous Lives: Today’s Adventurers Recall the Youthful Dreams Launching their Remarkable Lives (Rocky Mountain Books, 2007), a Who’s Who of 120 living explorers. He has also written two screenplays and has contributed numerous articles to magazines and newspapers.
which prophesies a future Armageddon; the Arab states which separate into two new coalitions, the Extremist and the Moderates; and Russian politicians who plan a coup d’état and a new world order.
In 2005, Jason Schoonover was featured in Jerry Hopkins’ Bangkok Babylon: The Real-Life Exploits of Bangkok’s Legendary Expatriates are often Stranger than Fiction, a collection of 25 portraits of expatriates living in Thailand. The interview with the author of Opium Dream, entitled “The Collector: Jason Schoonover” can be read on Schoonover’s website (www.jasonschoonover.com).
Schoonover’s Opium Dream is an action-packed adventure novel that makes Most of the above books can be found very affordably (US$3!) in Kindle euse of true archeological, anthropological, historical, and geographical facts. book format from Amazon.com. Think Indiana Jones, James Bond, and the National Treasure films, and you can have a fairly good guess at what to expect from this book. In a 2003 interview for Contemporary Authors Online, Schoonover declared: “I’m a traveler. I was born with a pack in one hand and a typewriter in the other, though I hammer away on a laptop now. I stumbled across the Far East in the midst of an around-the-world trip in 1978 and was delightfully stunned by the experience – the most exotic chunk of real estate on the planet. The tremendous variety of cultural and sensory experiences made it impossible to be bored there. Since one has only one life to live, I decided to live it in paradise and moved to Bangkok, the hub, in the most exotic country of them all, Thailand, in 1982.” He is also the author of The Bangkok Collection (Bantam, 1988) an adventure novel which was later republished in subsequent editions as Thai Gold (Bantam, 1989; Asia Books, 2002) and Nepal Gold (Pilgrim Books, 2003); Westward from New Amsterdam – The Schoonover Epic (Rolling Thunder, 2001, DVD), a non-fiction book about the writer’s family; The Manila Galleon (Rolling Thunder, 2006), a volume containing two action-adventure thrillers; and Ad-
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TRANSFORMING Bangkok’s Rooftops
M
ark Hindelang of Aquaponica arrived in Bangkok in 2010 after being accepted to the Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment to begin a Master’s research program in Environmental Technology and Management. He was granted a scholarship for research applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to evaluate the sustainability of aquaponics in Thailand. Aquaponics is a natural food production system and methodology that uses natural bacteria in a mini ecosystem to support natural, thriving life environments for fish and plants. Mark says: I never considered myself a farmer, per se, as I come from an Environmental Engineering and Quality Management Systems and IT background. However, I have always been a conscientious eater and am picky with my selection of foods. I always prefer organic foods for health and taste, but also to reduce the environmental impacts that affect sustainability.
sustainable food production systems. These systems mainstream newspapers point out and criticize can be kitted for the home and hobby gardener or ‘organic’ produce at high-end markets as being multi-family designs for larger fresh food produc- laden with chemicals and fertilizers. tion, or commercial scale production systems. We call it ‘food fraud’. A recent Bangkok Post article BT: What challenges did you face in regards to stated that Thailand wanted to be considered ‘the starting and running a farm in Thailand? kitchen of the world,’ but recently had seven categories of ‘organic’ food banned by the European Mark Hindelang: Since sourcing equipment Union based on laboratory tests that indicated to design and construct aquaponic gardens is dangerous levels of chemicals in foods purchased easy due to local and readily available parts, we at high-end supermarkets. How are we to know haven’t been burdened so much with technical what we eat until it’s too late? challenges. However, environmental challenges with high temperatures have given us opportuni- With aquaponics, you have no choice but to ties to improve the designs. harvest the freshest organic chemical-free and pesticide-free vegetables, herbs, and fish. And We are developing aquaponics in the ‘urban’ they taste great too! You really feel the difference sense, which means bringing this technology and eating living food. We like to say,“Know your food, method to urban landscapes, homes, balconies, know your farm. Grow local, eat local.” Save the or larger land footprints. A farm could certainly environment, stimulate your economy, and do it introduce this technology with excellent success. by eating healthy. So much can be achieved. In fact, we are interested in starting the first urban aquaponics food production farm in Bangkok. Also, Bangkok doesn’t have an optimal soil enviThis would reduce ‘food-miles’ (fossil fuel used to ronment for very productive dirt gardens. With ship food into the city), but would also introduce aquaponics, this obstacle is removed, as everyextremely fresh, healthy, and delicious tasting thing grows anywhere you install the system. This food to the markets. We recently started produc- allows consumers and businesses to use space ing a small supply of organic food to a local or- more functionally, perhaps using space that was ganic store from one of the gardens. It’s been very once unused but is now productive and even exciting. possibly generating revenue!
