DEC 2011
Thailand
IKEA’s Charity Opening ScandAsia.dk
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Coming Events The International Horticultural Exposition Royal Flora 2011 Date: 14 December 2011 - 14 March 2012 Location: The Royal Park Ratchaphreuk, Chiang Mai
Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in Thailand
The International Horticultural Exposition: Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011 to be held during 14 December 2011 to 14 March 2012 in Chiang Mai, is to commemorate three auspicious occasions of the 84th Birthday celebration of His Majesty the King, the 80th Birthday celebration of Her Majesty the Queen and the 60th Birthday celebration of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The Royal Exhibition entitled “Succeeding Father’s Foot Steps: Agriculture for Sustainable Life” will be showcased during this exposition. One of the most outstanding highlights of the International Horticultural Exposition Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011 is the International Garden participations from 30 countries from around the world. Fore more information, please visit www.royalflora2011.com/2011.
Swedish Christmas Luncheon
ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in Thailand.
Date: 17 December 2011 Location: Rembrandt Hotel
Please sign up for your own FREE copy: www.scandasia.com Publisher : ScandAsia 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
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We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Singapore and the rest of South East Asia.
Book your calendar for the Swedish Christmas Lunch that is organized by Thai-Swedish Chamber of Commerce at Rembrandt Hotel on 17 December 2011. Please contact the secretary at contact@dancham.or.th or call 02 354 5229 for more details. Don’t miss the biggest Swedish event of the year!
Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Sasiprapa Silatham Email: sasiprapa@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Supphathada Numamnuay supphathada@scandmedia.com Distribution : Pimjai Chaimongkol pimjai@scandmedia.com Printing : Lake & Foundtain Printing Co., Ltd.
Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com
Christmas Eve Celebration in Pattaya Date: 24 December 2011 Location: Norwegian Seamans Church Don’t miss the Christmas Eve Celebration organized by the Norwegian Church in Pattaya on 24 December 2011. At 4 pm, Christmas worship by Jan Olav Johannessen. Christmas dinner will start at 7 pm. Ticket for adult is 1,000 baht/ person, 500 baht for children age between 5 to 12 years old and children under 5 years old is free of charge. Please hurry up because the maximum seat is 160 people only! Contact the church in advance at pattaya@sjomannskirken.no or kmo@sjomannskirken.
BOI Fair 2011 Date: 5 - 20 January 2012 Location: Impact Muang Thong Thani The Office of the Board of Investment, Royal Thai Government, is organizing BOI Fair 2011, which will be held from 5-20 January 2012 at Impact Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok, as part of nationwide celebrations marking the auspicious occasion of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s 84th birthday. The Fair will showcase Thailand’s industrial products and services and will undoubtedly be one of the biggest international exhibitions in Southeast Asia. Fore more information, please visit www.boifair2011.com.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY SCANDINAVIAN SOCIETY
Denmark Beats Sweden at Black Lotus in Hua Hin By Beate Cecilie Stampe Rasmussen
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t was with an atmosphere of an unofficial Nordic Soccer Championship between Denmark and Sweden when the two nations met for a friendly match late Friday night November 11 - with a Norwegian referee. Black Lotus had invited the Scandinavian community in Hua Hin for dinner and music entertainment before showing the match on the big screen in the open air. More than 50 Scandinavian and guests found their way less than 2 km from Banyan Golf Course, where Black Lotus is putting the finishing touches to a complex of 64 luxurious private pool villas located in the panoramic Western hills of Hua Hin. In the middle of the beautiful Mango plantation close to the big tropical lake, the restaurant was wrapped in Nordic colors and welcomed the guests with drinks and later barbecued roast beef, scalloped potatoes and roast pork slowly cooked in the Weber barbecue grill. Of course it was served with red cabbage, pickles and three(!) kinds of brown gravy. The owner of Black Lotus, Lars Castenlund has been mastering the barbecue most of the day and also did the serving of the juicy meat. With the full moon as a dramatic backdrop the skilled guitarist set a relaxed mood and soon all the tables were put together to make the Scandinavian conversation and drinks flow better. Killing time while waiting for the match to begin at 1 am was spent with changing to the official soccer t-shirts and with playful teasing between the two nations and a lot of guessing the outcome of the game. While the 18,057 guests were freezing in Denmark’s football stadium no. 1, Parken, the Scandinavians in Hua Hin enjoyed homemade hotdogs to the cold beer during the first half of the game in front of the big screen. The game ended 2-0 to Denmark. Nicklas Bendtner and Michael Krohn-Dehli provided for the cheerful moments and they did their bid to catch up with the statistical facts that; Sweden has won 45 out of the 102 matches, where Denmark had only won 39 times. The Swedish players had some good changes during the match, among others Emir Bairami who five minutes after Bendtner’s 1-0 score got very close to the goal, but the ball missed, bouncing off the goalpost.
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6 1. Everyone enjoyed the food and there were a lot of second helping. 2. Although it is very late and everyone is tired, all followed the game with interest on the big screen in the open air. 3. Black Lotus guitarist entertained with great enthusiasm - with not only scandinavian songs, but sang also in French and Thai. 4. The games is about to begin; the two teams meet at ‘Parken’ in Copenhagen, all interested in football met at Black Lotus in Hua Hin. 5. The bar at Black Lotus had a busy night. 6. Black Lotus is a new complex af 64 private pool villas, With more than 20.000 sqm of tropical common gardens, a large tropical lake, a Spa and Wellness Center, a common swimming pool with Jacuzzi, Club house with restaurant and bar, Recreation area, Fitness Center and Tennis. 6 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
Sunda Resort Krabi RELAX & ENJOY THE NATURE AT ITS BEST!!!!!
Come stay with us at Sunda Resort, where you will always be welcomed with a warm, friendly smile. You will experience nature at its best in the tranquil, garden setting and are just fews minute to beautiful Nopparat Thara beach. Make Sunda Resort your “Home Away From Home” and discover the true hospitality of Thailand - The Land of Smiles. Sunda Resort 19 Moo. 3, Ao-Nang, Muang Krabi 81000 Thailand Tel: +66 7566 1262-4, +66 89 230 9019 Fax: +66 7566 1266 E-mail: info@sundaresort.com, sales@sundaresort.com Website: www.sundaresort.com
Feel Refreshed at Fineday
“Many a Fine Day” is what we would like you to experience here at Krabi Fineday Resort. We are located in the Aonang-Haad Noppharatthara area. Here you can enjoy nature at its best and fully appreciate the tranquility of life. All guestrooms are designed as Thai style cottages, nestled closely to the abundant nature, where the stunning landscape will remind you of a tropical garden. Krabi Fineday Resort 239 Moo 5, Aonang, Muang, Krabi 81000 Thailand Tel: +66 7566 1040-1 Fax: +66 7566 1042 E-mail: reservation@krabifinedayresort.com, info@krabifinedayresort.com www.krabifinedayresort.com
Scandinavian Christmas Bazar
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he Scandinavian Christmas Bazar was held at Rembrandt Hotel, poolside on Sunday. This year, The Swedish Church had joined up with Hotel Rembrandt and ScanDeli to arrange the event. Around 200 people came to celebrate Christmas in the blistering sun and to shop amongst 10 market stalls. There was a fishpond for the small children and the football team from Scandinavian Vikings was in place for children of all ages to practice their goal skills. Santa Claus arrived in time for an afternoon Christmas story and also of course dancing around the Christmas three. It was greatly appreciated and many choose to sit in Santa’s knee and tell him their Christmas wish list. The Swedish Church held a ceremony and also sold cookies, bread and other Christmas items. All proceedings from the bazar was donated to the flood victims.
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Bangkok’s Open -Air Lifestyle Mall Artists and designers show their fresh creations every first Next “Wednesday Artists Market” Wednesday of the is held on month. Shop outWednesday 4 January 2012 of-the-box items from 5pm to 10 pm. for home decor, K Square @ K Village stationary, and accessories. The event is organized by K Village together with Indy-Designers. Wednesday Artists Market
Children’s Day @ K Village
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Saturday 14th January 2012 11.00am - 5.00pm Ground Floor @ K Village
Fun time for children and parents. “Do it yourself” theme of cake decoration, accessories making. Boost your children’s creativity and just let them have fun !
Recommended Restaurant
Yum&Tum Thai Restaurant
Daily open 10.30am-9.30pm Reservation Tel: 02-665-6546
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Enjoy delicious Thai food in relaxing atmosphere with individual attention at Yum & Tum Thai Restaurant. Over 30 different Thai Salads (“Yum”), Spicy Salad in Thai traditional style (“Tum”), deliciously Sweet and Sour Noodle Soup (“Guay Teow”). Daily special menu such as Spicy Eggplant Salad (“Yum Ma Quer Yao”), Spicy Pomelo Mixed Salad (“Yum Som Oh”), Spicy Tuna Salad with lemongrass topped with cashew nuts (“Yum Tuna”), Spicy Corn Salad, Spicy Mixed Fruit Salad, Massaman Chicken Curry with Rice. The friendly atmosphere makes Yum & Tum great for families and friends. Contact K Village & Visit us on Sukhumvit 26 Bangkok Open daily from 10am to 10pm
K Village : 93,95 Sukumvit 26, Klongton, Klongtoey, Bangkok 10110 (behind Big C Rama 4) Tel: +66 2258 9919-21 Fax: +66 2258 1800 E-mail: info@kvillagebangkok.com www.kvillagebangkok.com www.facebook.com/kvillagebkk www.twitter.com/kvillagebkk
Pay with your Citbank Credit Card and get one free plate of Spicy Papaya Salad or Spicy Corn Salad for every 500 Baht you pay! The offer is valid until 31st March 2012.
ScandAsia News Brief Nordea Acquisition Further Extends International Private Banking Base
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ordea Bank S.A. has further expanded its international activities by acquiring part of Sydbank's private banking client base in Switzerland. The agreement was reached after a thorough examination by Sydbank (Schweiz) AG in order to find a partner prepared to take over part of Sydbank’s private banking client base in Switzerland following Sydbank’s decision to partly scale down its activities in Switzerland. Clients will be transferred to Nordea Bank S.A., Zweigniederlassung Zürich. This kind of arrangement is not a first for Nordea Bank S.A. In 2008 they took over Private Banking clients from Glitnir Bank in Luxembourg, and shortly thereafter made a similar deal with another Luxembourg based Icelandic private
bank, Landsbanki. "Sydbank's client base can be incorporated in our existing business model," points out Jhon Mortensen, CEO at Nordea Bank S.A. "We have the expertise, infrastructure and language skills in place to provide a first class service. Coupled with our wealth management abilities, we are a strong Private Banking Partner. It's a testament to Sydbank (Schweiz) AG's professionalism that they were not only looking for a successor that could match their own high standards in private banking, but also needed to be sure that their clients would be well served in the months and years to come, in what is an increasingly challenging environment." A similar arrangement in 2008 saw private banking clients from Glitnir Bank in Luxembourg,
and Luxembourg-based Icelandic private bank Landsbanki, transferred to Nordea. Nordea Bank S.A. was established 1976 and is the leading Nordic pan-European banking entity in Luxembourg and Switzerland. It has 380 employees and serves a wide spectrum of international clients. Nordea Bank S.A. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nordea group, the largest financial institution in the Nordic and Baltic Sea regions. Its Capital Markets and Savings division, with the Luxembourg-based operation as a substantial contributor, has created a strong pan-European market position within the investment funds and private wealth management market with a total of EUR 191bn assets under management as at June 2011.
