MAR 2015
Kui Buri:
Caring for the elephants ScandAsia.dk
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Cover Photo: Disraporn Yatprom
Your FREE ScandAsia Magazine in Thailand ScandAsia is the only magazine that covers all the Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish residents in Thailand. We also publish a ScandAsia magazine in China, Singapore and the rest of South East Asia.
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Prospects for Danish companies in Myanmar When: March 27, 2015, from 07:30 – 09:00 Where: Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Hotel 30 Sukhumvit 21 (Asoke) Road, Klongtoey Nua, Wattana - Bangkok DTCC Breakfast Seminar presents ‘Political Situation and the Oppor tunities for Danish companies in Myanmar’ with Special Guest Speaker: Danish Ambassador to Myanmar Peter Lysholt Hansen. Find out more on what you can do in
Myanmar, learn more about the state of play in Myanmar regarding the peace process, elections and constitutional reforms as well as the latest economic developments. Danish development assistance plans to Myanmar for the period 2016-2020 as well as opportunities for Danish companies. Ticket price for Non-members: THB1,100.00 Special ticket price for DanCham members: THB750.00
Publisher : 211 Soi Prasert Manukitch 29 Prasert Manukitch Road Chorakae Bua, Lad Prao Bangkok 10230, Thailand Tel. +66 2 943 7166-8, Fax: +66 2 943 7169 E-mail: news@scandasia.com Editor-in-Chief : Gregers A.W. Møller gregers@scandmedia.com Managing Editor: Thana Poopat thana@scandmedia.com Advertising : Finn Balslev finn@scandmedia.com Joakim Persson Joakim@scandmedia.com Piyanan Kalikanon piyanan@scandmedia.com Nattapat Maesang nattapat@scandmedia.com Graphic Designer : Peerapol Meesuwan Peerapol@scandmedia.com Printing : Siamprint Co., Ltd.
Daily news and features here: www.scandasia.com
Viking Wheelers Bangkachao Invasion When: March 21, 2015, starting at 0900 Where: Admirals Pub and Restaurant Informal and non-profit Bangkok-based bicycle group with most members from the Nordic countries, but welcomes people of all ages, lifestyle and nationality who enjoy bicycling for fun and
camaraderie in the Nordic style - with plenty of beers at the end of the tour. The group celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. It started out as the Danish Thai Chamber of Commerce’s cycling team but has since open to all comers.
March 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 5
Norway’s salmon exports
to Thailand rose sharply in 2014
Finland’s Jongla mobile messaging app targets SE Asia
Jongla CEO Riku Salminen.
F
by Thana Poopat
T
hai consumers’ seemingly insatiable appetite for Norwegian seafood, especially salmon, continued apace, with more than 60 per cent increase in Norway’s fresh salmon expor ts to Thailand in 2014, according to a Norwegian Seafood Council executive. Jon Erik Steenslid, Norwegian Seafood Council’s Regional Director South-East Asia, told ScandAsia that Norway exported to Thailand a total of 8,596 tons of salmon, worth a total of NOK350 million. Of this, fresh whole salmon jumped from 1804 tons in 2013 to 2935 tons in 2014, representing an increase of 63 per cent. “I would say that Norwegian salmon is still in an introductory phase in Thailand. It is steadily getting more and more known and popular among Thai consumers,” Steenslid said. “The future for Norwegian salmon in Thailand looks bright.” However, Steenslid said it is important to keep in mind that Thailand is a major reprocessing nation for seafood from all over the world, meaning that only a fraction of the seafood that is imported is actually consumed in Thailand. “We do not have any figures showing how much Norwegian seafood that is actually consumed in Thailand. But we believe that the majority is re-exported to other parts of Asia in particular,” he said. The expor t of fresh Norwegian salmon to Thailand, which has increased over the past few years, is indicative of a rise in domestic consumption. “It is unlikely that fresh salmon is processed and re-exported from Thailand, which is a strong indication that domestic consumption of fresh Norwegian salmon is increasing,” Steenslid said. “This fits very well with what we currently 6 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2015
see in the Thai market where more and more supermarkets are selling fresh salmon, not to mention the proliferation of sushi restaurants, in which salmon is probably the most important ingredient. In 2013 Norwegian salmon had a market share of 97% in fresh salmon in Thailand. The breakdown figures of Norway’s 2014 salmon exports to Thailand were as followed: • Fresh whole salmon 2935 tons, at average price of NOK 42.86 per kg FOB • Frozen whole salmon 3910 tons, at average price of NOK43.00 per kg FOB • Fresh salmon fillets 275 tons, at average price NOK 61.00 per kg FOB • Frozen salmon fillets 176 tons, at average price NOK 69.00 per kg FOB • Frozen other products 769 tons (bi-products and products not included above) In 2014 Thailand was ranked as Norway’s 28th largest export market worldwide. Among the East-Asian countries, it was No.6 behind Japan, South-Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Taiwan. Norway in 2014 expor ted 999,000 tons of salmon worth NOK43.9 billion, the highest export level ever for salmon and represented an 11 per cent gain on the previous year. Steenslid said the challenge in Thailand is how to increase knowledge and awareness of Norwegian salmon and seafood throughout the value chain. “That is why the Norwegian Seafood Council is working to inform and educate the market on product knowledge, handling and branding of the Norwegian origin so that consumers get the best possible quality and develop a preference for buying seafood from Norway.”
