ScandAsia Finland - February 2010 by Scandinavian Publishing Co., Ltd.

FEB 2010

First Finnish Settler in Hanoi February 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ ScandAsia.Fi 1

Hanoi’s First Your FREE Finnish Magazine in Asia ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Finnish residents in South East Asia. We also publish a ScandAsia magazine for Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

Please sign up for Your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher: Scandinavian Publishing Co., Ltd. 4/41-2 Ramintra Soi 14, Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief: Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Advertising - Thailand: Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Life style advertisements: Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer: Disraporn Yatprom disraporn@scandmedia.com Distribution: Sopida Thaveesup sopida@scandmedia.com Printing: Advanced Printing Services Co., Ltd.

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“When you first get a taste of life in Vietnam then there is not much happening in Finland”, says Matti Nurmi who brought Hanoi one of its first western bars “The Sunset Pub”.

atti Nurmi is a Finnish electrician-engineer-turned-restaurant-and-kindergarten-owner who has lived in Vietnam for over 20 years. He is one of Vietnam’s first Finnish settlers. Maybe you know him as his name became pretty well-known in Hanoi back in the 90s when “waterfall” bangs, Hip-Hop, Nintendo Boys and horn-rimmed spectacles were hot. Back then Matti opened one of Hanoi’s first Western bars “the Sunset Pub”. If this still doesn’t ring any bells maybe you remember him as the man in the fancy Porsche which he used to cruise around in to promote his restaurant business. There is

Finnish Settler no doubt that to Matti the 90s was the decade of fun but also lots of hard work. Today he dedicates most of his time to his Kindergarten and security glass business, a quite different line of work from when he was entertaining guests out on the balcony of Sunset Pub.

Finland – A little boring The 54-year old father of two originally moved to Vietnam in 1989 because he felt as if he needed some new scenery. Finland had gradually become a little too dull and cold to his taste. It was the Whitbread Ocean Race (today Volvo Ocean Race) however that really ignited his urge to travel overseas. But even with an experienced background in local sailing there was no open spot for him. Unable to participate in the race due to cutthroat competition he turned to the newspaper to look for overseas jobs. He came across an ad for a job in Vietnam with a Finnish government water supply project, applied for the job and got it. But for a young Finn with no previous knowledge of Vietnam the place was a little odd. “It was quite strange to come here. Today the buildings look totally different, everything back then was without paint; there were no lights and no roads. Hanoi has developed a lot since then”, he says. Matti ended up working with the water supply project for five years and during this time met his Vietnamese wife Trieu Nguyen who was working on the same project as him. The couple married in 1990. After leaving the water project he had no what so ever desire to return to Finland. “I didn’t want to go back. Finland is a cold country and there is nobody there, he laughs, adding that: “When you first get a taste of the life in Vietnam then there is not much happening over there.” Like Matti his wife wasn’t too keen on replacing Vietnam’s warm climate with Finland’s icy winds so in 1993 the couple decided to open the western bar Sunset Pub in Hanoi. – One of the first of its kind located on the fifth floor over the

i Nu ävenika! r e m Norda

Dong Do Hotel.

A real foreigner place It sounds as though Matti has mostly fun and warm memories of Sunset Pub’s glory days despite the fact that the place demanded a lot of his blood, sweat, toil and tears. The place was a real foreigner place and when former US-president Bill Clinton lifted the American-economic sanctions against Vietnam in 1994 the business really shot up. Americans flocked to the country to make business and every night the place was packed with business people, mostly Americans. Sunset Pub was the place to go, the only place to go actually, Matti says. During that time Matti used to drive around in his Porsche which he’d had delivered all the way from Europe. On the way over the cargo boat lost its propeller so it took about half a year before the car was on Vietnamese ground. But it was worth the wait. Back then nobody had a car like that. “You are number one”, people used to shout with their thumbs in the air, when Matti came driving past them on the dusty roads. The car was mostly used with the purpose of promoting the restaurant/bar business and it was a brilliant idea for he really managed to draw attention to himself. Even to this day people come up to him and say: “Hi, aren’t you Matti from Sunset Pub?” - Many asking why the place isn’t open anymore. “People have good memories from that time”, Matti says. But with a small boy at home the pub was just too much work, so Matti and his wife decided to say enough is enough and turn the key in 1998. When Sunset Pub closed down a lot of Western places had shot up. “The Vietnamese copy ideas very fast. In the beginning we were kings of the market but now there are lots of restaurants that look like ours did”, Matti says. When he is asked about whether he misses running the restaurant he answers no, unhesitatingly. “Everybody who has tried to run a restaurant knows that it’s

tuff business, wherever you run it. It’s not easy work. Our dream is one day to open a bar just for fun and then not run it ourselves”, he laughs. “But it’s just a dream”.

Opened up his own kindergarten As if a time-consuming restaurant business wasn’t enough Matti and his wife chose to open the school Morningstar International Kindergarten in 1995 while running the pub. Matti’s wife came up with the idea after realizing how difficult it was to find a kindergarten for their older son Peter. People looked at her as if she was crazy when she said she would open up her own school but back then there was only one international school so the international kindergarten was very welcomed by the local expat community. Matti was focusing a lot on the restaurant during this time so it was his wife who ran the kindergarten (while also working as an English teacher. Since 1995 Morningstar International Kindergarten has grown and today the school provides care and education programs for children from 18 months to 7 years at its two campuses in Ba Dinh District and the Tay Ho District of West Lake in Hanoi. Matti and his wife are now looking to expand the school business since there is a big demand for international schools in Vietnam. According to Matti education in Vietnam is a bit of a problem. The education is not at the right level yet and right now a lot of Vietnamese families send their kids out of the country to study or send them to international schools in Vietnam, he says. Alongside the kindergarten business Matti runs the company Morningstar Safety Glass. The company provides safety glass improvements for factories and companies but doesn’t sell the glass only the machinery and know-how. The company started less then 10 years ago and “is more a hobby than a business”, Matti adds with a smile.

SVT World – ditt fönster mot Sverige! Sveriges Televisions utlandskanal SVT World sänder nyheter och fakta. Musik, sport och natur. Barn- och nöjesprogram. Drama, debatter och kultur – dygnet runt och året om!

Fråga efter SVT World på ditt hotell – du får en naturbok! Notera hotellets namn och e-postadress samt om SVT World ﬁnns i alla rum, bara i lobbyn eller inte alls. Skicka uppgifterna till oss eller fyll i blanketten på vår hemsida: svt.se/svtworld svt.se/svtworld

För abonnemang kontakta SVT World:s kundtjänst: ConNova TVX, +46 (0)141 - 20 39 10, svtworld@connova.se, www.connova.se February 2010 • ScandAsia.Fi 3

We Want to Be Your First Option With a brand new airbus and a new Sales Director, Finnair is ready to give the Scandinavians to and from Bangkok the best service in the new year. By Rikke Bjerge Johansen

Finnish Jani Peuhkurinen, 35, is the new Finnair Sales Director to Thailand. He is currently living in Korea with his family.

he Finnair office in Bangkok just got a new Sales Director. It is the Finnish Jani Peuhkurinen, 35, who is responsible for the route to and from EuropeBangkok via Helsinki. However, Jani Peuhkurinen might be new to Thailand but certainly not to Asia. The last two years has been spent in Seoul in South Korea with his Finnish wife and two daughters who are 5 and 7. Here, he has been busy preparing the new Seoul-Helsinki route which was launched last summer. Now, he has to work hard in order to reach Finnair’s goal in Thailand: “We want to be your first option. When you travel with us we want to make sure you to choose us again,” Jani Peuhkurinen says to all the readers of ScandAsia. The flight from Helsinki to Bangkok takes 9 ½ hours and Finnair has minimized the transit time for Scandinavians who continue from Helsinki to Denmark, Stockholm and Norway to about one hour. With the first Finnair flight to Thailand in 1976, the Finnish airline is quite established on the Thai market. “Still, we can’t just let things go its own way. Constant development is needed in order to stay competitive. It takes a lot of time, effort and money to make sure the product is in top, and that the travelers get good value for money,” Jani Peuhkurinen says.