Nordic Chamber Networking with Nordea Source: Dancham.or.th
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ver 60 people showed up at Banyan Tree Hotel Bangkok, on Wednesday November 9th. It was the last Networking Event for the Nordic Chambers this year and people enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of the evening. Mr. Peter Romhild, President of Danish-Thai Chamber of Commerce, said welcome and thanked everybody for showing up due to the flooding situation. Furthermore there was a big “Thank you” to Nordea who kindly had sponsored the event. Mr. Eric Pedersen, Head of Private Banking, gave a short speech about Nordea and told how they services their customers in the areas of shipping and offshore financing, corporate banking, capital markets and private banking as their specialties. The rest of the evening people enjoyed the company, food and beverages. Also thanks to Banyan Tree Hotel for providing an excellent venue and service.
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1. Andersson (Nordea), Mr. Eric Pedersen (Nordea), Mr. Kenneth Radencrantz (President, TSCC) and Mr. Nils Brolund (Nordea) 2. Mr. Peter Romhild (President, DTCC), Mrs. Elizabeth Romhild and Tove W. Andersen (Royal Danish Embassy)
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3. Mr. Knut Hauslo, Mr. Hakan Alm (Board TSCC), Mrs. Anne-Marie Hauslo (Royal Norwegian Embassy) and Josie Alm (Vision House) 4. Mr. Peter Bjork (TSCC), Mr. Ingemar Andersson (Nordea) and Miss Caroline Vamnes (NYP)
ScandAsia News Brief
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Finnish Aroma Marketing Firm Smells Success in Thailand
he Finnish company, KA Aroma Marketing LLC, hopes to grow big in Thailand with its unique offer of print advertisements with a smell of the product advertised. Using the technology of the company, newspaper and magazine advertisements can now smell of coffee, ginger cookies, soap or what ever product, the advertising promotes. Readers may want to try to smell the picture of this cookie. The cookie is a vanilla cookie. The new technology reduces the cost of aroma printing by almost 90%. Aroma printing is now only 30% more expensive than traditional printing. If you could only smell anything apart from ordinary printing ink, you are right. We did not apply any scent to this picture.
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Crown Prince Frederik Busy in Vietnam
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rown Prince Frederik of Denmark had a busy visit to Vietnam by the end of November, heading a large business delegation of 37 Danish companies and educational institutions. The entire visit, which also includes many cultural activities in Hanoi and HCMC, took place to celebrate the 40 years anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Denmark. Crown Prince Frederik was accompanied by Denmark’s Trade and investment minister Pia Olsen Dyhr.
Telenor Takes Global Apps Initiative
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tac’s Android users in Thailand will soon be able to download and install a number of hand-picked apps from Google’s website https://market.android.com/ and pay for the apps via their mobile phone. Telenor and Google will launch the offer in the first quarter of 2012 in Thailand, Malaysia, Hungary, Sweden and Denmark. An editorial team in each market will be responsible for selecting and presenting up to 50 apps – with high local relevance. Operator billing makes it easy for Telenor’s Android users to pay for the apps, via prepaid or postpaid subscriptions, and enables developers to more easily monetize on their products. Industry data shows that, given the option of paying via credit card or operator billing, approximately 70% prefer the latter. The upgrade requires no effort on the part of Dtac’s Android users. All they need to do is to enter the website on their handsets and select the Telenor (or local subsidiary) tile on the front page.
First International Travel Trade Event in Myanmar
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he first international travel trade event in Myanmar opened in the countrys historic ancient capital of Bagan on Sunday 27 November 2011 with business leaders, investors and global tourism professionals enthusiastic about the prospects of engaging with Myanmar. ”We are looking forward to welcoming guests from all Asia and the world and we are very proud to host this event in an iconic location in Myanmar,” said H.E. U Tint Hsan, Minister, Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. “We want to build a successful and sustainable tourism future for the country. Bagan is a good place to start.” During the event, sessions were held on sustainable tourism and the environment, best-case practices in community-based tourism and the use of social media for responsible tourism development. Participants will also examine how modern technology such as electronic visas can contribute to the growth of arrivals and the efficiency of tourism in Myanmar and the Greater Mekong Sub-Region. Mason Florence, Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, said he saw Myanmar quickly re-emerging as Asias next fabulous tourism destination for visitors who prefer to travel independently, and pay a premium over joining traditional tour groups. “These travellers like to experience and interact at a deeper level with the local culture, heritage, and the people,” he said, adding that Myanmar offers an incredible range of such experiences.
Find one Private Banking advisor, then make sure he knows many specialists Wealth management today involves much more than selecting the best stocks and bonds. At Nordea Private Banking, we offer you an experienced personal advisor and a comprehensive overview of your wealth based on thorough research and rigorous analysis. One private banker, many specialists – making it possible. Contact Nordea in Singapore on +65 9725 4523, or e-mail ingemar.andersson@nordea.com
Ingemar Andersson, Private Banker
Nordea Bank S.A, Nordea Bank Finland Plc and Nordea Bank AB (publ) are part of the leading financial services group in the Nordic and Baltic Sea regions. Being the leading Nordic pan-European banking entity in Luxembourg, Nordea Bank S.A. focuses on international Wealth Management, Fund Distribution and Fund Management services. Our 400 employees serve a wide spectrum of international clients in more than 125 countries. Some products and services mentioned may, due to local regulations, not be available to individuals resident in certain countries. Published by Nordea Bank Finland Plc, Singapore Branch, 3 Anson Rd #22-01, Springleaf Tower, Singapore 079909. AD_ScandAsiaThailand_Ingemar_192x135_eng.indd 1
13/09/2011 13:45 December 2011 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13
IKEA’s Charity Opening
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Christmas in Asia The Christmas Grinch
On Thursday, November 3, IKEA held a low key soft opening of the first IKEA store in Thailand. Photos by IKEA and Arin Chawanothai
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he planned Big Bang IKEA Opening event on 3 November was scaled down due to the floods of central Thailand and parts of Bangkok that hardly called for a celebration. Instead, the key event became a 20-million THB donation from IKEA to Mae Fah Luang Foundation under Royal Patronage, to support flood relief efforts. IKEA’s donations are aimed at both addressing immediate needs and supporting the enormous efforts and resources that will be required to support the rebuilding of lives and getting back to everyday life after the water subsides. In addition, IKEA staff also chose to donate 800,000 THB to support the flood victims instead of spending it on promotional activities. The amount was designated for a co-worker event but the workjers thought the money was better spent on relief efforts supporting flood victims instead. The donation was handed over to Khunying Puangroi Diskul na Ayudhya, Deputy Secretary-General of Mae Fah Luang Foundation. Among the prominent guests were Mr. Mechai Viravaidya the Founder and Chairman of The Population and Community Development Association (PDA) and key management from Siam Future Development - IKEA’s partner in Thailand. Thousands of visitors were seen enjoying their shopping and eating immediately after the inauguration. “Our small contribution to normality is the opening of the doors to the new IKEA store at Bangnatrad Km.8 on the 3rd and welcoming everyone who can come to visit us - minus the party,” IKEA said in its opening statement.
“We know that very big number of people have other more urgent matters on their mind now, like protecting their homes, families, properties, businesses and jobs. So to put it simply: We are ready. Come when you are ready.”
Jojje Olsson, photographer living in China, doesn’t like Christmas and can’t think about anything worse than ending up in a hot beach when finally the winter has arrived in Beijing. “Christmas doesn’t affect me, it’s a time to spend with your family and since they are not here it doesn’t really matter. I run my own company so it’s not convenient to take time off like everyone else during that time and I don’t like the heat.” Last year, he went for a Chinese dinner on Christmas Eve and went skiing on Christmas day. “It had nothing to do with Christmas but that’s what I remember I did those days,” he says. He admits even though he doesn’t like the commercial hysteria of shopping during Christmas time he will still get his girlfriend a Christmas present.
How to shop at IKEA Shopping at Ikea is one-way traffic. You proceed first through the furniture section to get inspired. You can try everything out and make sure it’s comfortable and durable. Tape measures, pencils and shopping lists are handy when you need them. Jot down the information from the price tag: product name, number, price and pick-up locations. Redtagged items are picked up later in the market hall or the self-serve area downstairs. Yellow tags are in the full-service section for the big, heavy items that require staff assistance. The open-shelf market hall downstairs stocks more than 3,000 smaller items like kitchen utensils, lamps, picture frames and clocks. The 7,000-square-metre self-serve warehouse is where you collect the flat-packed stuff you’ve ordered earlier from the price tags. And then you’re off to see the cashier and collect all the gear on your wish list. It’s exactly where they said it would be.
How to get there IKEA Bangna is on Bangna-trad Road, Kilometer 8, from 10.0022.00. Shuttle buses are available at Udomsuk BTS station, exit 5 every day from 9.30 to 21.30.
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Pre-Christmas in Singapore But Finland Is the Real Deal Petteri Kostermaa, Finnair’s Sales Director in Singapore, enjoys taking part in the many Finnish community events in Singapore. “We have enjoyed the various Scandinavian Christmas Bazaars in Singapore. We also plan to attend a Finnish Christmas Carols singing event and really enjoy Singapore’s great Christmas decorations and festive mood,” Petteri Kostermaa says. “But as we also do love white Christmas and winter sports, we are heading back to Finland for a week’s vacation. We hope that there will be enough snow for either cross-country or alpine skiing. “Last December we were in the process of moving to Singapore. We were eagerly looking forward to a cosy Christmas in our new home in Singapore when the shipping company told us, our container would not make it on time. So what do? There were two vacant seats on Finnair Bangkok flight so we flew to Helsinki and then drove 400 kilometres to the Finnish West Coast (known as Österbotten to Swedes) to spend the Christmas with my wife’s father and siblings and with my sister’s family. There was plenty of snow and we feasted on traditional Nordic Christmas food. We then drove back to Helsinki on the night of the Boxing Day. The white scenery in the early morning hours was beautiful and it was really enjoyable listening to the Christmas carols on the radio while driving.
Store Manager of IKEA Bangna, Ms. Lacia Nicole Sherlock and H.E. Klas Molin, Ambassador of Sweden. December 2011 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15
Christmas in Asia The Ziegler Family Going for Christmas in Denmark Birgit Ziegler, Managing Director, Ziegler Shoes, will be going back for a traditional Danish Christmas in Denmark with the family. “We are going back home to see my father in Aalborg,” Birgit Ziegler says. “We have a summer house on the west coast of Denmark. Then we’re going to my mother’s home and eat duck, pork roast, sweet potatoes and red cabbage. We’ll decorate the home with all the Christmas decorations.”
Pre-Christmas in Singapore But Finland Is the Real Deal Petteri Kostermaa, Sales Director, Finnair enjoys taking part in the many Finnish community events in Singapore. “In this pre-Christmas season we have enjoyed the various Scandinavian Christmas Bazaars in Singapore. We also plan to attend a Finnish Christmas Carols singing event and really enjoy Singapore’s great Christmas decorations and festive mood,” Petteri Kostermaa says. “But as we also do love white Christmas and winter sports, we are heading back to Finland for a week’s vacation. We hope that there will be enough snow for either cross-country or alpine skiing. “Last December we were in the process of moving to Singapore. We expected our moving container to arrive a week before the celebrations and were eagerly looking forward to a cosy Christmas in our new home in Singapore. “We then got a notice from the shipping company that our container was delayed and will only arrive in Singapore on Christmas day with delivery a few days later. So what do? There were two vacant seats on Finnair Bangkok flight so we flew to Helsinki and then drove 400 kilometres to the Finnish West Coast (known as Österbotten to Swedes) to spend the Christmas with my wife’s father and siblings and with my sister’s family. There was plenty of snow and we feasted on traditional Nordic Christmas food. We then drove back to Helsinki on the night of the Boxing Day. The white scenery in the early morning hours was really beautiful and it was really enjoyable to listen to the Finnish and International Christmas carols on the radio while driving.