innish mobile messaging company Jongla has launched what it says is the lightest ever instant messaging app. Jongla CEO Riku Salminen. Jongla Lite is a new 2.7MB version of the Jongla cross-platform instant messaging app designed for regions with limited telecommunications infrastructure and for devices with limited memory. Engineering innovations have made Jongla Lite on Android around 15 per cent of the size of its nearest competitor and a tenth of the size of the average instant messaging app. Jongla believes the new version of the app will be particulary attractive in markets such as India and South East Asia where low cost phones are commonplace and there is limited access to 3G and 4G networks. “Jongla Lite is the first of a number of groundbreaking product developments we plan for 2015,” says Jongla CEO Riku Salminen. “It has been designed for markets in South East Asia where we have a significant and growing user base already and India, where we see huge potential demand for high quality instant messaging.” The company believes the new version of the app will also appeal to younger users across the world, who often have low specification phones. In the weeks prior to the launch of Jongla Lite, the company has increased speed, security and capacity of the network through infrastructure upgrades and a move to an increased number of servers distributed around the world. Jongla’s infrastructure can now support up to 320 million users. The company has also announced plans for a further funding round with existing, and potentially new, investors designed to enable it to accelerate global marketing and monetization plans and on-going research and development. Jongla is available to download for free from the App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store and Firefox Marketplace.
News Brief
Telenor/dtac appoints new Thailand CEO
d
tac on Febr uar y 12 announced the in August 2014, where he has overseen the appointment of new Chief Executive company’s strong development in revenues and Officers (CEO), effective April 1, 2015. overall market position. Previous to DiGi, Lars Åke Lars-Åke Norling, currently the CEO of DiGi. was CEO in Telenor Sweden from 2009 to 2014 Com Berhad in Malaysia, assumes the role as new and served as their CTO from 2007 to 2009. He CEO in Total Access Communication PCL (dtac) has also held a number of executive positions in to pursue the agenda of building dtac to become the fixed broadband provider Bredbandsbolaget Thailand’s leading internet operator. Sigve Brekke in Sweden, as well as in Ericsson. will step down as interim CEO in dtac and return Sigve Brekke stepped in as interim CEO in to focusing on his role as Executive Vice President dtac in September 2014: and Head of region Asia, Telenor Group. He “Over the last six months we have set a continues to serve as Vice-Chairman in dtac’s new direction for dtac: to become the leading Board of Directors. internet operator in the market by delivering “On behalf of dtac’s Board of Directors, the best internet network to the data-loving Thai I’m pleased to announce the appointment of consumers.This ambition is support by a significant dtac’s new CEO, Lars-Åke Norling, following a network expansion drive, service innovations selection process over the last few months. Larsand business transformation programs. dtac has Åke brings relevant technical and commercial pledged to deliver the best customer internet experience from two of the world’s most experience to Bangkok, its Metropolitan Area advanced digital markets, Sweden and Malaysia. and 30 other major cities by March 31 this year. I As Lars-Åke joins dtac, the company is set to will work closely with dtac’s management team in deliver on its strategic ambition of internet for strengthening the company’s position as a digital all and to contribute to the development of frontrunner,” says Sigve Brekke. Thailand’s Digital Economy. The Board expresses “I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute its gratitude to Sigve for his efforts to establish a to the development of dtac. Based on its strong new direction for dtac in his role as interim CEO,” position with Thai consumers today, dtac has the says Boonchai Bencharongkul, Chairman of the oppor tunity to deliver fur ther growth. I look Board of Directors, dtac. forward to working with the dtac team and the Lars-Åke Norling brings significant industry Board of Directors in achieving the company’s experience to dtac.43 He88 joined as find CEO outstrategic ” saysservice Lars-Åke Norling. Call +352 77 DiGi 77 to more ambitions, about our
Lars-Åke Norling, CEO
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14/08/2014 12:047 March 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand
Susanna Asklöf in action baking a cake at the time when everything was still fine. Photo: Daniel Herron
Food Academy Bangkok
Abruptly Closed Down
T
he Food Academy Bangkok (F.A.B), set up by a Swede only a few years ago, has come to an abrupt end. F.A.B suddenly closed down by the end of 2014 and in the process a dream project of the initiator, Susanna Asklöf, was ruined. The website said: ‘Closed due to external circumstances!’ On F.A.B’s previous Facebook page Susanna elaborated: “Dear friends and sponsors in Bangkok/Scandinavia!! After almost 3 years building up F.A.B and putting in 110 % effort, I regret to inform you that I can no longer keep up with the demands of the job and will be closing FAB. Since some people made my hard work even harder it is impossible to continue.” The circumstances surrounding the closure are murky and the Scandinavian community is tight-lipped on the subject. F.A.B had enjoyed much support from Swedes and other Scandinavians in Bangkok, not only for its Scandinavian food and bread but also for its cause – helping underprivileged people in Bangkok’s slum area in Klong Toey to a career within restaurants - food & beverage - through learning the skills of cooking and baking, including also basic accounting and English skills. Susanna Asklöf had wanted to make a difference; ‘making merit’, as Buddhists would definitely define her efforts. 8 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2015
Many feasts and Scandinavian events, such as crayfish and midsummer parties, were held at F.A.B and the catering became successful in the community. F.A.B was started and operated using her own funds, and with the help of private donors – a Swiss foundation among them – along with income from selling food and holding private events. It all went well – until something went terribly wrong, the details of which Susanna Asklöf declines to reveal. “F.A.B enjoyed a fantastic response but what good did that do when Thais did not believe in my sincere intentions, believing I was making a profit and wanting their share of that. I had to close down F.A.B since it was incomprehensible for the authorities to believe that I ran the project as a non-profit organization, and instead persistently believed I was doing something else.” “I spent all my private savings to build up F.A.B and could never take out a salary. My private economy is in ruins.” She did not mince here words in describing what she had been going through leading up to the closure. “It’s been hell for me, and a catastrophe. They’ve ruined my life and my future.”