Brand new with better leg space

Some of the Finnair crew in Finnair’s Bangkok office on Surawong. Jani and the senior Client Manager Nantiya. 4 ScandAsia.Fi • February 2010

One of the biggest investments from Finnair is the brand new aircraft airbus which was launched in December 2009. It can fit 269 people and is an improvement on every aspect compared to normal flights. “It is a brand new, modern aircraft with good seats, better space for the legs and feet, on-demand entertainment and less noise from the engines. Of course all meals and drinks are free,” Jani Peuhkurinen says, adding: “Business class has sleeper seats and I must say, excellent wine.” The new airbus also uses less fuel and less emission.

“We focus on environmental issues on the technical site, save energy, recycle and make sure everything is within the green standards,” he says.

New Finnish airport launch The new airbus launch goes hand in hand with the launch of a new and improved Helsinki Airport which also in December opened its doors to a brand new, modern building with spa. It makes the Sales Director very satisfied. “We have had a very strong demand this Christmas for Europeans who travel to Thailand, so with the new airport and aircraft our customers will get the best service ever,” he says, adding: “We expect a healthy grow next year as well as increasing the market share”.

Enjoy it a lot Jani Peuhkurinen joined Finnair in Helsinki in 2004 in global sales and travelled almost every week. Two years ago it was only natural for him to take over the Korean market as well as the offline destinations Malaysia and Singapore. With the responsibility for the Thai market, Jani travels from Seoul to Thailand one to two weeks a month. “I enjoy it a lot. My job is planning and budgeting a year in advance in order to reach the targets. In the Bangkok office we are five people and here I take care of the daily administrative and financial issues. I also make sure our team target plans are clear. When I’m in Thailand, I also meet up with our corporate customers, travel agencies and go to networking, which I find very important,” he says. The competition is strong to and from Bangkok; however Finnair and Jani Peuhkurinen are not too concerned. “We know that the competition has highly increased but it keeps us going and forces us to make sure that we maintain ourselves as a good competitor on the market,” he says, adding: “We are happy to welcome all the Scandinavians onboard on our new airbus”.

Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu:

The Admiral Who In books and articles, Richelieu has largely been portrayed as either white or black, as an untouchable icon or as an unscrupulous capitalist. We tend to judge the past with the lenses of today, based on our current world view. That is of course not right; we have to describe the man and the circumstances from the perspective of his period on earth, and what was regarded as reasonable and honorable in his days. I have tried to add some human touches to the conventional image of the Admiral. By Flemming Winther Nielsen Photos Siranath Boonpattanaporn

eflecting on the proud and stormy word ‘Admiral,’ I come to think of Lord Horatio Nelson of Trafalgar, British First Sea Lord Jellicoe of World War 1, Karl Doenitz, The German Grand Admiral, Master of the submarines and also the Dane Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu (1852-1932), Admiral, Minister of the Marine and Commander-in-Chief of the Siamese Navy. Three of these old salts commanded real fleets; hundreds of cannon with which they sank the enemy’s ships, and Lord Nelson fought on although he lost an arm and an eye. On the other hand, in 1893 when Richelieu was superintendent of the Marine, and Commodore, he had a few, in fact only four very old warships bought seemingly second hand in France in 1865 and no longer capable of sending any enemy to the bottom of any sea. There was also a newer one, also bought second hand, since the Spanish Navy did not want to receive it. Nevertheless, there was one very modern vessel, the new Royal Yacht Maha Chakri equipped with many state of the art guns. Unfortunately the lo-

cal officers of Maha Chakri had not yet been instructed in how to fire them.

Paknam incident When France instigated ‘gunboat diplomacy’ against Siam in 1893, and it came to bloody skirmishes, the result was almost given beforehand. In what has been named the ‘Paknam incident’ two state of the art French gunboats, ‘Inconstante’ and ‘Comete,’ on the 13th of July simply forced their way from the Bay of Siam up Chao Phraya River to Bangkok. The battle lasted less than an hour. The batteries of the Chula Chom Klao fort, then and now, guarding the mouth of the river tried in vain to offer resistance, but the almost medieval muzzle cannons and guns did the French no harm and the ancient fortifications were laid in ruins, many marines were killed. The Danish commander survived. A few kilometers upstream between Phra Samut Chedi and Paknam (Samut Prakan) Richelieu had established a blocking of the river using derelict ships and dynamite. Behind this waited the Siamese battleships but they were no match

Old grenade

Cannon from 1789, used until 1893. 2 ScandAsia.Th • February 2010

Went Ashore forbad Richelieu to engage the Maha Chakri, especially manned by foreign officers, knowing well that in case of the sinking of one of the French gunboats, France would have an excellent excuse to occupy the whole country. The reason for the ‘gun-boat diplomacy’ was that France demanded huge areas to the East of the Mekong River currently occupied by Siamese; they got them. With the King, Richelieu thereafter, still in a minor scale, worked on modernizing the fleet. In 1897 he was appointed Rear-Admiral, then Deputy C-in-C 1899 and C-inC 1901. Finally, Admiral En Suite in 1902. This last title was given him as a sort of farewell present by the King.

In that year Richelieu had a serious bout of malaria and, his Danish wife and children leaving a bit earlier, left Siam where he had served since 1875. He left with a huge fortune achieved via his private enterprises (which will be covered in article 2), and was furthermore bestowed with Court Nobility Titles, countless Siamese, Danish, French, Russian, Greek and other orders, medals and precious gifts plus a high pension. King Chulalongkorn and members of the Royal family saw him off to Singapore onboard the Royal Yacht ‘Maha Chakri’.