Bo Kristensen and Jakob Lykkegaard’s Flood Victim Operation Two Danes set up their own relief operation “Thailand Direct Flood Relief ” to bring supplies of food and water to flood victims. The idea started out of the blue, Bo Kristensen tells. His wife’s parents in Pathum Thani was under water for over two months. “At first we were just trying to help my family. But then we realized many other people were also receiving no help. We needed to find a way to get to them, as they had received zero aid from the government supply boats. We needed to take action”, says Bo Kristensen. Bo posted a message on Facebook asking people who might be interested to help. One of the first responses came from Jakob Lykkegaard Pedersen, 24, also an IT entrepreneur from Denmark.
The two set up Thailand Direct Flood Relief on Facebook and raised money by collecting donation from visitors to the page where they documented all their trips with photos and postings, and donators can follow the trips and food drops. The campaign and the trips are managed and operated entirely by the two founders and their crew, all supplies are being bought personally by their own team, and the concept is ‘no middle men, no delay, no profit’. Each Sunday, the two and several fellow volunteers loaded up supplies into backpacks and into a friend's truck, and taxis. The destinations were selected based on intelligence from acquaintances. Jakob said since the intelligence comes from people they know and not strangers, which made it reliable and less prone to falsified claims and fraud. Bo says, that he does not necessarily blame the government for the fact that help failed to reach certain areas, but he wished authorities would worry less about bureaucracy and just get on with the job.
All the trips are documented on www.facebook.com/directfloodrelief 16 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
NewsWatch
Ambitious Danish Media Surveillance Company A year ago media surveillance company NewsWatch declared they were going to take the market of media surveillance in Denmark. With a mere 15 employees that plan sounded farfetched. Today, the company has grown to 58 persons, offices in five countries and a market share of three percent - and NewsWatch is far from done. By Anya Palm
Steffen Egelund has meetings with his colleagues in Denmark over Skype. Most of the communication is done through Skype or Facebook, because of the spread out offices in Copenhagen, Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta and Singapore.
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iana West Mortensen parks her car outside the supermarket, grabs her phone, which immediately starts buzzing, and slams the car door. She is chief analyst at the Danish media surveillance company NewsWatch, based in Singapore, and on her way home from work. However, the Skype message she receives on her phone tells her, she is not off duty yet. While picking out groceries, she gets briefed about the work load. “What time is the deadline”, she asks and jots down the reply before getting back into the car, now heading for her laptop at home. It´s election time in Denmark and that means the 44-year-old mother of three and her colleagues work almost around the clock to keep up with the extra workload - election time is as busy for media surveyors as it is for politicians and reporters. “As soon as the election was announced in Denmark, we knew NewsWatch as a company had its first big chance to show how strong we are in our field. Our whole organization is put to the test, both in terms of the individual employees and our technical capacity. And I feel we are really showing that NewsWatch can deliver a quality
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product and keep focus on the clients, also under immense pressure like this,” she says.
Grown 400 percent in a year Steffen Egelund Pedersen, Partner and Head of Production, agrees. He and two friends started up NewsWatch in January 2010, with the clear goal of taking over the throne of media surveillance from market monopoly giant, InfoMedia. Egelund, himself a former press chief for the Conservative Party of Denmark, is thus well aware of how important media surveillance can be for those who work with the media. The same goes for co-founder Jens Kloppenborg-Skrumsager, a former local politician and the investor, Jacob Lund Nielsen. “We were not satisfied with the
existing media surveillance in Denmark. The articles came in a messy state, they came too late in the morning and we believed we could do it better by tapping into the unused talent of accompanying Danish spouses out here among other things. That´s why we decided to start up NewsWatch in Singapore two years ago,” he explains The three guys with their new, unproven sorting system didn’t look like the winning horse back then. But getting a rated email with all relevant clips from all newspapers, radio and TV in summary form each day at 6 in the morning - the latter an easy advantage due to the time difference-quickly proved attractive to the spin doctors and press chiefs in the important offices at home. And so NewsWatch grew.
We believed we could do it better by tapping into the unused talent of accompanying Danish spouses out here, among other things.
NewsWatch team during the day’s surveillance. The deadline at 1 pm Singapore time must be met, so the customers have their media surveillance, when they get into work at 6 in Denmark. From left they are Camilla Skat Andersen, Lisbet Andersen, Louise Johannesen and Kirsten Tolstrup.
It is about the product Today, the company boasts 58 employees, in five different countries. The most important thing for NewsWatch - and in Egelund’s opinion the way to achieve the goals - is to focus on what it initially started with: Making a better product than anyone else on the market. “We are expanding our business every day by grabbing a bigger and bigger share of the Danish me-
dia monitoring market, and we are doing that by constantly keeping our focus on delivering a state of the art product,” Egelund says. So while the company itself expands its customer base and hires more and more people, focus is on developing and enhancing the media surveillance tool itself: A social networking option in the morning surveillance has been introduced, so the articles can be easily shared.
A range of different features within the surveillance allows the receiver to comment and share it internally the way he likes it, and a virtual archive - the biggest in Denmark - has been launched as well. Diana West Mortensen’s phone rings again. Having gone from 15 employees to 58 puts a certain pressure on those who possess information, and as a full time chief analyst, she is the go-to person,
when a problem arises amongst the employees-she has already reached her laptop, and is now pushing to meet the next election deadline, while answering questions from all sides to the best of her ability. Back in the office, Steffen Egelund is well aware of this limitation. “Yes, that’s one problem, we have these days,” he says, smiling. “We need more hands!”
Norwegian Carl Bock:
A Scientist among Ghos and White Elephants By Flemming Winther Nielsen
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n June 1881 the Norwegian explorer and scientist Carl Bock sailed up Chao Phraya River on board the steamship ‘Kongsee’ from Singapore. The ship passed the newly constructed and impressive Samut Chedi in Paknam, Samut Phrakan. The Chedi is sitting on the western bank of the river, a few kilometers north of Chulachomklao fortress. “I felt that I was at last in the land of Temples and Elephants, the land where sober truth and strange fiction are so curiously interwoven that it is often difficult to distinguish the one from the other,” Bock writes. I will return to this statement in a moment, but why was he there, on the river, that day in June 1881, bound for Bangkok? The years around 1860 to 1900 were the period of British Imperial explorations in Africa and Asia, with David Livingstone and Cecil Rhodes as the best known travelers. In 1881 Bock was 32 years old and ready for an expedition lasting more than 14 month to the interior of Siam where he reached as far north as, what is now called, ‘The Golden Triangle’. His official mission was to gather mainly botanical
On the western bank of the river, by Paknam, King Chulalongkorn had this Chedi built as a landmark.
The elephant. If you look closely at the image here (the second drawing) it is quite detailed and with the accuracy needed when making botanical images of e.g. plants
Official photo, 1884.
and zoological specimens but also historical, cultural artifacts. He had studied Natural History in London for some years and was backed by ‘The Zoological Society’ there. Furthermore he was backed and financially supported by the Scottish Marquis of Tweeddale, William M. Haye, who himself was an enthusiastic botanist. Carl Bock already had experience. He travelled Borneo in 1878, collecting specimens but also visiting and observing the native Dyak people - the headhunters - there. Shortly after returning to England he published ‘The Head-Hunters of Borneo’. Although an academic work the book became most popular and sold very well for many years; it is still available.
Temples and Elephants Back from Siam Carl Bock published his new facts and findings in: ‘Temples and Elephants’ – ‘Travels in Siam in 1881-1882’ (Samson Low, 1884. Oxford University Press, 1986, still available). Also this work is composed along the rules of an academic natural science dissertation, including sober observations, 20 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
provable facts and significant findings. But somehow, under the dryness, the descriptions of his many encounters with people and elephants become humoristic, funny and often most revealing regarding the mixture of truth and fiction. At the special request of the Siamese Government Bock was asked “to refrain from any political allusions”. On the surface he is loyal towards this request, but lifted up one level you indirectly learn about the political machinery of the country; truth and fiction, pomp and circumstance. Also about, what we would name, propaganda, copied European lifestyle, norms and uniforms – whether deliberately or not, we get an extraordinary insight into Siamese domestic and foreign affairs revolving around the King. As a first illustration of all this, I will soon let Bock describe the results of his meeting with a newly captured Royal White Elephant.
The not so white elephant On his arrival in Bangkok, Carl Bock had a very fruitful audience with King Chulalongkorn. Bock was equipped with Letters of Recommendations
Christmas in Asia
sts from the right people in London – and the King appreciated significant names of the best breed. Therefore ‘The Naturalist’ as he was named, was given a royal letter ordering all and everybody to facilitate him on his journey; alas, it didn’t always work up there in the North, where the royal jurisdiction hardly reached. Almost daily our scientist passed ‘The Royal Elephants stables’. Each of the nine creatures had its own separate building. Two were pointed out to be “the world renowned white elephants”. Bock could observe “that the difference was so slight as to be hardly observed” but they had some white spots on the ears. White elephants – even talking about a few white spots on the ears – had been most revered and almost of a mythological status since the early days of Buddhism. They were the highest symbol of a King’s power and good luck. Nevertheless, ‘The Naturalist’ could only report what he saw, nothing more and nothing less. Then it was announced that a real white elephant had been caught and that it would arrive in Bangkok on 21st of June 1881. So it did and Bock was attending the splendid ceremony led by His Majesty and his uncle The Lord of the Elephants, HRH Chow Fah Maha Mala; like the King also he was carried in a decorated litter and wearing full uniform with numerous medals and orders on his chest. Two servants were holding the huge umbrella over his head. Bock wrote: “Were I to describe him [the elephant] as white, I should lay myself open to the charge of colour blindness …. the whole body being of a pale reddish brown colour, with a few real white hairs on the back”. Bock wanted to make a coloured drawing of the elephant. He was a skilled illustrator of plants and animals. Prince Chow Fah Maha Mala graciously gave permission and they met at the stables. The newly arrived ‘white’ elephant was attended to by six ser-
Finally a Beach Christmas
vants who washed him by pouring Tamarind water over the whole body; thereafter they used the brushes, but the servants always made their first approach by kneeling with their hands folded. I suppose it should be mentioned here, that Tamarind is still much in use as face and body-whitener. It contains calcium and is easily accessible in supermarkets and spas.
The true colours After finishing his drawing Bock went to the palace of the Prince in order to show the result as promised. He was, as often, accompanied by our Captain Frederik C.C. Koebke, who acted as his interpreter and, as so often, had disrespectful comments about the whole menagerie. This time HRH Chow Fah Maha Mala had dropped all etiquette – and dress. They were received in the bedchamber, the prince wearing only a loincloth and smoking a cigar. Bock writes impressed about the audience and the impressing physique of their host. “Oh, a European can paint an elephant!” the Prince exclaimed. The only sore point was that the animal was much too dark. HRH strongly recommended Bock to see his Chamberlain and visit the stables again in a few days; then make a new drawing. So our scientist went and found that the daily wash and body-scrub with Tamarind had changed the colour of the elephant – at least for a while. By giving nature a helping hand the animal was now lighter in colour, although of course not white. Bock made a new drawing and came up with ‘The white Elephant’ reproduced here.