Who are they? Susanna’s concern for herself and the safety of all the organizations and individuals that supported are more important for her than elaborating any further. Those causing trouble for her were only after money, she said to ScandAsia. “My friends have supported me immensely during this time and I have fought extremely hard. Those who supported and were there with us already know – and we are protecting each other now. There is not much to add. No more people should get in trouble because of this.” “Though difficult, I have greatly enjoyed the experience of helping young people getting started in the food business and I can’t thank you enough for also helping to provide new opportunities for those with limited options in life. I greatly appreciate all your help and support with this project,” she announced too on Facebook. From her adopted home country Sweden she is deeply disappointed about Thailand, the country in which she was born. “I feel safe now but I will never forget this hell I’ve been through, and I’m pretty disappointed to have seen that Thais do not understand that one might want to do something without having the ambition to make a lot of money.”
News Brief
The world’s most adulterous countries
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candinavia and Thailand is in top ten, when it comes to adultery in marriage, a new survey made by Statista and with numbers from Match.com shows. Only Sweden stays out of the list. Using data from Match.com and The Richest, Statista has plotted the top 10 countries with the highest percentage of married adults who admit to being adulterous. Thailand is the leader by quite some way, although it is interesting to note that the next nine are all European – including the UK in joint ninth place.
Tetra Pak in Thailand. Photo: dairyreporter.com
New Tetra Pak Training Centre in Thailand
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h e mu l t i n a t i o n a l f o o d packaging and processing company of Swedish origin has opened a new training centre in Rayong in Thailand, DairyReporter. com writes. It has cost around 40 millions to build. It is 3,000 square meters and has three packaging lines and laboratories. The new Training Centre is the second established in Thailand. The centre will be lead by educated engineers from Tetra Pak’s own company in the region supported by the company’s global training organization in Lund, Sweden.
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13/2/2014 10:56:48 PM March 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 9
I
Energy saving is a serious business Karsten Holm’s career path has been a roller coaster ride, but along the way he also managed to achieve significant legacy in energy efficiency strategies for Thailand. By Thana Poopat
10 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2015
t’s easy for people in rich industrial countries to take for granted instant access to virtually limitless energy supply that money can buy. But for Thailand and other developing countries, the road to sustainable, affordable and relatively clean energy has to be meticulously planned and closely managed if social and economic development is to be achieved, maintained and propelled forward. That’s where Karsten Holm, an energy management expert came into the picture. In his line of work, energy efficiency is the cheapest, most reliable and climate-friendly way of meeting energy needs. “We can’t develop any sector within society without reliable supply of energy. Reliable supply of affordable and clean electricity and energy is a basic assumption for developing societies,” Holm said. “Even Supply of food relies on reliable supply of energy.” Holm should know. With the benefit of hindsight, his three-stint, starting in 1993, with the UNESCAP, a development arm of the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific, offered him good preparation for his future career in energy management consulting business. But his career in energy management consulting business is not without its ebb and flow. Holm, who has spent the last 14 consecutive years living and working in Thailand and neighbouring countries, knows full well the need to stay vigilant against booms and busts and be ready to adapt to constantly-shifting business landscape. The first time Holm, an engineer and energy planner by training, was hired by Danish Energy Management to lead the consulting firm’s Bangkok office, it turned out to be a non-starter as the 1997 Asian financial crisis got in the way. “I was hired at the beginning of 1997 by the company because of my experience [working with the United Nations] in the region. The company was looking for opportunities in energy sector in Asia with Thailand as a regional base,” he said. By July that year, Thailand was laid low by the
From 2004, Danish Energy Management, with funding from Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Climate and Energy, helped develop a carbon credits trading programme in Thailand, involving Danish and Thai companies with the Danish Embassy in Bangkok serving as coordinator.