RichelieuÊs background Andreas was born on February 24th 1852 in Loejt Kirkeby, Southern Jylland where his father was

Admiral Richelieu in a Siamese nobleman’s dress at the Bangpain Palace in 1890. Richelieu had at this point advanced to Vice Admiral and second in command of the Royal Thai Navy. In the book “Admiralen, Kongen og Kaptajnen” by Aldo Eggers-Lura, the captions says that his willingness to adapt the local culture was appreciated by most Thais but made the British look down on him. Vicker Armstrong gun on lavet, range 4000 meters, calibre 57 millimeters.

for the modern French vessels, they sailed through the blockade and caused severe damage to the Siamese ships, many men were lost. Walter Christmas, a Danish Captain in the Siamese Navy in 1893, and in charge on the occasion, described the situation as follows: “but just a hodgepodge of hopeless ships, useless guns, and incompetent crews, commanded by men who, however stout and resourceful in other fields, for the most part were without knowledge in military skills”. (Christmas (1894) From ‘Thai-Dan-

ish Relations’ (1980), p. 128, published by the Royal Danish Ministry of Education). Christmas himself fired his cannon four times, when he tried to fire the fifth time it collapsed. At that time at least 25 Danish Navy-Officers served in the Siamese Navy, plus some from other nations. From Copenhagen they were forbidden to participate in any fighting with the French, but they nevertheless did so. King Chulalongkorn, the patron and friend behind Richelieu wisely

Inside the fortress as it looks today. February 2010 • ScandAsia.Th 3

Admiral Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu ...continued from the previous page. Vicar (pastor). The family originated from France, immigrated to Norway around 1670, and sometime later settled in Denmark. There seems to be no evidence that the family was related to the original and famous bearer of the name, Cardinal de Richelieu (1585-1642). We next meet Andreas as a pupil of Roskilde Cathedral School in 1864. In the schools register his father is there mentioned as “the deceased Vicar Louis du Plessis de Richelieu, the Parish of St. Thomas.” Andreas’ father died on St. Thomas, a Danish colony on an island in The West Indies, in 1859, seemingly alone, after staying there less than one and a half years and only 38 years old. It is known that the Danish islands were often used as last retreat for troubled careers. It would be interesting to know what happened to the rest of Andreas family and how this influenced his extraordinary life. Later, Andreas Richelieu went sailing in the Merchant Marine. He became Lieutenant of the Reserve in the Danish Marine, where he earned his Ship Master Certificate. In 1875, aged 23 years old, after talks with his superiors, he was granted an audience by King Christian IX

Left: Remains of fortifications on mangrove island off Phra Samut Chedi. Right: Samut Prakan (Paknam) across the river.

This portrait in full uniform of Admiral Richelieu was published in the booklet “Thai Danish Relations Through Four Centuries” printed on the occasion of the State Visit to Thailand of HM Queen Margrethe II in February 2001. The caption in the book mentions Admiral Richelieu’s Thai name Phraya Cholayuthyothin which he was given when elevated to nobility by HM King Rama V.

in Copenhagen. The young man’s wish was a Letter of Introduction to the Siamese King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, who had ascended the throne in 1868 when only 15 years old. Andreas had visited Siam and Bangkok in the course of his work in the Merchant Marine, was attracted to Siam, and saw the possibilities for

4 ScandAsia.Th • February 2010

himself there. By this act, he really took his life and destiny in his own hands, and equipped with his certificates and the personal introduction to King Chulalongkorn, he sailed off to Siam via Singapore. There, with the assistance of the Danish Consul Koebke, he was granted an audience on April 3rd 1875.

This was a meeting of two young men of approximately the same age; both of them ‘stand alone’ characters and able to look one another in the eye, being of almost the same height. That Richelieu did not tower over his counterpart, was and is not without significant importance in Siam/Thailand. Although cast in a relationship of Patron and client, there are strong indications that a friendship developed between the two, and a bond of absolute loyalty on Richelieu’s part as well. A few weeks after the audience, he was hired as Captain-Lieutenant and offered a position as Second in Command of one of the Navy’s ships. This offer he turned down and asked for a command of his own. He succeeded and was given the command over HSMS ‘Regent’, bound for an inspection tour of the Western coast of Siam bordering the Andaman Sea, with the main town being Phuket. However, he only spent some of his energy on Navy matters.

Ready for business It is possible, also given the size of the Thai navy, that his duties were not onerous, so during his years in Siam, Richelieu also established a railway line, a tramline in Bangkok, an electricity plant and more. But first and foremost he established a very lucrative business relationship with H.N. Andersen of Andersen & Co., later to be known as EAC. These activities will be dealt with in Article 2.

Chaw-ka-cher Tropicana Lanta oh Lanta has many beautiful sandy beaches, breathtaking surrounding small islands, stunning scenery and rich culture, making Koh Lanta a dream destination. ‘Chaw-ka-cher Tropicana Lanta’ is a beautiful resort named after the twelfth letter of the Thai alphabet which means ‘Big tree’ that provides shade from the sun, and during your stay you will be able to find true relaxation. The resort is within walking distance from the refreshing sea breeze, warm sun and gentle waves of ‘Pra Ae beach’. The resort was designed by award winning Southern Thai Architect ‘Pan Yah’, incorporating traditional Thai high tip roof houses. The stylish interiors feature naked cement textured walls,

6 ScandAsia.Th • February 2010

fine local fabrics and is decorated with hardwood furniture. Each villa is set in the midst of a lush landscaped, shady tropical garden, capturing the essence of a rainforest and each evening, we light lanterns in the gardens to make dinning with us magical and romantic. The night sky is full of twinkling stars and can be observed from your terrace or open roofless bathroom as you shower under the moonlight. Visitors can explore Koh Lanta’s natural beauty and experience the laid back and tranquil atmosphere of this charming island. You will be truly comfortable at ‘Char-ka-cher Tropicana Lanta Resort’ where everything will be taken care of to ensure that your stay is filled with happiness and sweet dreams.

We offer with great value either during For High Season (1 Nov 2009-19 Dec 2009, 11 Jan 2010-30 Apr 2010) - 4 day 3 night package - 5 day 4 night package For more information, please contact: Sales and Reservation Office: 247/1 M. 2, Aonang, Muang Krabi 81000 Tel. +66 (0) 7563 7970, +66 (0) 8 1895 9718 E-mail: reservation@chawkacherresort.com Resort : 352 M.2, Saladan, Koh lanta, Krabi 81150 Tel. +66 (0) 75 667 122 – 4 www.ChawKaCherResort.Com

The Moroccan Dream Getaway ome celebrate your love by strolling along the shores of Pranburi beach. Let the breathtaking views and enchanting décor of Villa Maroc Resort bring you to your fantasy world where memories are created for a lifetime. Villa Maroc is the perfect setting for an intimate wedding party, honeymoon or private getaway. Book the “Moroccan Dream Getaway” package which includes a 2 night’s stay in a luxurious Pool Court room for THB 21,500*, or upgrade

to a breathtaking Pool Villa for THB 32,500*. The “Moroccan Dream Getaway” package comes with a sumptuous in-room breakfast so that you never have to leave the privacy of your room, a romantic candle-lit dinner with a complimentary bottle of wine, a 45 minutes Cleansing Hammam couples’ treatment and an additional 30% discount good towards other rejuvenating spa treatments. This package is available from now until April 30th, 2010. Reservation is subject to availability. Please call 032 630 771 or email at rsvn@villamarocresort.com *Remark: Prices are inclusive of service charge and VAT.

Magical Honeymoon

Sunrise Tropical Resort, an exclusive resort on Railay East Beach, Krabi, offers 3 Days, 2 Nights at only 19,999 Baht per couple. Package valid until 19 April 2010. The accomodation will be in Tropical Villa Plus and the room will be incl. complimentary fruit platter, small bouquet of roses, round trip transfer from / to Krabi Airport by private a/c coach. A long tail boat one day excursion tour to Phi Phi Island. Furthermore, meals are included (set menu: a. Breakfast (2), b. Lunch (1), c. Dinner (1)) and one facial treatment at Arunburkfa Spa for couple. When you don’t want to leave there is an Extend Night Discount of 10%.