Doing Bangkok While preparing his travel North, Bock really did Bangkok. He visited Prince Damrong, for whom he had much respect. Shortly mentioned is also Andreas Richelieu, then still “only” Captain, bringing order and discipline to the navy. He was invited for tea at the
Alexandra Leyton Espinoza, ScandAsia’s busy journalist in Beijing, will be leaving the cold and smoggy capital for warm and sunny Thailand this Christmas. “ I used to envy people that went to Thailand for Christmas or any other hot country for that matter, because I can’t stand Christmas carols and all the Western shopping mania. It was quite OK when I moved to China since they don’t celebrate Christmas here,” Alexandra says. But she admits her fiancée has bought a Christmas tree and decorations to make her feel more at home previous Christmases. “Christmas is not where you are but who you spend it with, and this year we will spend it with my mother for the first time since I moved here in 2008. That means a lot to me.” What she misses around Christmas time in China is Pannetone, an Italian bread that is very popular in South America during the festivities, you can easily find it in Sweden but it’s trickier in China. “ If you find it here, it cost a fortune so my mum is bringing me as many as it fits in her language,” she says laughing.
Christmas on a Riverboat in Copenhagen Martin F. Olsen, Destination Beauty in Thailand, is the man behind thousands of Scandinavians coming back from a medical trip to Thailand with a new look. The Dane also runs two lamp factories that have been busy delivering Christmas presents to five continents. ”I usually celebrate Christmas with my Thai family. There are lots of children and it is usually a big hit,” Martin says. But this year, Martin, his wife and three year old son will celebrate Christmas in Denmark. “We are going for something completely different this year. We have booked a riverboat in Nyhavn in the center of Copenhagen as our base!” Working is usually forbidden during Christmas. But if you promise to keep it a secret, the Dane admits that he is planning a couple of appointments now that he is there.
December 2011 • ScandAsia.Thailand 21
Two vultures at once picked the eyes out of the dead man, which had remained open all the while, adding to the ghastliness of the spectacle.
palace of the Wangna – the Second King. He was normally referred to as ‘George’ after George Washington, whom his late father had admired much. It seems that ‘George’ did not participate in politics, but was a real student of minerals and had an impressive collection. Young Carl Bock was not only invited for tea but also to visit the Wangnas harem. A serious attempt of counting had previously revealed that Wangna had 54 wives. The promise was kept, but in the ladies rooms were only present the most senior generation of wives. Our scientist had a long cordial conversation with the Wangna’s mother who was also present – and there the tea party ended.
Ghastly funerals The most dreadful and sickening experience for Bock was attending the ‘funerals’ of poor people. As usual he is most detailed in his description of how the dead body is just thrown on the dedicated spot on the ground. A few prayers and then a ’Butcher’ “cut the body open, with a long slash down the stomach”. The vultures, carrion-crows and finally the dogs had waited impatiently. Now they immediately started their feast, the vultures first in line. “Two vultures, I noticed, at once picked the eyes out of the dead man, which had remained open all the while, adding to the ghastliness of the spectacle: whether the birds did this from fear or because they regarded them as a dainty, I cannot say, but they always make a point of picking out the eyes first”. And Bock writes on, systematic and serious, page after page, but for once his language is marked by adjectives. Not politics of course, but shortly after Bock published his book, these gruesome ‘events’ were forbidden and abandoned. After such archaic experiences Bock was relieved to leave the town behind and embark on a houseboat sailing upstream. Carl Bock’s travel map (details in the text). 22 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
The journey starts Bock travelled north, first along Chao Phraya River. He easily reached Pak Nam Pho (Nakhon Sawan) where the rivers Nam and Ping meet and form Chao Phraya. Then he followed the valley of river Ping; with some detours up the mountains. He stayed for several months among the Laotians and Shan people in ‘The Golden Triangle’. Interesting is the fact that he marks the border between Siam and Laos as running only a few kilometers from Kampheng Phet town by river Ping, just around 400 kilometers north of Bangkok. The Siamese heartland then was only the land up along Chao Praya, along the lower part of Ping and Nan rivers. King Mongkut started the export of rice immediately after signing the Bowring Treaty of trade with Great Britain in 1855. It was from these small provinces along the river, north of Bangkok, the first real wealth came, in the form of the rice produced by the farmer’s hard labour. No Siamese jurisdiction was then clearly established beyond the original heartland: the Chao Phraya watershed; beyond this only some military raids took place. I will deal with these facts in the perspective of Bocks journey in the next article.
Bio data: Carl Bock was born in Copenhagen, Denmark by Norwegian parents in 1849. The family moved back to Kristiania (later: Oslo), his father was a wealthy merchant. From 1869 to 1875 Bock worked for the Norwegian-Swedish Consulate in Grimsby U.K. 1875-78 Bock studied ‘Natural Science’ at a university in London, Carl von Linnes system. 1878-1882 travels and support as mentioned. 1893-1901, NorwegianSwedish Consul-General in Shanghai. 1902-1906, same in Lisbon. From 1906 private in Brussels; from where he published articles about zoological and ethnographical subjects. He died in Brussels 1932. Examples from his huge collections can be found and seen both in England and Norway, Oslo (referred to as KRIA=Kristiania).
From a Dubai Pearl to a Hidden Gem by the An Anna Olsson is the lady from Dalarna, Sweden who has worked in some of the most upscale hotels in the world, and now settled down on Phuket in Thailand working for Indigo Pearl, formerly known to Scandinavians as Pearl Village. By Joakim Persson
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he Swede Anna Olsson is one of the rare few foreigners on a sales and marketing position within the hotel sector
in Thailand. However, Anna and the property in her case, Indigo Pearl, seem to be the perfect match. When meeting her on site, Anna is very much at ease and says that she thrives with her new island life since a year back. She appears to have the gentle approach that goes down well with Thai personnel and in addition she brings a wealth of suitable experience to the property from some of world’s most prominent luxury hotels she previously worked for. “The quality of life, the people, the support and colleagues at work, and having everything one needs: good restaurants, shopping, and Bangkok a short flight away for what cannot be found here. And the climate is wonderful,” says someone who has had to endure the baking, unbearable summer heat of Dubai. “I enjoy it, - I will surely stick around for a while!” Anna’s background is within F&B but along the way she has changed direction to sales. Most recently she comes from a very prestigious sales position at the world’s so far only seven star hotel, Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Her husband was the one mostly pushing for the move, as he was fed up with being in the Middle East. “Dubai is nice but there comes a time when one decides either to stay longer or moving to new pastures. There is not so much to do there, life quality is less interesting and half the year one cannot be outdoors.” After stints in London and the Carribean, followed by moving to Australia with her husband and then on to Dubai they had jointly decided to try to continue their respective careers in Asia. Aiming specifically at Thailand Anna looked for hotel a with the right characteristics there.
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ndaman Sea “Many asked me: where do you go next after having worked at Burj Al Arab? Like: there is hardly anything higher hotel-wise.” “I had worked on selling very unique products, and especially when you are with sales, one must like the product or else it’s hard to sell. So when this came up I just thought: Wow! It is completely unique, and designed by Bill Bensley - Asia’s legendary architect.” She had been here on vacation and also read about Indigo Pearl so she knew about the property. ”I felt this was the right environment for me; I wanted to do a resort, not any big city corporate hotel.” She describes Indigo Pearl as a very unique design product. Tracing Phuket’s tin mining past plays a significant role for the design while it is at the same time not minimalistic. “A lot of recycled material is used, like the rail beams from the tin mining and many old artefacts, such as the original lamps that were there in the tin mine. So it’s very much about restoration, the same goes for the rooms where the wood panels are recycled, painted wood. Then you have the raw concrete walls.” “It’s still warm with a lot of wood, and red and warm colours contrasting the polished cemented details (though she says it happens that guests ask when we are going to paint the walls).” “And I think that the mature, lush greenery plays a big part, where Bill Bensley has done a great job with the landscaping. A design hotel can become very stiff, especially in an environment like Thailand so I think they have found the right balance, being very green and at the same time very design-oriented, but with a soul. The hotel is alive. Guests comment that it’s very different, and it does not feel stiff but cosy, and that one can feel comfortable.” Guests are typically in the age group 30 – 50 and people who like being away from the buzz, wanting more of a Thai experience. At the resort Anna, as Director
Sales and Marketing oversees also reservations, revenue and PR. A clear trend is the continuing growth of the so-called Free Independent Travellers (FIT), towards which Indigo Profiles itself and is trying to tap into as much as possible. “And many book directly or via the Internet. It has become very large; one can notice significant difference only during the past two years. People don’t have time going to the travel agent any more and often that might cost more than own booking.” “One tries to reduce dependency on travel agents, establishing a good platform with direct bookings, OTAs, Facebook, Twitter… it all drives FIT. But we are in Thailand and in a resort and thus many bookings come via travel agents and it’s important to have good travel agents as partners and work well together.” “Especially in Thailand many still book with large tour operators,” she continues. “Sweden is such as market with charter being 80 per cent of the market.” Anna can also confirm that a first page ranking on TripAdvisor is very important, leading automatically to selling some three to four hundred rooms. Guests told her they looked at the top ten hotels in Phuket within the different price categories and then booked Indigo Pearl based on good reviews there. Very precise ad campaigns on Facebook targeting certain groups of people with special interests have also been successful for the resort. Anna’s vast experience and broad hotel skills, and coming from a family where the parents have run restaurants and hotels, also prompts the obvious question: is it not time for her to become general manager? “Sure, one day I would like to do that. But I enjoy my job immensely. I like sales and marketing; building relations and driving a product and taking it to whatever the owner or I myself wants to take it. That is fun.”
Christmas in Asia Going to Bali for Christmas Before a Busy Year 2012 Anders Sogaard just started his own business in Beijing, China this year and it has meant a lot of work and fun. Christmas for him means family time. He will visit Denmark but not celebrate the holidays there. “It’s nice to visit friends and family but Denmark is always too grey, cold and busy in December. I have been travelling regularly every month and am also going to Europe in December. I will meet up with friends and family and have some traditional Danish Christmas food (herrings on ray bread) when I am at home.” “As I need a break from the busy life and cold weather I am going back to Asia to celebrate Christmas and New Year on a warm sunny beach in the south. I am going to Bali with a friend of mine to relax and get ready for a busy and exiting 2012.”
Markussen’s Norwegian Christmas in Singapore Bjørn Tore Markussen, Managing Director, DNV Singapore, will celebrate a traditional Norwegian Christmas there. It is the fifth year in a row for Bjorn and his family. “The day starts with breakfast and then some time by the pool. After that, we’ll put on our Christmas clothes and go to Norwegian Seamen’s Church for Christmas Mess. Then back home to Tanglin for family dinner and gifts. And of course Skyping with family in Norway and France during the evening after we have opened the presents.”
“Christmas in 2009 was special with our one month old third child, Oskar, born in Singapore, together with us. We also have a tradition of renting a bum boat on New Years eve and view the fireworks at Marina Bay with friends and we are already looking forward to do that again this year.”
December 2011 • ScandAsia.Thailand 25
Diving in Thailand
Diving in Thailand
Scuba diving in Thailand is an incredibly popular activity. Thailand is blessed with over 1,000 miles of coastline facing two different oceans: one facing east towards the Gulf of Thailand and one facing west to the Andaman Sea.
