Pattaya Mail - FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7 - FEBRUARY 20, 2020 (Vol. XXVIII No. 3) by Pattaya Mail Media Group

Established in 1993

VOL.XXVIII No. 3

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7 - FEBRUARY 20, 2020

30 BAHT

Plans to boost Thai tourism won’t benefit deserted Pattaya beer bars

Pattaya tourism officials said they plan to boost efforts to attract Thai tourists to offset the loss of Chinese tour groups due to the Chinese coronavirus scare and Beijing’s imposition of a ban on overseas tour groups, but that’s not going to help complaining beer bar owners. Some Soi 7 and Soi 8 bar owners are estimating business is down 70 percent. (Full story on page 2)

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PATTAYA MAIL

Face masks being distributed at Bali Hai

Police officers and volunteers distribute face masks to people at Bali Hai pier.

The officials also gave guidance and advice to the people on ways to protect

themselves from the dangers of contracting any airborne and communicable diseases.

Plans to boost Thai tourism won’t benefit deserted Pattaya beer bars Jetsada Homklin Pattaya tourism officials said they plan to boost efforts to attract Thai tourists to offset the loss of Chinese tour groups, but that’s not going to help complaining beer bar owners. Pattaya Business & Tourism Association President Ekasit Ngampichet said Soi 7 and Soi 8 bar owners, in particular, were moaning about a dearth of western

and Asian customers, with some estimating business is down 70 percent. Bar owners are attributing the plunge in business to fear over the Chinese coronavirus and Beijing’s imposition of a ban on overseas tour groups. Some said many bar hostesses have been forced to find other jobs. In response, Ekasit said business leaders and the Tourism Authority of Thailand are brainstorming ideas

to increase the number of Thai tourists, even though they don’t visit the city’s tourist bars. Some efforts also will be made to increase marketing to India, he added. Pattaya attracted 18 million visitors in 2019, although half of those were Thai. Chinese tourists accounted for 2.5 million of the other 9 million, followed by Indians, Russians and South Koreans.

Naklua detours set for roadwork PCPR Detours have been set up to alleviate traffic congestion caused by new construction on Naklua Road. Pattaya Deputy Mayor Banlue Kullavanijaya and city engineers surveyed the start of construction of wastewater-collection pipes and rainwater drainage from the Numchai intersection to Banglamung Post Office. Roadwork began Jan. 27 with no completion date estimated. Naklua Road is not closed, however, with only lanes intermittently closed, but enough to cause congestion. Drivers coming from Lan Po Market toward Sawangfah Road must turn left on to Amorn Market Road.

Makha Bucha Day celebrated February 8 Banks, offices, bars will be closed Monday, Feb. 10

Jetsada Homklin Recent news regarding the outbreak of the novel corona virus in China and the fear of it spreading to other countries is causing quite a concern for residents and tourists here in Pattaya too. In a show of caring and help in prevention, the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya in cooperation with the all departments of the police in Pattaya and Chonburi, together with the Pattaya Public Health Section distributed face masks to residents and tourists on and around the Bali Hai pier.

VOL. XXVIII No. 3

Pattaya Deputy Mayor Banlue Kullavanijaya and city engineers survey the start of construction of wastewater-collection pipes and rainwater drainage from the Numchai intersection to Banglamung Post Office.

Those coming the other direction from Sukhumvit can proceed to the Numchai intersection before turning. Those headed to Lan Po

Market must turn right on to Sawangfah Soi 2. Those going the other way must turn left onto Sawangfah Soi 3 or Soi 5.

This year, Makha Bucha Day (Buddhist All Saints Day) falls on Saturday, February 8. Since it falls on a Saturday, the official Thai holiday will be observed on Monday, February 10, when government offices, banks and many businesses will be closed. This holy day commemorates the miraculous event when 1,250 disciples of the Buddha, Gautama Sakayamuni, traveled to meet with the Buddha with no prearranged agreement, at Weluwan Mahawiharn Temple in the area of Rachakhryha, India. Devout Buddhists are expected to turn out in the thousands at local temples to conduct religious ceremonies. Since this is one of the major Buddhist holidays, it is against the law for businesses to distribute alcohol

Worshippers line up to make merit at Wat Chaimongkol during last year’s holiday.

from midnight Friday night, February 7 to midnight Saturday night, February 8. This includes bars and restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, department stores, and community retail

stores. An amendment to the decree exempts hotels from the ban. Those caught breaking the law can face up to six months in jail and fines up to 10,000 baht.

City to expand medical care services for residents and tourists Jetsada Homklin For many years the city fathers had deep concerns for the safety and well-being of tourists and residents, whether it be on land, in the air, or at sea. In cases involving accidents and/or other medical emergencies, the city relied on rescue units from the various foundations in Banglamung and Pattaya City, including ambulances and first responders from the local hospitals, to rush to the scene of the incident to tend to the injured and perform life-saving treatment on the critically injured. These measures proved to be quite effective and worked out quite well. But to keep up with the times and to consider other ways of not only providing information to the people for their own safety and protection, but also to give medical treatment in the fastest possible way, a meeting was held at Pattaya City Hall Jan 21 to explore other

Pattaya City and Bangkok Hospital Pattaya have agreed to jointly provide medical care to visitors and residents in Pattaya and on Koh Larn.

avenues of providing medical services. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and attended by Jutaporn Huyakorn, Director of Business and Foreign Affairs of the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, heads of governmental departments, and representatives of related organizations and agencies. At the conclusion of fruitful discussions, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

was signed between city hall and BHP, whereby both parties agreed to cooperate in providing medical services for residents and tourists in Pattaya and on Koh Larn. Both organizations promised to work together to provide basic knowledge in safety and first aid, including life-saving techniques, and in all emergency cases to respond as quickly as possible, to give medical help to those in need.

VOL. XXVIII No. 3

PATTAYA MAIL

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2020 3

4,000 U.S. sailors to hit Pattaya for Cobra Gold PCPR

Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh welcomes Trevor Moss, the US Embassy’s assistant attaché for the U.S. Navy’s Force Protection Detachment.

The American Embassy has begun preparing for the 2020 edition of the Cobra Gold military exercise by reviewing security measures protecting the 4,000 sailors expected to arrive in Pattaya next month. Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh welcomed Trevor Moss, the embassy’s assistant attaché for the U.S. Navy’s Force Protection Detachment Jan. 22. FPD is responsible the security of

Facebook posts claiming coronavirus in Pattaya ‘fake news’, Banglamung says Boonlua Chatree Area officials urged both tourists and residents not to panic over the Chinese coronavirus as no cases have been reported in Pattaya. Banglamung District Chief Amnart Charoensri and district health chief Sompol Jittireungkiat told the media Jan. 27 that social media posts claiming that three cases of the potentially deadly virus had been reported in Pattaya were false. He urged the public not to post rumors and spread fake

news. The only true authority on the virus is the local government, he said, not Facebook. Sompol said the district and Pattaya City Hall are both on high alert and remaining vigilant. The three people mentioned in the social media posts were tested and found to be virus-free, he said. Banglamung District Chief Amnart Charoensri (left) and district health chief Sompol Jittireungkiat (right) told the media that, so far, no cases of the Chinese coronavirus have been reported in Pattaya.

U.S. forces participating in military exercises abroad. Mayoral secretary Phumpipat Kamolnart and City Manager Teerasak Jatupong briefed Moss on city hall, Tourist Police and Pattaya Police deployments and led

him on a tour of Pattaya’s CCTV operations center and the 1337 Call Center. Cobra Gold takes place for the 39th year from Feb. 24 to March 6 with 4,000 U.S. personnel, three navy ships and one commercial vessel. (PCPR)

sponsored by

Massic Travel

Across Water ahoy The area’s Sak Nak Hong and Mabprachan reservoirs are at their lowest levels for about 12 years. But the annual Songkran water throwing jamboree is to be held as usual. City authorities are gambling the rains will be early this year. Let’s hope they are right.

Bags versus trolleys Desperate customers, denied one-time-use plastic bags at supermarket checkouts, are apparently not returning all those wire baskets and trolleys as they struggle home with armloads of foodstuffs and other goods. Surely, the idea of banning plastic bags was to save the environment rather than to create chaos.

Cheeky customers Four Russians caused a violent stir in a South Pattaya club when they asked the bartender for glasses to drink their bottled beers. Only problem was that they had bought their booze in the local 7/11 and had decided to enjoy them in air-conditioned comfort nearby. The inevitable fight ensued. Buy one and get one free?

Rare mail ordering Lazada, the closest thing Thailand has to Amazon, is proving immensely popular here. We hear that some really obscure items can be ordered online, especially from China. These include artificial dog whistles for those who can’t summon their pets and bald wigs for men who are ashamed of their curly locks. Now we know why Kerry’s same-day transport fleet is so busy.

Carry on digging It’s no surprise that parts of the city are once again being dug up. For the past 20 years, there has never been a public reprieve longer than six months. Amongst the many reasons for traffic chaos given over the decades have been road improvements, underground cables, drainage systems, electricity issues and delivering sand.

Currency concerns Everyone knows about the strength of the baht and the weakness of foreign currencies, especially the UK pound and the Aussie dollar. But we hear that some clearing banks are taking an extra cut on international money transfers. One resident told us that the street exchange booths are lately giving a better rate for cash than the clearing banks receiving transfers from abroad.

Looking before shaking It may have caught your eye that many Pattaya restaurants provide table salt in a small pot with several holes whilst pepper is found in the one with a single puncture. The public concern is that it’s the other way round in Europe. Keyboard warriors on the internet are worried the situation is leading to excessively spiced food in eateries and a potential shortage of the stuff in the shops. This is Thailand (TIT).

1 Nearly (6) 4 Tenet (6) 8 Travel by car (5) 9 One who shoes horses (7) 10 Provider of refreshments (7) 11 Express in speech (5) 12 Remiss (9) 17 Steed (5) 19 Throw away (7) 21 Advantageous purchase (7) 22 Gangway (5) 23 Concurred (6) 24 Recluse (6)

Down 1 Junkie (6) 2 Make damp (7) 3 Take an oath (5) 5 On the way (2,5) 6 Imbecile (5) 7 Uproar (6) 9 Proscribed (9) 13 Hand-thrown shell (7) 14 Horizontal beam (7) 15 Morbid fear (6) 16 Period before Christmas (6) 18 Less common (5) 20 Shiver (5)

Last week’s answers Across: 1 Like, 3 Vicarage, 9 Amazons, 10 Named, 11 Fleet, 12 Nylons, 14 Outset, 16 Hawaii, 19 Rouble, 21 Lease, 24 Rigid, 25 Bazooka, 26 Motherly, 27 Ante. Down: 1 Leapfrog, 2 Knave, 4 Insane, 5 Annul, 6 Ammonia, 7 Eddy, 8 Bottle, 13 Literate, 15 Thought, 17 Ablaze, 18 Verbal, 20 Budge, 22 Adorn, 23 Trim.

Ten-Minute Sudoku An easy Sudoku puzzle that should not take long to complete. The rules of Sudoku are simple. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Each row must contain one of each digit. So must each column and each 3x3 box. Answer next week.

Last week’s answers:

No. 273

Death penalty A reader asks if the death penalty has been abolished in Thailand. No, but it has been used only in seven cases since lethal injection replaced machine-gunning as the execution mode in 2003. However, there are over 500 people on death row in Bangkok. The rumour is that most legislators are abolitionists, but the majority of the general public is not.

Paying for rubbish Over a year ago, thousands of Pattaya homes received a circular from City Hall asking that payment for black bag removal be made in future by banker’s order or by a personal visit. Apparently, the former system of sending people round to your home with a receipt book and a collecting tin has been abandoned. But nobody we know has been asked yet to contribute cash for this service in 2020. Odd indeed.

Big improvement On the subject of refuse collection, most residents would agree that the present company Eastern Green has done a much better job than its predecessor in keeping the streets somewhat cleaner than they used to be. A new competitive tendering contract, worth nearly one billion baht, is set for April this year. Eastern Green with its new vehicles and smart uniforms for personnel has set a good standard. Let’s hope it wins the race.

Answers next week.

VOL. XXVIII No. 3

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2020

PATTAYA MAIL

Your new camera

I have never properly embraced the social media. I really don’t care what you ate for breakfast and I’m not into hugs all round. And as for “Amen”, I find it insulting at best and silly at worst. However, there is one area where it is very difficult to beat what the social media provide – and that is instant access to people’s opinions. I use the analogy of buying a car. Many years ago I was in the market for a second hand Mazda RX7. These were the days BFB (Before Face Book) and I was looking for a way to canvas opinions by the owners of such vehicles. Every time I saw one parked at the side of the road, with less than

30 minutes on the meter, I would wait and when the owner arrived I would ask him whether it was a good car or otherwise. The vast majority were very happy with their RX7, so I bought one and became very happy with mine too. So what has that got to do with your choice of camera? A lot. Now you can go online asking for opinions on the latest DSLR and within 24 hours you will have your answer, or what the majority thinks. This is more truthful than the sales spiel from the camera shop counter jumper. However, before you even get to that stage you should be looking at what type of camera you should be buying for your type of photography. I read a most interesting piece of research which came from the Sony people. According to the Sony survey, 72 percent of DSLR buyers use their cameras to “capture family memories and for fun.” A Box Brownie will do that.

Dearest Hillary, I went to your office this week with a bottle of plonk and all, to be told by your staff that you don’t work there anymore. Tell me this isn’t true. You are the only reason I buy the paper. And what about all the expats that you keep from throwing themselves off tall buildings (though I do say you have let a few slip through last year)? Please don’t go. On behalf of the troubled people please stay. James Dear James, You didn’t leave the wine, did you? You should know I don’t drink ‘plonk’, nothing short of a good French champagne please (though I have been known to take the odd glass of prosecco). Not much I can do about the Icarus jumping club without parachute. If you have some depressed friends, take them to see a psychiatrist. And I am not your “dearest” either. Dear Hillary, How are all your old whingers today? Every week there seems to be another expat who has been ripped off. With their blushing 17 year old ‘bride’ hanging on their arm all the way to the ATM and then off to the village until the money from the hole in the wall runs out. Don’t they ever learn? Or perhaps you should run classes for expats on how to avoid the bar girl trap? But I don’t think the depressed folk would attend lectures, do you? Art Dear Art, Why don’t you write the Bar Girl’s Manual and follow that up with the Bar Beer Drinkers Assistant? This way these two books would help the drinkers to understand

Also, the greatest spur to buying a camera at a specific time is an imminent trip. These people are not going to do a crash course in serious photography before they take off, so the requirement of competent, fully automatic mode is reasonable. And wanting to get the best possible images is understandable. Then there is weight. Who wants to lug a conspicuous brick around Venice when a small compact system camera will do the job? The compact camera section of the marketplace is certainly the most volatile. As Sony found, only 28 percent of camera buyers are going to go for the all-singing, alldancing DSLR cameras. One of the problems when comparing cameras with cameras is people tend to read the magic number called megapixels and conclude that it is the deciding parameter between brilliant, good and not so good. 24 megapixels is better than 12 which in turn better is than 4.