I like to use modern technology and synergies to make this happen. I believe the food industry and discerning restaurants and consumers are leading this trend. From a farming perspective, I have always enjoyed traditional gardening, but aquaponics is too easy. You can do it anywhere with great success and get two products from one input: fresh, high-protein fish and delicious organic vegetables. BT: How does urban aquaponics benefit people?
Aquaponica is Bangkok’s premier aquaponics kit designer and consulting expert. Aquaponica I began experimenting with hydroponic and aqua- MH: There is no surprise as to why consumers designs kits for home and hobby gardeners who ponic methods in 2008 and have recently been fo- are confused and left disappointed with their want to have fresh, healthy, and fabulous tasting cusing on aquaponics for developing 100% organic choices of healthy food. Many recent articles in organic food and fish available for consumption
where, otherwise, they might not have the environment for a traditional garden. It is fun, relaxing, and very rewarding! Urban kits can be installed in any residential area on the ground or in and around the house or landscape. Restaurants, hospitals, hotel resorts, and spas also like to cater to their discerning customers with a fresh organic vegetable and herb garden. Some hotels even fancy the concept where their customers go and pick their vegetables for the kitchen to prepare their meal. It doesn’t get any more fresh than this. We custom design systems for large-scale and commercial organic food production farms for sale to the markets. Additionally, we consult with already establish hydroponic farms considering adapting the aquaponics method for a truly chemical-free, organic product.
bangkok trader APRIL 2013 19
BT: What is the best part of living and working in Thailand? MH: Living and working in Thailand hasn’t been without day-to-day challenges, but it is because of these challenges that keeps every day new and fresh. Bangkok is a place where one can wake up each morning with a new song in the heart. The pace of life can be slow and relaxed... or fast and exciting. I think it allows all of us to connect and continue growing and expanding in all of our endeavors. No doubt, every city has its shortcomings. However, should we not all be encouraged to be the change we want to see in the world? Bringing aquaponics to Thailand is this change for me, and this makes it the best part of being in Thailand.
BT: What are your future plans for Aquaponica and urban aquaponics? Aquaponics helps refocus and manifest the truths of HM King Bhumibol’s enlightened approach to teaching the New Theory and Sufficiency Econo- MH: I would like to see Aquaponica become a Top-100 successful startup my through real-world action and from the results that aquaponics bring to company in SE Asia. I would like to see international schools, academic institutions, hotels, resorts, solar and biogas renewable energy companies, and the community and Thailand at large. new farms introduce the aquaponics method in Thailand and around SE Schools are increasingly becoming interested in educational curriculums Asia as part of their contribution of sustainability to the world. I would also utilizing state-of-the-art, environmentally friendly, and sustainable technol- like to start the ‘One Million Aquaponics Garden Revolution’ for people livogies. An aquaponics curriculum is appropriate, as it provides touchpoints ing in urban settings. for all age groups introducing the many bodies of knowledge surrounding one system – topics, such as math, science, engineering, animal husbandry, Imagine if we had high-quality fresh fish and food available on every corner economics, environmental science, project management, and food nutri- or rooftop for sale to individual consumer markets and restaurants. Aquation, are all included. We are currently talking with schools offering to build ponics creates jobs, which is good for the economy. It stimulates education, educational systems for their students. We would like to make aquaponics which is important for self sufficiency. Primarily, our global food production system is a centralized distribution system. It has many challenges facing it, systems available at academic institutions in Thailand a reality. such as overwhelming environmental impact, degradation, and supply chain difficulties. We must change our ways soon before it becomes a crisis by 2030. BT: What opportunities has Bangkok offered you as an entrepreneur? I hope Aquaponica’s efforts stimulate awareness and a real call to feasible acMH: Bangkok is an exciting place. As an entrepreneur, I appreciate the cul- tion. I call it ‘greening the cities.’ Aquaponics is a solution to many problems. tural diversity and open exchange of minds for methods and technologies the world so desperately needs right now. We are all in it together. Aqua- BT: What are some of your favorite farms or markets in Bangkok? ponics stimulates communities, and our sense of connectedness develops understandings of our natural environment around something we all need: MH: I have been to a few hydroponic and fisheries farms just outside of Bangkok. They are interesting and provide a lot of food to the local supernutritious food. markets. They are also good places to tour. But I admit, I’d like to see more BT: What advice would you give entrepreneurs trying to make it in Bangkok? aquaponics farms in and around Bangkok, especially urban residential farms. I believe Aquaponica can help. MH: Be very, very clear what you want. Do not focus on what you do not want. Once you are clear with your intention, you must start your daily BT: Do you have a garden of your own? mantra: Thoughts-Feelings-Action (T-F-A). Have the ‘thoughts’ of where you would like to be, experience the ‘feelings’ as if your thoughts have already MH: Definitely. We have an eleven square meter aquaponics garden with happened, and then take ‘action’ – your feet must be moving! I say this be- two fish tanks and seven grow beds under a greenhouse on the fourth story cause it is important to stay positive, hopeful, and helpful to yourself and of a townhouse. No one would ever think of a garden up there, but it is there others. Meet new people, network, get out there. Bangkok and its commu- and very productive. We have been growing Chinese kale, celery, tomatoes, nity has a lot to offer, but it is only apparent by getting out and sometimes basil, cucumbers, sweet gourds, salad lettuce, mustard lettuce and Chinese getting rained on. A phrase I have used a lot since coming to Bangkok has baby bok choy. We are still experimenting and planting new varieties. It is been “This too shall pass.“ Plan for the upside and manage the downside of relaxing and very rewarding. We have also been eating delicious fish, tilapia (pla nin). success. Surrender to your hard work – nothing is left undone. Taking it even further, we capture our own rainwater to use for the system as the water evaporates. We also recently took the garden off-grid with a hybrid solar panel and wind turbine renewable energy configuration at only 2.4 kW. Now the entire garden is producing food off-grid. This is just a demonstration of what is possible with aquaponics. This is the only system of its design and scale in Thailand, and possibly one of the only of its kind in SE Asia. I want to share the possibilities with the world as to what we can do with this technology. It feels very empowering to be self sufficient in this way, producing your own food and electricity. You can take it as far as you like. It is a great hobby and a real joy being able to go to the garden and cook the food that was just picked minutes ago. We feed the vegetable scraps to our worm farm, which later make delicious snacks for the fish. Nothing is wasted in this system, everything is used. In this sense, it saves trash from going to landfills and being dumped in streams. Nature really does have an answer for everything. To see the entire story and pictures of the garden from Day 1 to now, go to www.facebook.com/aquaponicsthailand
20 bangkok trader APRIL 2013
Networking
Head over to www.facebook.com/bangkoktrader to check out all the pix from the great time we had at Jameson’s on Silom at the Holiday Inn!
bangkok trader APRIL 2013 21
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freeclassifieds@thebangkoktrader.com Maximum 75 words. Listings run as space allows or until cancelled. HOUSE FOR RENT in Pravet at Lalin Green Ville, 5min to airport link Ban-Tap-Chang station. 200 sqm, 3 BR, 3 LR, 2 Kitchens (thai & farang), fully furnished (dishwasher, washing machine, oven, cutlery, bed sheets, internet access, UBC dish). near clubhouse / swimming pool. rent: 38’000 month, long term negotiable. call Khun Gae: 081 643-2834 (C)