1997 financial meltdown that sent shockwaves around East Asia, causing a sharp downturn and disruption to economic activity in much of the region. “I felt like a salmon swimming upstream to lay eggs” was how Karsten Holm described the desperate situation in which he found himself at that time. “Virtually all the foreigners working here [in Thailand] were trying to escape,” he said. “There was no way anyone could continue to do business. No company dared invest in anything. All they wanted to do was struggling just to survive.” Karsten Holm went back to Denmark and was reassigned to work in the Baltics to provide much-needed consulting services to the then recent breakaway republics of the former Soviet Union. “From 1998 to 2000, I worked in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, which were trying to upgrade and develop their energy sector,” Karsten Holm said. His wor k as ener gy management consultant involves giving advice to companies and governments to help them save energy by investing in energy-efficient equipment and practices to achieve quickest possible return on investment. Accurate measurement is the name of the game. “You won’t have anything to work with unless you measure, monitor and verify energy consumption precisely. Companies need to also measure energy use.” One of the good things about a career in consulting is you can always repackage your professional skills and expertise to help clients solve new problems as they emerge. But only the more resilient and adaptable givers of advice will thrive in the fast-changing global environments the way Holm has done. Toward the end of 2000 Karsten Holm returned to Thailand as team leader of a small project on energy audit of Thai small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). He advised the National
Energy Policy Office on organisational set-up and analysed incentives for private sector to introduce energy efficiency in the production. Danish Energy Management, led by Holm, made positive impressions on Thai government agencies and private companies they had worked with. The Danish consulting firm went on to build up an impressive portfolio of projects in Thailand. Then opportunities started to knock. Danish Energy Management got to work with Thailand’s Ministry of Energy on some major assignments, technical assistance programmes funded by DANIDA, the Danish government’s international development agency. One of these programmes was designed to help the Ministry of Energy revise Building Energy Codes between 2001 and 2004. Karsten was put in charge of giving technical advice to the ministry, reviewing the existing codes and provide recommendations for adjustments through analysis of saving potentials in larger buildings in Thailand. The assignment included analysis of minimum efficiency levels for lighting, air-conditioning and ventilation and overall thermal transfer value as well as energy building design for commercial and public buildings. From 2004, Danish Energy Management, with funding from Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Climate and Energy, helped develop a carbon credits trading programme in Thailand, involving Danish and Thai companies with the Danish Embassy in Bangkok serving as coordinator. The Danish consulting firm was assigned to handle complex procedures of carbon accrediting to get projects in Thailand approved by applying MRV (monitoring, repor ting and verification) methodologies. But the economics of CDM projects and commitment to greenhouse gas reduction by industrial countries have always been highly uncertain. From its height when a tonne of carbon dioxide emission reductions was traded at over 20 euros in 2008, the price has dipped to its
lowest ebb at less than a quarter of a euro in 2014. “Carbon trading has nearly stopped at this price. There is no incentive for anyone to spend resources in verifying CO2 emission reductions. But the Danish government has decided to honour the existing contracts until they expire at the end of 2015,” Karsten Holm said. It would seem all has gone to waste. Not really, according to Karsten Holm. At least 16 Thai companies, ranging from oil palm processing to tapioca flour mill to pig farm, have benefited from the trading system that have altogether generated about USD4.5 million from sale of carbon credits. Carbon credits earned through reduction of greenhouse gas emission by Thai companies upgrading to more energy-efficient machinery, installing biogas production facilities or generating carbon neutral power, provide incentive to energy efficiency while at the same time reduce overall greenhouse gas emission into the earth’s atmospheres. Holm and his Danish Energy Management team had spent several years building up the UNapproved carbon credits programme, one of the biggest of its kind in Thailand. But all is not lost. Between the 1997 financial crisis and the collapse of carbon trading system, Karsten Holm and Danish Energy Management’s Thailand office have built long-lasting legacy. The company has been behind several really useful schemes for Thailand. Among the most notable examples are the minimum building energy efficiency standard that is now in force in Thailand, requiring commercial and public buildings with total floor space of 2000 sq m and up to meet the minimum standard for energy efficiency. “I worked on this for three years to draw up Building Energy Efficiency Code. This standard applies to new buildings and major renovation of old ones. Today, the minimum energy efficiency standard becomes part of the Building Energy Efficiency law,” he said. March 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 11
Caring for the wild elephants By Gregers Moller / photo by Disraporn Yatprom
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ui Buri (pronounced “Gui Buri”) is a district in the nor thern par t of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, the same province that also includes Hui Hin, only 80 km further to the south. Driving by car from Bangkok, the 260 km will usually take four hours. Neighboring districts are Sam Roi Yot to the north and the city of Prachuap Khiri Khan to the south.To the west, Kui Buri is so close to Myanmar that it borders directly to the Tanintharyi Division of that country. To the East you have the beautiful coastline along the Gulf of Thailand. One of the major attractions of the province is a visit to the National Park, which is so far away from all the Bangkok weekend campers that it is really what it was meant to be - a protected area where nature rules.
Kui Buri National Park Kui Buri National Park covers a major part of the western area of the district including the Thai side of the Tenassirim mountain ridge. The park also extends into Sam Roi Yot and Prachuab Khiri Khan. What the park is probably most well-known for is its large herds of wild elephants that may be seen from several observation posts within the park. 12 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2015
To keep the wild elephants within the park and not be tempted to go out and eat the pineapples or sugarcane in farm areas just outside the park, volunteer groups occasionally join the park rangers in building salt licks at strategic points where the elephants may also be favourably viewed by binoculars at a safe distance. The group that my wife and I joined recently consisted of photo enthusiasts from Bangkok. By helping them dig the salt licks, we were paying back favours to the rangers, who had taken us off the beaten track into the park to watch the elephants at particularly close range from shelters hidden in trees along the route where the elephants were regularly walking.
If three men can dig a hole in one hour The elephant watch had been a great experience. Helping to dig the three by three meter wide holes down to a depth of one meter was harder than expected, but under the guidance of the officials, we worked in shifts, slowly, but steadily and after four hours, the three holes were dug. The salt that is mixed with the softened up soil and then covered with part of the soil again, was raw sea salt, which the province produces plenty of along the coastline.
Sea salt production To produce raw sea salt, you need shallow fields near the coast where you can pump the salt water into. The sun will heat up the water and make it evaporate so that more water can be pumped into the field. Eventually, the salt concentration is so high, that the salt starts crystallizing on the clay on the bottom f the field. From now, no more water is poured into the field.When the last drop of water has evaporated, the salt can be scraped together and scooped into bags for further cleaning. Only this cleaning process is not needed when the salt is used for elephant salt licks. Apart from the elephants, a large number of krating - a wild ox that lives in the park as well also come out of the woods to enjoy the salt licks.