Box Brownie.

Whilst the above is partly true, it really does depend upon what you want to do with the end result. Are you going to be blowing it up to the size of a barn door, or will it be a 4R (6x4) at most? If you have been hired to produce photographs for billboards, then look at a camera with megapixels coming out

what the bar girl is thinking and what the drinker is thinking. (Not much beyond the end of his pencil (sorry about the poor spelling) I would suggest. Your “old whingers” come to Thailand because they are unhappy in their own native country, and nothing will cheer them up in the long term, but at least they get a short term lift from the “bride”. Dear Hillary, I have had a jokey type relationship with my hairdresser for about six months. Last week she made it clear (I thought) that she would be interested in a little after hours fun, and we ended up with some slap and tickle in the back of the salon, nothing too deep, just what you’d call petting. I dropped by today with the idea of floating the idea of her closing the shop for an hour or two one afternoon, but she was not even in for a bit of a cuddle, so I did not pursue the idea. What gives with these Thai women, Hillary? I’ve had this before with lots of sexy suggestions, but then backing out at the last minute. Is this the way their culture demands or what? And should I keep trying with this dame? Jo-Jo Dear Jo-Jo, My Petal, you have mistaken harmless fun with the real thing. Your hairdresser is just trying to keep you as a customer. A little snog every so often does not mean that she is ready for a roll between the covers at the local Lonely Hearts Club Scissors Hotel, room by the hour. Don’t get so

its strap swivels. Otherwise, anything from six to 10 MP is more than adequate. So what should you be looking for when buying a camera these (electronic) days? To start with, a fast autofocus. Instant zip-zip, not “pause for a second while I get myself ready and then zip”.

I also recommend inbuilt image stabilization. So many photographs are spoiled by camera movement producing ‘soft’ images that can be overcome with image stabilization electronics. And as a further small advantage, these types of systems are particularly good for the senior citizen photographer. You should also look at the shutter speeds the camera is capable of. 1/2000th of a second should stop a railway train (in Thailand, not in Japan) and be sufficient for 99 percent of action photography. It is also advantageous if any proposed camera has a time exposure setting so you can take photographs at night, including fireworks. Sony’s advice is right: if you are not serious about getting to grips with the functions of a DSLR then don’t buy one. On the other hand, if you are deadly serious about your photography, don’t buy anything else. And see what other photographers think.

serious with these ladies, they are just having some fun with you, but that’s all. If you are only looking for short term rumpy pumpy company then a Bar Beer, rather than a Barber, is where you go. Understand now? Dear Hillary, Can you have a test for compatibility with curry? The GF loves Indian food but I can’t take the heat. She’s from the north so has eaten spicy food all her life while I come from England and we don’t eat spicy food at all. She wants me to share the food with her so we get about four dishes and I struggle with one while she gobbles three. End result is she’s put on 10 kg while I’ve lost 2 kg. The previous GF was the same, but don’t tell me to choose from a western woman instead of a Thai lady. What to do next? Jeremy Dear Jeremy, The local ladies spicing up your life a little too much? You won’t get the GF’s to change – they’ve been eating chillis all their lives, as you point out. There’s an old English phrase “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” so that’s what you have to do. And here is Hillary to tell you how it is done. Watch a Thai cook making something in the wok. What does she spread over the food? Sugar. The degree of spiciness is altered by the sugar. So as soon as your mouth is on fire, take one teaspoon of sugar and sprinkle on your tongue. Within one minute the fire will be manageable. Carry those little sachets you get in the coffee shops.

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Rugby School Thailand: where the ‘whole person’ is the whole point Since opening in September 2017, Rugby School Thailand has gained huge popularity within Thailand’s international school offering, increasing from 120 to almost 700 students currently. This growth is testament to the school’s unique offering, which centres around the mantra: ‘the whole person, the whole point’. This mantra (also intrinsic to the school’s prestigious 453-year-old parent school, Rugby UK) gives children a holistic education, whilst never losing sight of academic excellence. Rugby School students reap the benefits of the British private school model, where they have smaller classes and longer school days. There is a strong academic focus until 3.15pm each day, when this is set aside in favour of children enjoying sports and an array of co-curricular activities. The variety of opportunity ensures students are constantly exposed to new ideas and always pushing themselves in different areas. From the age of 2-18, Rugby School Thailand will nurture your child’s development and draw the best from each individual. In PrePrep this is about instilling that early love of learning, as the children explore through

play. In Prep the pupils start to have subject-specific teachers and prepare for school exams, but over 70 co-curricular activities each term also gives them the fun of exploring and discovering different passions. The Senior School and Sixth Form are about refining subject choices for achieving the best in IGCSE and A Level examinations, whilst preparing students for life after school. From Year 3 onwards children can board, becoming part of a unique ‘family of friends’. Boarding life at Rugby is happy and fulfilling, reducing commute time and increasing time for study, hobbies and relaxation. It is also one of the best ways to prepare older children for university life. Discover the school for yourself at one of the

forthcoming open events. Sixth Form Open Evening: Monday 24th February, from 6.30pm. Register at https:// www.rugbyschool.ac.th/ sixthformevening/ Whole school Open Morning: Friday 13th March, from 9.30am-12pm. Register at https://www.rugbyschool .ac.th/openmorning/ Boarding taster nights (complimentary nights for prospective and existing Senior students): bookings on request, please contact admissions@rugbyschool.ac.th Rugby School Thailand is a co-educational, boarding and day, British international school for 2-18 yearolds. It follows the British curriculum with students taking IGCSE, AS & A level examinations. For more information on the school visit www. rugbyschool.ac.th

VOL. XXVIII No. 3

Trekking through the jungle

Last but not least, the green team.

Derek Franklin The much depleted Lake Mabprachan was the location for the first, and hopefully annual, trek through the jungle by the students from the Father Ray School for Children with Special Needs. It was a hot Friday morning when they set off in teams, most wearing their

Scout uniform, and with the instructions to follow their leader, work as a group and do not wander off alone. Starting at five minute intervals, the students walked along the viaduct, watching the fishermen and the rowers on the lake which is desperately short of water. The jungle the children were told they were entering

The yellow team ready to move on.

is more like a small forest, lots of trees, dirt tracks and stray dogs, lots of them. Entering the jungle they arrived at stations where they were expected to complete tasks, earning points along the way, and as usual points win prizes. It was a very hot morning, but no matter how high the temperature rose the children kept smiling, urging each other to walk faster, cheer louder, work harder and don’t sit down and sleep, which is what a few of the younger children did as soon as they got the chance. It is amazing to think that before coming to the school most of these children had never had the chance to receive an education, most stayed at home watching television. Now they are learning, make friends, having fun and trekking through the dangerous jungles of Pattaya.

Avani awards 300,000 baht Applications open for HGM educational scholarships in scholarships

The Avani Pattaya Resort & Spa and Heinecke Foundation awarded scholarships to 63 Pattaya students and children of hotel employees.

Jetsada Homklin The Avani Pattaya Resort & Spa and Heinecke Foundation awarded scholarships to 63 Pattaya students and children of hotel employees. Terapan Chuaprasert Executive Assistant Manager chaired the Jan. 13 ceremony which saw employees receive 34 scholarships for their kids. Avani also awarded 29 scholarships to schools in Pattaya and Sattahip District. In all, 300,000 baht in stipends were distributed. The event was the 23rd hosted by the foundation

and the Pattaya resort as part of their program to lighten the economic burden

of employees and inspire students to stay in school and excel.

Recipients receive their scholarships at last year’s event. Applications for this year’s HHNFT benefactor Hans Gunther Muller’s scholarships are now open to students graduating ninth grade with grade-point averages of at least 3.0. For more information, call the HGM Education Fund at 095-852-3555.

Jetsada Homklin

Terapan Chuaprasert Executive Assistant Manager distributes the scholarships while an image of founder William H. Heinecke looks on over his shoulder.

The Human Help Network Thailand Foundation’s HGM Education Fund is inviting poor Pattaya-area students with good grades to apply for highereducation scholarships. Pirun Noyimjai, manager the fund created by HHNFT benefactor Hans Gunther Muller, said the scholarships are open to students graduating ninth grade with gradepoint averages of at least 3.0.

The fund distributed more than 500,000 baht in scholarships last year and 380,000 baht in 2018. Applications are now being taken for the 2020 awards, which will be distributed this spring. Those pursuing high school or vocational school degrees will receive 20,000 baht per academic year while those pursuing a high vocational degree will receive 36,000 baht per year. Applicants must be Chonburi residents in or

graduating from ninth grade, have a 3.0 GPA and a letter of recommendation from the school’s principal. Only students with good behavior and, ideally, a certificate recognizing achievements or special abilities. Finally, the applicant’s family must show financial need that prevents students from continuing their education. For more information, call the HGM Education Fund at 095-852-3555.

VOL. XXVIII No. 3

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2020 15

PATTAYA MAIL

Rayong - Island Hopping Getaway Just a short boat ride away from Rayong’s coast lie islets which simply impress visitors with turquoise water and beautiful reefs. Hopping among these islands and spending a few pampered nights in stylish resorts can be a great holiday. For a short getaway in turquoise water and easy beaches, Rayong’s Koh Samet is among the easiest to make your plans come true. Koh Samet houses a number of accommodations in a wide range and facilities to pamper your stay. Its easy beaches and spectacular sights keep visitors lingering longer and longer. Rent a motorbike to scoot around

The Gulf of Thailand – Koh Mak, Trat

If you are looking for a laid-back and peaceful place to spend a weekend getaway or even a bit longer, Koh Mak makes a good choice. Just a short boat ride away from Rayong’s coast lie islets which simply impress visitors with turquoise water and beautiful reefs.

clear water offers an excellent diving opportunity among splendid marine life, including batfish, reef fish, black coral and sea fans. Or climb the viewpoint. If you want to stay in untouched wilderness and spend peaceful days on the beach, Koh Talu is the place to be. The island is unique, featuring a big hole in a rock ledge at the northern end of the island. The island has three bays with pristine beaches and stunning clear water. The far eastern end of Rayong’s sea is Mu Ko Mun, or the Koh Mun Archipelago, which comprises three islands. Besides the

and explore the beach, ride the waves on a jet ski, get a relaxing massage, or spend a modest nightlife on the beach, you can have them all. From Koh Samet, make a day out to explore the adjacent Koh Kudi and the nearby islands. The crystal

Koh Talu is unique, featuring a big hole in a rock ledge at the northern end of the island.

Destination

unspoilt beaches, coral reefs, and easy atmosphere, Koh Mun Nai houses a turtle conservation center established by Queen Sirikit’s royal initiative. The center comprises a museum, breeding area and ponds for turtles of different ages and sizes. Pack your bag, board a boat and hit the beaches. You will know that only a few days in Rayong too short. How to get there: Ban Phe, where boats leave for Rayong’s islands, is southeast of Pattaya via highway 7. There are accommodations on Koh Samet and Koh Talu. (TAT)

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23 kilometers from the bigger island, Koh Chang, it has the best waters for swimming, and it is perfect for lounging or just simply indulging a beautiful sunset. If you want a little bit more adventure, ride a motorcycle to one of those rubber tree plantations and try a firsthand experience of collecting rubber. You can also learn traditional Thai cooking. The classes are fun and flexible, available at your choosing. Public transportation to Koh Mak is limited to a slow wooden boat departing from Ao Nid Pier, which takes about three hours, and is scheduled only on Thursday and Saturday. It returns to the mainland on Monday and Friday. The best way to go and come back is with the locals who are out and about getting their supplies. (TAT)

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If you are looking for a laidback and peaceful place to spend a weekend getaway or even a bit longer, Koh Mak should be one of the first destinations to come to mind. This tropical paradise is a small island of Trat province in the east of the Gulf of Thailand. Named after the area nut (mak), the island became known to the tourism market in 1974 when bungalows were built on the east of the island, and soon the infrastructure was established. In 1987, the first resorts were built. Koh Mak is about 40 kilometers from the mainland and since the island is privately owned, most water activities are regulated so that it is not overrun by noise pollution; however, there are still some activities that you can enjoy. Since it is quite isolated about

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VOL. XXVIII No. 3

Chamber members get sand between the toes by Special Correspondents

Carol Doidge with David Hitchcock of Red Wolf Global.

H.E. Geoff Doidge, South African ambassador with his wife Carol and Berne Lamprecht, MD of ASAP Marine Trading.

Frank Holzer, MD of Anca Sheetmetal with Frederic Brohez, GM of InterContinental Pattaya Resort.

Howard Wu, Head of Marketing & Business Development, Tracey Tweddell, Head of Boarding, and Jeeranut (Bow) Kaewlalai, Marketing Manager represented Bromsgrove International School.

Dr. Iain Corness with his lovely team from the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. Metas Pukmahamad, International Marketing Executive, Janya Rattanaliam, Head of International Marketing Department (Domestic), Wallapha Sawasdikool, Deputy Head of International Marketing Department (Domestic) and Nonlapan Supaporn, International Marketing Officer.