Summer Special 2010 20 April 2010 – 31 October 2010, 3 Nights per room Tropical Villa THB 8,200, Tropical Villa Plus Junior THB 8,950 Tropical Villa Plus THB 11,200

More information, Please contact Sunrise Tropical Resort Tel: +66 (0) 7581 9418-20 Moblie : + 66 (0) 1979-6299 www.sunrisetropical.com February 2010 • ScandAsia.Th 7

Dream Island for Slow The Surin islands north of Phuket is well-known heaven for its beautiful marine life in the Andaman sea. Lesser known is a rare beauty emerging closer to the mainland; Koh Prathong - the island of the golden Buddha. A wild and frightened survivor of the devastating tsunami five years ago, Koh Prathong is slowly growing up like a young teenager, not yet aware of her rare, natural beauty. Text and photos: Disraporn Yatprom

ashed over by the Tsunami on 26 December 2004, Koh Prathong has today fully recovered with plenty of interesting forest types like dark green mangrove forest on the east cost, dusty green coastal forest on the west coast and in the middle a beautiful Savannah with rare, wild orchids clinging to the special trees and red, insect-eating plants scattered on the ground under the short, silky grass. To maintain the natural forests on Koh Prathong as well as to protect against commercial exploitation, the Royal Thai Forestry Department has joined hands with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the local people on Koh Prathong to protect and preserve all their valuable natural resources while developing eco-tourism in order to increase

8 ScandAsia.Th • February 2010

the sustainable income to the local population.

Rich in rare birds Birdwatchers will find several rare species of kingfishers, egrets, herons and even horn bills, which on Koh Prathong are far less timid than their cousins in the jungles on the mainland. A research conducted by the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand recently found that Koh Prathong has at least 137 different bird species. However, Oriental Pied Hornbill seems to be the most interesting for bird watchers since Oriental Pied Hornbill is otherwise only found in Khao Yai or Kang Krajarn. Sea eagles circling over the island is also a majestic and common sight. Along the forest line, there is also an abundance of natural resources

fascinating for tourists to explore. A visit to the Tung Dap Village where one of the farmers is breeding the “Dendrobium cruentum” species of orchids is also popular among the mostly nature loving visitors.

Sand and Rock The beaches of Koh Prathong may look similar to the beaches elsewhere in Thailand. Only if you look carefully you’ll see different footsteps of rare sea animals that let you imagine what kind of animal left those footstep behind. In November and December the sea turtles will crawl up on the beach to lay there eggs. A walk on the beach in the sunrise at 5.30 will reveal the characteristic broad and shuffled tracks leading from the sea up to the pitch where they have laid their eggs and back out into the sea again. Previously, the villagers earned

Speed Lovers beach and play hide and seek with the waves washing over them.

The local people There are only four small villages on Koh Prathong; Baan Pak-Jok, Baan Paeyoy, Baan Tung-Dap, and Baan Kah-Ra. Ethnically, 70% of population are ethnically a tribe called Morgan, with the rest being immigrated Chinese from Hainan. Fishery is the main occupation for local people on Koh Prathong. In ancient times, zink and other metals were extracted and traded. Before the Tsunami, about 1000 people lived in Baan Pakjok village. Even though Lion Club helped build 150 houses to replace the ones destroyed by the disaster, only 50 local people live there today. The rest are too scared to return and have settled elsewhere. To make good use of the houses built by Lions Club, the few local people now offer the uninhabited homes as home-stays for visiting tourists to generate a small income for their family. Kanitha, an elderly woman who survived from Tsunami, describes vividly how she heard a loud, thundering noise on the day the Tsunami hit. She thought it was a bomb exploding at a pier nearby. Then she saw her two horses screaming and the big wave coming gushing at her. She and her horses floated together until the water receded. She feels lucky that she and her husband are still alive but she lost one of her horses by that big wave.

Golden Buddha Resort

their income from concessions on collecting turtle eggs. But as turtle eggs became a rare commodity, the government and Conservation Authority today have extensive turtle conservation projects and build turtle breeding farm instead of hunting them at sea. Other tracks on the beach are from monitor lizards hunting the crabs that live in abundance on the

Golden Budha resort is the best resort on Koh Prathong. A resort that was previously located here before the Tsunami has disappeared without a trace. The Golden Buddha Beach Resort that has replaced it extends along the Andaman Sea facing the setting sun. Each beach house is uniquely designed and comfortably sleeps between 2 and 6 people. The resort has a total of 25 private houses. Some are located tugged in among the tall pine trees, some are beach front houses with sea view, peace, and total privacy. Each beach house is fully equipped except for TV and electricity. The houses are supplied with electricity from a generator between 17:00 and 23:00. After that the electricity is turned off except

at the resortâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s restaurant where the dinner buffet is being served. Apart from Golden Buddha Resort one small resort with few guests are found. But in Baan Pakjok there are several home-stays that are built in the style of a traditional Morgan house which are offered at a low rate for eco-tourist. Koh Prathong is good place for people who want to get away from tension at work, newlywed couples on their honeymoon, naturists enjoying the 10 km long deserted beach, eco-tourists exploring the rare fauna and wildlife - or even heart broken people who need time to recover from their loss. Although there are small shops in the local villages, it is a good idea to bring a torchlight as the light is turned off at 23.00, sun lotion, bugs prevention lotion for the little black beach flies that emerges when the sun has set and the rare mosquito, good book(s), snacks to keep you from being hungry between restaurant opening hours, common pills and whatever medication you may need.

Activities Koh Prathong is for outdoor loving, low speed people. You can go for long walks, go snorkeling, go on a boat trip to dive on a reef, or just relax. The internet is slow or sometimes off which is good for having a relaxed time without any technology. Even the mobile phone is slow speed. At Koh Prathong you can stay on your porch and read a book and suddenly look up to find rare birds

flying over your head - no need to go on deep jungle trekking trips, just sit still and don't blink.

How to go there By road from Bangkok, take Route 4, passing Prachuab Khirikan, Chumporn, and Ranong, to take the boat from the Kuraburi harbour. The boat is about 1 hour and 10 minutes. For more information: Tourism Authority Thailand, District 4 South Tel. 0-7621-1036, 0-7621-2216, 0-7621-7138 Golden Budha Resort / Ms Tanya: Tel. 081 892 2208, 081 919 5228 Pak-Jok Home Stay / Ms Lamyong: Tel. 087-281-1360 Tung-Dap Home Stay / Mr. Thep: Tel. 087-993-4331

February 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ ScandAsia.Th 9

The Viking Wheelers Great Ride from Prachuabkirikhan On 4 December a team of 13 Viking Wheelers started out on their annual marathon cycling tour, this year a distance of about 425 km from Prachuab Khiri Khan to Surat Thani. By Henrik Friis and Hans Henrik Melchior he team consisted of President Henrik Friis, Bent Laasholdt, Morten Luxhoi, Mads Tranum Nielsen, Claus Bergenfelt, Jan Peter Jensen, Finn Soerensen, Matthew Pearson, Kenn Lauritsen and Hans Henrik Melchior. Flying in from Denmark to join this event were Jesper Madsen, a friend of Morten and Mads, who joined this annual event for the third time, and Poul-Erik and Kirsten Ring, good friends of Henrik Friis.

After an about 4 hours drive from Bangkok the team arrived in Prachuab Khiri Khan where it enjoyed a lunch at a restaurant at the beach just south of the city. During the lunch a lone British cyclist passed the restaurant and stopped to find out who the guys in red and white were. When he asked, the Vikings proudly told him that they were just about to start a tour going all the way down to Surat Thani. He then announced that he had left Chiang Mai a week earlier and was on his way to Kuala Lumpur. Although clearly not impressed by the plans of the Vikings, he did cheer the team from the balcony of his hotel when they passed about half an hour later!