To ride or not to ride Current, a controversial debate is going on among Nordic tour operators, whether riding on elephants is animal cruelty or is indirectly responsible for animal cruelty. The debate is based on the false claim, that all elephants have been tormented as baby elephants, starved and beaten into submission. The fact is that domestically born elephants are
being trained without any torture, just like young horses are being trained for riding and young oxen need to learn how to pull a plow. If offered a trekking tour on an elephant, you have as a customer obviously no way of checking if the elephant that will carry you around was once captured in the wild. However, as there is no lack of domesticated elephants in Thailand, it is more like that it was born by a domesticated elephant than captured in the wild. As the ride is a business, the owner also has for sure a good reason to maintain his assets, the elephants that give him his income, as well as possible. On the other hand, he would have suddenly no use of the clumsy beasts, if all tourists suddenly turn their back on this great experience and for sure no money to feed them. Keep in mind also, that elephants were carrying people on their back long before Lord Buddha was born. Enjoy your vacation.
March 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 13
Adventurous active V
ar tika Adventure Retreatic Resor t is a completely new ‘brother’ resort of Vartika Resovilla KuiBuri situated just only 800 meters away from the Vartika Resovilla KuiBuri . Vartika Adventure Retreatic Resort offers fun and excitement for families and friends who seek for adventurous activities during the stay. The resor t is fully open in 2015 with 41 rooms. It contains the colorful concept with unconditional designs for both interior and exterior decoration combining oddness and harmony as one in order to give the idea of “Experience a new world of every visit” as same as Vartika Resovilla KuiBuri does. Vartika Adventure Retreatic Resort provides a big curvy-shaped, salted swimming pool with the pool bar inside for you to sit in the pool at the bar. Within the resort, you can have Thai, Italian, American, Asian, and international dishes from three types of restaurants; from café to fine dining.
Vartika Adventure Retreatic Resort 62/1 Moo 5 Bornok, Muang, Prachuapkirikhan THAILAND 77210 Tel : 032-820180-2 Fax: 032-820169 www.vartikaadventure.com
14 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2015
recreation In terms of activities, everybody of all ages can enjoy from light activities to extreme ones such as zipline, abseiling, sky walker, BB gun, shooting, and archery. Kids also can enjoy kid’s club with games and movies provided, or even the Do It Yourself (D.I.Y) arts of glass, bags, t-shirt painting, frame making, and jelly candle. The Var tika family, under Busree Boutique Resor t Group, maintains the concept of being friendly to the environment and saving the natural source as much as possible by adapting alternative energy into practice. Also, we do support the local produces such as vegetables, fruits, milk and seafood in order to sustain our community. The two Vartika resorts are located in Kuiburi district, Prachuap Khiri Khan which is about 270 km. south from Bangkok. Kuiburi is increasingly visited by worldwide tourists and domestic citizens every year, it is famous for the wild elephants in Kuiburi National Park and also for other natural sightseeing such as caving, local canal cruising, waterfalls, historical sites, mountains, and local lives.
March 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 15
Agneta’s World
Flowers, fragrances and pampering! That’s just so wonderful with Thailand; you can go and pamper yourself without paying a fortune.
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f I happen to have a day completely without any duties or must do’s, I often chose to pay a visit to the Flower Market. If you still not have visited this amazing place you absolutely must do. I take the BTS at Asoke, closest station to where I live, change at Siam and go to Saphan Taksin the last station before crossing the Chao Praya River. Walk down to the river and catch one of the express boats or even a tourist boat, the only difference is the price. The Express boat cost less, 15 baht and the Tourist boat 40 baht and both take you to the same piers. It’s a nice trip and mostly a bit windy. You go off at Pier 7 by the Yodpiman River Walk and walk through the newly opened small shopping arcade with handcraft boutiques, small coffee shops, ice cream bars and several restaurants.The arcade reminds me of the beaches and their small malls on the Californian coast, built colonial style. From there it’s not very far to the streets
16 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2015
where all flowers are sold. You can get the scent of the flowers almost from the river. There are flowers everywhere and the colors are beautiful. I think you can find most flowers and especially the orchids are seen at every booth. You have to walk around and ask about prices, as there can be a big difference between the stales. Don’t forget, for us “farangs” the prices are higher than for the locals. I have tried several time to bargain, but no use, for us the prices are fixed. You can’t really complain as the flowers are already at a very reasonable cost. Where else can you buy a bunch of 50 roses for 100 baht? Once you become familiar with the market, you will most likely also find your favorite sellers. I bring one of the practical IKEA plastic bags and carry the flowers home that way. You easily become a flower shopaholic at the market. After around 30 minutes I am normally done with my shopping and I return home with a happy feeling to fill my home with the fresh and beautiful flowers.
Nail Plus
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he first time I walked for hours, couldn’t get enough, and of course my feet then started hurting, so on my way home I passed my favorite place for manicure and pedicure, “Nail Plus” located on Sukhumvit soi 19, in the department store Robinson. This place belongs to two young Thai women, Khun Orn and Khun Tammy, smart business girls. They met 10 years ago when they worked at the same beauty company and 8 years ago they decided to start their own business. Today they have three shops, first one to open was the newly decorated at Robinson, second is not very far from the first one, located on Soi 19 behind the Sacha Uno Hotel and the third is on Sukhumvit soi 23 and is called Nail Plus Signature (a bit more exclusive than the 2 others maybe). I asked if their customers are mostly “farangs” or Thai and they said, about 10 % Thai and the rest a mixture of Asians and Westerners. They offer almost everything and some of the “girls” are real artists doing the most complicated patterns on both hand nails and toe nails. Walking back home on clouds. The feet are like silk, nails in a bright color and I feel good.