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long both coasts are hundreds of islands with teeming with amazing marine life including manta rays, dugongs, barracuda, and the occasional whale shark -the world’s largest fish! Diving in Thailand, you will have opportunities to see these and many more fish and marine life! Inside the Gulf of Thailand, there is excellent year round diving weather, making it possible to
go diving whenever you want, while on the Andaman coast the diving season is restricted to the nonmonsoon season months: October through April. Many hotels located near Thailand’s most famous dive sites offer a combination of a luxury resort vacation with an underwater experience. Those diving for their first time typically experience diving like this, as part of a hotel package. Some guests even take the oppor-
tunity to become certified Open Water Scuba divers - going back with the certificate and the right to dive anywhere in the world without having to take a course first. Dozens of internationally accredited diving schools operate in Thailand either on their own or in cooperation with resorts in their vicinity. The provide certification to thousands of visitors at reasonable prices all year round. More advanced divers, or those looking to concentrate their trip
on diving in Thailand, can do live aboard dive trips to islands further offshore where Thailand’s best visibility and most interesting marine life are to be found.
Snorkeling Less technical but just as fascinating is the option to just go snorkeling around some of the beautiful reefs surrounding many of Thailand’s famous vacation islands. Speedboats from popular tour-
ist destinations like Phuket, Pattaya, and Koh Samui make numerous day trips to different snorkeling locations, proving food and refreshment as well as snorkeling equipment and instruction. It’s not very difficult: simply strap a mask and snorkel to your head and as soon as you hit the water you will be surrounded by fish, floating over spectacularly colored reefs, and amazed by the diversity of life in Thailand’s waters. Snorkeling is a year round activi-
ty on nearly all of Thailand’s beaches and islands, though some beaches, such as those on Koh Tao are ideal for snorkeling off the beach, while others, including Pattaya, require boats to reach the best snorkeling reefs. Furthermore, Thailand’s warm tropical waters do not require snorkelers to wear wetsuits, though a shirt is suggested, as many people are so excited by all the fish beneath them they end up with sunburns all over their backs!
December 2011 • ScandAsia.Thailand 27
Diving in Thailand
From Weekend Diver to a Career in Diving Mermaids Dive Center in Pattaya has developed a unique internships approach to diving, offering courses from recreational diver to the highest PADI professional levels.
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ermaids Dive Center opened in 1990 and is one of South East Asia’s most established PADI 5 star Career Development Centers. Mermaids is located in Jomtien, Pattaya and The Amarin Plaza, Bangkok. Under Danish ownership, Mr. Peter Waagensen operates a corporate structure, with a full management team of various nationalities, allowing Mermaids Dive Center to be a market leader in areas, such as Education and Equipment supply.
Internship Mermaids has developed a unique internships approach to diving, offering courses from recreational diver to the highest PADI professional levels. Each of the stages can be taken in an entire
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dive internship package or bite sized chunks that piece together seamlessly. Basically this offer is a total immersion within the dive industry for an extended period, learning all aspects of the diving industry all the way from leading dives through to scuba diving instruction. Interns may also go one step further by adding the Business Management Training Program. Working with the Senior Management Team, these interns will learn how a dive center operates through sales and marketing, finances down to operations and logistics. All of the Mermaids dive internships are fully inclusive of the courses in the package. It means all certification fees, all personal course materials and all personal top branded diving equipment,
un-limited diving on our four boats for your course duration and full private en suite accommodation in Mermaid’s dedicated divers hotel.
Day trips Divers looking for just a quick one day dive near Bangkok should consider Mermaids because of the versatility that comes with being the owner of four dive boats. Customers have the unique opportunity to choose the sites where to snorkel or dive. All four boats have full diving facilities and can cater for individual day to day divers up to private charters or larger groups. One of the two largest vessels, the Mermaids 4 with a capapcity for 35 divers, runs every day to the Pattaya Far Islands. Each island has it's own resident turtle and fantastic coral and marine life. You will experience 2 coral dives on the day led by a professional dive guide. Alternatively, there is a scheduled opportunities to dive the HTMS Khram wreck followed by a coral dive. Mermaids 1 boat with a capacity for 35 divers is located down at Samae San offering the Hardeep Wreck and a Coral dive. The Hardeep is a wreck sunk in World War 2. The night dive operates from this boat every Tuesday. For both trips, the day starts off with meeting at the Dive center or collection from a local Pattaya hotel in one of our 5 comfortable vehicles. Upon arrival at our main Operations Center, our friendly Divemaster will kit you up with the equipment you require for diving. Prices include collection and return to a local Pattaya hotel, 2 dives, all equipment hire, lunch on the boat. In addition, Mermaids offers 37 comfortable accommodation with private en suite bathrooms in a dedicated divers hotel, the Mermaids Talay. Free Wi Fi is available.
A chance to completely unwind and enjoy the serene scenery found on Koh Phangan and in
Salad Buri Resort & Spa
Salad Buri Resort & Spa 60/2 Moo 8, Haad Salad, Koh Phangan, Suratthani 84280 Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 77 349 146, +66 (0) 77 349 147 / Fax: +66 (0) 77 349 148 Email: saladburi@yahoo.com / www.saladburi.com
Diving in Thailand
The Deadly Box Jellyfish in Thailand and The Region BEWARE OF BOX JELLYFISH IF STUNG TREAT LIBERALLY WITH VINEGAR. THEN REMOVE JELLYFISH TENTACLES & SEEK URGENT MEDICAL ADVICE.
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ox Jellyfish have been responsible for many deaths and injuries in Thailand’s Gulf and Andaman Sea and throughout South-East Asia. Still it was not until a few years ago, that Thailand officially recognized their presence. Action is now being taken to formally improve prevention and treatment. If you don’t want to read further, this is what you need to know about the world’s most venomous animal: If ever stung, pour on vinegar. Then lift off any tentacles still on the skin. Death of a victim can occur within minutes, so any first aid administered must be done quickly. Make it a rule to always bring a bottle of vinegar with you when you go swimming. Vinegar will not alleviate the pain or help with scarring. Vinegar causes total inactivation of any undischarged stinging cell rendering them incapable of firing. This is important, as at the initial time of the sting only a small proportion of the total number of stinging cells fire off. Over time, more and more stinging cells fire off, delivering more venom into the victim. The application of vinegar will prevent this from occurring.
Prevention Stinger suits have dramatically reduced stings in tropical Australia where they are becoming increasingly common on beaches during stinger season (Oct to March). However, many think they look ridiculous and hinder a suntan. Few Europeans starved of sunshine would wear a stinger suit while on the beach of a beautiful tropical is-
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land in Thailand but the truth is they don’t need to. All they need to do is wear as little as they like while lazing or playing on the sand then when they want to enter the water they slip a suit on much like a diver would - swim safely and upon exiting remove the suit and continue working on that trophy tan. Too easy!
Where are they? Exactly where deadly Box Jellyfish specifically live in Thailand’s waters is at this stage a bit of a mystery - much like the number of stings and the number of fatalities. But if scientists cannot tell us exactly where they are, reports of victims prove that they are stinging people in both the Gulf of
Thailand and Andaman Sea. Normally a lethal box jellyfish will hunt for small fish and prawns in shallow sandy bottom beaches within close proximity to a river or creek mouth/ estuary. The water is often somewhat cloudy and from all reports you cannot see the jellyfish who are almost transparent. The beach at Koh Lanta where Swedish Moa Bergman died in 2008 is typical. Chironex fleckeri is cuboidal in shape and almost totally transparent. The best way to spot them in the water is usually by their shadow cast on the sandy substrate. An adult animal may have up to 15 tentacles on each of the four corners of its body or bell. Each of these tentacles can be up to 3 metres long when the animal is hunting for food. On each of the four sides of the bell, Chironex fleckeri has a sensory niche, which contains 3 eyes and a balance organ, so the animal is able to see where it is going and tell if it is upside down or not.
How does Chironex fleckeri sting? Box jellyfish, like all jellyfish, have stinging cells called nematocysts present on the tentacles. These cells contain venom and a hollow shaft that everts (referred to as discharging) and penetrates the prey or the victim when the tentacle comes in contact with it. Although small, these stinging cells number in the millions per centimetre millions per centimetre of tentacle, and in lethal envenoming of victims, many billions of stinging cells deliver venom. Once fired off, these stinging cells cannot be reused and the jellyfish has to produce new cells to replace them.
Take a journey across The Koh Phangan Situated on the western side of the island is Haad Yao Bayview Resort. The tranquil resort in backed by lush green forest and fronted by the glorious white sand beach of Haad Yao. Just a one minute walk from the soft sand and warm water, quest are in true paradise.
Haadyao Bayview Resort & Spa Koh Phangan 57 Moo 8 Haad Yao Koh Phangan Suratthani 84280 Tel: +66 77 349-141, +66 77 349-193-4 / Fax: +66 77 349 -140 www.haadyao-bayviewresort.com / email: info@haadyao-bayviewresort.com
Diving in Thailand Seasonality: Stingers first turn up in late October/ early November, depending on local weather conditions. They are then present in northern waters until May but occasionally this may stretch into early June. Near the end of the season, as the animals become sexually mature, male and female Chironex fleckeri sheds millions of eggs and sperm into the water column where the eggs are fertilised. These fertilised eggs grow into small planula and settle
on the under surface of rocks in creeks. Here the planula metamorphoses into a small polyp and feeds on planktonic organisms in the water. During the dry season (June to October), these small polyps feed and bud, producing more polyps. At the start of the season (November), each polyp buds off a single baby box jellyfish, approximately 1.5 mm in size, which makes its way to the creek mouth and then along the sandy beaches. Here it feeds primarily on small shrimp (Acetes australis) when they are small, but switch its diet to include small bait fish as it matures. Once fully mature, it starts the breeding cycle over again.
Growth: Unlike most animals, box jellyfish can undergo degrowth, that is, in times when food is scarce they shrink in size and then regrow when food becomes available again. Because of this, the size of a jellyfish is not a good indication of its age. However, the organs that box jellyfish use for balance, statoliths, contain growth rings. By sectioning statoliths, daily growth rings can be seen and individual animals aged. From this, we now know that when food is plentiful, box jellyfish can growth between 1-2 mm a day and reach a maximum size of over 35cm across the bell.
Natural predators Although Chironex fleckeri is armed with one of the most lethal venoms known, it still has a bevy of predators. The major species are marine turtles, which appear to show little if any side effects to box jellyfish venom. Several species of fish are also known to attack and feed on box jellyfish, but unlike the turtles, these predators feed predominantly on the bell and not the tentacles.
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Are Chironex fleckeri numbers increasing? The simple answer to this question is that we just do not know. We do know that the numbers of stingers present from year to year can vary enormously, but we don’t know what causes this. We also know that more people appeared to be stung by Chironex fleckeri in recent years compared to the past, but we also know that there are more people swimming now then there were many years ago. There is at present no evidence to suggest that stingers are increasing in numbers and it seems that their numbers are, on the whole, quite stable over several years, but can vary markedly from year to year.
Can we control Stingers? It is practically impossible to eradicate stingers from the water, and even if it were possible, the effects that this may have on the environment are unknown. We need to learn to live with these animals. With the production of real time models that help predict the start and end of the stinger season, and stingers nets, the risk of being stung is incredibly small if the proper precautions are taken, such as swimming within stinger enclosures and/or the wearing of stinger suits. The recent flooding of the lower plains above Bangkok is likely to increase risk of more box jellyfish in the Gulf of Thailand this year, says experts. The flood waters will make their way to the ocean and increased nutrification of the water through dispersement of pollution and fertilisers provide food for jellyfish and increase their numbers inside the Gulf.