33 km warm-up ride The Friday ride was a “warm up” ride of about 33 km to the cosy Jack’s Beach Resort north of Thap Sakae. At the beginning of the ride the team’s flying President, Henrik Friis, assumed the temporary role of air traffic controller, stopping all incoming and outgoing flights in the local international airport, so the Vikings could safely cross the runway. Apart from a short stint on HW 4 the rest of the ride was on small country roads, along the beach and

10 ScandAsia.Th • February 2010

through plantations, soybean fields, cattle farms and small villages down to the resort, which is located right at the beach. Before the start of the Saturday ride, the local Village Headman arrived at the resort and, duly impressed by the handsome Vikings in their red and white jerseys, he invited the team to participate in a ceremony at the pier, just about to commence, releasing into the ocean about a million scrimps, on the occasion of H.M. the King’s birthday, and the Vikings happily complied. One of the Vikings was, however, so unlucky to drop his plastic bag with about 1,000 scrimps, which obviously did not make it back to the ocean. Nobody, except maybe for the scrimps, seemed to care about this mishap.

dogs, which, unfortunately, were not scared by Mads in his frightening outfit with horns sticking out of his helmet, and instead started chasing Mads, who did get scared and in his efforts to evade the pack rode over a sharp edge and got a flat tyre. Anyway, the team was in high spirits when it arrived at Baan Maprao Resort, located on a fantastic beach. This was the second time the team visited this resort, as the riders also stayed here when they were on the Tour de Thailand in 2004. Before and after the dinner Mads and his guitar entertained the group by singing popular Danish “viser” by i.e. Shubidua, Kim Larsen, Lasse and Mathilde, something he was much better at than chasing dogs.

94 km to Chumporn 75 km to Baan Maprao Resort The day’s rid e was about 75 km to Baan Maprao Resort in Bang Saphan Noi, also along the beach and on small country roads, mostly pancake flat, except for a long hill a few kilometres before the end of the ride, which the organizers claimed was not there when they made the survey trip. During the ride Mads attempted to chase some stray

At 8 am sharp Sunday morning the brave Vikings commenced what would be the toughest ride so far during this year’s marathon, a ride of about 94 km to Chumporn. Although also this ride was on scenic country roads, there were plenty of rolling hills, some of them very challenging, but the Viking Wheelers had by now built up lots of strength, so all passed the test and were very happy and proud when they arrived

to Surat Thani in Chumporn in the mid-afternoon, looking forward to their evening dinner in the local KFC. Hans Henrik knew that Khun Vichien, the driver of the support van, is a keen cyclist longing to get in the saddle. So, after lunch HH gracefully offered to drive the van for the last 30 km and Vichien was very happy to get this opportunity to cycle this leg. Bent, feeling sorry that HH should be alone in the van, volunteered to keep him company, an offer which was accepted without hesitation. Monday was a day of rest in Chumporn, and several Wheelers used the opportunity to get their bicycles trimmed at the local Trek bicycle shop. During the waiting time they were seen roaming around the local water holes. The group also found time to plan for 2010, and as everyone were in good spirit it was decided to have 9 events next year including a week ride in the North Eastern part of Thailand. The completed plan will be posted on the Viking Wheelers website www.vikingwheelers.com The Vikings assembled in the evening for a very nice Vietnamese/ Thai dinner followed by a pit stop at the local backpacker hangout to get some Viking neutralisers.Rumours have it that the President had

bought shares in this bar as he was seen running around behind the bar and instructing the staff. After neutralisers, the Vikings were ready for some more action, but soon realised that Chumporn is not the most active place in the world, so 2 of the senior Vikings, Bent Låsholdt and Mads Tranum formed a new band called the Viking Whistlers, and took over a local Karaoke Place and turned it into a Danish Music place, and songs could be heard in most of Chumporn, so don’t be surprised if you hear some local Thais whistling the tunes of a Kim Larsen melody next time you pass though the city.

88 km ride to Paknam Tuesday all Vikings were fresh and ready for takeoff at 8.00 hrs and, with the Flying President leading the way out of Chumporn, the Vikings embarked on the 88 km ride towards PN Seafood resort in Paknam. The first 20 km were up and down hills, and apparently a little too much for Mads, the Viking Whistler, as he lost the air at the first pit stop and was taken to the local hospital by his friend Morten. The hospital soon got him up again but apparently the nurses had heard that he could play music so they hooked February 2010 • ScandAsia.Th 11

him up to a heart monitor and sat all night and listened to the beat of his heart before he was released the next morning. The rest of the Vikings continued the trip, with regular up-dates from the hospital so they could conquer the hills up and down with relaxed minds. After 65 km lunch was at Ban Pak Tako beach, and Morten and Hans Henrik (who had gone to the hospital to lead Morten and the van with all the luggage back to the group) joined the lunch and rumors started circulating that the 2 gentlemen had slipped something into Mads’ coffee so they could avoid the hilly ride in the morning. After lunch the riders embarked on the remaining 23 km with a pit stop for the sissies 10 KM before final destination, which the front runners Claus, Matthew and Finn skipped. The President regretted he stopped there, as some of the Vikings before him had dug a hole and filled it with loose sand and gravel with the result he fell flat over on his bike and scraped his elbow and bent 2 -3 ribs. During the fall he also knocked all the air out of the lungs, and bystanders described the event as similar to a kangaroo jumping a ball that bursts when it lands on the floor. After the President was cleaned

up and new air pumped into the lungs all riders, including the flying President, continued to PN Seafood resort where cool beer awaited them upon arrival.

84 km to Roong Arun Resort Wednesday, the Vikings took off at 8.15 a.m. as they had to wait for Mads to return from the hospital. At arrival Mads took the wheel of the van and delegated the bicycle job to

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the driver Vichien. The day’s ride was mostly on flat roads, and some of the Vikings picked up so much speed that they lost the way after 9.5 km and added an additional 6-7 km to the planned 84 km ride. Discussions are still ongoing on how to describe an asphalt road and a main road, but the organizers accepted the penalty of a round of beer in the evening, and to read a few Danish-English dictionaries and maps before next year’s ride. The weather gods had decided to change from cloudy to sunny and, although the roads were flat, the day became very hot, so the only female rider, Kirsten, gave up pulling the “turtles” (Viking Wheeler language for “slow riders”), and decided to join Mads in the van. According to Mads the gentlemen still on the road then reduced the speed so much that the van got over heated due to the slow driving. The group arrived safely at Roong Arun Resort after 84 km, and a delicious seafood lunch was served together with some cool beers. The Vikings had the resort for themselves and Kenn decided to be the manager and sell beer to late night beach visitors.

A total of 425 km Thursday started with breakfast cooked by the owner of the resort and the driver Montri, as the kitchen staff had reported sick. The entire team agreed that it was the best breakfast on the trip and Morten is now considering to extend the Khao Yai Van to include a kitchen so he can get home cooked breakfast in future, but he has not yet agreed the price for borrowing Henrik’s

12 ScandAsia.Th • February 2010

driver Montri as a cook. The team headed off at 8.00 hrs with the first 19 km on flat roads. The first pit stop was before the rolling hills started and apparently it had some effect on the President as he jumped into the bus with the excuse the ribs were hurting. The rest of the riders conquered the hills without problems and arrived at the last stop in record speed where they enjoyed a few refreshments before they proceeded for the last 10 km. The entire team arrived at the small Happy Inn Hotel, after a total 425 km ride, and after showers and a few beers the cars were packed and they headed off for the last joint lunch before going to the airport. Everyone looked happy but tired and was pleased that they could fly back to Bangkok instead of cycling.