FURNISHED ROOM – with free HS Internet (Ploenchit townhouse) for rent. Bht 8,800. It’s located in the heart of city. Size 25 sqm. 5 mins walking from BTS skytrain station & close to embassies & expressway, easy to go anywhere you wish in Bangkok near all famous shopping malls / super markets/fitness. To view the room please call to make an appointment first. Tel 081 ONE BEDROOM FF 60m/sq condo for rent, 926 9198. e-mail to: pasharees@yahoo.com (C) located near the Queen Sirikit MRT, priced NATIVE ENGLISH teachers wanted – Volunteer at 15,000 baht per month. Has a good sized (no pay) during Mar 11-15 10.00-12.00 a.m. balcony, open views, is light and bright with Dedicated Christian. Teach pronunciation, onsite facilities including a gym, pool, snooker, conversation to grade 1-6 students. Can table tennis free wi-fi in the common area, come any day you are free. U.S., Bristish, NZ, reading room and a basketball area. One year Australian, European o.k. if your accent is clear. Teaching place is nearby MRT Hua Lam Pong lease required. Phone 08 7812 6893 (D) Railway Station. Please response to: welcome. STAFF WANTED – Sales Executives required for volunteers@yahoo.com (C) Sports Marketing Company, monthly salary and commission structure. Ability to speak Thai and SOI AREE CONDO FOR SALE – 42 sqm. Large English is a must. Male or Female. Please send studio high floor 800m. To Aree BTS quiet place fully furnished, 600 m to expressway, near villa your CV urgently to simon@9active.com (D) supermarket, hospital very convenience to go MODERN CONDO FOR RENT, sell on the 8 floor, conyact zing 0875129512. (C) corner 60.23 sq.m, LPN village Cultural Center, living room, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, LAND FOR SALE – Wang Noi District, Aduthaya 2 balconys, furnished in modern and light / fresh Province 49 Rai or 20 Acre. This area were style rent only THB18,000 per month. For sale safe from 2011 big flood! Good for factory or 3.6 million Swimming pool, sauna, fitness. Close compound? Even farm. Special price 49 million to MRT and Central. Contact Joe 0814506621, baht or make and offer. Call 086-34-777-98 Elizabeth (C) 0898705009 (D) FACE + CROWD GROUP – international STUDIO at sukhumvit soi 18 for rent very nice soi communication, events and motorsport marketing, 15000 bath please call 087 800 9370. (D)
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FOR SALE, complete homebrew outfit, baht 94 SQM duplex at sukhumvit soi 13 very nice two 15,000. Email mactbkk3@gmail.com for listing of bedrooms two bath for rent very good price call items. (C) 0878009370 (D) MODERN CONDO FOR RENT, sell. On the 8 floor, corner. 60.23 sq.m, L P N village Cultural Center, PART TIME JOB possibility to earn 10 000 to 50 living room, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, 000 THB/month www.job4betterlife.com (D) 2 balconys, furnished in modern and light / fresh SATHORN SOI 1 condo for sale or rent. 2 bed 2 style rent only THB 18,000 per month. For sale bath, 105 m. Quiet convenient location giving 3.6 million. Swimming pool, sauna, fitness. Close easy access to Silom and sukhumvit. Public to MRT and Central. Contact Joe 0814506621, transport close by. Perfect location 50000 baht per month. Contact Damien 0859667898 (D) 0898705009 (D)
FACTORY AND LAND FOR SALE in Na Yai Arm (between Klaeng & Chanthaburi). land size: 8 rai, factory bldg 555 sqm + warehouse bldg & workers house. five covered car parks & two loading bays for container trailers. Bell survey 08: 15,6 Mio Bht, sales price today around 9,9 Mio Bht Tel: Khun Gae: 081/643-2834 (C)
THB 2,000 SEES YOU picked up in the morning, taken to a market to shop for ingredients, then to a typical Thai home in a typical Bangkok ‘muubaan’ (gated community) to cook, have lunch and savour the atmosphere before you are chauffered back to your destination. E-mail reservations only to sumaetp@gmail.com (C)
CONDO FOR SALE – 80 sqm,in Sukhumvit soi 11. Balcony, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, livingroom, open kitchen, 21 floor, nice view, furnished, pool, jim room, aircon, excellent location. Tel:0819265544. Mail:idit@irpc.net (C)
CONDO FOR SALE – 96 sqm, in sukhumvit soi 11, balcony, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, livingroom, open kitchen, 21 floor, nice view, furnished, pool, jim room, aircon. Tel: 0819265544. Mail: idit@ irpc.net (C)