The Colors Of Life
Phangan Bayshore Resort and Spa Haad Rin Beach Phangan Bayshore Resort and Spa is directly on Haad Rin Nok, at the heart of the action most suitable for the Full Moon Party
and to enjoy the exotic nightlife available at Haad Rin.
141 Moo 6, Haad Rin, Bantai, Koh Phangan , Suratthani Thailand Tel: 66 77 375224, 375227 Fax : 66 77 375226
Email : info@phanganbayshore.com
Diving in Thailand
On Tour with Kon-Tiki Phuket By Steen Poulin Nielsen
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t was with mixed feelings I waited for Kon-Tiki Diving to pick me up in front of my apartment in Patong Beach on this early morning in November. I was going scuba diving for the first time for more than five years. I got a smile on my face thinking about the marine life I was soon about to experience, but it faded a little thinking about the massive amount of water going to embrace me in a few hours and I started wondering if my diving skills was forever gone or would show up when needed. I was on a trip arranged by the Scandinavian diving company, Kon-Tiki Phuket. The Phuket branch opened in 1989 and has now outlets in Khao Lak, Krabi and Koh Lanta, all fully owned by the same owners. Kon-Tiki Phuket is managed by Danish Michael Wallentin, who started his diving career in Denmark back in 2000 in Fyns Dykker Center but in 2005 decided that Thailand might have something else to offer. After three years managing Kon-Tiki Krabi, Michael has now been in Phuket since 2008 to develop Kon-Tiki Phuket. “Our motto is ´ Inspired by the sea´. We want to inspire our guests and our business partners. It is from boaters, travel companies, guests, chauffeurs and our staff. We believe that the nature is the most valuable and when we are able to share the awareness, the joy and the experience of beeing a part of nature with others, we have succeeded”, says the manager. The company´s own boat is sailing out to different dive sites and many of the trips are for both divers and snorkelers. Especially the Sunset BBQ has become popular and is fully booked every Sunday, according to Michael Wallentin.
Heading out for Racha Islands At Chalong pier the boat was waiting for us. The boat has a nice layout. A big boat with three decks, so the about 20 divers had a lot of space. A huge sun deck is the top part and there are chairs and benches to sit and enjoy the sun, some fruit or snacks, soft drinks, coffee and water. The main deck has a nice dive platform and plenty of space to adjust your equipment and to get ready for your dive. Entering the water from the dive platform and with a giant stride you reach the water only about 50 centimeters from the platform. The lower deck is for crew only. The boat sailed very smoothly throughout the trip, helped by the calm sea. Another pleasing observation I made is that the boat was very clean and tidy. The boat crew was very helpful, replacing our air
1. 2. 3. 34 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
ScandAsia´s journalist with imprints from the scuba mask The Swedish Divemaster Amanda Bergkvist Danish Diving Instructor Martin Ruhoff on the boat after a deep dive
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Diving in Thailand 4
tanks after each dive, waiting on the dive platform to take our finns and give us a hand on the ladder. The boat and all diving- and security equipment is checked every week according to an 11-page manual, tells the manager. Kon-Tiki´s program for this Friday was a trip to Racha Islands, a little less than two hours easy sailing from the Chalong pier on Phuket and the boat crew had arranged coffee and toast bread ready for any hungry guest. After af few minutes sailing the diving instructors told us about the program of the day and the divers were allocated to their instructor or divemaster. My divemaster, Amanda Bergkvist, was not too impressed by my rusty PADI AOW certificate and asked me to show her that I was able to emty my mask and to do a regulator recovery before I was allowed to go diving with the rest of the group. I was able to convince her and we continued our first dive of the day; the divemaste, two Swiss guys and yours truly.
Divine Diviing
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The divesite was Maritta´s Rock near Racha Noi and the dive was between 15 and 20 meters below the surface. The visibility was excellent, more than 25 meters and the water temperature was 29 degrees celcius. We dived along huge rock formations and some corals and saw lots of marine as moray eels, surgeonfish, stingrays and jackfish. 38 minutes later the air pressure in my tank showed 60 bar telling that it was time to ascent to five meters below the surface for a safety stop. Back in the boat there were lot of chatting between the divers about what they saw in the water and we had a nice time relaxing on the sundeck with coffee and coke before our next dive. Our second dive was also at Racha Noi, the site is called Camera Bay. The site was quite similar to Maritta´s Rock and we dived for 42 minutes around the abundance of life; angelfish, butterflyfish, wrasses, grunts, cuttlefish, triggerfish and schools of yellow snapper. We headed out for Racha Yai for our third and final dive. The site is called First Bay. The dive was a little different, at we dived on a wreck – an easy wreck to dive and it was a great experience to swim in and out of the openings in the wreck. Lots of life and I will suggest spotting a big octopus and a Giant Moray as highlights. But also Harlequin Sweetlips and Peacock Mantis Shrimps was ever so nice to watch. The dive was the deepest with 20,7 meters as the maximum and in 30 degree water, life in a shorty felt just great. 46 minutes later we entered the boat again. And time for dinner, some delicious Thai food served as an open buffet with ice-cool soft drinks and water accompanied by lots of talking between the multinational guests and staff.
4. 5. 36 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
The Swedish Divemaster Amanda Bergkvist preparing for the next dive Two of the Kon-Tiki Diving guests returning to the surface of the Andaman Sea
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Diving in Thailand
Koh Pangan Your Diving Base Koh Pangan is ideal for divers who would like to have a life out of the water too. By Gregers Moller
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ome of Thailand’s best diving sites are inside the Gulf of Thailand. One of the famous dive sites, Sail Rock is located half way between Koh Pangan and Koh Tao. A step further in that direction you will find the famous South West Pinnacle which is suitable for all levels of diving experience. If instead you go to the south in the direction of Koh Samui and out to the west, another popular dive site is Ang Thong National Park where especially Koh Wao and Hin Yippon are most popular dive spots.
Koh Phangan will always be one of Thailand’s favourite tourist destinations with some excellent hotels and resorts, great beaches, and spectacular beach parties. This is worth remembering if you plan a vacation where diving may be an important element, but you would also like to have a good time out of the water. That said, the following is a presentation of some of the best dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand that are most easily dived with Koh Phanan as your diving base.
38 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
Sail Rock Sail Rock or Hin Bai is considered by many one of the best scuba diving sites in the Gulf of Thailand. It is a single ridge of granite that extends to the surface from a depth of 20 meters. It is famous for its chimney. The entrance is 18 meters deep and you can go out at 10 meters or 5 meters. Submerged rock formations are fantastic, as well as a large ridge southeast of Sail Rock which reaches a depth of 30 meters. This dive site is brimming with life and color. You can usually dive here for a day’s
outing. It is less crowded in the afternoon, when many of the boats that come all the way from Samui have started their way back. Perfect for snorkelers and training diving as well, the professional divers also have something to watch.
South West Pinacle A phenomenal diving point called Southwest Pinnacle or Hin Tung Gu is located a few kilometers further in the same direction south of Koh Tao. It consists of 3 major peaks often dipped one after the
other during the current drift and hidden behind of steep coral heads. The largest begins at 28 meters and goes up to 5 meters of surface area, making it smaller than its neighbor to the north, Chumphon Pinnacle. Many other small peaks create a great chain of underwater mountains, some walls and small canyons. Most peaks are decorated with soft corals and colorful anemones. One of the difficulties of diving here, with no solid ground nearby, are the shifting currents and visibility. Use the line anchored on the way down, which will take you to the base of one of the ridges. We guarantee an exciting dive. The chances of seeing species like tuna, barracuda and amberjack are huge here. This site is one of the easiest to feed, full of small reef fish. Whale sharks have been sighted feeding on plankton, zebra sharks and many shoals of seabream, sweetlips, ballan wrasse and harlequin, hidden inside the holes.
Ang Thong National Marine Park Ang Thong National Marine Park - with Koh Wao and Hin Yippon among others - have a variety of less ‘busy’ dive sites. Some with shallow caves and exciting swim throughs. There are many soft and black corals and you may see sea snakes and
turtles here. It is also one of the few places where, if you’re lucky, you may see the seasonal Dwarf Minke Whale. Maximum depth is 18 m and water temperatures are around 25 ° C. If you don’t want to spend too much time on the boat, there are some excellent dive sites just around Koh Phangan itself. Kong Yai is located a short distance to the north of Koh Phangan and features a variety of species set in a wonderful coral garden. Koh Ma is a small island connected to Koh Phangan by a sandbar on Had Mae Had beach and is surrounded by an amazingly colourful, living reef. It is an ideal location for snorkeling or learning how to dive. Had Yao or “Long Beach” is picture postcard material, with a one kilometre beach that is wide enough to play football on. Had Yao has developed over the years in harmony with the beautiful surroundings, retaining its natural splendor and laid back vibe that drew the first travellers here. Koh Tae Nok is a small island, located near Thongsala on the south coast of Koh Phangan. Koh Tae Nok is a great local boat dive, with reef fish, hard corals and the odd small reef shark.
December 2011 • ScandAsia.Thailand 39
Sea Kayak Krabi
Buddy Oriental Riverside Pakkred Re-Opening After Flood Situation
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he Buddy Oriental Riverside Pakkred hotel, which had just opened in June this year, will now re-open on 15 December 2011. The hotel was on 21 October forced to temporarily suspend its services due to the floods that disrupted much of Thailand. Sorathep Rojpotchanaruch, Chief Operating Officer of Buddy Group Hotels & Resorts, said the suspension of operation was inevitable, given the location of the Buddy Oriental Riverside Pakkred with its front facing the beautiful Chao Phraya River in Nonthaburi. However, this location also remains one of the great attractions of the hotel that has now resumed operations. The luxury hotel offers 83 rooms, 2 function rooms with capacity of 300 participants, an Italian Restaurant, Fitness Center, Swimming Pools and Spa. To contact to Buddy Oriental Riverside Pakkred, please contact Buddy Group Hotels & Resorts Corporate Office as the following details; Reservation Center: 78 Prajatipatai Road, Pra-Nakorn Bangkok 10200, Thailand Tel: +66 (0) 2 282 2831-3 Fax: +66 (0) 2280 1299 Email: rsvn@buddygroupthailand.com
Siam Royal View Luxury Homes
K
ayaking is a wonderful combination of eco tourism and active vacation and few places are more ideal for kayaking or canoeing than the waters off the coast of Krabi. Two packages are offered by Sea Kayak Krabi where experienced guides will help you explore the most spectacular caves and islands in the Krabi area of southern Thailand. Package A : 3 Days 2 Night (Package includes tour) Pick - Krabi Airport, 2 nights accommodation, a tour program, 3 meals. Kayaking equipment, experienced guide, insurance, park fees. Choose to stay at Ban Andaman, The Greenery, Green House Hotel, Thai Hotel Sripet Hotel, Crystal Hotel or Theparat Hotel If extra special price of 1,000 baht per room per night 3,290 only per person. Package B : 3 Days and 2 Nights (Package includes tour) Pick - Krabi Airport, 2 nights accommodation, a tour program, 3 meals. Kayaking equipment, experienced guide, insurance, park fees. Choose to stay at Tipa Resort, Akanak Resoart, Buri Thara, Tip Resident, Srisuksant Resort, Krabi Laplaya Resort, AndamaneeAonang Sunset, Aonang Paradise, Coconori, Doungjai Resort, Tropicalherble and spa, Thalane Resort If extra special price of 1,900 baht per room per night 4,290 only per person. For more information and reservation Pet Package at the Sea Kayak Krabi. 40 Great Road, Soi 2, Tambon Paknam, Muang Krabi 81000 Tel. 075-630270, 075623395 Fax 075-630116 or 089-7248579. www.seakayak-krabi.com Email : marketing@seakayak-krabi.com
O
ffering truly spectacular locations is what drives Eastern Seaboard specialist Siam Royal View to now launch its second housing project. The first project was built on a large piece of land on the only hill in the Pattaya area. Almost every villa in the development enjoys stunning views over the Pattaya skyline, the sea and islands, not least thanks to the smart village design which avoids neighbours obstructing each other’s views. Now, the second project is ready on a huge piece of land on a beautiful peninsula on the north end of Koh Chang island, which includes a total of 4 km seafront and a navigable river. Beaches on both sides of the village allow a variety of beach life and stunning sunset views. The village also includes a 9 hole par 3 golf course, a beachclub, two restaurants and a yacht marina with 75 berths. Many villas in this project are available for vacation rentals. The marina is located in the Klong Son river, ensuring perfect protection from waves and winds, yet deep enough to allow entry even at low tide for yachts up to 65 feet. More information at www.siam-royal-view.com
40 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
take a deep breath relax your feeling be the one with nature...here Paradise of The East Andaman
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he Beach Natural Resort is located on the beautiful island of Koh Kood in Bang Bao Bay. The resort is set in a Bali style theme which is blended in with Thai culture. The graceful environment, with its many kinds of flowers and colorful orchids, fits together in perfect harmony with the quiet and peaceful scenery. Our private beach is definitely the place of many impressive memories. You can enjoy everything from kayaking in the bay, and sunbathing on the beach, to watching the sun as it sets over the horizon from our personal pier here at “The Beach Natural Resort�
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Fundamental Differences Scandinavian and Thai people have many things in common, but also some that set us fundamentally apart. The typical European addiction to perfection is one.The equally deep rooted Thai belief in religion and spirits is another.