Sorry You Missed The Trip?? If you regret that you did not - or could not - participate in this year’s Viking Wheeler’s Great Annual Tour, then consider going on your own, “in the wheel prints of the Viking Wheelers”. Every rider on the trip got detailed turn-by-turn description of the 425 km long trip and these documents are made available to interested individuals here if you would like to go on your own trip on all or part of the way. 1. Turn-by-turn excel sheet. 2. Day-by-day route maps The files also show what a huge amount of time and effort the organizers have put into preparing the trip! If interested, look up www.vikingwheelers.com

The 90 Years Anniversary

Scandinavian Society Siam Text & Photos by Gregers Moller earls, feathers, dresses, smoking and red lipstick – and of course a Martini. The theme was 1920’s gala when Scandinavian Society Siam celebrated its 90 Year Anniversary. The Grand Ball took place on Saturday 30 January 2010 at the Dusit Thani Hotel. Former Chairman Steinar Paulsen was Master of Ceremony for the two hundred members who were all dressed up, and he guided the evening through its various phases. Special speakers of the evening were - apart from Chairwoman Dharmaporn ‘Eid’ Alexandersen former Chairman Vibeke Lyssand Leirvaag, Anders Lundquist, Poul Weber and Tom Sorensen. Free flow of champagne and delicious wine went well with the gala menu: Starter was Gravad Lax with sweet mustard sauce and seafood chowder. Then a refreshing sorbet before the main course: Roasted Australian Beef Tenderloin. Dessert was Three spices milk chocolate mousse and fresh fruit. After that, the bar was open. Well deserved praise for a fantastic arrangement rained on Eid Alexandersen and her Party Committee chairwoman Elina Koski for the extravagant party from the reception arrangement with 1920 photo opportunities to the cake cutting ceremony, complete with a sabre - which had earlier in the evening been swung by Jaana Kopra to ceremoniusly swoop open the first bottle of Champagne. The party was a great success - but would not have been possible without impressive sponsoring backing by prominent Scandinavian companies. In return their logos were clearly displayed all over the event and they deserved the gratitude which both the MC and the Chairwoman expressed from the podium. See one round of images uploaded in the Image Gallery here: http://scandasia.com/gallery/main. php?g2_itemId=808 Anyone with more images, please register and upload for all to enjoy in subfolders in the gallery or elsewhere, like picasaweb and similar photo-pages, and paste the link to your images below as a comment. Thank you!

14 ScandAsia.Th • February 2010

Day Trip Sailing from Hua Hin to Dolphin Bay candAsia together with Peter Rehn invites you to a memorable Day Trip Sailing from Hua Hin to Dolphin Bay. You can drive with us from Bangkok to Hua Hin or you can meet up in Hua Hin on the pier. Details will be sent to all participants. The program on board is simple: Relax with a glass of wine, swim in nice crystal clear water and fish off the beautiful coast with National Park “Sam Roi Yod” with 300 mountains hilltops as fabulous background. If we are lucky, we will see the Irrawaddy and and IndoOcean Humpback dolphins. We will take off at 8.00 hrs. from Hua Hin and be back at 17.00 hrs. A Scandinavian lunch will be served on board (exclusive of alcohol beverage).

Day Trip Sailing with Peter’s yacht to Dolphin Bay, Hau Hin On Saturday, the 20th of March 2010 Price THB 1,850 / person **inclusive lunch **exclusive transportation from/to Bangkok Transportation: THB 400 / person Due to limited space if you plan to attend, we ask you to please sign up at pimjai@scandmedia.com or call Ms. Pimjai Chaimongkol at 02 943 7166 by Mach 12.

February 2010 • ScandAsia.Th 15

Astudo Hotel & Resort Group Launches X2 Residences Astudo Hotel Group, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and resort management companies, officially launched their latest project’X2 Residences’.

Residences - pronounced “cross too” - is a low rise, high design, gated luxury development offering a unique lifestyle opportunity. The first projects have been launched in 3 locations within Thailand, Kui Buri (Hua Hin), Koh Samui and Koh Kood. The residences offer luxury accommodation within a 5-star resort environment providing unlimited access to all X2 Resort facilities. A variety of residence types are on offer including 1 bedroom apartments and 1-3 bedroom fully equipped private pool villas. The villa and apartment constructions make use of the highest quality materials and are fully furnished with designer pieces hand picked by the owner himself Anthony McDonald. The lifestyle opportunity being offered by X2 is unlike any other residence projects within Thailand.

To complement the 5-star resort lifestyle, a MINI Copper has been incorporated into the launch package to add to the lifestyle experience termed the X2 Lifestyle Experience. This unique project offers the only opportunity in the world to own a residence in an accredited “Design Hotel”. The apartments and villas start from 4.5 million THB and range up to 44.4 million THB with up to 80% finance available and a 90 year lease or freehold option. The investment has no additional ownership costs and guarantees 5% return for 5 years through a rental management program provided by the X2 Resorts group.

Locations Each X2 Residence location is unique in all aspects - location, design, furnishings and atmosphere. X2 Residence in Kui Buri is a prestige project offering 25 private villas with a total value of 370 million THB. The total residence area is 6 Rai (9,600 square meters), consisting of pool, garden and beachfront villas with access to a restaurant, swimming pool, library, spa, fitness centre and meeting room. The project, characterized by the rock wall design, adjoins the existing 23 villa beachfront X2 Kui Buri Resort. Accordingly, the entire layout of the project is designed in conformity with the successful X2 design concept developed by renowned Thai architect Duangrit

16 ScandAsia.Th • February 2010

Bunnag. X2 Residences Koh Samui is the second of the 3 locations, offering 10 private villas with a total value of 250 million THB. As like the Kui Buri Residences, Samui Residences offers pool, garden, restaurant, swimming pool, library, spa, fitness centre and meeting room on 3 Rai (4,800 SQM) of land. The residence adjoins the existing X2 Samui resort with its 27 private villas. The design was developed by international architectural firm Steven J. Leach, Jr+Associates. The X2 Residences at Koh Kood offers a variety in room types with 9 apartments and 16 private pool villas with either pool side, garden or sea view option. The total value of the project amounts to 260 million THB. The total residence area is 6 Rai (9,600 square

meters), and offers the same facilities as the other X2 Residence projects with additional beach bar, dive centre, and games area. The design was inspired by natural camouflage and seasonal colours of the island to create an eco-residences development. X2 Koh Kood resort and residences was designed by international architectural firm Steven J. Leach, Jr.+Associates and will begin construction during 2010. Astudo Hotel & Resort Group plans to launch eleven X2 Residences Projects throughout South East Asia by the end of 2012. For more information about X2 Residence Projects please visit www.X2residences.com

Georg Jensen Damask Changes Representative Tablecloth, placemats and tablerunners as well as beautiful luxurious bed linen, terry and kitchen towels from Georg Jensen Damask will now become more widely available in Singapore - and soon also launched in other parts of Asia.

eorg Jensen Damask in November changed representative in Singapore from Danish Living to MJ Management Pte Ltd. The Danish luxury brand includes tablecloth, placemats and tablerunners as well as beautiful luxurious bed linen, terry and kitchen towels. The MJ Group celebrated the takeover with a reception on 14 November at its premises in Capital Tower on Robinson Road. Georg Jensen Damask is now the third brand under the MJ Group organization. The other brands are the luxury Danish audio visual brand Bang & Olufsen and the Danish designer furniture brand Fritz Hansen. "Georg Jensen Damask is known for generations of weaving tradition in Denmark," says Andrea Tan, MJ Group Marketing Executive. "We will now build its position in Singapore - and soon in other parts of Asia as well." "Very soon, www.gjdasia.com will also be available online, so you will be able to shop and view our wide selection of Georg Jensen Damask products, view local store opening hours and check for news and updates," she adds.