Panipa
T
aking a glimpse at myself in the show window, I realize I need to have my hair done. Well, at Westin Hotel on the 8th floor you’ll find the hair salon Panipa. Very often I am asked by women who just settled in Bangkok, where to go for a haircut or coloring. It’s not every hairdresser who is able to treat the Western women’s hair. We have a completely different hair structure compared to the Asian people. Panipa has specialized on our hair type and I have never been disappointed. They also do manicure and pedicure, waxing, facials, massages and more and the prices you can’t say much about. They are open every day, except for a few days around New Year. Panipa has several salons all over Bangkok and also in the surroundings like Nichada Thani and La Salle. The Westin salon is relatively small and the staff very friendly and capable. The first salon opened in 1967, so the brand Panipa is deeply rooted. That’s just so wonderful with Thailand; you can go and pamper yourself without paying a fortune. This is how I enjoy a day off and I recommend you to give it a try. Spoil and pamper yourself, because you are worth it! Of course this is not only for us women. Men are also more than welcome and of course, they need to spoil themselves too, at least once in a while! March 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 17
Similan Islands ScandAsia reporter went for a mesmerizing first dive.
T By Lasse Henriksen Photo: Jesse Wekerle
18 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2015
he boat was heading for the Similan Islands. A nature reserve that is only open to visitors half of the year. The Islands are a haven for divers, with pristine clear waters with nuances from turquois to deep blue. With its diversity of marine life and large number of dive spots ranging from calm bays to deep dives, the Similan’s have a reputation of being one of the world’s top ten dive spots. Here there is room for both snorkelers and experienced divers looking for whale sharks and manta rays. Recreational diving has become a ver y popular holiday activity, and why not, you can get introduced to the underwater world relatively cheap and finding a dive school is definitely not a problem in Thailand, where places like Phuket, Khao Lak or Koh Tao are basically littered with dive centers. But even though diving has come within reach of the common man or woman, it is still an activity that requires skill and respect. Just filling out the medical statement is a reminder
that diving does not come without risks. Quite a few diseases can affect your safety, you are not supposed to fly within the first 12 hours after diving and you have to confirm that you know diving involves deadly risks.
Surprisingly simple The concept of breathing under water and being able to move around freely is arguably, like flying and space travelling, a pinnacle of modern civilization. But like boarding a plane, our technology has made this venture into a new element awfully simple. Sucking air out of the mouthpiece is as easy as breathing through a snorkel and you can adjust depth perfectly by pushing a button. This does not mean that diving is just a walk in the park. Telling your brain it is okay to breathe underwater without hyperventilating, holding your breath or getting a minor panic attack is more of a challenge. But all good diving schools takes this into account and will star t you off at a pool or low waters, where you can
get comfortable under the water and practice recovering your mouthpiece, if it should fall out of your mouth. Remember as long as you stay calm, chances are nothing bad will happen. Your instructor will be an experienced diver who can always help you to the surface or give you air if you lose your mouthpiece or are too stressed to remember how to empty it from water.
A break from the world Before you can dive at the Similan Islands two hours on the slow boat from Khao Lak is necessary. The islands are too far away to see from the shore, but as you get closer small dots of a different shape of blue will appear between water and sky. While you watch the islands grow in the horizon, there will be plenty of time to enjoy breakfast and get a thorough briefing about the dive spot. Like many other par ts of the west coast the reefs at Similan Islands were damaged by the 2004 tsunami. On top of the tsunami, the
reefs at Similan Islands have suffered from coral bleaching due to rising temperatures and marine tourism. But while some of the corals look like they have been taking a beating, the diversity of marine life is still high. “I used to dive at Koh Tao - here you got so many fish. Just counting triggerfish, in the 4 months I spend at Koh Tao I saw 2 species, on my first dive here I saw 4,” Jesse Werkerle, who is a diver and our underwater photographer said.
Underwater adventure At the dive spot you just have to believe that you won’t sink and jump in the water. The descend will be slow. Surprisingly enough there is less of an ear pain diving compared to snorkeling where you rarely have time to equalize the inner air pressure. As a complete beginner you will see a lot of the same fish and corals as when you go snorkeling, but when you are diving you get the chance to go a few meters deeper, stay down there and have a closer look without worrying
about resurfacing to catch some air. Another nice thing about the slow boat is that there is space for a kitchen and tables you can eat lunch at between the dives. For beginners it is highly recommendable to have a 2nd dive, you will be more confident and able to focus on other things than the surreal fact that you are breathing 9 meters under water. On the way back to the mainland, beer is obligator y and there is a chance share your experience with other divers and listen to instructor’s bragging about the size of the seacreatures they have encountered.
March 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 19
Scandinavians
rocked
through the night The annual garden party organized by Scandinavian Society Siam was held at the Danish Embassy this Saturday. Meet some of the people who joined the event and hear what they think are the best about living in Bangkok. Text & Photos: Louise Bihl Frandsen
W
hile caviar crème, piano music and champagne set the scene Saturday night in the garden of the Recidence of the Danish Ambassador. Rock ’n’ roll, sweaty dance moves and free flow of beer quickly took over. The garden party was organized by Scandinavian Society Siam.