Spirits and science
By Flemming Winther Nielsen
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n Thailand, the mindset of Europeans to struggle for the best possible result sometimes seems at odds with the spiritual precept that nothing is stable and one should live in the ‘here and now’. Identifying this fundamental difference is of course the first step in creating a better mutual understanding; we, as Scandinavians, cannot just regard our values as the Eternal Truth. And with the number of Scandinavians living in Thailand on the rise, understanding our strange ways of thinking could also prove of value to the Thais.
Addiction to perfection As with so many other things, the strive towards perfection and beauty partly stems from the Greeks, just look at Acropolis, look at the statues; the buildings and sculptures was the ultimate inspiration for artists and architects trough the times. And then, on a minor scale, examine the brand-new cabinet the brand new carpenter has made as his masterpiece after four years of apprenticeship. Hundreds of hours laid down in this piece of furniture, each and every detail perfect, but also functional. In fact, there is a clear link from the cabinet to high-tech: it is no coincidence that the harmonic and functional B&O designs are copied by so many other brands. The secret behind this strive is a combination of craftsmanship, aesthetic sense, self-criticism bordering on self-destruction, and consequently a refusal to engage in compromises. The Opera House in Sydney is an example. The architect Joern Utzon refused to modify his drawings although the construction
costs ran much higher than estimated, and after heated discussions he finally left the project in anger. The city of Sydney can call itself lucky that it finally decided to finish the work according to the original plan. Johannes Brahms, whose symphonies are arguably the most beautiful and satisfying symphonic music ever written, threw away draft after draft of good music - years of work. He was not satisfied. He knew he could reach even a higher peak of perfection. His first symphony was four exhausting years under way: he was competing both with himself and with the dead Ludwig van Beethoven. These two exceptional examples nevertheless represent shared cultural roots. That is; the willingness to struggle for the best result possible and the refusal to bend for crippling financial pressure; they therefore also become the driving force behind innovation and the propensity to perfectionism. Europeans will spot and appre-
42 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
ciate good craftsmanship, but we don’t appreciate lazy shortcuts be it in architecture or just the (lack of) quality of ordinary kitchen utensils. There is a certain rigor built in this thinking, shortcuts will be spotted and are seen somewhat insulting to the aesthetic sense. Maybe that’s why I get many comments regarding the architecture and design of e.g. many hotels in Bangkok: ‘pompous’, ‘new-rich’, ‘tasteless’. All these showoff hotels represent a substitute for quality - not quality itself. I could take you on a guided tour and show both faked mural paintings from the Sixtine Chapel in Rome and interior architecture from Versailles. And then - in the traditional Thai house you find real craftsmanship, functional and beautiful. Not one single nail is used; the sections can easily be taken apart, the house moved to another location, assembled and lived in. No space for show-offs, soon we will move on to the next incarnation.
Religious feelings and beliefs in a divine destiny are fading away in Europe, atheism is widespread. Not so in Thailand. At a university in Bangkok there is a Buddhist temple by the entrance, many students ‘wai’ deep when they pass. Fifty meters further, but a bit ‘behind’, there is a big old Banyan tree. This is always decorated with very many big and small colorful ribbons. Here lives the spirit or Goddess of good luck. She is also worshipped by teachers and students - maybe just to be on the safe side. Once a year the corps of teachers led by rector, pay respect to the banyan tree. I passed by one day in the company of a visiting German scholar. He immediately spotted what this was all about and just said one word: ‘Quatsch’. He felt embarrassed and insulted. The universities in Europe were founded as a reaction against superstition, witch-hunting, beliefs in fortune tellers and the like. There designated task has always been to accumulate knowledge about the construction of man and nature based on provable facts - nothing more, and nothing less. That approach has influenced society as a whole. It is not easy for a European to comprehend how it is possible to combine academic virtues with beliefs in powerful spirits residing in trees. But once again, one may argue that Europeans have lost their spiritual senses and replaced them with boring logics and democratic standards under which they don’t bow and don’t bend. Finally, the Dharma teaching tells us to win ‘the inner war’ and live here and now - to let go of the past and let the future take care of itself. In other words, nothing can be changed; nothing is stable; the perfect cathedral or the intelligent company we built for eternity will be gone tomorrow. For a European it is an impossible path to follow, antagonistic to fundamental ideals and beliefs, namely that honest effort has an effect the good struggle must continue, first and foremost for a better and more just society. This is the rationale behind the many international NGO’s. But of course there is the other side of the Western struggle, a senseless exploitation of resources in the name of progress, done with perfectionism and carried out by the corporations almost beyond national and international control.
Johan Staël von Holstein in Singapore:
We Are Enslaved by 2.0 Tec Johan Stael von Holstein, the controversial entrepreneurship advocate from Sweden, urges politicians to reign in the chaotic free Internet and introduce a global micro payment system. By Joakim Persson
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he Swedish serial entrepreneur Johan Staël von Holstein has for decades been a strong advocate for innovations and entrepreneurship. “Entrepreneurship is the second best beautiful thing to love,” he said at the Designing Asia 2.0 gathering of the leading innovation network in Asia, arranged by Qi Global. In his opinion, Singapore is the country with the “smartest politicians in the whole world” and a splendid place for business start-ups.
Web 2.0 enslaves you Still, while calling for increased support especially for the IT entrepreneurs. he is at the same time now genuine concern for where things are heading: “We are totally enslaved by 2.0 technology companies,” Johan told his audience. The evolvement of technology is going to continue being absolutely exponential for innovations, and entrepreneurs can solve all the problems the planet is facing. However, he highlighted a fundamental concern relating to privacy, ownership and control of the individual’s digital assets.
Facebook is a concern “90 per cent of all my communication today takes place via Facebook, and 90 per cent of what I do there is work-related. And 90 per cent of all people I know and another 4000 I am connected with are on Facebook – how could I leave that? They digitally enslave me.” “People are forced to accept this and be stuck in these structures. And as long as you keep these technologies away from the individual – we can taste them but we cannot access them to utilize to our own advantage and do what we want. We are completely in their hands,” he explains to ScandAsia.
In Johan’s mind one’s own combined experiences, interests and skills should be controlled by the individual – and not be owned by Facebook or anybody else. Each and one of us should have our own, if you like, cube. “Privacy isn’t going to be dead for a long time. I hope. And why is this so important? I am no consumer - I am a person. I consume maybe 10 seconds a day. It’s about my memory, tastes, photos and my relations. I am giving away my brain to corporate institutions as they please.” “This is going to be so bad that ‘1984’ will look like nothing. Brand already says they “own their customers”. But if I own you and all the value you create is mine – then it is slavery!”
Regulate entrepreneurs “As a result of how the financial and political markets wrongly views entrepreneurship in a wider perspective, the engineers have built something like a gigantic Soviet, where everything is monopolistic, where you have one search engine etc.,” Johan says. The uncontrolled world of Internet is the source of the problem - where most content and info today is either for free or controlled by monopolies. “A new understanding must come that we have to let go of the most important thing which has happened to mankind in the past 150 years, which is the Internet breakthrough; there is not anything else so drastic – both positively and negatively. But it’s taking place under completely chaotic forms, where politicians and law makers are two steps behind, and allow digital slavery just as politicians and kings and emperors allowed slavery for thousands of years.” “Entrepreneurs build the world but thanks to politicians and lawyers. Therefore the liberals are wrong saying: no politicians should interfere and all should be Laissez-faire.”
44 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
Speaking at the Qi Global gathering in Singapore, Johan Staël von Holstein captured his audience with his passion for entrepreneurs and his vision that maybe the introduction of a micro payment system can solve the current chaos on the Internet and create entrepreneurs out of all the millions of unemployed people.
chnologies
*)
*) Facebook, Wikipedia, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, TripAdvisor and many other popular websites are nicknamed “Web 2.0” - a category of new Internet tools and applications that allow anyone without any web publishing skills to participate, create, share, collaborate, publish and communicate to the world.
Nature of entrepreneurs So Internet entrepreneurs have become like dictators running monopolies? Yes, but - and this is very important - Jan Stenbeck, my big idol, once told me: ’As every true entrepreneur I want to break monopolies’. That’s what he made most money on. And then he said: ‘And as every true entrepreneur I want to build my own’.” “Entrepreneurs are the most beautiful people on earth, they are creating all jobs in the world but they are no better humans than anybody else – they want to maximize their self-interest. Therefore one must also regulate them.” “The politicians inability makes that the engineers do with Internet what they are doing – and not because of ill will but because they don’t understand the consequences. They should. They are our leaders voted to take care of us and protect us, and the law-making institutions.”
“Free” is a disaster The idea that everything should be for free on the Internet is a catastrophe to Johan. “Put away that incentive to earn money in order for things to be for free – how will it then end? If I take my combined knowledge and experience and pack it as information and put it on the Internet and the info is for free – then information and knowledge is useless.” “If we live in societies with such realities – no wonder Europe and the U.S are falling apart like a house of cards!” Johan has little hope that politicians will solve it for us, but he is nevertheless optimistic: “entrepreneurs love problems!”