Old Chinese Technique The art of Damask originated in China during the Han Dynasty and was used for producing colour-

ful, precious silk fabrics. The technique came to the Orient via the “Silk Road” and Damascus in Syria became the centre of the damask weaving technique. Traditionally, damask textiles were exclusive and considered only for the rich. Damask is characterised by dense, fine-threaded textiles where beautiful relief patterns are created by the alternating dominance of warp and weft. The pattern effect is

reinforced by the use of two different yarn colours. Explore the world of Georg Jensen Damask at www.damask.dk. For more information about Georg Jensen Damask in Asia, please contact: Ms Andrea Tan, ant@gjdasia.com, +65 6513 9522 MJ Management Pte Ltd 168 Robinson Road #02-01 Capital Tower Singapore 068912

SCANDINAVIAN SHOPPE Special offer:

* Scandinavian Shoppe 30 South Buona Vista Road How to get there? - MRT to Buona Vista. Bus no. 200 to Lor Sarhad. - MRT to Harbour Front / Vivo City. Bus no. 10, 30, 143 to Redwood West. Walk up South Buona Vista Road Tel:+65 6476 2575 - scandishoppe@singnet.com.sg

‘Gamle Ole’ Vintage Cheese

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February 2010 • ScandAsia.Sg 1

Clothes, Shoes, Jewellery and a Birgit Ziegler, a woman with a preference for Danish design It’s especially her Danish children’s shoes that are in high demand. Birgit is very focused on providing her costumers with great quality shoes avoiding all shoes with PVC – A plastic material feared to be dangerous to children and frequently found in cheap shoes.

It all started with children’s shoes but as time went on Birgit Ziegler’s business grew. Today the cheerful woman is the owner of three shops all selling interesting ‘must have’s from Denmark.

Dependent on tourists It was bit of a coincidence that let Birgit to open her first store. It started when Birgit went on a shopping spree to find shoes for her daughter Nicole who back then was only a baby. Birgit quickly realized that there were no quality shoes in Singapore for children only cheap plastic ones with blinking lights and crazy sounds.

By Sarah Mia Haagerup

here is a lot going on in ‘Ziegler Shoes’ when I step into the small shop located on the second floor in Tanglin Mall. Birgit who is wearing a pink loosefitting top approaches me with a big smile. “You must be from ScandAsia. Welcome. Give me just two minutes and I will be there”, she says and I find a good excuse for looking through all the beautiful clothes and shoes in the shop. Even though the shop is very small you can find roughly anything here from shining jewellery and stylish handbags to flashing summer sandals and smashing clothes and you can tell that Birgit has good taste. The best part however is that nearly all the items are from Denmark. The jewellery is from Denmark, the clothes from Danish brands like Saint Tropez and Vila while the shoes stand out by being from the shoe Mecca of Italy,

“I thought, well I’ll be damned! That’s not at all what I call good footwear like what I grew up with in Denmark. There must be a big market for this in Singapore”.

2 ScandAsia.Sg • February 2010

which I guess is okay seeing it’s Italy. A young girl named Amanda is serving the costumers. She moved here from Denmark with her parents about eight months ago and has been hired by Birgit to look after the shop. It’s her second day today but she seems to be doing quite well. For a second there it’s almost as if I am back in Denmark. After a little while Birgit is back a little less busy this time, still with a big warm-hearted smile on her face making you instantly feel at ease with her. Birgit has lived in Singapore with her husband for about 16 years and the Zieglers are therefore a wellknown name in the local community. Birgit’s husband Henrik is the managing director of Marel Food Systems - a large provider of food processing machines - while Birgit, who is trained in the shoe industry, runs her three shops ‘Ziegler Shoes’, ‘Boutique Nicole’ and ‘Inside Living’. All three shops with one thing in

common - a preference for Scandinavian design, most of all Danish.

Why Danish is the best “Denmark is pretty good at being ahead of things especially in terms of clothing. The quality of the clothes is good and the people behind the brands are good at trying new things”, Birgit says with a distinct Jutlandic accent. In Birgit’s boutiques you can find all the sizes you would find in a regular shop in Denmark but when she goes out purchasing items for her store the suppliers almost always assume that she only needs the small sizes since she is doing business in Asia, where most people are smaller than in Europe. But Birgit has a pretty good and broadly-based clientele, which requires her to provide lots of different sizes. Lots of her costumers are tourists mostly from Bangkok and in addition to that she gets a lot of costumers from Singapore, locals as well as foreigners.

Birgit had always wanted to open a shop and with her knowledge of the shoe industry it was an obvious choice to open her own shoe shop. So in 1996 she introduced the Singaporean’s to children’s shoes from Denmark and it was an instant success. As her clientele grew bigger and the need to expand became too big to ignore she decided to open her second store ‘Ziegler Shoes’. Unfortunately she chose to open four days before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001 and therefore had a slow start because many tourists, in the wake of what had happened, were too terrified too fly. Seeing that Birgit is largely dependent on tourists, sales were also affected by the outbreak of SARS in 2002. “In situations like that we are very sensitive. When such things happen people don’t want to shop. They panic”, Birgit says. The recent financial crisis also

Romantic Interior Store took its toll because many foreigners left Singapore during this period. But with the support of Birgitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s local costumers there were no red lights flashing at any time.

Difficult Ă&#x201A;Inside LivingĂ&#x160; In May 2007 Birgit took the plunge and decided to open an applied art and furniture store. She fell in love with a location in the shopping mall Cluny Court because the cosy and romantic settings reminded her of Denmark. Like her other two stores she wanted to sell Scandinavian design but it showed to be easier said than done since â&#x20AC;&#x153;interior stores demands much more work than a clothing storeâ&#x20AC;?, Birgit says. For one there was the hangup about the difference between the climate in Singapore and the climate in Scandinavia. Singapore has a much higher humidity and it resulted in a lot of complaints from the costumers because of cracked surfaces and things

like that. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were just too many complaints and I felt I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; answer for itâ&#x20AC;?, she says. Second was the handling of goods, which turned out to be much more difficult than anticipated. All things considered there were too many problems so Birgit chose to terminate her lease even though she had found the perfect location. Many costumers were disappointed to hear the news since â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Inside Livingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is the first of its kind in Singapore selling romantic style items from Danish designers such as Lene Bjerre, Villa Collection, Udesen DK and Nordal. Birgit will close down â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Inside Livingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the 1st of May and as a result she will have a closing-down sale in the weeks before. So if you have a preference for Scandinavian design like Birgit you shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss it for the world.

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February 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ ScandAsia.Sg 3

Why isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it cheaper than back home? 5. Check the electricity plug. You may require an adapter when you get it home. Get one included in the price. Further, make sure the item will recharge on your home country voltage without converters etc.