The parking area at the InterContinental was very busy, but the beach area was busier. The combined Chambers of Commerce held their networking evening on the beach, with the major sponsorship coming from Bromsgrove International School. The resort put on a fantastic spread, with excellent food from live cooking stations, including a honeybaked ham. As well as plenty of food, the wines flowed freely and the surprise of the evening was a very pleasant rose from Mont Clair. Yes, Mont Clair! For reds, the Anura wines were also taken in liberal quantities. It was the South AfricanThai Chamber of Commerce’s turn to host the multi-chamber event on behalf of AmCham, AustCham, BCCT, Beluthai, GTCC, NTCC and STCC. The event was on Friday, 17th January and lasted most of the evening. Making sure that everyone was indeed enjoying themselves was principal organizer Graham Macdonald who advised me that he had sent out over 600 emails in preparing for the event. The evening was made even more special by the presence of the South African ambassador, His Excellency Geoff Doidge and his wife Carol. Graham, who was the MC for the event, made a special mention of Frederic Brohez and his staff who were excellent throughout the night. This was the first chamber evening for 2020, and with over 140 networkers, many cards were exchanged during the three hours of the event. Major sponsor Bromsgrove International School had Howard Wu, the school’s Head of Marketing and Business Development, was very busy one on one with many fathers of school age children in attendance. Tracey Tweddell, Head of Boarding at Bromsgrove International School, made a brief speech about how the

Tracey Tweddell, Head of Boarding at Bromsgrove International School.

school looked after their children and what made the school different to others. Another Business Development Manager was Malisa Srihabutr, representing PRTR recruitment. Other recruitment professionals included Napak Dhansiri from RLC and Phongsak (Wynn) from Criterion Asia. Others enjoying themselves included Nui, Tanya Am and Metas from Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, and Thananut Singhathep from Wine Pro. It was almost ‘welcome back’ to Thomas Tapken from Pattana Sport Club, a hotelier who spent many years with the Amari Group in Pattaya. There were many sponsors to thank for the event: ASAP Marine Trading, Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, Boots, Pacific Cross, PPS, Red Wolf Global, WHA, Q Cars and Vinarco, as well as others. All of which had representatives at the event. The South African wine put on was from Anura Vineyards near Paarl in the Western Cape, Siam Winery, Central, Wine Pro and KWV. It is important to note that if it was not for sponsors like the aforementioned then these events would never be held and vital networking opportunities lost. However, as indicated, the main purpose of these events is to network and Berne Lamprecht of ASAP Marine Trading was seen in earnest conversation with Trevor Moolman from Forme Medical Thailand. Jim Howard was there waxing lyrical on how England were going to do in the Six Nations whilst

Frederic Brohez, GM of InterContinental Pattaya Resort with Tracey Tweddell from Bromsgrove International School, and Graham Macdonald representing Macallan Insurance and PKF Eastern Seaboard.

Peter Malhotra, MD Pattaya Mail, Thomas Tapken, MD Pattana Golf Club & Resort and Jack Levi, MD Macallan Brokerage Co., Ltd.

Kavita Lamba, Rodney Charman, Sue Kukarja (Pattaya Mail), and Cees Cuijpers (MD Town & Country Property).

Simon Matthews nodded in agreement. Donna Moolman of Lucy Electric was expounding on the benefits of living on the Eastern Seaboard whilst Kieran Taylor of PKF was explaining why people should get involved with the British Chambers Young Professionals programme. Andrew McBean from PKF was seen talking to Jack Levy of Macallan Insurance, and Andre Coetzee from the Outback Bar was promoting his son’s business Feynlab, which has the latest 21st century technology of how any scratches on a car can ‘cure’ themselves without

the car owner having to spend a fortune at a garage getting repairs done, and leaving it for days on end whilst the problem is fixed. Even this correspondent was impressed. All in all, an excellent evening which seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by all attendees even though they had to battle through horrendous roadworks to get to the event. The next networking evening will be held at Gravity Lounge, 24th Floor, Siam@Siam Pattaya Hotel on Friday, 21st February from 18.30hrs to 21.00hrs.

Sponsors and Chamber representatives at the Combined Chamber of Commerce Networking Evening at the InterContinental Pattaya Resort.

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Riviera Group holds new year merit-making ceremonies Jetsada Homklin

Sukanya Gale together with Sretapol Boonsawad give alms to the Buddhist monks.

The Riviera Group organized a merit making and prayer ceremony to bless their management and staff with good luck and fortune in the new year. This year Sukanya Gale, owner of the Riviera Group, invited 99 monks from various temples in Pattaya to take part in the holy ritual of receiving alms and chanting religious prayers. The Jan 18 ceremonies held at the Riviera Monaco site in Na Jomtien was p r e s i d e d o v e r by Phra Mahasophon Pattawanno of Wat Chaimongkol Temple. Sretapol Boonsawad, former Advisor to Pattaya Mayor, represented the mayor at the merit-making ceremony. During his sermon, the chief monk told the gathering that

Hundreds of Riviera Group employees and their families give alms to the 99 monks.

the new year is a time of new hope. “Let go of the past, with that all your troubles and worries, because if you don’t, it will stay with you, and make you unhappy.”

He said to look forward to making this “new year, a happy and prosperous one for you and your loved ones.” He called upon the power of the Sacred Triple Gems

and all that is holy to protect everyone from harm. He wished them the best of health and to become successful in everything that they do in the new year.

Austin Gale watched over by his mother Sukanya gives alms to the monks.

Riviera staff pray for good health, happiness and prosperity.

The chief abbot blesses the congregation with sacred water.

Centara Grand Mirage donates over 34,000 baht to Pattaya Orphanage

AGM Denis Thouvard helps serve dinner to grateful children.

Public Relations Manager Deta Punchita Rungwimonrut, Public Relations Executive Bena Orawan Thunantha, and Centara Grand Mirage staff take good care of the children.

The Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort donated more than 34,000 baht raised at their Christmas event to the Pattaya Orphanage. Area General Manager Denis Thouvard presented the 34,336.75 baht to Pattaya Orphanage President Rev. Fr. Michael Weera Phangrak January 29, as part of the resort’s ongoing effort to show support for the orphanage and the greater Pattaya community. The money was raised during December’s lighting of the Grand Mirage’s Christmas tree and was part of the resort’s 10th anniversary. Photo opportunities with the Santa Claus, as well as buying ornaments to decorate the giant tree, plus decorating (Right) Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Area General Manager Denis Thouvard, Resident Manager Jari Nielsen and resort staff hand over funds raised at the annual Christmas Tree Lighting in December.

Christmas desserts were offered for 100 baht each, with hundreds of locals and tourists chipping into to help the charity. After the donation, Resident Manager Jari Nielsen and the hotel’s staff joined the activity by handing out toys and treating the children to a sumptuous dinner. Resident Manager Jari Nielsen and staff enjoy helping the children.

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VOL. XXVIII No. 3

Sailing the Seas

Goethe (by James Posselwhite)

When I was a small boy and living on a grey island far, far away, there was a framed print on my bedroom wall which displayed the French text of an old Breton prayer. It included the line ma barque est si petite; votre mer est si grande. At the time, I assumed it meant “My bark is so small; your mother is so big”. I pondered the possible meanings of this Delphic sentence for considerable time until my mother gently explained that in French barque means “boat” and mer means “sea”. The Breton prayer finally made sense.

Only the other day, someone reminded me that the word barque is related to the Italian barca which also gives its name to the musical word barcarole. This was a type of lilting song popular with Venetian gondoliers, the triple metre being vaguely reminiscent of the slow and measured rowing strokes used to propel the boat. The word was sometimes used to describe instrumental music in a similar lilting style. The very mention of boats brings to my mind John Masefield’s short poem, Cargoes which

begins theatrically with the line, “Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir”. And if your maritime history is a bit hazy, I shall leave you to find out about quinquiremes for yourself. Assuming of course, that you feel it’s worth the effort. Unlike poets and painters, few composers seem to have found inspiration from the sea, let alone boats. Delius wrote a lovely orchestral piece called Sea Drift and both Britten and Elgar used sea themes. Vaughan Williams wrote a Sea Symphony and the lesserknown Granville Bantock composed a Hebridean Symphony. Oh yes, then there’s Ravel delightful piano piece called Une Barque sur l’Ocean. The German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (GER-ter) was an extraordinary multi-talented individual and was one of the greatest German writers, thinkers and scientific theorists of all time. I mention him because in 1795 he wrote two short and but oddly expressive poems called Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage. Although they have only eighteen lines between them, these two poems

inspired musical works by several composers, notably Mendelssohn, Beethoven and Schubert.

and had admired Goethe’s poetry since his youth. You’d be forgiven for assuming that Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage mean more-or-less the same thing. But they are exact opposites. In the days of sailing ships, a totally silent, calm sea with no wind was cause for alarm. The first poem is about a ship hopelessly becalmed and going nowhere, while the second one describes how the wind lifts and the vessel joyfully continues its journey towards land.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, Op. 112. Warsaw Boys Choir, Frederic Chopin University of Music Symphony Orchestra, cond. Krzysztof Kusiel Moroz (Duration: 08:50; Video: Richard Wagner 1080p HD) Mention the title and (1813-1883): Overture, most people will think of The Flying Dutchman. Mendelssohn, because in National Children’s 1827 he wrote an orchestral concert overture of the same Orchestra of Great name. However, twelve Britain (Main Orchestra) years earlier, cond. Howard Williams Beethoven (Duration: 09:54; had set the Video: 360p) same poems as a short cantata for choir and orchestra. This small masterpiece has been described as “one of the most overlooked works in Beethoven’s output”. It’s thoroughly charming and beautifully performed by these young musicians from Poland and recorded in top quality video. Incidentally, Beethoven actually knew Goethe well

The Flying Dutchman is a Wagner opera about a legendary ghost-ship destined to roam the oceans forever. It was written in 1841 and inspired by a real-life event. In his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben (“My Life”) Richard Wagner tells how he was inspired to write the opera following a stormy sea crossing he

made from Riga (now in Latvia) in July and August 1839. It had been a particularly bad year for him and he was heavily in debt. He was forced to leave the country illegally with his long-suffering wife Minna and Robber, their enormous Newfoundland dog. The voyage was neither calm nor prosperous because they encountered mountainous seas and ferocious storms, one of which almost wrecked the ship. The voyage should have lasted a few days but it turned out to be a nightmare lasting three and a half weeks. You can still sense the terror of the storm in the opening bars of the overture. This is a spirited performance by one of Great Britain’s youngest orchestras, splendidly conducted by Howard Williams. And just in case you’re still wondering about the Breton prayer I mentioned earlier, here it is in full: Protégez-moi, mon Seigneur, Ma barque est si petite, Votre mer est si grande. I can’t help wondering whether Richard Wagner might have uttered rather similar sentiments during his horrific voyage in the summer of 1839.

To watch these YouTube videos, either use your Smartphone to read the QR codes or go to this article online, click on the “live” links and go direct to the videos. If you have a laptop, sound quality can be improved significantly by using headphones or external speakers.

Burapa Bikers of the East Thailand Premiere Burapa Festival - Feb 13th King’s Stage - 6pm “Burapa - bikers of the east” is an hour long documentary film of two years in the making. It features the Pattaya and Thailand MC biker community and how over the years the Burapa Bike Week was influential in crafting this

unique phenomenon of international MC’s living and co-existing peacefully with one another. The film covers the origins of Burapa and the Pattaya biker scene, its development and positive work for charities and the community, and the obstacles that challenged the process along the way.

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Grape Expectations On 7 February 1812, at Mile End Terrace in Portsmouth, Charles John Huffam Dickens was born. He was to become one of the world’s best-known English authors and regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. He created some of the world’s best-known fictional characters and during his lifetime, his novels enjoyed unprecedented popularity. Even today, his books are still widely read. Charles Dickens was not only a novelist, newspaper editor and social critic; he was also a connoisseur of fine wine. Ironically, although he wrote timeless classics such as Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and A Tale of Two Cities, his last

Sketch of Dickens in 1842.

piece of writing a few days before he died in 1870 was a bit more mundane. It was a wine list. It took the form of a single, rather untidy handwritten sheet summarizing all the drinks that he had in the cellar at his splendid

mansion called Gad’s Hill Place in Kent. The quantity of beer, wine and spirits was enormous but included some of the finest wines and liqueurs of the day. Recently this single piece of paper was sold at Sotheby’s for over fourteen thousand dollars. You could buy a lot of Mont Clair for that. Among the drinks listed were a fifty gallon cask of ale, an eighteen gallon cask of gin, a nine gallon cask of brandy and a nine gallon cask of rum. The cellar also included dozens of bottles of champagne and table wines. Dickens bought almost all of his wine from the wine merchants Joseph Ellis & Son of Hill Street in Richmond, originally founded in 1831. He must have been

regarded as a good customer because his wine list includes four dozen bottles of Champagne, five dozen of Chablis, five dozen of Sauternes, six dozen of Claret and countless other delights. But you get the idea. He wasn’t short of a bottle or two. Interestingly, Dickens listed many of wines by their place of origin such as “Volnay” or “Sauternes” rather than by the name of their producer. This indicates that they were almost certainly shipped to England in bulk and bottled by the wine merchant – a common practice at the time. Dickens had good taste in Clarets – the generic name still used in Britain for red wines from the Bordeaux region of France. He had a few

Bannakarn, Royal Gift coins Prior to 1857 Thailand, with a few exceptions, had been using other forms of payment than flat coins. The most important was the bullet coins, which had circulated for more than 600 years. The bullet coins continued to circulate for some years, but on July 31, 1908 the exchange was terminated.

The adverse of the 1 Baht Bannakarn, Royal Gift 1857/58. Some corrosion can be seen from the die.

Other forms of payment were Cowrie Shells, Gambling House Tokens, most of them produced in porcelain, Chieng Money, H a n g M o n e y, F l o w e r Money and Hoi Money to mention but a few. A lot of commerce was also based on barter or trade. Not in the form of

barter today, but where chickens could be traded for a pig, or rice could be traded for some fruit. The first flat coins were produced on a hand-driven minting machine presented by Queen Victoria to King Mongkut (Rama IV).

The reverse of the Bannakarn, Royal gift 1857/58 coins. There are some adjustment marks looking like scratches. These were made prior to striking so the weight would be correct.

Prior to shipping, a few coins had been produced in England and those coins were in perfect condition. Unfortunately, during the shipping to Thailand some of the dies were corroded from seawater.

This can be seen on some of the coins produced in Thailand in 1857 and 1858. Very few coins were produced on this hand driven machine. The most common of the coins are the 1 Baht, which was produced in 2400 pieces. The 1/8 Baht can also be found in the market, the ¼ Baht is rarely seen for sale, and even rarer, the 2 ½ Baht in gold, which I cannot remember seen offered. The 1 Baht is more expensive than the 1/8 Baht, as it seems like collectors value bigger coins more than the smaller ones. How many of the 1 Baht coins exist today is hard to say. Many have been lost or even melted down.

As the 1 Baht coin was legal tender until 1914, many have become very worn, so it is very hard to find them in good condition. The Baht is similar to the 1 Baht produced in 1860 on the steam-powered machine, which the Royal Siam Mint later bought from England. The mintage for this coin is much higher and the price is lower. The 1 Baht 1860 coin in good condition has been sold for prices as high as what the Bannakarn, Royal Gift has been sold for. The steam-powered machine can be seen exhibited at the Royal Thai Mint. Email: coin@loxinfo.co.th

Adverse of the 1 Baht 1860 produced on the steam powered minting machine.