A CROSS trainer exercise machine for sale 9,000 bath brand new. Mobile 086-537-2557 Naree (D) “HELLO MY BIG BIG HONEY!” Love Letters to Bangkok Bar Girls and Their Revealing Interviews, is now an e-book. This non-fiction book of investigative journalism -- a best-seller in Thailand -- makes a wild and fascinating souvenir, gift, or lesson for anyone who wants to know about falling in love. www.asia-correspondent. tumblr.com displays links to Amazon, plus the book’s exhibition in London’s Tate Gallery, and a free 7,500 word excerpt. (D)
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SHIPPING CONTAINERS going to the U.K March- BANGKOK JUDO at Boxer Rebellion Gym in April 2013. Have room for anything legal call as Silom. Classes are Tues and Thurs at 6pm Gi soon as possible for info. 0814906275. John. (B) and Sat morning at 1030am No Gi. Classes DINING ROOM SET – Great deal, moving sale. are in English by a Native English Speaker. Teakwood black octagonal dining table (170cm All levels welcomed. Please visit the web-site width) with glass top. Includes 6 teakwood chairs for more details boxer-rebellion.net or email with green vinyl seats. All seats have dark red full boxingfitbkk@yahoo.com (D) dust covers. Very good condition. Pictures available APT IN SUKHUMVIT SOI 11 for rent. 2 bedroom on request. 15,000 THB. Call or SMS Jim 081-823- + 1 study room, 2 bathrooms, 118 sqm. F/F open kitchen bright on 9th fl. 42’ LCD TV & DVD player. 4599. (D) Rent: 33,000 baht / month. Call: 081-3070618 Lee (D) 50 SECOND-HAND books of historical stories and biographies of the 20th Century for sale very 2 ROOMS: 5F / 2 STANDARD ROOMS. It has reasonable prices and most in excellent once 99 and 100 sq.m and price in 2,970,000 baht read condition please contact nigelinseychelles@ and 3,000,000 baht. Thana City, Bangna KM 12 (back door) and KM 15 (front door), Bang pee, gmail.com tel.0830440505 (D) Samut Prakarn (near the airport), (if sales both CHEAP LUXURIOUS CONDO FOR RENT - 64m2, of them at the same time then price in 5 million 1 big bedroom, 1 living room and 1 bathroom baht). WhatApp & LINE: 0882020005; SMS & call: with tub. Fully furnished. Big swimming pool 0844515724 (D) view, fittness, and children playground. 5 minute walk to Phoyothin MRT. 5 minute walk to Union TAI CHI FOR HEALING – 10 lesson intensive Mall and Big C. 12,000 Baht/month. Call Maggie: foundation course in ancient Laojia 9 form. Covers all basics of tai chi. Saturdays and Sundays 0818395159 Line (C) in March from 1-3pm. Course will be certificated. 120MSQ two bedroom, fully furnished condo Aim is to boost health of all participants in just in the Phrom Phong area now for rent @ 45,000 one month. Peter Jenkinson is member of baht a month. Is situated on a high floor. Has a 20th Generation Chen Tai Chi Master Liu Yong large living area, master bedroom with en-suite International Association. Lessons to be held at and a king size bed. Very good facilities including Piyavan Tower, next to Ari station. Call Peter 086 a squash court, swimming pool, sauna and well 0144050 or www.chentaichithailand.com (C) equipped gym. To inquire further please phone J BAR GUESTHOUSE, Fisherman’s Den 17-metre on 08 7812 6893 (D) charter fishing boat, Same expate owner 12 yrs, TUTORING FOR ENGLISH-SPEAKING students. great lifestyle and money earner. main street Elementary school: all subjects (Mathematics, frontage modern building retireing due to English, Science. High school: English, Geography, health going concern $60,000 US 1,800,000 baht, History. University, College: English (all faculties), contact Brian nzbrian@live.co.uk (C) English as an Additional Language, Business English, RENTS & SALES 14 traditional classic rooms: Essay and thesis assistance / editing. Lessons by started 132.24 sq.m to 284 sq.m, price in 66,000 Australian teacher (post-graduate degree, diploma Baht per sq.m to 84,000 Baht per sq.m (cheaper and certificate in teaching and remediation). Also: than Thonglor area), in Royal Castle at Sukhumvit Learning Difficulties, Life Counseling. No charge for soi 39 (BTS close Emporium). Also sales new travel within 1 km of a BTS or MRT station). Phone BMW series 7, 730Li Black / White normal price in 083 062 2459 email geofffree@hotmail.com (D) 7,299,000 baht now pay in credit discount 5% if STUDY THAI with an experiences teacher. Strick buy by cash discount 500,000 baht. Whats App & and patient. Give me a try I will not disappoint LINE: 0882020005, SMS & Call in: 0844515723. (D) you. Free 1hour trial lesson. Tel: 087-9044-683 or DESIGN THE WEBSITE – from only 