Scandinavians living in Singapore often have to advise visiting friends about some of the ground rules of shopping for electronics in Singapore. This list on TripAdvisor.com covers the basics.

6. Ensure you have a world wide warranty. Many products are sold without warranties and can become a costly paper weight when you get them home. On any Chinese look-a-like products, ignore warranty promises, it will never happen.

1. Have a strong understanding of the product brand, model and price - otherwise you could pay twice what you would pay at home. 2. Before you start bargaining (at Sim Lim or Lucky Plaza you must bargain) - determine whether the deal includes GST. There will be assurances that you can make a claim at the airport but this does not always work. Understand the terms and conditions of the GST refund system before you assume you will get one. 3. Always determine whether it is a cash price or credit card price. Some vendors may charge up to 2% plus on a credit card transaction. If you are putting it on your credit card, know what your bank will slug you on conversion ie rate of the day plus a 1-3% conversion fee. It may add up to 5% to the cost which will kill the bargain.

4 ScandAsia.Sg â&#x20AC;˘ February 2010

7. Finally, have a strong understanding of the product - brand, model and price - other wise you could pay twice what you would pay at home..... and yes that is a repeat of the first point! 4. For a mobile phone, find out if it is unlocked - easiest way to guarantee is to put your foreign SIM in. This will also give you a chance to see if you like the display, touch etc and whether the default language is the one you need. For example, cheap Chinese look-a-like brands will not have the original makers software and are likely to have Chinese as the default language. That is, if you need menu and instructions in English not everything will be in English and every time you turn on the phone you will need to change the language option to English (ie always defaults to Chinese).

Bargaining tips Try a few stores to get a feel for the rock bottom price, if you think you have got the best price, see if you can negotiate for inclusion or deep discounts on some wanted accessories that usually have higher markups - for example, cameras may not come with memory cards. In one case a friend thought they got a great deal on a high end SLR only to find it did not include the lens!)

February 2010 â&#x20AC;˘ ScandAsia.Fi 5

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Koh Samet’s Crazy Papa It is believed that once upon a time, Ko Samet was the home of pirates and that until this very day there is still lost treasures buried somewhere on the island. If the pirates ever return from the dead to reclaim their priceless treassures and bump into Koh Samet’s Papa Roger on their way they’ll most likely choke on their whisky before finding anything.

this was my place”, Roger says. Back then he had a highly ambitious dream of opening up restaurants and bars in every corner of Southeast Asia. Later as he realized that this dream was a bit unrealistic he limited himself to a bar on Koh Samet and a restaurant in Sri Lanka called Roger’s Garage. At this time he had already opened and closed a place in Cambodia, The Philippines and Pattaya. His place in the Philippines went bankrupt after he left, while his bar in Sihanoukville in Cambodia suddenly turned in to an internet shop – The people running the place just forgot to tell Roger about it. His place in Pattaya suffered more or less the same fate because the bar had been placed in a wrong location. “It’s not easy to make serious business in this part of the world,” he says but there is no sound of regret in his voice. It seems like Roger just treats it as an experience.

By Sarah Mia Haagerup

“W

elcome to Papa Roger’s BEAUUUUTIFUL bar. We have good wine, cold beer, nice music and happy hour FREE ICE”, shouts an unusually tanned, white-bearded man with large white sunglasses to the surprised tourists walking outside on the street. The crazy loud man, dressed in a gaudy blue outfit, the colour of Friday, is Roger - a well-known Finn and barowner on Koh Samet. What Roger is most famous for is not clear; His loud yelling and vibrant outfits or the fact that he has been present on Koh Samet since 1989, when he opened up Koh Samet’s first bar. In 1989 the island was a largely unknown tourist destination to many and the main road appeared almost ghostly with dusty sand roads, empty houses and no electricity. There is no doubt that Roger’s Bar, back then called Roger’s Garage, enlivened the place and for the backpackers who first discovered the island’s beauty Roger’s Garage was probably godsend. One year after Roger’s grand opening more bars and restaurants started shooting up all around the island. In the early 80s the island was declared a National Park by the Thai Government. “Maybe they should have called it an amusement park”, Roger says playfully.

Running a one-man-show Today the bar, which is located on Koh Samet’s main road close to the pier, also serves as a small backpacker hotel or as Roger likes to call it 6 ScandAsia.Fi • February 2010

Santa Claus comes to Koh Samet “The Backpacker’s Hilton”. Price for a room is 250 THB which makes the three rooms at Roger’s some of the most inexpensive accommodations on the island not including the minimalist outdoor tents further up the road. “It is cheap because you share the bathroom”, Roger explains. To give the place a homelike atmosphere Roger has converted the place into a cosy living room with an old-school leather sofa, armchairs and wooden coffee tables. The walls are nicely and a little crazily smartened up with a mixture of Thai and Finnish wall decorations. “In beer we trust” it says with big letters on the wall behind the small bar counter where naturally a Finnish flag is places accompanied by - of course - lots of Finlandia vodka. “You can’t be without alcohol here”, says Roger, while he eagerly runs around serving the group of Finnish guests who is occupying the chairs outside the bar’s illuminated front door. During the years the bar has changed looks many times because Roger for a long time didn’t want to rent the place for a whole year since he always returns to his summerhouse in Helsinki at around April. As a result he came up with new ways to decorate and promote the

place every time he returned. He even thought up new names for the place including inventive titles such as Roger’s Garage, Roger’s Banana Bar, Roger’s Chess Café, Roger’s Cosy Corner Bar and finally Papa Roger’s Bar – A suitable name, he thinks, now that he is a retired man.

Ex-actor turned crazy barowner Roger is really 66 years old but believes that he is closer to 166 - Nevertheless “still going strong”, he says, with a wink in his eye. I later learn that he is a retired comedy stage-actor, which makes incredibly good sense considering his entertaining and cheerful personality. He didn’t succeed as an actor however “because I really wasn’t that good”, he says and laughs. So he quit the theatre and looked for something new to spend his time on. He decided to try his luck in Thailand. He wasn’t too satisfied with Finland’s cold weather and felt like he needed to get away from the snow. Koh Samet’s cheap rent, beautiful beaches and friendly people attracted him a lot and he came up with the idea of opening up a bar there. “When I came to Koh Samet and saw the beach I just knew, that

Roger doesn’t need a stage at the theatre with spotlights and curtains. The bar on Koh Samet is Roger’s stage and here he has the freedom to run his own show and do crazy things such as dress up as Santa Claus every Christmas and hand out presents to the local’s small children. Even though he doesn’t like to admit it’s him under the Santa costume a picture of him in a crazy Santa outfit on the wall of his bar speaks for itself. Roger is very dedicated to the local community on Koh Samet and enjoys helping the people around him. Once a week he hangs out with a disabled boy and regularly also helps the local families with school money. Koh Samet has really become Roger’s home and he will continue to come back to the place as long as he can fly, he says. Despite the fact that the island has changed a lot since he first fell in love with it back in the late 80s he still thinks very highly of the beautiful pearl in the Gulf of Thailand. And of course you can not ignore, that the increasing number of tourists is good for business. However, there is no doubt that Koh Samet’s crazy papa would like to turn back the clock just a bit, to the days when the beaches were secluded and Koh Samet was still a hidden paradise.

February 2010 • ScandAsia.Fi 7

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