The reverse of the 1 Baht 1860 produced on the steamed powered minting machine.

dozen bottles of top quality claret that even in those days must have been expensive. Yet, despite this wealth of booze in the cellar, he was a moderate drinker for the time. One of my favourite Dickens books is Pictures from Italy where the author took his family for an extended stay in 1844. He had already achieved international fame as a novelist, and his relentless energy drove him to explore many different parts of Italy. It would have also presented him with the opportunity to try to local vino. Wine is produced in every region of Italy, so Dickens would have had plenty to choose from, though by modern standards, much of the wine would have been fairly rustic. It would also have been cheap. In his book The Wine Atlas of Italy, Burton Anderson explains that in those days, a daily supply of village wine cost Italians less than their daily supply of bread. In Italy today, over eight hundred different grape varieties are grown. If this strikes you as rather a lot, it’s actually only the tip of the iceberg. It’s generally accepted that there are about 24,000 different varieties of wine grape in the world. Many of the less important varieties have remained in their places or origin and never left. For example, the Ruzica Crvena, the Crljenak Kastelanski and the Svrdlovina Crna have remained in Croatia, but perhaps this is because nobody but the Croatians can pronounce the names.

On the other hand, some grapes have boldly gone where no grapes have gone before. Take Chardonnay for example. Its spiritual home is in Burgundy but it thrives almost anywhere wine is produced and Bordeaux’s Cabernet Sauvignon shows up in nearly every major wine-producing country in the world. Only about 150 different grape varieties are produced in commercial quantities and we can boil down this number even further to the nine or ten so-called “classic” grapes, also known as “international grapes”. These are the big names you should know. Sometimes they’re made into ordinary wines, but in the right hands, the right places and given the right time, they can produce some of the finest wines in the world. A few years ago, a survey was carried out in the UK in which customers in wine shops were asked to name as many grape varieties as they could. The amazing result revealed that few people could name more than one or two grape varieties and some people couldn’t think of any at all. And remember, these were not people picked off the street - they were customers in wine shops. To my mind this level of ignorance is staggering. But I wonder how many of the “classic” grape varieties you can bring to mind. Well, there’s Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to give you a start. Can you name any of the others? I bet Charles Dickens could.

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VOL. XXVIII No. 3

E-mail: socialscene@pattayamail.com

Siam@Siam Design Hotel Pattaya joins National Children’s Day activities On National Children’s Day recently, the Siam@Siam Design Hotel Pattaya team joined other organisations to bring happiness to the children of Pattaya and the surrounding communities. They set up a booth at city hall where they distributed snacks and ice-cream. In keeping with their motto ‘Neighbourly’ and ‘Local Love’ the team spreads support and love to one and all.

Amari Phuket celebrates 35th anniversary

Birthday celebrations at Yupins Restaurant Celebrity Tessa Visser from The Netherlands with her great friend Paivi Passas from Finland toast to the new year and also to celebrate Paivi’s birthday at Yupins Restaurant recently. Paivi was delighted with the special ice cream cake with candles made for her by the staff who also sang Happy Birthday for her.

Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya brings new year greetings Punchita (Deta) Rungwimonrut (2nd left), Public Relations Manager, and Orawan (Bena) Thunantha (left), Public Relations Executive representing Denis Thouvard, Area General Manager of Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort Pattaya visited the Pattaya Mail offices recently to present new year greetings as a sign of appreciation for our support of the hotel in their various PR and promotions. They were received by MD Pratheep S. Malhotra and Sales & Marketing Manager Nutsara Duangsri

Irish music group raises 250,000 for children’s education Pierre-Andre Pelletier (7th left) - Regional Vice-President, Operations - Southern Thailand, Vietnam and the Maldives, together with Deputy General Manager Tipaporn Koonphol (8th left, next to Pierre-Andre), and Hotel Manager Richard Margo (6th left, behind Pierre-Andre with hands raised), and their dedicated team joined in a religious ceremony to mark the 35th anniversary of the Amari Phuket recently. Later everyone joined in happily cutting the birthday cake. Pierre-Andre said proudly, “For more than three decades of operations, the Amari Phuket has exemplified success in the hospitality industry. We are a strong supporter of the local community by participating in various CSR activities. We take pride in our company’s growth and we pledge to continue with our strong commitment to afford outstanding service to our guests.”

Rotary Dolphin Pattaya pledges continued support for HHNFT Jetsada Homklin Charter President Dr. Otmar Deter and Past President Dr Margret Deter of the Rotary E-club Dolphin Pattaya International paid a visit to the Human Help Network Foundation (Thailand) Jan 25 to observe the progress of the construction of a new building at the ASEAN Education Center. They were also given an update of the operations and future plans. Radchada Chomjinda, Director of HHNFT said, “We saw the need for the new building because the center is admitting more underprivileged children from the community who’s parents want them to get a basic yet good education. “With the generous support of Rotarians and members of many organizations in Thailand and overseas, we have been able to improve our operations to care for these underprivileged children’s welfare and education tremendously.” She said that during the construction period the

Known around Pattaya for their musical brilliance, the traditional Irish music group, Failte, recently paid a visit to the Father Ray Foundation where Father Paul Sukhum thanked all four musicians for their support. Each Sunday evening Failte play at Murphy’s Law, and the last Friday of the month they perform at Tara Court. Special thanks were given to the musicians as they reached a milestone in their fundraising activities; 250,000 Baht raised for the Education Fund at the Foundation.

BPH distributes Chinese cakes and sweets to patients

HHNFT Director Radchada Chomjinda (left) says thank you with a garland each for Charter President Dr. Otmar Deter and Past President Dr Margret Deter of the Rotary E-club Dolphin Pattaya International.

children are attending classes at temporary premises nearby. The Human Help Network Foundation Thailand (HHNFT) was established in May 2008 and officially registered on August 25th, 2008. For the past decade, HHN Foundation Thailand has been working to provide help and support to the underprivileged, homeless, abused and children from broken families through scholarship

programs, family support programs and protection programs. To assist with the child-care programs, the center employs psychologists, nurses, social workers and teachers. Having listened to the center’s plans for improvements and upgrades, Dr Deter pledged that together with his wife and members of the Rotary Club will continue to give their support in both cash and kind to the learning center.

On the happy occasion of the Chinese new Year, management of the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya dressed in Chinese traditional Qipao dresses roamed the corridors and wards of the hospital bringing happiness and good wishes to everyone they met. They distributed sweets and cakes to the patients and visitors which was well received and made them very happy.

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A different concept for retirement facility in Thailand Andrew Stocks, managing director of Sunshine Residences, spoke to the Pattaya City Expats Club at their Sunday, January 19, meeting on the topic of “Staying in Thailand even as we get older”. Andrew is a British Born entrepreneur living in Thailand. He started a company called Sunshine International to create retirement residences. Andrew is 49 years of age and has been living in Thailand for a long time. He first started in Pattaya and now lives in Hua Hin where he has become a leading businessman. Andrew is also known for his charity work. Through a well-organized power point presentation, Andrew laid out a threeprong argument for what he perceives is needed by older expats for suitable residence in Thailand. First, he mentioned that Thailand was a great place to live, reasonably priced and with overall friendly people. His second point was that going back to one’s home country could be

unpleasant and for some impossible. His third view was that older people could stay here in Thailand and this was the motivating drive behind his starting Sunshine Residences. Andrew says he offers an alternative to the old world’s usual care or nursing home options for older folks at what he sees to be a much lower price. As to returning to one’s home country, he said his view was formulated during his charitable work as he has seen older Expats being forced to return home because of sickness, money problems or other circumstances beyond their control. He said he has counseled many who have expressed regret at not being able to fulfill their life’s goals and dreams because of being forced to return to their home country. The remainder of his talk consisted of describing his Sunshine Residences, with one in the planning stage for Pattaya, the various types of accommodations, and

MC Judith Edmonds presents the PCEC’s Certificate of Appreciation to Andrew Stocks, joined by his fellow Sunshine Representatives Ittphuman Tanatchok and Torsten Voigt, for his interesting presentation about Sunshine Residences advantages for older Expats.

services that they offer. These facilities include hotel rooms, condominium units and pool villas all of which could be bought or rented. A difference from other such facilities is that his are designed with the older Expat in mind as they have nurses available and on call 24 hours a day as well as transportation around

and away from the property. He further extolled the amenities available for residents, whether owner or renter, such as an executive lounge with free coffee, teas and small snacks. Further, he highlighted that each will have a 100-meter pool and fitness center. Also, there is a monthly cocktail party and bi monthly barbecue. Of

course, he pointed out there is a maintenance fee to cover the common property and these amenities which apply to owners and renters, but vary in amount dependent upon the size and type of unit, ranging from 9,990 to 15,000 baht per month. Andrew called upon Ittphuman Tanatchok, managing director of Sunshine

Residences, Hua Hin, and Torsten Voigt, chief brand officer for Sunshine Residences, to assist him during the question and answer session. Brochures were also made available containing photos of the types of units, amenities offered, and price ranges for rental or purchase. More information about Sunshine Residences is available at: https://www. sunshine-residences.com. After the presentation, the MC brought everyone up to date on the upcoming club events and others of interest. This was followed by the Open Forum where questions are asked and answered about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya. Member Ren Lexander interviewed Andrew Stocks after his presentation to the PCEC. To view the video, visit: https://www.youtube .com/watch?v=GPO3MCW a40o. For more information about the PCEC, visit their website at: www.pcec.club.

U-Tapao Airport in the Early 70’s U-Tapao International Airport has become well-known as a passenger airport in the last few years. But did you know that this is only a small part of a large Thai military base called the U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield? And that during the Vietnam War, the U.S. had between 6,000 and 8,000 military personnel stationed at U-Tapao? At the January 26 meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club, Pat Koester, PCEC’s Past Board Chairman, shared some of her experiences, including many slides and videos that she took with her Super-8 camera, while she was Director of the UTapao USO Club from 1970 to 1974. Pat explained that the USO (United Service Organizations) was formed just prior to the onset of America’s involvement in World War II in 1941 to lift the morale of the US military and nourish support on the home front by bringing together several organizations under one umbrella. The USO is a nonprofit, charitable corporation chartered by the U.S. Congress. Pat explained that during the Vietnam War, US troops were stationed at several Thai military bases, and that

each of those bases had a USO Club. She shared many slides to show some of the activities offered by the UTapao USO Club, which was open 24 hours a day and had a Thai staff of close to 100 people. The activities ranged from playing cards or pool or ping pong, to just resting the in club’s comfortable chairs, perhaps reading a book or even taking a nap. She also noted that the club’s Snack Bar had the best hamburgers, French fries, and milk shake on the base. She said that during the holiday season, the toughest time for troops overseas, the USO’s Christmas decorations included a large cut-out Santa and his sleigh being pulled by water buffalo. At midnight, the USO Directors took donuts and coffee to the many security personnel on duty around the perimeter of the base. Bob Hope also brought his show to UTapao while Pat was there. While all the other bases in Thailand had fighter jets, U-Tapao was the only one that hosted a Division of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) flying B-52 bombers and KC-135 tankers. Pat’s videos included the take-off of a B-52 bomber, which she

Pat Koester showed this slide of herself posing with some of the Security Guards at U-Tapao in the early 1970’s.

took while standing on the runway as it took off directly overhead. “I often wonder if that crew saw me and wondered who that crazy woman was standing on the runway with her little Super8 movie camera,” she said. Another video showed the unique take-off and landing of the U-2 spy plane. A third was taken at one of the other Thailand bases that had fighter jets. This video showed the landing and ensuing wet-down celebration of an F-105 Thunderchief pilot who had just survived his 100th mission which included his friends and Pat also getting wet. Pat shared a poignant ex-

perience that occurred on December 18, 1972. She and several others were having dinner at the Officer’s Club when a B-52 crew walked by in their flight suits. One of them stopped at their table and said, ‘I think we’re going Downtown tonight. Would you like to come along?’ Everyone knew that ‘Downtown’ meant Hanoi. That was the beginning of an operation called Linebacker II, the bombing of Hanoi that finally brought the North Vietnamese to the negotiating table.” Pat said the “powers that be” had required the B-52s to fly the same route at the same time every night.

Further, “After a while they became sitting ducks for North Vietnamese anti-aircraft guns.” She said that during the 11-nights of that operation, in the morning she would walk down the rows of trailers where the crews lived and “if they had two wood boards nailed over the door in an “X”, it meant that crew had been shot down.” “Some people might think that because I enjoyed working with the military for four years, I must be a war-monger,” but Pat also said “far from it” and then explained that before working for the USO, she had been a Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand. “The Peace Corps has three main goals to help: the host country develop their manpower, the people of the host country understand Americans, and Americans understand the people of the host country.” She mentioned that during her USO years she felt she was “able to fulfil those second and third goals even more than she did while in the Peace Corps.” This, she explained, was because most of the guys were 18-and19-yearolds who had never been far from home, and were in Thailand not by choice, but because they joined the US Air

Force to avoid being drafted into the US Army. She said many of them were angry and confused at having been yanked out of their comfortable homes and shipped to a country on the other side of the world, where nobody understood them, and they didn’t understand anybody. “And they sure as heck didn’t want to be involved in a war that nobody understood.” Some of them took out their frustration on the Thai people, saying they hated Thailand and the Thai people. “But they didn’t really hate the Thai people,” Pat said, and she was able to help them understand Thai culture. “I can’t tell you how many guys came into my office and said, ‘Pat, I’m leaving for home in a few days, and just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate what you and the USO did for me,’” After the presentation, the MC brought everyone up to date on the upcoming club events and others of interest. This was followed by the Open Forum where questions are asked and answered about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya. For more information about the PCEC, visit their website at: www.pcec.club.

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VOL. XXVIII No. 3

Pattaya flips for Chinese New Year

Baitoey RSiam perform their famous songs.

Don’t mess with this little Chinese actor at the Central Pattaya activity zone.

Jetsada Homklin

Skilled actors perform a magical dragon and lion dance at Lan Pho Public Park in Naklua.

Dragons danced, acrobats flipped and pop stars rocked as Pattaya celebrated Chinese New Year. Mayor Sonthaya Kunplome opened the city’s official commemoration at Lan Po Public Park in Naklua Jan. 25. The event featured costume lions and dragons dancing, acrobats on poles and in human pyramids, and Chinese music and art shows, such as fan dances, fire shows and Chinese opera. Pop stars Baitoey RSiam and Ploenjit capped off the evening with concerts. Sonthaya next appeared

A faraway look on this little actress on stage at the Central Pattaya activity zone.

on Pattaya Beach and Central Road where the Chinese arts and dances were repeated. The acrobats and dance troupes then moved to Walking Street for an encore on the nightlife strip. The activity zone was also the sight for the annual Chinese Girl and Boy pageant, followed by concerts from Pert Thanapol and Paradox. Royal Garden Plaza held its own party where mayoral advisor Rattanachai Sutidechanai kicked off the festivities. After the lions and dragons made their requisite appearances, Sanxing Fu Lu Shou, a large Chinese musical band from Sawangboriboon School, entertained the crowd.