8000 baht. 088-6742-975 (D) area of the website from 1 gb or more. There are RENT A MOTORBIKE Bangkok Rent a Yamaha no hidden costs. Contract sales 0814031386 or Fino automatic in Bangkok for as little as 250 bht jack@sailian.com or www.sailian.com (D) per day 1500 bht per week 3000 bht per month all NEED BEER COASTERS? Check out my website that is required is bring your passport and a small www.franz-printing.com (C) deposit. Great for expats or teachers. We speak TOWN HOME / HOME OFFICE – 160 sq.m. 10 English 0911051009 (D) min from BTS Mochit, MRT Bang Sue just next to SMALL 3BR partly furnished house in the Asoke expressway very convenient. High end developer area for rent. Has a front court yard, bedrooms by Asian Property quick sale 0815633737 (C) are upstairs, there is a kitchen with an oven, a LOFT APARTMENTS, Sukhumvit area. maids quarters or storage area, is okay to have Remodelled shophouses (12) along Sukhumvit: a small pet and near by is the Thursday market Ekamai to Udomsuk BTS stations. Country Thai and a park. Just 35,000 baht per month. A rarely antique furnishings plus modern aircon, bath, available private residence. Phone Tai on 08 kitchen, internet. 15,000-30,000 bpm, safe Thai 0061 1054 (D) neighborhoods. Perfect for artists. teachers, FILIPINO OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR – Our NGO, home office folks who don’t care for condo company is in search of a good Filipino Office living and want to enjoy the real Thailand. One Administrator who can work full-time in R.C.A., year lease. Openings every month or two. If Rama 9 Road. For interested applicants e-mail this style of living interests you please visit your resume to uie2005@gmail.com (C) villageinthecity.com for photos, availability. (D)
IMMO DE BANGKOK CO., LTD – real estate agency – welcome to Immodebangkok. If you want to sell, rent or buy condominium, we can help you to reach your objective. Just visit to our website: www.immodebangkok.com or call us: Khun Kay: +66 081-825 4363 (D) ENGLISH LESSONS by Australian teacher (degree, diploma and certificate in teaching). With 40 years’ experience, I guarantee success. Conversation, Reading, Writing, Grammar, Vocabulary, Spelling. Adults or children. Discount price until 31 March 2013: THB 500 per hour (no charge for travel to coffee shop / home / office within 1 km of a BTS or MRT station). Phone 083 062 2459 email geofffree@hotmail.com (D) APT FOR RENT ON THE 27TH FLOOR of Asoke Place. 60 sq m one bedroom, one bathroom and one living room cum kitchen. 32000 baht per month. See for yourself at www.transum.org/ Asoke. Great view (C) LEARN THAI@TEACHCHA – special price! Only 100+ per hr 5900 bt per 30 hr 3 hr every Sunday in group or private only 15-19 AUD! At Teachcha Center Khoasarn, your office or online. Speak Thai properly. Thai culture, business, study, daily life. Read and write Thai, mix consonants and vowel, interview. Free worksheets, program presentations. More detail on www.teachcha. com, fb tisha.tutor@gmail.com 0870853455 (D) 8 ROOMS: 3F / 2 SMALL ROOMS, 5F / 1 big room and 5 small rooms. Small room has 32 sq.m and price in 780,000 baht. Big room has 38 sq.m and price in 840,000 baht. Grand Palace condominium, Ramkhamheang soi 65 (Soi Mahathai), Hua mark, Bangkok (if sales all at the same time then price in 5,820,000 baht). WhatApp & LINE: 0882020005; SMS & call: 0844515724 (D) APARTMENT RENTAL at dlv thong lor 20, 2nd floor, fully furnished, 55.11 sqm, 12 mts contract, rental abt 28,000 / month. (negotiable). room is available from now onwards. for more information pls contact: jeetu – 0897996909 (C) RENT NICE 1 BED condo at BLOCS 77 (Onnut BTS) – for rent in brand new condominium, located at Onnut area. 1 bed, 40 sqm, unblocked view rental price: 18000 / month. More details, please call khun Kay: 081-825 4363 or visit our www.immodebangkok.com (D) EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL GRAPHIC and book/magazine designer for print and web. I can create a professional looking identity, look, or brand for your business needs. Contact AU. (‘oo’) at au.laphat.rada@gmail.com or call 089 229 4416. (D)
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GOLF PUTTERS – Brand New Prokennex golf putters – Left or right handed, ex promotional items, never used, retail at Central for approximately Bt3,800. For sale at Bt750 each. Photographs available. Contact Andy: 0808149080 or email to anhyde@gmail.com ♣♣♣♣♣♣♣♣ (D)