Internet as a remedy that would lead to exponential growth – and consequently the downfall of the powerful banking system as we know it. This micro payment system should be a solution where each individual gets the ability to have an own platform. “If it would be standard - say 20 pennies - to read this article online, and easy to pay with a simple click, for sure one would do it,” Johan believes. “Currently, the VISA online cost per transaction is 43 cent on a dollar. That makes it impossible for you and me to charge 20 pennies for our stories. You must leave VISA etc. and create something new. The only way to do that is by giving back the responsibility to the individual. That’s the future!” This could even be a remedy for very high unemployment: The unemployed youth in European countries stay at home surfing and they are super savvy Internet users, believes Johan. “Should they get their freedom back from Facebook, and a micro payment sum, a majority of them could become Internet entrepreneurs.” “Those who would benefit the most from setting free all individuals within social media and giving them opportunities to make money on their knowledge and experiences, is this whole gigantic group of unemployed.” “The instant this becomes reality it connects the physical and digital societies into one and there are exponential business opportunities and ideas. So it’s just a matter of breaking away from the boring things where one does not thrive and staking on a good idea one would like to fulfil,” he believes. Food for thought and a lot to digest…
Christmas in Asia Christmas in Singapore with other Swedish Families Claudia Olsson, Managing Director of ACCESS Health in Singapore will stay there this Christmas “I will celebrate Christmas in the lovely climate of Singapore with my family from Sweden,” Claudia says. “We will probably also visit Singaporean friends, exchange Christmas gifts and also organise a Christmas celebration for our Swedish friends who are here in Singapore – especially for other young professionals with families far away. ” “Last year, my Christmas here was magical. I had both the Swedish tradition with a pine-tree and Donald Duck on tv as well as an exotic pool-party with a large and very welcoming Chinese family. The evening ended with a very atmospheric midnight mass with my Philippine friends. It was a warm and very international Christmas.”
Christmas Means Pizza and the Beach in Sihanoukville Edwin Engeland, founder and owner of Velkommen Inn restaurant and guesthouse in Phnom Phen, Cambodia has not celebrated Christmas the traditional way since 1998. But that does not mean Christmas is not important to the Norwegian father of Karen, now 23 years old. ”December and January is so black and cold, so when I still lived and worked in Norway, I started going to Sihanoukville together with my daugther Karen and celebrate it there. She would celebrate Christmas with her mother before we left. She got her present and I send flowers to my parents,” Edwin says. In Sihanoukville the traditional Christmas dinner could be BBQ, Pizza or Asian food. ”Karen never complaint about the lack of a Norwegian Christmas with me. She has grown up with this kind of Christmas on the beach in Sihanoukville. This year she comes visiting me again and we will be at Otres beach in Sihanouksville again. I have no problem with other people celebrating Christmas,but when I’m in Asia it’s not natural for me to celebrate”, says Edvin.
Micro payment a remedy? Johan sees a worldwide regulation to protect privacy and the introduction of a micro payment systems for the
Johan’s talk at the Qi gathering can be viewed online at the Qi website. December 2011 • ScandAsia.Thailand 45
Goal-less Draw for The Vikings Scandinavian Vikings took on the French team Les Gaulois on Saturday 19 December as part of the Casual League tournament. Vikings were in great need of three points after one draw and one loss in their last two games. By Richard Hammarsten
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candinavian Vikings took on the French team Les Gaulois on Saturday 19 December as part of the Casual League tournament. Vikings were in great need of three points after one draw and one loss in their last two games. Unfortunately, the pattern from the last few games repeated itself once again as Vikings played disciplined football with tight defending and created lots of chances - but Vikings inability to score has come to the point when it looks like they’re under a curse of some sort. The first 20 minutes of the game saw a Vikings side that wanted nothing else but revenge after the ignominious loss against BFC last weekend. Coach Johan Mühlman must have had an inspirational pep talk before the game as Vikings were dominating all over the pitch and refused to give the puzzled French side even a millimeter of space. Throughout the beginning of this season, Vikings have been able
46 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
to rely on their solid defence, and Saturday’s game was no exception. Martin “Breitner” Stensman and Joel Tärning replaced the central defenders from last game, Gaute Gautestad and Takafumi Hikita, in an excellent manner. On the left back, Mikael Johansson had a great game, probably his best for the club, and was also awarded Man of the Match. Midfield General Peter Sveistrup, with hard-working Chris Lundqvist by his side, won nearly all challenges and distributed passes among their teammates - passes that should have resulted in at least one goal. Four times during the first half, a Vikings player was alone with the French keeper, and four times they failed to hit the target. The spectators got to see a myriad of Vikings chances, and nobody could probably understand how the score was still 0-0 when the referee blew the halftime whistle. 10 minutes into the second half, ‘comebacking’ Vikings player Martin Nordby Vestergaard was involved in a messy situation down by Les Gaulois’ extended goal-line. A French defender couldn’t handle Martin’s (a.k.a. the “Rugby player”) tough style of play, lost his temper and pushed the Vikings player in the back. The referee saw the whole situation and had no choice but to show the Les Gaulois player the red card. Most people probably thought this was the turning point of the game, surely Vikings would be able to score with eleven players against ten for over 30 minutes. But as a matter of fact Vikings started to play
worse when they were one man up. The old cliché saying that it’s hard to play eleven against ten turned out to be true in this case. The French had no problems defending their goal as Vikings all of a sudden stopped moving and creating chances. However, during the last 5-10 minutes, Vikings did manage to put the French under some pressure. On a corner from the left, Anders Kargo Schmidt seemed determined to put an end to his goal drought as he attempted to get to ball before the goalkeeper and head it into the back of the net. Unfortunately, for Vikings in general and Kargo in particular, the goalkeeper was just as determined to reach the ball first and the result was a nasty collision - so nasty that it resulted in Anders breaking his collar bone. According to the first reports from the hospital, Vikings will now have to do without their star striker for 6-8 weeks. After this unfortunate situation, Vikings couldn’t find enough energy to create another chance and the game ended 0-0. Having created innumerable clear chances, and with eleven players against ten for over 30 minutes, this game could only be described as a bitter draw for Vikings. After the game, Coach Mühlman said that he’s not worried as long as his players keep creating chances. However, he must be aware of the goalscoring void that needs to be filled as soon as possible. Perhaps he’s got a trick up his sleeve for Vikings’ next game?
“The first health insurance in Thailand I can really trust” You may be feeling good and enjoying your stay in Thailand, but what happens if you have an accident or fall ill? How well are you really protected? For the first time, Thaivivat offers complete insurance coverage which meets Scandinavian standards: the StarHealth-Plan. At premiums that will surprise you.
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How to Sell Finnish company offers a new way to sell your old gold in Thailand and get a better deal.
A
ny visitor to Thailand will notice that there is an abundance of gold shops around the country. This isn't due to the current price rises in the precious metal as there have always been a lot of these establishments in this country. It is traded daily and as world prices are high, people are getting very good deals indeed. Gold is considered very highly anywhere in Asia and is bought not only as an investment; it is also extremely popular as a gift. If you check the quality, you will most likely find that most pieces of jewellery are 18 carat gold and above. It is very pure and you will find that most shops will not sell anything less than high quality merchandise.
Selling is easy, if.. You can walk into any traders shop and sell gold in Thailand very easily, as long as it is of high quality. But... if the gold is less carat, for example if you have an older piece
of jewellery that is around 9 carat, you would probably struggle to get a fair deal. The shops tend to look at pieces that they can sell retail, rather than only looking at the option of melting it down. This is very different from in the West where you can take any piece of jewellery, no matter what the quality, and get a fair price for it. You will also have the problem of the language barrier, although these people will be very polite and try to communicate with you if English, you will probably experience that because you are not fluent in the Thai language you will have a hard time striking up a deal.
The Western way In Western Europe, TV ads run around the clock offering hard cash for your gold. You simply put your gold in a pre-paid envelope and send it to be evaluated. You’re then made an offer. Accept it, and the recycling company will send you the agreed amount. This method isn’t practical in Thailand, but now you sell it much in a similar way thanks to a company called Gold to Money. All you need to do is take your gold, in any condition and any quality from 8k 23k, along with your I.D. Your gold is then valued and you are offered cash on the spot. Gold to Money was formed by
The demand for gold is not only for investment and jewelry purposes. The year 2010 saw the biggest-ever use of gold in electronics, with 327 tonnes of the precious metal being used, according to the World Gold Council. 48 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
Gold in Thailand? Gold to Money is established by the Finnish couple, Kati and Jori Lassila. Here, Kati is seen evaluating a piece of old gold jewelry.
JIM International We strive on excellent quality, efficient service, superb workmanship and great value! With a wide range of the latest styles, from the classics to the ultra modern; and a wide choice of excellent fabrics, we are a one-stop shop for custom tailored men, women’s and children’s wear for all occasions.
Contact us
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a young expat couple from Finland, where recycling is very much part of everyday life. The idea came from the Kulta Rahaksi Company in Finland (Kulta Rhaksi means Gold to Money in Finnish) which has become the biggest buyer of gold in Scandinavia. Kulta Rahaksi is working in partnership with Gold to Money. The company opened its first branch in Phuket’s Chalong Circle shopping mall last year, and it recently opened a second branch in Bangkok, on the second floor of the Ploenchit Center. At Gold for Money you will be able to get a fair deal even if your piece is not high quality. The staff speaks English so there will be no language barrier and they also accept all kinds of jewellery, no matter what the condition is.
kept all these years and see if you could not cash them in at one of these shops. It is one of the best ways to get the best price for what you have. To find out more on how to sell gold in Thailand click here( www. goldtomoney.co.th ) to get the latest prices and information.
E-Mail Designersstyle@yahoo.com Tailorthailand@yahoo.com
www.tailorsthailand.com
Producing bullions The reason is simply because these new gold brokers are buying this commodity in bulk and melting it down to produce gold bullion. This is now a booming business as the prices are so high it makes all standards of gold extremely valuable. This idea is now catching on in Thailand as dealers are looking to purchase more of this product at reasonable prices. So now is a good time to find that old jewellery that you have December 2011 • ScandAsia.Thailand 49
Medium
Pepparkakor
cookies with black pepper
P
epparkakor in Swedish, piparkakut in Finnish and pepperkaker in Norwegian are not to be confused with Danish Pebbernoedder. Pepparkakor - ginger cookies - are rolled quite thin (often under 3 mm, and cut into shapes. This is where the fantasy of the children come in! Whereas Danish Pebbernoedder are more like little lumps of ginger cookies. But the basic taste is the same. Cloves, cinnamon and cardamom are important ingredients of these, and the actual ginger taste is not prominent. Allspice was used formerly to season ginger biscuits, but cloves replaced it later. 1 cup (2 dl) water 1/2 cup (1 dl) syrup (molasses) 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon of ground cloves 1 tablespoon of ground ginger 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom 1 teaspoon black pepper (opt) 1 tablespoon of bicarbonate (baking soda) 10,5 oz (300 gr) butter 2,5 cups (5 dl) sugar 7,5 cups or about 1 lb. (1.5 liters) flour
Evil
• Mix butter, sugar and syrup. Add spices and bicarbonate, then water and finally part of the flour. Mix in the rest of the flour. Let the dough sit over night, wrapped in foil in the fridge. Roll the dough as thin as possible using flour. Cut out figures - preferable Christmas figures, hearts, stars etc. • Bake in oven for about 5 minutes at 200-225 degrees C. Watch them! They burn fast once they start. • You can get about 300 cookies, depending on how big you make them. It´s nice to make some quite big hearts, decorated with frosting and maybe hang them up in the window.
Are you done?
ENJOY!!!!
W
hen you have completed the above puzzles, please send your solution by fax to +66 2 943 7169 or scan and email to puzzles@ scandasia.com. We will make a lucky draw among the correct answers. Five lucky winners will receive a ScandAsia polo shirt. Name:
___________________________________________________
Age: ________________________
Mobile:
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Address:
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Deadline for submitting your solution is 15 January 2012 50 ScandAsia.Thailand • December 2011
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