Dancers perform a fan dance during the Chinese Arts and Culture show at Lan Pho Public Park in Naklua.

Mayoral Advisor Rattanachai Sutidechanai makes merit at Royal Garden Plaza.

Shu Feng Ya Yun Sichuan Opera show’s fire breather lights up the stage.

Eng Kor performers add spice to the Chinese Art and Culture Show.

Acrobats ascend to the sky with an awe-inspiring dragon show at Royal Garden Plaza Pattaya.

Pert Thanapol brings in Pattaya’s Chinese New Year with song.

(Left) Sun Wukong’s Magic Monkey show amazes the crowd.

(Right) Paradox delivers happiness to welcome in Chinese New Year.

VOL. XXVIII No. 3

Businesses for Sale or Rent Bop/3-4/ Warehouse on Huay Yai Road, 4 big halls on 1.5 Rai (2,400sqm), 8 toilets, air-condition; perfect for all kind of business. 20,000,000 THB(331) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www. gopropertythailand.com

Property for Rent Houses, Villas Prb/42-4/ For Rent 10,900 baht per month, 2 bedroom, 2bath, 3 A/C Furnished, Pool, Clean Beautiful, Soi 53 Nern Plabwan at Soi 45 Tel: 084 351 8254 Prb/1-5/ TOWNHOUSE, Off Soi Khaotalo, Like new, quiet, safe, two bedroom, one bathroom, patio, carport, Thai kitchen, air-conditioned, FULLY FURNUSHED, Guarded Subdivision, Communal Pool, One Year Lease Minimum, B9,500. Monthly, B19,000. Security Deposit. English, 087-8055276

Condominiums Prc/3-7/ Royal Park Luxury Service Apartments and penthouse suite, Jomtien: starting at 15,000 baht/ month. 56-70sqm, one bedroom, large living area with balcony and European kitchen, Free internet. Enjoy our rooftop swimming pool. Short walk to the beach. Monthly and daily rentals, Contact 086 111 7414 or check on our website www.royalparkjomtien.com to see why we are number 1 in Jomtien Prc/36-7/ Rent 19,000 THB/ Month long-term – Seafront condo with infinity pool, tennis – Banglamung – 204sqm, 2-bed, 2-bath, See pictures at: www.facebook .com/thailand.bayview, T: 082 122 4335 – mail: bay.view@live.com Prc/3-4/ You like to rent a clean and nice condo short time or long term? We have City-Condos from 5,000 THB/monthly, directly located at the “10-Baht-TaxiRoute” or close to the beach with stunning sea views from 9,500 THB/monthly. We get daily new properties for rent. Please call us. We have the right one for you. GO PROPERTYTHAILAND; call Mr. Jo 093- 161 5995

PATTAYA MAIL

Prc/2-6/Jomtien Beach Condominium for Rent, Studio 29 – 34 s.q.m, Special Prices; start from 5,000 – 8,000 baht per month. (One year contract), Tel: 095 187 1311 (English & Thai) or e-mail: ploypailin.fu@ gmail.com (by owner)

Property for Sale Houses, Villas Psb/3-4/JUST REDUCED FROM 32 mio DOWN TO 16 mio THB Big Villa located in a clean & well maintained Resort in East Pattaya, 12 min drive from Pattaya City; quite & peaceful; Land: 1.164 sqm; living space: aprox. 650 sqm; fully furnished in high quality standard; 2 living rooms; dining room; 5 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms ensuite, guest toilet, 3 kitchens, 1 kitchenette; maiden house; guestrooms beside the 10 x 5m pool; many terraces; security 7/24h; carport; fully airconditioned; laundry, pantry, many storerooms; office; SOLAR hot water; representative entrance hall; double wall and roof insulation; rare offer; 16,000,000 THB; 093- 161 5995 Psb/3-4/650 sqm house located close to the Wat, Hua Yai Road; Land: 3,25 Rai (5.200 sqm), living space: 650 sqm; fully furnished; 1 living-dining room; 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, full european kitchen; terraces; WiFi; private pool 10 x 5m; outdoor shower and toilet; pond with sala 5 x 4 m; aircon in all rooms; fitness gym; many storerooms; 85 sqm office in separate building; alarm; own well; pantry & laundry room; double garage; automatic gate; the property is completely walled inn; 3 B-B-Qs; REDUCED from 29 mio down to 16 mio THB; 093- 161 5995 Psb/3-4/Luxury Pool Villa, only 3 mins from Mapprachan Lake in the East of Pattaya City, Soi Siam Country Club, living space aprox. 550 sqm, land size 1 Rai (1,600 sqm), well maintained, fully furnished, 2 floors, very spacious, 5 bedrooms with 5 bathrooms ensuite, 1 living room with a Grand Piano, dining area, aircondition in all rooms; European kitchen, Thai kitchen, sauna, maiden room, refrigerator, washing machine, parking, swimming pool. Easy access to motorways. 38,500,000 THB;

Rent 120,000 THB/month. 38,500,000 THB; 093- 161 5995

Condominiums Psc/36-5/ Sale 4.9M THB – Sea-front condo with infinity pool, tennis – Banglamung – 204sqm, 2-bed, 2-bath - Foreign owned. See pictures at: w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / thailand.bayview, T: 082 122 4335 – mail: bay.view@live.com Psc/36-5/ Condo for Sale: The Trust Resident Central Pattaya Fully furnished, 1,100,000 Baht (free tax) Tel: 086 633 2948 Psc/1-6/Beachfront Condo at Bangsaray Condominium: 150sqm, 2-bedrooms, 2-bathrooms, attached to 300m long beach, only 137units in 20 rai of green landscaped surroundings in an exclusive residence. Excellent decoration, fully furnished, TV-LCD 50". Hot Sale 7.9 mil. 4x,xxx baht/sqm. 0813358102 (owner), for photos: pitipity@hotmail.com, Line: piti.t Psc/3-5/ Pratamnak 2 B/R Condo, 2.8 MB, Foreign name, corner unit, 56 sqm, 7th floor, 2 bathrooms, 3 A/ C, 3 TVs, Furnished, Parking, Swimming Pool, Fitness, Sea View, Quiet area. Tel: 089-09-66-729 Psc/3-5/ Jomtien 3 B/R Big Condo, 191 sqm, 8.9 MB Foreign name, Double Corner Unit, Sea View and Pattaya View, 30th floor, Parking, Fitness, Swimming Pool Convenient location Tel: 089-09-66-729 Psc/3-12/ Viewtalay Residence 1 condo Jomtien Soi 5 near Revenue Department ALL BRAND NEW furnitures for rent & sale QUIET SWIMMING POOL VIEW, gym, second floor 40 Sq2 rent 12,500 sale 2.9 M. 064-464-2289, 095-169-2456 Psc/3-4/ CETUS CONDO, high-floor, stunning seaand city views, 54sqm, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, living room, kitchen, terrace, condition like new, “foreign owned”, luxury furnished, 7,000,000 THB; www. GoPropertyThailand.com; 093- 151 5995 Psc/3-4/ THE BASE Condo; high-floor, sea- and city views, 30sqm, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, living room, kitchen, terrace, condition like new, “foreign owned”, fully furnished, 3,650,000 THB; www. GoPropertyThailand.com; 093- 151 5995

Psc/3-4/THEPEAKTOWER; high-floor, sea- and city views, 63sqm, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, living room, kitchen, terrace, condition new, “foreign owned”, not furnished, 5,900,000 THB; www.GoPropertyThailand.com; 093- 151 5995 Psc/3-4/ DUSIT GRAND VIEW; sea views, 34sqm, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, living room, kitchen, terrace, condition like new, “foreign owned”, quality furnished, 3,000,000 THB; www. GoPropertyThailand.com; 093- 151 5995 Psc/3-4/ BAAN PLAI HAAD NAKLUA beachfront; highfloor, sea- and city views, 41sqm, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, living room, kitchen, terrace, condition like new, “foreign owned”, luxury furnished, 5,500,000 THB; www.GoPropertyThailand .com; 093- 151 5995 Psc/3-4/ JOMTIEN BEACH RESIDENT; nice garden views, 52sqm, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, living room, kitchen, terrace, condition like new, “foreign owned”, design furnished, 2,900,000 THB; www.GoPropertyThailand .com; 093- 151 5995 Psc/3-4/ VIEW TALAY 3 beachfront, sea views, 52sqm, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, living room, kitchen, terrace, condition like new, “foreign owned”, design furnished, 2,700,000 THB; www.GoPropertyThailand.com; 093- 151 5995 Psc/2-6/PKCP condo, near Big C extra in central Pattaya. 2 studios for sale. 54 sqm on 16th floor - 1.7 million and 48 sqm on 14th floor 1.5 million. Fixed price, both fully furnished in foreign quota, taxes 50/50. Call Paul on 0807903465 or email paulcarton2@hotmail.com Psc/3-4/Exclusive DuplexPenthouse on the Executive Floor of View Talay 2 Condominiums; 285 sqm livingspace with panoramic sea- and city views; in the entrance hall is a staircase connecting the 2 floors of this stunning penthouse; 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, big livingroom with an European kitchen; the property is completely renovated with new aircons; fully furnished; large terrace with breathtaking views and two balconies; private parking; close to DONGTAN BEACH, shops, Restaurants, bars

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2020 23

and “10-Baht-Taxi-Route”; the yearly common fee is only 1,500 THB/monthly; community pool, 24hs e c u r i t y ; “MUST SEE PROPERY” REDUCED TO SELL ! 13,950,000 THB; 093161 5995 Psc/3-4/Studio on the Beach of Pratumnak, seaviews, 52 sqm, 3rd floor, quite & peaceful (no public roads), fully furnished; direct access to the beach with key card; 1 living-bedroom, 1 bathroom, washing machine, full kitchen; WiFi-AIS router; security 7/24h; community pool on beachfront; restaurant on pool side, supermarket and laundry in the building, parking; 2,550,000 THB; 093- 161 5995 Psc/3-4/Duplex Studio with 31 sqm, new construction, Loft Style, 2 floors, 5 m high ceilings, community pool, city location; 1,950,000 THB; 093- 161 5995

Land for Sale P04/34-3/ LAND FOR SALE: Jomtien Beach Road Soi 9, 551sq-wah. Contact: IG Missk_9 P0/3-4/ 1,150sqm land for sale in the town of Bang Saray, (288sqw), 1 minute from the beach, can build up to 7 floors. 27,000,000 THB (329) GO PROPERTY THAILAND; 093- 161 5995; www.gopropertythailand.com

Vehicles for Sale/Rent Vs/3-4/Alfa Romeo Giulia Super, a Classic Car collectors item from 1971, fully restored by Alfa Romeo specialists in Bangkok with original imported Alfa parts, legal blue book, garaged in Pattaya, ready to transfer; strongly reduced 550,000 THB. Please ask for photos and more details; private sale 092- 753 9309

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VOL. XXVIII No. 3

Jaja Turnbull of the Expat Car Club sent me the following item. Thank you Jaja.

Thailand no longer Detroit of Asia? Thailand does put itself forward as being the Detroit of Asia, but with exports right down, the figures do not quite support the notion. Coupled with the fact that India has many more manufacturers than Thailand. Here is a list of all Indian Car brands including foreign manufacturers building, or in a joint venture, in India: BMW India (2006–present) FCA India Automobiles (1997–present) Jeep India (2016–present) Ford India (1995–present) Honda Cars India (1995–present) Hyundai Motor India (1996–present) Isuzu Motors India (2012–present) Kia Motors India (2018–present) Maruti Suzuki (1981–present) Mercedes-Benz India (1994–present) MG Motor India (2017–present) Renault Nissan India (2010–present) Nissan Motor India (2005–present) Renault India (2005–present) Toyota Kirloskar Motor (1997–present) Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt Ltd is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan, for the manufacture and sales of Toyota cars in India. It is currently the fourth largest car maker in India after Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Mahindra. Production output: 142,500 units (2016)

Number of employees: 7,000 Founded: October 6, 1997) Volkswagen Group Sales India (2001– present) Audi India (2007–present) Porsche India (2004–present) Škoda India (2001–present) Volkswagen India (2007–present) Defunct manufacturers Multix (2015–2018), a joint venture by Eicher Motors and Polaris Industries Rajah Motors (1981–2009) San Motors (1996–2013) Sipani (1978–1997) Standard Motor Products (1948–2006) Swaraj Mazda (1983–2011) Tata Motors (discontinued marques and subsidiaries) Tamo (2016–2017) Foreign manufacturers formerly building in India Daewoo Motors India (1995-2003) FCA India Automobiles (discontinued marques and subsidiaries) Fiat India (1996–2018) General Motors India (1995–2017) Chevrolet India (2003–2017) Opel India (1996–2006) Swaraj Mazda (1983–2011)

Some (real) MG history With the MG company, being owned by SAIC in China, a few words about the history of the company are in order. The “father” of the MG Car Company was Cecil Kimber, who was employed by William Morris as a sales rep but then took over the position of Sales Manager of Morris Garages after the incumbent committed suicide! However, Morris Garages dated back to 1913 when Morris changed the name of his business from the Oxford Garage to Morris Garages (William Morris Proprietor). It was 1921 when Kimber joined Morris Garages, but Kimber saw that there was an opening for performance

MG 14/28.

cars and began to modify Morris cars by special order. The modifications began by lowering the steering column and the steering ratio was also modified, springs were lowered, better dampers and the battery box was relocated under the front seat instead of on the running boards.

2020 MG.

This model was called the MG 14/28 Sports and retailed at GBP 350 compared to the standard Morris at GBP 175. The initial advertisement was in May 1924 and was the first time the MG Octagon logo was used. Since then MG has had many corporations became the owners of the marque, including British Leyland, by that time the company was moribund. An optimist was someone who took his lunch to work! Now Kimber’s Octagon is owned by SAIC in China, and whilst it may not be a full-blooded sports car, it is very obvious it is a car for today, as they are everywhere on our streets.

Here’s an interesting picture I have come across. This is the first production car from Toyota Motor Corporation to roll off their, then, super new factory assembly plant in Samut Prakan, Thailand. The year is 1965, or Thai year 2508 and was a humble Toyota Corona. A sign of what was to come across the globe. The Corona lasted in various guises from 1957 up until 2001. Although Thailand had received earToyota Corona. lier exports of Toyopet and then Toyota, this was the first to be assembled here. Across the world this was, for many counA good number of these still survive tries, the first available Toyota on their markets. As we now know, the rest is history... here too.