An easy life Berit and her husband are from Sweden. They lived in Bangkok for 15 years. “There are so much I love about Bangkok. I love the easy life down here, and I feel I can be a real lady,” Berit explains. Ginny agrees. If there is something she is sad about, it is the internationalization of the city. “I used to love to go shopping in all the local stores, but now everything has become so international. I miss the local stores,” she says.
From Vietnam to Bangkok
Kenneth and Berit Radencrantz with Ginny and Jan Eriksson, the President of the Swedish chamber 20 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2015
Helena Ahola and her husband were the only people representing Finland at the garden party this Saturday.They have been living in Bangkok for eight years now. “The event is a good way to meet people and communicate. We have been to many events like this and other kind of events with Scandinavian Society Siam as well,” the Finnish couple tell. Helena is head of development in the ministry. Her and her husband used to live in Vietnam, but eight years ago they moved to Bangkok. “Bangkok feels very safe. And compared with Vietnam, people does not come up to you all the time to sell you things,” Helena explains.
Q&A
Reader profile of the month
Ika
Forssell
I Jakob Korslund and his wife Savija Pannark Korslund What Helena loves most about Bangkok, is the food and the concerts, and she also has a passion for the theatre. Her husband agrees with her but adds to the list: “I am a golfer,” he laughs.
Exercising every day Nils Wickberg and Kirsten Kjelsås are from Sweden and Norway. Compared with many of the other guests, the couple only lived in Bangkok for one and a half year. “I am the one who is working, my husband exercises,” Kirsten and her husband laughs. “We like the restaurants and that everything is so cheap and people are so nice,” Kirsten says. Kirsten works at the Norwegian Embassy while her husband is retired. “I go to the fitness centre everyday and after a little exercise, I jump into the pool,” Nils laughs.
Setting boundaries Jakob Korslund used to work at the Danish Embassy. Now he started his own company with a friend. His wife Savija Pannark Korslund is one of the organizers of the garden party. While Jakob is from Denmark, Savija has roots from both Thailand and Denmark. “In Bangkok you can do everything. You can go shopping in the middle of the night if you want. Only you are setting the boundaries,” Jakob says and adds that the party tonight is a great way to talk with people from many different job areas.
Tutti Frutti, all over rootie
ka Forssell is a Swedish painting artist living in Singapore. She is also a translator - English to Swedish - and occassionally she has been writing ar ticles for ScandAsia as well. Ika arrived in Singapore in 2005 with her husband and two children. Currently, her eldest son is now 18 and has moved back to Sweden while her daughter at 15 still lives with her parents in Singapore. Ika’s husband works for Bona, a Swedish company in the wooden flooring business. The couple have no plans to relocate at least not before their duaghter graduates in 2017. But Ika admits to missing Sweden more and more lately which she didn’t do for the past ten years. The family visits Sweden every summer.
My husband and I decided to move to Singapore because... he was offered a job as a regional manager for a Swedish company Working in Singapore has taught me... that connections, networking and an open and curious mind are key. Being an accompanying expat here in Singapore has been an opportunity for me to spend time on what I really wanted to do, which is painting. Singapore art scene is quite happening, and I have been lucky enough to exhibit my work at a number of fairs and art shows. It never ceases to amaze me when... another new shopping mall opens. How much stuff can they sell?
In Singapore I could do without... construction work sites and the noise that comes with them. Raising my children in Singapore has been... a great opportunity for them to mix with people from many different cultures, learn different languages and make friends from all over the world. My best advice to a newcomer in Singapore is to... explore everything quickly, while you are still eager and curious. Since 2005 Singapore has... changed immensely, with new buildings constantly popping up. Living outside of Scandinavia has made me realize... how much I value fresh air and untouched nature Satisfying my social needs is no problem because... there is plenty of opportunity to party or engage in all sorts of social activities. For many years, I played tennis almost all the time, and now I have a group of friends I met through my art. The biggest day-to-day struggle in Singapore is... planning transportation in a way such as not to get sweaty or soaked by sudden rain. I go home to Scandinavia... every summer. The most beautiful time of the year. I use the Scandinavian community in Singapore to... invite to my art exhibitions, and to attend events organized by SWEA or the Swedish church.
In Singapore I will never get tired of... eating tropical fruits every day.
The band got almost everyone on the dance floor with classics like Jailhouse Rock and Tutti Frutti. March 2015 • ScandAsia.Thailand 21
มุมภาษาไทย l mum pha:să: thai l Thai Language Corner
Learning Thai from the Maid By Klavs Johansen (thai@maprao.dk)
I
nspired by a recent article from ScandAsia Weekly about the wide use of maids by Scandinavian expat women in Thailand, we will dedicate this month’s column to the vocabulary of housekeeping and talking to the maid. We have previously (Thai Language Corner, Februar y 2014) written about the real life oppor tunities to practice Thai in everyday encounters with taxi drivers and waiters, and practicing Thai with the maid fits into this category of ‘free’Thai lessons from persons in a service position with little choice but to listen to your best attempts. Usually, though, such practice is good fun for both parties, otherwise we wouldn’t recommend it. Few people like the Thais give such generous encouragement to foreigners trying to learn their language. The English word ‘maid’ has entered the Thai language and become เมด / mè:t /. Another word for maid is created by combining
แม่ / mâe: / ~ mother and บ้าน / bâ:n / ~ house, home, into แม่บ้าน / mâe: bâ:n / ~ housekeeper, maid.