True stories! Having been involved in motor sport for so many, many years, I have seen some of the funniest situations that have occurred. Motor racing may be serious, but the people involved in it are all “characters” in one way or another. By the way, all the following tales are totally true. The first one relates to one of the top motor racers in Australia, who brought his Holden sedan racer from Sydney to Brisbane to compete against the best that the Brisbane teams could offer. On paper, the cars were very similar in all respects, but the Sydneysider was quickest after the first practice. It was then that one of the local crews spotted the opposition sawing off the end of the exhaust pipe. Being a quick thinking young lad, he noted that the other team had dropped it in the rubbish bin and retrieved it. Rushing off to his team, they sawed exactly the same length off their exhaust pipe, this obviously being some sort of demon tweak. However, while they were doing it, the Sydneysider came past. “Why are you doing that?” he asked. It was then that he also revealed that the reason they had sawn the end off theirs was they had changed trailers and the exhaust pipe was sticking out and catching on the side of the trailer! Getting race cars to the circuit always produces some whimsical moments as well. At the old Surfers Paradise Raceway on the Saturday of Qualifying, one driver was mooching through the pit area, waiting for his crew to bring the car down from Brisbane. He met his crew who were similarly mooching and said, “Which pit did you park the car in?” The crew’s reply floored him. “You said you were bringing the car, not us.” Great

team organization – crew and driver at Surfers Paradise and the race car in Brisbane. Another trailer incident happened with one crew on the way to the Mt Cotton hill climb circuit. They arrived and got out to drive the car off the trailer – except there was no car on the trailer! They knew they had put it on the trailer, so they hurriedly retraced their route and there it was, sitting in the middle of the road at a set of traffic lights. Obviously they had not tied it down and it just quietly rolled off backwards after they had taken off. Fortunately no damage, and nobody had hit it.

Porsche Targa.

This next one happened to one of my team members, and I was the witness to it, and we still laugh about it. We had been invited to do some promotional laps at the local dirt speedway with our four car team, running them between each race. Our fourth member was running late and rocketed in with just five minutes to spare. “She’ll be right,” he said, after releasing the tie-downs holding the car on the trailer, and then neatly reversed the race car off his trailer, but he had forgotten to put the ramps in position, and it jumped off the end. Luckily no damage, despite its one meter drop-off. Trailer problems feature strongly when race teams get together for a social evening with a few beers. This one happened when two of my friends were running at the top of the Australian Formula 2 championships. The next circuit was in Tasmania, about 2,000 km from our home base. It was decided that rather than taking two trailers down we would make my trailer into a double-decker, so one tow car would get both race cars to the circuit. The double deck fitted well and both F2 cars and spares were packed up ready for the trip. The

only problem was that the driver had to catch the ferry to Tasmania from the mainland and the outfit had only 24 hours to get there. “No worries,” we all said as we watched the doubledecker’s tail lights disappear into the night. It turned out that rather than ‘no worries’, it was all ‘worries’. Since we had not tried running the double-decker beforehand we did not know that it would get the wobbles at anything greater than 80 km/ h. The poor driver had to sit at 79 km/h all the way, no rest stops and just made the ferry with 30 minutes to spare. We changed the weight distribution for the trip home, something the driver could not do on his own on the way down. The next true (and amazing) tale happened when I was on a Porsche club rally, and we were coming back from Adelaide, a 3,000 km trip. Australia is a big place! We had pulled into a motel for the evening, and we were 11 cars, every one a Porsche 911. I got out, pushed the locking button down on the driver’s door and swung the door shut. As it clicked into place, to my horror, I saw that the keys were still in the ignition. What to do? Porsches are just about thief-proof, and none of us were accomplished car thieves like Nick Cage in the great movie “Gone in 30 seconds”. In desperation, I asked for the other 10 driver’s keys and tried them in my door lock. Amazingly, the keys from the 911 parked closest to mine opened my door! And just as amazingly, my key would not open his, though his would open mine. But neither key would operate the ignition of the other car. I was certainly lucky that evening. The final story (for this issue) is about a motorcycle racer who used to travel to meetings with his race bike in the sidecar of his outfit. It blew a piston on the way to a meeting but the resourceful rider turned up a new piston out of hardwood, fitted the rings, fixed a metal plate to the top of the piston and carried on motoring! That’s what we call ‘bush’ engineering.

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11 reasons why the Honda LPGA Thailand is a ‘Whole-In-One!’ From page 32 Village @ The Range Our festival village was so popular last year that we had to extend and add an extra village at the Driving Range, packed with loads of activities while you watch your favourite player’s warm-up, you will also get a chance to step up and try to beat the stars of the LPGA tour at our Beat-The-Pro booth. Kids Zone Also located in the Village @ The Range, is the Kids Zone, which returns to provide the younger ones with day-long entertainment. There will be a tree-planting activity and all sort of fun and games for kids of all ages. All children are welcomed but those under four will require parent supervision. Green Village Another Village! This cool eco-friendly village is set under the shade of the beautiful tall trees by the 10th Tee. A dedicated green space, that aims to educate and inform spectators on the importance on sustainability. There will be interactive

booths where one can learn how to turn plastic into cool souvenirs and much more. Do your bit for charity Stand a chance to win great prizes while being a part of the tournament’s fund raising efforts by taking part in the Chip-4-Charity. All proceeds from the Chip-4-Charity will go towards the improvement and renovation of the library of the nearby, Ban Mab Fag Thong School. Also, here’s a insider tip… we hear that there may be some special appearances here. Fore! With so much going on off the course, it’s easy to forget that the tournament also

has the world’s best golfers in town, including our defending champion and threetime Honda LPGA Thailand Champion, Amy Yang; World No. 1 Jin-Young Ko, Brooke Henderson, social media sensation Muni He, and Japan’s ‘Smiling Cinderella’ Hinako Shibuno. Not forgetting, of course, the pride of Thailand, led by crowd favourites Ariya & Moriya Jutanugarn, there will be no less than six Thai players competing in this year’s tournament, making the Honda LPGA Thailand simply too good to miss. Premium Grandstand Experience

The all-new Premium Grandstand is a purpose built covered grandstand, which provides the best vantage point to all the action. The perks include, a guaranteed seat, a snack box, fast track access at the ticketing counter, and a freebie bag with cool premiums. Best of all you stand a chance to be part of a lucky draw to win signed items by Japanese sensation Hinako Shibuno or win the ultimate prize, which is an opportunity to attend the post-event Winner Press Conference, followed by a meet-andgreet with the winner of Honda LPGA Thailand 2020. Avoid Parking Nightmare & Take the Shuttle! Introducing Golfdigg Shuttle

Van Service, a safe and convenient way to the Honda LPGA Thailand. Pick Up and Drop Off points will be at Dusit Thani Pattaya Hotel and Siam Country Club Old Course, every 30 minutes from 6.30am to 5.30pm* with limited seats each time slot. Book online now to save 33% and a guaranteed seat for your desired time slot. *Timing may change due to traffic conditions in Pattaya and surrounding area For all the latest updates, visit the tournament website at www.hondalpgathailand.com. Tournament activities can also be followed on www. facebook.com/LPGAthailand, or via Instagram using @hondalpgathailand, #hondalpgathailand, #DreamBig.

Ticketing Information Grab your tickets at: www. hondalpgathailand.com/ tickets • Daily Pass, Thursday 20 February – 350 THB • Daily Pass, Friday 21 February – 350 THB • Daily Pass, Saturday 22 February – 550 THB • Daily Pass, Sunday 23 February - 550 THB • Weekend Season Pass, Saturday & Sunday, 22 & 23 February– 950 THB • Tournament Season Pass, Thursday - Sunday 20-23 February - 1200 THB • Premium Grandstand , Thursday 20 February 1,500 THB • Premium Grandstand , Friday 21 February - 1,500 THB • Premium Grandstand , Saturday 22 February - 1,800 THB • VIP Ticket, Thursday 20 February - 3,000 THB • VIP Ticket, Friday 21 February - 3,000 THB *Shuttle services are available to ferry visitors from all public parking points to the main entrance of the tournament.

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VOL. XXVIII No. 3

PCC wallop RST Vipers by 46 runs in Round 2 of the PICL PCC Match Report – Indoor cricket league, Season 2, Round 2 PCC v Rugby School Thailand (RST) Vipers. The match was played at RST, Banglamung on 22 Jan 2020. PCC won the toss and chose to bat as one team member was yet to arrive. Luke Stokes was still only partially fit and would bat with a runner and be the wobbly-kneed wicketkeeper. Matt Harkness and Jainish took the first 3 overs and had a bit of a field day making 44 runs plus 6 extras for no loss, although Matt was lucky to have been dropped early on. Matt scored 25 and Jainish 19. Andy Emery and Luke Stokes took the creases

next. They were kept under raps by RST’s captain, star batsman and bowler, Ryan Driver, who took Luke Stokes’ wicket, but PCC still scored steadily against Stuart Douglas and Dave Kennedy (a debutant). Dave K took his first ever wicket in cricket when Andy Emery was caught by John Gore and PCC were 74 for 2 after 6 overs. An impressive start, but it was not to continue. Bernie Lamprecht and Edwin Van Rensburg took the final 3 overs and were effectively curtailed by Ryan driver whose last 2 overs went for 6 runs and 1 wicket. Edwin was adjudged LBW by the umpire, but he annulled his decision immediately and

John Gore of RST Vipers drives for 4 runs.

Ryan was a little miffed. Notwithstanding Edwin was LBW the next ball. Bernie and Edwin managed to add 21 for one wicket and thus a final score of 103 reduced to

90 for 3. RST Vipers’ innings began with Stuart Douglas and the debutant, Dave Kennedy. It was not Dave’s day. He ran well and supported Stuart

but the pace and accuracy of the PCC bowlers was too much for him. He was out 3 times without scoring. Stuart, a more experienced batsman played some good strokes down to 3rd Man, but was run out when he inextricably fell over and couldn’t make his ground. Later, he was bowled by a corker of a ball from Matt Harkness, who then caught and bowled Dave. Matt was on a hat-trick, but it wasn’t to be as Stuart scored a run. A horrible start with minus 13 for 5. John Gore and Anna Ward, another debutant, faced the next 3 overs. Anna hit her first ball really well past square leg, but out of nowhere Edwin Van Rensburg ran

with an outstretched arm and caught the ball one-handed. Brilliant. Cracking catch. John and Anna went on to add 26 with the help of a few extras, but it was still a sorry tale – 8 for 6 from 6 overs. Enter the “RST Viper Champions”, Chris Sizer and Ryan Driver. They hit and ran hard but despite adding 46 (3 each), they lost 2 wickets and it was too little too late. Chris S was run out on a really close call because of a good throw from Jainish and he was caught by Matt Harkness off Bernie Lamprecht. Best batsman was Matt Harkness. Best bowler was Ryan Driver and MotM was shared between Ryan Driver and Matt Harkness.

Thai contingent hunting home victory at Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship From page 32 In front of their home fans, they will try to follow in the footsteps of Atthaya Thitikul, who created history at Singapore’s Sentosa Golf Club in 2018 by winning the inaugural championship after a four-way play-off. Thitikul, who became the first non-Japanese Asian player to be ranked number 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) last year, also finished runner-up in the second edition in Japan. The 20-year-old Boonchant, majoring in Statistical Science at Duke University, one of US college golf’s most prominent teams, said the success of Thitikul, as well as that of the Jutanugarn sisters – Ariya and Moriya – on the LPGA Tour, have been huge motivating factors. “Seeing their successes motivated me to work harder and become better. Hopefully, one day my name will be next to theirs. I truly hope to play many tournaments alongside them in the future,” said Boonchant, who will be making her WAAP debut. “I have always wanted to play WAAP since its inaugural edition but the timing never seemed to work with my academic and college golf schedule. This year, I finally have the opportunity to participate and I’m really looking forward to it.

“It has also been a very long time since I played a tournament in Thailand in front of my friends and family. That’s another reason to be so delighted and excited to play the WAAP this year.” Boonchant is eager to get back on the golf course with a scorecard in her hand. She played just three collegiate events in the US in September, finishing inside the top six in the last two, after a three month break in June 2019 for an internship. “I decided to dedicate my summer to extra-curricular activities to broaden my vision of the world and grow as a person. I was able to be one of the students in the ‘Duke Study Abroad in Japan’ programme for two months and then do an internship in Thailand later,” said Boonchant, winner of the 2018 ACC Championship. “During that time, I got to play just one round of golf and maybe practised three or four times. I have to admit that it was nice to take a break from golf and explore other aspects of life. However, those three months also made me realise how much I missed playing golf and I really want to be back competing. “Going into the off season, I was pretty happy with how I was playing. I am currently working on my swing with my coach, just making sure that all the pieces come together as I get closer to the WAAP.”

Boonchant is confident Thailand golf will benefit immensely by hosting a championship like the WAAP. “The WAAP truly means a lot to me personally. It is a great event where top players in the world compete and showcase the great game of golf and its potential. I think it is important for Thailand to host such an event because these players will be able to inspire the next generation of young Thai golfers,” she added. “The WAAP is such an amazing and fun event. The fans will surely enjoy themselves while supporting the growth of women’s golf.” The WAAP, developed by The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) to unearth developing talent and provide a pathway for Asia’s elite women amateurs to emerge on the international stage, will be supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “Thailand has a strong presence in golf and there have been a number of men and women players who have excelled at the highest level of the sport. We are delighted to bring the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific championship here and continuing to inspire other potential future champions in Thailand and throughout the AsiaPacific region.”

The highest-ranked player in the field is Chinese Taipei’s No. 9 Yu-Chiang Hou, the younger of the two Hou sisters in the field. The field comprise 12 players ranked inside the top-100 of the WAGR, with Chinese Taipei accounting for three of them; Yu-Sang Hou, No. 39 and Chia Yen Wu, No. 47. The youngest player in the field is the 14-year-old Maribel Ting from Malaysia, while the oldest is 27-year-old Rotana Howard from Cook Islands.

The par-72, 6,608-yard Waterside Course of Siam Country Club is sure to provide an exciting challenge for the field. The golf course has received several awards in the past, with the most recent being the Best Golf Course in Thailand at the Asia Pacific Award last month. The Old Course at the club, the second oldest golf course in Thailand, was ranked 73rd in Golf Digest’s Top-100 Golf Courses in the World in 2018.

Entry to WAAP will be free of charge for fans. The championship will be broadcast live on each of the four days. There will be nearly 600 hours of television coverage broadcast to more than 180 million households. The Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific is proudly supported by Rolex, Nippon Kabaya Ohayo Holdings and Samsung. For more information on the Women’s Amateur AsiaPacific, visit the website? at? www.randa.org/WAAP

Pattaya finishes 2nd at taekwondo championship Jetsada Homklin Pattaya martial arts fighters finished second at the 2nd Taekwondo Open Championship. Deputy Mayor Banlue Kullavanijaya chaired the closing ceremony for the national tournament Jan. 19 with Kim Kyungduk Jongnam, president of the Kengkido Taekwondo Association of South Korea, at the Eastern National Indoor Sports Stadium. Famed instructor Chonnatee Pettra handed out trophies to the top teams in the 650person competition, split into pumse (Korean martial arts forms) and martial arts divisions.

Young martial artists high-kick their way through the qualifying round.

The RSR Team of Bangkok placed first with the Monkey Team of Pattaya coming in second and the Rangsiya

Team of Sattahip third. They received prize money of 10,000, 7,000 and 5,000 baht respectively.

VOL. XXVIII No. 3

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2020 27

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Miss Yen and Terry win January Haven Consultants Monthly Medal PSC Golf from the Billabong had a steady round with 44 shots on each nine but lost in a countback to two others with a net 72. Bob St. Aubin (12) had 8 pars overall, 5 on the back nine, occupying 3rd

Wednesday, January 29th Green Valley Haven Consultants Monthly Medal The second medal this month and it was good to see Brian Chapman, CEO of Haven Consultants, the long time sponsor of this competition for the Billabong, playing again following a long break from the game. A really lovely day for golf with everyone concentrating on their game but my playing partners and myself were startled by a piercing scream which was heard by everyone within a mile radius, when one of our caddies had a large green snake

place, losing out to William Macey (21) who, despite 3 treble bogies, also had a net 72. Peter Terry (19) had a great front nine dropping only 3 shots but he did his best to

destroy his round with 4 doubles and 1 treble bogey on the way home for a net 70 to win the trophy. Two 2s going to Barry Collier and Auke Engelkes.

Family affair at Kronborg PSC Cafe Kronborg Golf Thr. Jan 30 The Emerald - Stableford

Miss Yen and Brian Chapman

slither across the path and through her legs as she was walking. I do not know who was more frightened but the snake slithered quickly,

Peter Terry and Brian Chapman.

without a backward glance, to the nearest tree. Overall the scores were not overly impressive but one lady stood out amongst the crowd with a net 63. Miss Yen (21) had a gross 47 on the front but a gross 37 after the turn with 5 pars and 1 birdie. Understandably, she was well ahead of Miss Porn (18) who had too many double bogies in her round to offer a challenge with a net 74 and 2nd place two strokes ahead of Miss Thip (18) who improved her 2nd nine by 6 shots with no double bogies. The men did nothing to write home about. Jerry Grocott (16)

Café Kronborg golfers on Thursday went to this excellent but difficult golf course. This is not a course for the faint hearted but a course for true golfers who appreciate that only playing on Floridian type flat courses is not necessarily a good test of golfing ability! They say that emerald can be more valuable than diamonds and that emerald is believed to bring good fortune and restore faith and hope. Not sure, having regard to our poor scores today, when the good fortune and restoration of faith and hope kicks in for us it was certainly not during the round. Ulla Ravn with Richard Kubicki. One of our golfers thrives on a challenge and keeps adding to his good fortune, A Flight (0-20) namely in-form Richard Kubicki who won the 1st Richard Kubicki (11) 39 points A Flight with an impressive 39 points, easily 2nd Kjeld Raven (19) 35 points the best score of the day. His wife secured 3rd Kjeld Jorgensen (19) 28 points third place in the B Flight with her 27 points. B Flight (21+) In the B Flight the roles were reversed with 1st Ulla Ravn (36) 33 points Ulla Raven winning with 33 points and her 2nd Peter Hammond (30) 27 points husband Kjeld taking second place in the A 3rd Carole Kubicki (21) 27 points Flight with his 35 points. Longest first putts: 9th Richard Kubicki & Happy Families! 18th Henning Olsen.

6 - 18 Feb. 2020

DATE:

THU 6

FRI 7

Apple’s Irish

Treasure Hill

Bunker Boys

Crystal Bay

Cafe Kronborg

SUN 9

MON 10

TUE 11

WED 12

THU 13

Pattavia Soi Dao

Bangpakong

Colin’s Golf Growling Swan

SAT 8

Khao Kheow

Green Valley Crystal Bay

Crystal Bay

SAT 15

SUN 16

MON 17

Emerald

Greenwood Pattavia

FRI 14

Pleas. Valley

Mt. Shadow

Pattavia

Pattavia Khao Kheow

Mt. Shadow

TUE 18

Crystal Bay Mt. Shadow

Green Valley

Pattavia

King Naga

Khao Kheow

Crystal Bay Pleas. Valley

Greenwood

Harry’s Golf I Rovers Lekatai

Pleas. Valley Crystal Bay

Greenwood Mt. Shadow

Pattavia

Lewiinski’s The Links

Pattavia

Retox Game On Bar

G.Valley/E.Star

Siam Country Resort

Pattavia

Sugar Shack

P.Valley/B-pakong

Treasure Hill Greenwood

C.Bay/Mt.Shadow

Greenwood K-Kheow/R.Lake

G.Valley/Pattavia

Mt. Shadow Pleas. Valley

Pattana

Burapha G-wood/E.Star

P.Valley/B-pakong

Bangpakong Greenwood

K-Kheow/C.Bay Pattavia/Mt.Shadow

Emerald Eastern Star

Crystal Bay Silky Oak

Bangpakong

Stay Sharp The Golf Club Tropical Golf Valley View Hackers

St. Andrews

Parichat Treasure Hill

Siam Waterside

Green Valley Greenwood

St. Andrews Plutaluang

Bangpakong

Greenwood

Siam Waterside Green

Valley Eastern Star

Eastern Star

28 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2020

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VOL. XXVIII No. 3

Tang Polo from China is crowned the champion of B.Grimm - BMW Thai Polo Open 2020

Dr. Harald Link, president of the B.Grimm Group and the Thailand Equestrian Federation, congratulates the Show Jumping winners.

The much-anticipated grand charity equestrian event, B.Grimm - BMW Thai Polo Open 2020 to win the HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Cup, finally concluded. The search for 2020’s winner was held by B.Grimm, led by Dr. Harald Link, president of B.Grimm who is also president of the Thailand Equestrian Federation, along with Nantinee Tanner, the federation’s vice

president for the 15th consecutive year. The final event was held 18 January 2020 at Thai Polo and Equestrian Club Pattaya. Grimm - BMW Thai Polo Open 2020 is considered the most prestigious charity event that kicks start the season. Held annually, the event is hosted by Dr. Harald Link at one of Asia’s highest standard polo fields. This

year, the four finalists included Thai Polo from Thailand, La Familia from Malaysia, Royal Pahang from Malaysia, and Tang Polo from China, each earning a spot after a series of selection competitions in mid-January. At the final event, Tang Polo from China beat Thai Polo from Thailand 8 to 7, and won the prestigious winner’s cup from HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The third and fourth runners up were La Familia and Royal Pahang from Malaysia respectively. Not only is Grimm - BMW Thai Polo Open 2020 a competition at the highest level of polo in Thailand, featuring teams from an international pool of contenders, it is also a charity event that raises funds for the Chitralada Technology Institute. The star-studded event was filled with colors, fun and joy from a string of elite guests. Some of Thailand’s top celebrities graced the

Famous celebrities attend the B.Grimm – BMW Thai Polo Open 2020.

This event featured an exciting competition between the Thai Polo Team (shown here) and 1003 Polo Team from China, the former winning 7-3.

charity gathering. Among them were Mark Thawin P. Seawtong, Pawee Somprasong, Jirapa Lakasanawisit, Yuwapa Banyongrakkul, Dr. Nattapat-Suppanat Meenchai, Praewpreeya Chumsai Na Ayutthaya, Duangjai Poin, and Jantamon Yampan to name a few. Besides the exciting polo match, the event also had activities and charity booths that included performances by Wat Suthiwararam School’s marching band, show jumping, feeding and riding miniature horses, and fun games to win prizes for a good cause. Before the final match commenced, the spectators and celebrity guests witnessed a polo match tradition that has been carried on for centuries, called Stomping Divots. Horses pranced and stomped on the field to smoothen and

Rina Tatematsu wins national qualifier

Dr. Harald Link, president of B.Grimm Group and the Thailand Equestrian Federation.

harden the ground, while sophisticatedly dressed guests cheerfully conversed and greeted each other before the match started. Highlights of the event also include best dress awards for ladies. Walking away with the Best Hat Award this year was Praewpreeya Chumsai Na Ayutthaya, while Duangjai Po-in wowed the crowd with her stunning

outfit which won the Best Dress Award. The event culminated in mesmerizing fireworks and an exclusive barbecue dinner accompanied by soothing live music. The event concluded with smiles of happiness and victorious moments of the polo players and the guests who came together to support this charitable cause.

Will play in the Honda LPGA Thailand 2020

Expert riders compete in the B.Grimm – BMW Thai Polo Open 2020. Waraporn Laoprasert (right), Marketing Communication (Category 3) Department Manager of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd., together with Winnie Heng (left), Vice President and Managing Director of IMG Thailand, award Rina Tatematsu (middle), Winner of the Honda LPGA Thailand National Qualifiers. The ceremony award was held at the Siam Country Club Pattaya, Old Course.

Rina Tatematsu won the Honda LPGA Thailand National Qualifier after a p l a y o f f w ith Chanette Wannasaen. She is now set to participate at the Honda LPGA Thailand 2020,

February 20-23, at Siam Country Club Pattaya Old Course. “It will be a great and special opportunity for me to compete in the Honda LPGA Thailand 2020 with so many

Rina Tatematsu won the Honda LPGA Thailand National Qualifier after a playoff with Chanette Wannasaen.

world-class professionals,” said Rina after her win. “The standards were very high and it was a tough competition with so many good players. I think there are some great up-and-coming golfers in the qualifiers and I look forward to playing in the Honda LPGA Thailand 2020,” added Rina, 18, who

finished the day on -4, tied for first place with Chanette Wannasaen, after rounds of 69 and 71. Chanette had two rounds of 70. After the scores were level on the first playoff hole, Rina proved too good and went on to win the tournament. 58 participants played this year.

BMW Thailand sponsors the BMW-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open 2020.

VOL. XXVIII No. 3

Associations & Clubs The next meetings of Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC) will be held on Sunday, February 9 & 16, 2020. The PCEC program varies, but usually involves a guest speaker on a topic of interest to Expats. The program starts at 10:30 am with a buffet breakfast available from 9:00 to 11:00 am on the 4th floor of the Holiday Inn’s Executive Tower located behind the Holiday Inn’s Bay Tower on Beach Road. BCCT Multi-Chamber Eastern Seaboard Business Networking BCCT, in cooperation with AMCHAM, AustCham, BeLuThai, CanCham, GTCC, NTCC, STCC & SATCC, cordially invites you to BCCT Multi-Chamber Eastern Seaboard Business Networking Evening on Friday 21st February 6.30 - 9.00 pm. Gravity Lounge, 24th Floor, Siam@ Siam on Pattaya Sai 2 Road. Cost: THB 500 for BCCT/ participating chambers members and THB 1,000 for nonmembers. Price includes food and a free flow of soft drinks, beer and wine. Booking: email banthita@bccthai.com The Eastern Seaboard Businessmen’s Dinner is a monthly event taking place on the last Thursday of the month. It brings together business leaders from various backgrounds including Automotive, Aerospace, Real Estate, Architecture, FMCG, Electronics, White Goods, Logistics, Recruitment, Legal, Consulting, and others in a relaxed atmosphere. If you are interested in attending please contact Anuttra.Sukruen@tinfish.co.th Rotary Club of Pattaya (Thai-English) meets at the Royal Cliff Grand Hotel on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month. Meetings begin at 19.00 hrs. President Stephen Devereux Email: stevecarlow @gmail.com Rotary Club Phönix Pattaya (German) meets every Tuesday at the Holiday

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Inn Pattaya at 19.00 hrs. President Dieter Barth Email: dieter.barth@rotary-phoenix-pattaya.org Rotary Club of JomtienPattaya (English) meets every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month at Royal Cliff Grand Hotel, Pattaya City. Fellowship begins at 18.30 hrs and Dinner meeting at 19.00 hrs. President Joachim Klemm Email: jo.klemm53@gmail.com Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard (English) meets at the Siam Bayshore Hotel, 17.30 hrs for 18.00 hrs on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month, followed by dinner (Fellowship) President Dieter Reigber Email: dieter.reigber@t-online.de Le Rotary Pattaya Marina, seul Rotary Francophone d’Asie, vous accueille les premier et troisième vendredis de chaque mois, début des réunions 19h, à l’hôtel Pullman G Pattaya Wongamat 445/3 Moo 5 – Soi 16 – Pattaya Naklua Road. Venez agir avec le Rotary pour changer des vies. Michel Roche Président Email: mmproche@gmail.com

Community Services Alcoholics Anonymous: The Pattaya Group meets Monday, Tuesday and Friday at 5 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. All meetings are closed (alcoholics only) and are held at Soi Skaw Beach (off Pattaya 2nd Rd). Contact Carl 08-456-31671. The Good Morning Pattaya Group meets 9 a.m. every morning. All meetings are ‘open’: contact 080 563 0232. The Jomtien Group meets every day at noon at Jomtien Long Stay Hotel: Contact, Andrew 086 107 6631. The Scandinavian Group meets on Tuesdays and Fridays 6 p.m. at the Norwegian Seaman’s Church, Thappraya Road Soi 7: contact Hans 085 135 7755 or Rune (Rayong) 089 754 9515. 9.00 a.m. meetings every day at Satree Pattana Centre on Soi Skaw Beach off Second Road. Call 080 563 0232.