This word may also in other contexts be translated as ‘housewife’ by the way. Household chores are การบ้าน / ka:n bâ:n / (actually also means ‘homework’) or งานบ้าน / nga:n bâ:n /. In the following, we will cover some examples of งานบ้าน / nga:n bâ:n / and associated vocabulary. We start with the cooking:
ทำ�อาหาร / tham a:hă:n / ~ to cook, ทำ�อาหารเช้า / tham a:hă:n chá:o / ~ to make breakfast, ทำ�อาหารเที่ยง / tham a:hă:n thîang / ~ to make lunch, ทำ�อาหารเย็น / tham a:hă:n yen / ~ to cook dinner.
Try out the examples with your maid or another Thai close to you. Listen carefully to their pronunciation and try to imitate it. The following is useful for washing, cleaning and so on:
ซักผ้า / sák phâ: / ~ to wash clothes, ซักมือ / sák mue: / ~ hand wash, ซักเครื่อง / sák khrûeang / ~ machine wash, เครื่องซักผ้า / khrûeang sák phâ: / ~ washing machine, 22 ScandAsia.Thailand • March 2015
ตากผ้า / tà:k phâ: / ~ to hang clothes to dry, รีดผ้า / rî:t phâ: / ~ to iron, ล้างจาน / lá:ng ja:n / ~ to do the dishes, ทำ�ความสะอาด / tham khwa:m sà’ à:t / ~ to clean, เช็ดฝุ่น / chét fùn / ~ to dust off, ดูดฝุ่น / dù:t fùn / ~ to vacuum-clean, ถูพื้น / thŭ: phúe:n / ~ to wash the floor, กวาดพื้น / kwà:t phúe:n / ~ to sweep the floor.
Finally, a little note on how to talk to the maid. In Thai culture, the relationship between people is reflected in the language to a greater extent than anywhere in the West. With a maid your traditional relationship is that of a mistress, or master, with a servant, or you could, more contemporary perhaps, just consider it an informal relationship as with someone part of your household, being inside the private sphere of your family. Either way, you will not use the polite particles of ค่ะ / khâ / (female speaker) and ครับ / khráp / (male speaker), which you may have been taught to use with strangers or workplace colleagues. You may use the more informal and friendly particle จ้ะ / jâ / (in particular as a female speaker) or none at all.The maid, on the other hand, will normally use ค่ะ / khâ / when speaking to you (assuming your maid is female). The same applies when addressing the maid with ‘you’. Here, you will generally not use the universal and polite คุณ / khun /, but rather her title, i.e. แม่บ้าน / mâe: bâ:n /, or merely her first name. แม่บ้านสบายดีไหม / mâe: bâ:n sàba:i di: mái / ~ Are you well? (speaking to the maid). You may get some indication which to use when listening to how the maid refers to herself. แม่บ้านสบายดี / mâe: bâ:n sàba:i di: / ~ Yes, I am well (maid speaking). A couple of useful words to soften requests are ช่วย / chûai / ~ help, placed in front of the request, and ด้วย / dûai / or หน่อย / nòri / following the request and translated with ‘please’ as in
แม่บ้านช่วยตากผ้าด้วย / mâe: bâ:n chûai tà:k phâ: dûai / ~ Will you please (help) hang the clothes out to dry.
โชคดีนะ / chô:k di: ná’ / ~ good luck!
Swedish Meat Balls and Mashed Potatoes
T
here are as many different recipes for Swedish meatballs as there are Swedish Mammas. When it comes to meatballs, it gets personal. This is a basic recipe on which to build your own. Over the past twenty or so years, most families only bother making meatballs from scratch for special occasions and tend to stick with the bought version for everyday events. This is a shame because homemade meatballs taste rather different. Most would say that a dish of meatballs, mashed potato with cream gravy and lingonberry jam is about as Swedish as things get. It’s up there with ABBA, Volvos and Wallander.
For the meatballs:
• 700 grams lean minced beef AND 500 grams minced pork (min 10% fat) • 1 onion, grated • 60 gram porridge oats • 2 eggs • 350 ml stock (chicken stock works well) • 2 ½ tbsp plain flour or corn flour Spices: 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp ground allspice, ½ tsp ground black pepper, 2 tsp ground white pepper
For the cream gravy
A knob of butter (approx. 10g), a heaped tablespoon of plain flour (10 g), water from the potatoes, 50 ml of cream. Lingonberry jam (we recommend Lingonsylt from either Tillmans or Felix, both available at Scandi Kitchen). 1. Soak the porridge oats in water for fifteen minutes. Whisk the eggs together and mix with the oats. Add onion and spices and mix well. 2. Mix the meats together in a mixer to ensure thoroughly mixed. Add the egg mix and flour. You should be left with a mouldable, but sticky, mixture. 3. Roll the individual meatballs in your hands and leave ready to fry. It helps if your hands are damp. Each meatballs should be around 2 cm in diameter - or larger if you cannot be bothered making 80 meatballs. 4. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and once hot, carefully add meatballs. Shake the pan gently to ensure they don’t stick and keep them moving as they fry - thus ensuring their “roundness”. You will most likely need to do two batches. Fry until done - for around 5 minutes. Keep in a warm oven until needed. 5. Add a knob of butter to the meatball pan over medium heat. Add flour to form a roux and whisk. Add the water from the potatoes bit by bit and let it boil to thicken. Once at desired quantity and thickness, add the cream. Season with salt and pepper. 6. Serve meatballs with mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and the gravy, with lingonberry jam on the side.
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