Narcotics Anonymous Hotline: 082 811 2686. 3 English speaking meetings in Pattaya near Central Festival and 2 in Jomtien each week. Also, regular Thai speaking meetings at 12 noon every Sunday, and Persian Farsi speaking meetings at 5.30 pm on Thursdays. Please call the Hotline for details. North Star Library on Sukhumvit Road, north Pattaya holds regular Thai language classes Mon - Fri from 10.30 a.m. till 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. till 2.30 p.m. Cost of admission is 100 baht per session for library members and 200 baht for non-members. Private lessons are also available for 200 baht per hour. In addition, the library also holds Yoga training every Tuesday from 1 - 2 p.m. at the Father Ray Foundation. Cost is 1200 baht for 6 sessions (first session free). For more information, call 081 575 4854 or email wan_nujan@yahoo.com Overeaters Anonymous The ‘Up to You’ group meets Wednesdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. in the housing area just behind Pan Restaurant in Jomtien on Thappraya Road. Call Steve at 038-364-207(h) or 089-250-1359 (cell) for directions or more information. Post 12146 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States of America (Ban Chang – U-Tapao, Thailand) meets the second Saturday of each month at 13:00 at Sinthavee Park Condo, 2/1 Moo 5, in Ban Chang. If you are interested, please contact Membership Chairman Dan

Morgan at <banchangvfw 12146membership@gmail .com> or visit website: www. banchangvfwpost12146.org. Royal British Legion Thailand meets on the last weekend of every month at various locations around the city. Please join and like the Face Book page and you will see the all the social events listed. You do not have to have served in the Armed Forces to become a member and can join in the many social events arranged throughout the year. The Legion’s primary aim is the care and welfare of those who have served and/or their dependents. For general enquiries send an email to - chonburi. secretary@rbl.community. Samaritans of Thailand English Help Line operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide support to the expatriate community. English-speaking staff, trained in crisis intervention will provide active, non-judgmental and empathetic listening services on the phone. All calls will be handled on an anonymous basis and are free of charge. (02) 713-6791.

Charity Concert Pattaya Soul Club presents Souled Out. The very best of Northern-MotownSoul. Friday 28 February 2020 at Hemingway’s Jomtien. 8-10pm free flow of wine & San Miguel. Doors open at 8pm. 500 baht entry fee. All proceeds will be donated to Spectrum Child Autism Care.

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2020 29

Dining & Entertainment – Valentine’s Day Amari Pattaya SEA with Love. A romantic seafood buffet under candlelight by the dazzling pool. Friday 14th & Saturday 15th February, from 18:00 – 23:00. THB 3,000 net for a couple with a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine. Reservations: Tel 038 418 418 or amaya.pattaya@amari.com Avani Pattaya Forget the music: Food is the food of love, so tuck in with delicious dishes and deals at your favourite restaurants during the month of love. The Pantry - Tasty deals from 10 – 16 February 2020. Price: from THB 45. Sala Rim Nam 14 February 2020. Price: THB 2,299 ++ per couple, including a glass of sparkling wine. Benihana 14 February 2020. Price: THB 3,999++ per couple, including a glass of sparkling wine. For more information, please call Avani Pattaya Resort: 038 412120 or email: pattaya@ avanihotels.com Centara Grand Mirage Beach Resort A spectacular Seafood & BBQ buffet by the beach in candlelit setup. Enjoy an

unforgettable evening with a live duo band. THB 1,299++ per person. THB 649++ per child (6-12 years old). A romantic Valentine dinner for two at the rooftop 19th floor, surrounded by the mood of love with the classical Duo band. 5-course set menu including a bottle of Italian prosecco. Price only THB 3,999++ per couple. For reservation please call +66 (0)3871 4981 Dusit Thai Pattaya The Bay International Skewers Restaurant Enjoy a perfect, romantic evening and pamper yourself and your loved one with “Valentine Romance Set Dinner”, at The Bay International Skewers Restaurant, affording splendid night views of Pattaya Bay. Set Dinner for THB 3,299++ per couple inclusive of a complimentary glass of wine or sparkling wine and rose for couple. Thursday, 14 February 2019 from 18:45hrs. onwards. Advanced reservations recommended, please call +66 (0) 3842 5611-7 Ext. 2149, 2150 or email to dtpafb@ dusit.com Hilton Pattaya invites you and your loved one to spend a memorable moment at our Continued on page 27

30 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2020

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VOL. XXVIII No. 3

The Jomtien Boathouse – the right formula so no problems there either. The restaurant is on ground level looking out towards the bay, below the Boathouse Hotel (which has 24 guest rooms). The Boathouse restaurant is in two sections, an outer (streetside) but covered area with a sit-up bar at one end, and an inner section which can be closed off and contains

that not everyone speaks English, and with the Boathouse under Danish management you will often hear the ‘dulcet’ tones of Denmark, and on our evening we were entertained by “Elvis Ib”. The menu begins with Appetizers (B. 110-195) which includes items such as NZ mussels (B. 220) at the top

A healthy appetite needed for the Weiner Schnitzel.

The ever popular “Elvis”.

The sage advice “If it ain’t broke – don’t fix it” must have been taken by Kannikar and Ib Ottesen many years ago, and they have learned it well. Their Jomtien Boathouse has withstood the vagaries of time, retaining the friendly ambience and the same comprehensive menu. All long stay expats know how to find the Jomtien Boathouse, being on Jomtien Beach Road on the corner of Soi 8. Plenty of parking on both sides of Beach Road,

Chicken and chips a tummy filler.

Many pizzas. This one the spicy Krapow.

the stage for the Boathouse musical evenings, including “Elvis” on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Tables and chairs tend towards the ‘rustic’ but are comfortable enough. The menu has retained the photographic display, making choice so much easier. Many restaurateurs forget

end. Starters are (B. 190-230) with salmon top of the list. The next section is labeled “Dinners” with most under B. 400, followed by a page of Brochettes (B. 395-495). On our previous review I mentioned that these were not really skewers, but were more like swords. It is the same today. Western dishes include fish and chips (B.290), Canadian lobster (B.690) and Australian beef sirloin also B. 690. The western menu does not end there either, with Tapas (chicken, shrimp, salmon) B. 250-385. With the strong Scandinavian connection there are some dedicated Scandinavian dishes, and of course there are all the Thai favorites as well (B. 160-395), so Thai partners are also catered for.

And so the children do not feel left out, there are children’s meals as well (B. 250), followed by daytime sandwiches and burgers, making this restaurant close to catering for everyone including families. Sandwiches and burgers are B. 180-195. Pizzas have been a staple and that carries on to today. We had the honor of being the first to try a Krapow pizza and it was Kapow! If you don’t like spicy food, give the Krapow pizza a miss, you have been warned, but there are plenty of other non-spicy pizzas (B. 250295) for you to enjoy. It had been some time since our last visit and there was nothing “broken”, so nothing to “fix”. It was a most enjoyable evening, and with Ib Ottesen playing soft easy

music (with some numbers in Danish for the Danish diners), a visit to the Jomtien Boathouse was a most pleasant evening. You have our guarantee. And if you are an Elvis fan you will become a regular. The Jomtien Boathouse, Jomtien Beach Road (corner Soi 8), telephone 038 756 698, fax 038 756 144, email info@ jomtien-boathouse.com, website www.jomtienboathouse.com. Open seven days, 8 a.m. until 12 midnight. Breakfast from 8 a.m., lunch 11 a.m. till 6 p.m. and dinner from 6 p.m. until late. Entertainment by “Elvis Arthur” on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings, and booking is recommended as Elvis is very popular. Plenty of on street parking. (Photos by Marisa Corness)

VOL. XXVIII No. 3

From page 25 romantic dining venues along with a magnificent view of Pattaya Bay on this coming February 14 and 15. edge, level 14 - international cuisine and fresh seafood on ice and on the grill served with a panoramic view of Pattaya Bay. The buffet is priced at THB 2,250 net per guest. Available on February 14 and 15 at edge on level 14 from 6pm to 10.30pm. Flare, level 15 - Authentic taste of Thai and Asian cuisine. Valentine’s day dinner at THB 650 net. Available on February 14 and 15 at Flare restaurant on level 15 from 7pm to 10.30pm. Drift, level 16 - A package includes a sharing ‘Tower of Love’ together with a bottle of sparkling wine at THB 4,500 net per couple per island. Reserve your exclusive moment at Drift Lobby Lounge & Bar on level 16 on February 14 from 7pm to 11pm. Horizon, level 34 - The ‘Passport of Love’ 4-course set menu is priced at THB 5,950 net per couple and available on February 14. 7pm to 1am. For more information or reservations, please call +66 (0) 38 253 000 or Line ID @hiltonpattaya or bkkhp_fb @@hilton.com InterContinental Pattaya Resort Moonlight Valentine’s on The Beach. Start with a

PATTAYA MAIL

sensual cocktail, followed by comforting canapés to start your four-course meal and end on a sweet and loving note with our delectable Chocolate & Strawberry Lovers’ Surprise and a gift just for the two of you. Thursday, 14th February 2019. 6:00pm – 10:00pm. Price: THB 6,500++ per couple. For more information, please contact +66 (0) 38 259 888 or icpattaya@ihg.com Pattana Golf Club & Resort Indulge in a 3-course set menu on our candlelit terrace while watching a classic lover’s film. From 6 pm at Persimmon restaurant, Pattana Golf Club & Resort. Only 1,400 baht/couple. The first 5 couples who book will get one night accommodation free. Booking now at 038 318 999 ext. 11230 or email: restaurant@pattana.co.th Renaissance Pattaya Resort 5-course dinner at Pebbles Bar and Grill, Renaissance Pattaya Resort & Spa. Price at THB3,000++ per couple/ THB1,800++ per person. Romantic Candlelit Dinner on the Beach in a private gazebo with the sparkling sea just a few sandy footsteps away. Price at THB10,000++ per couple inclusive of a set dinner for 2, a bottle of sparkling champagne and one flower bouquet. For booking or inquiries, please contact 038-259-099 or email: sasamon.j @renaissancepattaya.com.

Pork satays Everyone loves a BBQ, and satays make an ideal BBQ food. Speared on a stick or skewer, you can eat singlehanded while holding a drink in the other! To make these pork satays memorable, marinate the meat in a Ziploc bag in the fridge overnight and prepare the skewers the next day. It is messier, but the result is better. By the way, use the commercially available peanut sauce you can get in the local supermarkets.

Ingredients Makes ten 12 inch skewers Pork neck 500 gm Garlic minced 3 cloves Onion, minced ½ large onion Coriander (fresh) minced 2 tspns Brown sugar 1 tbspn Lime juice from one lime Fish sauce 1 tbspn Vegetable oil 1 tbspn

Cooking Method Cut the pork into flat, bite sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, onion, coriander, brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and vegetable oil. Now place the pork meat into the bowl and thoroughly mix each piece in the marinade. Pour the meat and marinade into the bag and leave in the refrigerator overnight. Before cooking, thread the meat on to skewers that have been soaked in water for 30 minutes and cook over a hot BBQ or on the griller. Do not overcook the pork. Serve the satays with the commercially available peanut sauce.

Siam@Siam Design Hotel Pattaya Sweet n’ Full Seafood BBQ Buffet Dinner, 14 February 2020 @ Big Fish, 6th floor Siam@Siam Design Hotel Pattaya. Price at THB 999 net per person. Sweeten your day with live music from 610 pm at Big Fish, 6th floor. Sweet n’ Seat 14 February 2020 @ Sky Bar. Have a romantic private date on Valentine’s Day with our love seat overlooking a beautiful sunset moment of Pattaya Beach and light up the night with sparkling wine and canapes at THB 2,777 net per seat. Reservation Tel. 038930600 Email: fbsec@siamatpattaya.com New Delicacies at Pan San Domenico: Italian Antipasto: Parma Ham, Salame, Milano, Hot Salame, Mortadella, Olives, Mozzarella & Bell Peppers. Served with hot, crispy pizza bread. 580 Baht. Highly Recommended. Must Try! Black Spaghetti Seafood Ki Mao: With Prawns, Cherry Tomatoes, Chilly & Squids. 395 Baht. A must for spicy food lovers! Saeb-e-lee! Pan San Domenico, Jomtien Pattaya, 038 251 874, 084-345 1717. Pan Italia Restaurant, Na Jomtien Sattahip, 038 237 880, 065-570 7836. Pan Cafe

Bar, Terminal 21, Pattaya, Tel. 086-392 3288 The Oasis Restaurant and Poolside of the Thai Garden Resort offers nightly dining presentations with different themed “all you can eat” buffets at the resort poolside: Monday – Italian buffet; Tuesday – BBQ buffet; Wednesday – Duck buffet; Thursday – German buffet with roasted pig; Friday – Asian Delights buffet; Saturday – international buffet; Sunday – Steak & Skewers buffet. The buffet starts from 6 p.m., runs until 9 p.m. All this for just 499 baht nett per adult. 299 baht for children under 12. (Kids under 4years old eat free). For reservations call 038 370 614 or make your booking at www.thaigarden.com under “buffet reservation”. Thai Garden Resort is located on North Pattaya Road, 200 meters from the Dolphin roundabout and 200 meters before Tesco Lotus. Special Turkey Dinner at Yupins. A quick reminder that your favourite Oysters from Normandy are now arriving every Friday fresh the same day. Try them! For reservations, call 038 250394 or visit website: www.yupins.com

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2020 31

Hobbies A Stamp Market is held every Sunday from 10.00 a.m. till 3.00 p.m.at Rahnpintang Moe Kata Restaurant, Panji Place, on Soi Ponphraphanimit 7 (200m from the Bangkok Highway underpass). Here can you exchange stamps from the whole world. Call 089 091 3418 for more information and directions. Shopping A Farmers’ Market takes place every 2nd Saturday of the month at the Holiday Inn hotel on Pattaya Beach Road from 10.30 am - 3.30 p.m. Products range from wellness items, jewelry, freshly prepared food, organic vegetables and fruits. Sports The Dutch Bridge Club is based in The Garden Resort, North Pattaya, and is open to players of all nationalities. Mercy Valentine’s Appeal Dear Mercy Friends and Supporters, Mercy is looking for sponsors to assist us with three items to help us run more efficiently and fulfil our obligations: 1) A one-time purchase of QuickBooks accounting

software for US$350 (B10,500). The purchase will allow us to track our expenses by each project as well as manage our database of donors. As we are audited each year, the software will also assist in the audit process necessary to meet our statutory obligations. This program comes with the recommendations of our auditors. 2) The fee to have our accounts audited and annual financial reports prepared is B20,000 ($670), which is a big drain on our general funds. Your support for this would be a big help. 3) The annual insurance and tax of our Mercy Songthaew (taxi and truck) costs B12,500 ($420). The Songthaew is vital for our work and is used for transporting the children from the slums to the Mercy Centre, buying and distributing the monthly food care packs, collecting and delivering donations. If you would like to contribute towards these items, please email us at mercypattayapr@gmail.com Happy Valentine’s Day and thank you!