The BigChilli May-June 2022 by The BigChilli Co., Ltd.

WE NEED YOU EXPATS Who Make A ŝīĞƌĞŶĐĞ

Entrepreneur Awards

The BigChilli is resuming its quest to highlight the foreign community's contribution to Thailand's business and social scene. We're doing this through two unique initiatives seen here. If you know someone who is an 'Expat Who Makes a Difference' or an 'Expat Entrepreneur,' tell us. We will mark their endeavors in this magazine, culminating in a separate dedicated publication and an awards ceremony.

PUBLISHER Colin Hastings $/*- $" #$''$Җ"( $'ю *( EDITOR Nina Hastings )$) $" #$''$Җ"( $'ю *( SALES & MARKETING MANAGER *%% ) 0)"- //2 / # $ . ) /*-*. Җ"( $'ю *( ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE # ) *)". .&0' #*/$ /# ) $" #$''$Җ"( $'ю *( ACCOUNTING MANAGER 0(*) ю .0(*) $" #$''$Җ"( $'ю *( ART & PRODUCTION Arthawit Pundrikapa PHOTOGRAPHY AP CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Robin Westley Martin - 2 - $ я 3($'$ ) #.' * 1 ).я ..$ Ruth Gerson, Agneta de Bekassy

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No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from The BigChilli Co., Ltd. The opinions and views of the writers are not necessarily the views of the publishers. All details are deemed correct at the time of print, the publisher, the editor, employees and contributors can not be held responsible for any errors, inaccuracies or omissions that may occur. The editor reserves the right to accept, reject or amend any submitted artwork, photographs, illustrations and manuscripts. The BigChilli welcomes unsolicited contributions but assumes no responsibility for the safe-keeping or return of such materials damaged or lost in transit.

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News

SCAM ALERT

New Online fraud sees victims falling for fake police call

xpats and high-profile Thais are being targeted in a new and sophisticated ‘Call Centre Scam’ with perpetrators claiming to be senior Thai police officers. The scam begins with victims being contacted by someone claiming to work for the customs department who says they have intercepted a package from overseas containing drugs, ATM cards and bank books that are linked to “national-level moneylaundering investigation.” At this point, they are transferred via a video call to a man wearing a police uniform who claimed he is based at Ranong Police Station in southern Thailand. According to a Bangkok businessman who was cheated out of hundreds of thousands of baht, the “police officer” proved extremely convincing, seated in what looked like a genuine police station, chatting to his colleagues in the background and saying that the police needed his help to catch the money-launderers. The man was assured he was not suspected of any wrongdoing and even shown photos of six men wanted for questioning. However, since the businessman’s name and personal details had been discovered in a bank account, not his, holding an unexplained sum of more than 13 million baht, he needed to prove his innocence by making a personal visit to the station in Ranong, an extremely inconvenient journey of several hundreds of kilometres. If he refused, an arrest warrant would be issued. Alternatively, the businessman was told, he could send the ‘police officer’ access to his bank account so it could be cleared of any money laundering. Having been lulled into a false sense of security by the quietly spoken and clearly educated scammer who added to his credibility by displaying a copy of the man’s ID card, he did as instructed – thus enabling the scam, with all his money being subsequently stolen from his account. How did an otherwise sensible businessman fall for this scam?

“The fake policeman was very convincing, kept me on the line for 45 minutes and used persuasive language, removing any doubts I had about the legitimacy of the conversation. Also, I was in a rush, by myself and wanted to help the police. And I didn’t want to go to Ranong. “They had a copy of my ID, which is not difficult to obtain as I travel frequently and have to show it to book into a hotel which always photocopies it. “About 20 minutes after speaking to the scammer, I began to have doubts and called my bank who told me all my money had been withdrawn. I then called the real Ranong Police Station – and was told that I had been scammed. They recognized the scam immediately.” Records of the Line chat were quickly deleted by the scammers. And since either party in the chat can delete the full contents of the chat history, there was no way of tracing the call. “I’ve since found out that this kind of scam is a massive problem.” IN PHUKET scammers also targeted a Swiss national living on the island when they pretended to be police, and ordered him to pay a fine for receiving funds through illegal activities. During a video conference, the scammers showed the foreigner photos of two real criminals who had been reported in the media. They said one man transferred 800,000 baht and another 900,000 baht to him. An “officer” said if the man wanted to prove this wasn’t true, he had to open his online accounts and show them his recent transactions. When questioned about their legitimacy, the fake police became aggressive, saying the Swiss national was guilty and should be jailed. At this point he transferred 57,000 baht to them so it could be “investigated.” Later, at Phuket Town Police Station, genuine officers said this looked like a very experienced group of international scammers. TheBigChilli

Cover Story

The couple behind Thammachart Seafood – the country’s leading promoter of healthy eating

ith so much emphasis on sensible and healthy eating nowadays, the growing presence of Thammachart Seafood retail outlets and supermarket counters right across Thailand is a welcome development in helping to upgrade the nation’s diet and provide nutritious food for all. Established in July 2007 by wife and husband team Yeeran and Julian G. Davies, Thammachart Seafood has grown into a major force based on a simple but important premise: “We are creating a healthy lifestyle community through healthy eating.” Operating in more than 190 stores nationwide with 700-plus staff, the company is well on its way to achieving that vision. Each Thammachart Seafood counter as well as the company’s own brand retail operations offer the highest quality and sustainably sourced seafood, including fresh seafood, frozen seafood, value-added seafood products and a number of gourmet imported items. With two young children of their own, this enterprising Thai-British couple is perfectly placed to understand the need for safe and nutritious seafood for their family and the community at large. “Our company endeavors to source its fish from sustainable well-managed fisheries and responsibly farmed aquaculture operations,” says Yeeran, a graduate of Bangkok’s prestigious Chulalongkorn University. “We work closely with our suppliers to ensure our seafood is traceable back to source whether wild caught or farmed. “In the case of wild-caught fish from New Zealand, our supplier is accredited with Friends of the Sea, our Scottish smoked salmon is accredited with the Freedom Food and our Organic salmon is accredited by the UK Soil Association. “In short, we care about our customers, our country and our environment.” he company works in partnership with Thailand’s leading retailers, such as Central Food Retail, The Mall Group, Big C, Gourmet Market, Foodland, Villa Yeeran andMarket Julian G. Davies, their products and the company's 6

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numerous retail outlets

and Lotus’s, where Thammachart Seafood manages attractive dedicated counters. It also operates its own brand retail outlets under the following names: The Dock, The Dock etc, The Lobster Lab, Ocean Bar and 80’ below. These can be found in luxury department stores like Central Chidlom, Central World, Siam Paragon, EmQuartier, Emporium, The Commons and Design Village. All stock the same high quality seafood that Thammachart Seafood sources itself, along with a range of highly rated imported seafood brands, such as Giaveri / Kaviari Caviar; Forman, Loch Duart and Loch Fyne Smoked Salmon; and NZ King Salmon. any of Thailand’s top hotels are customers of hammachart Seafood. You will find its products on the menus of Mandarin Oriental, Four Season, Capella, The Okura Prestige, Waldorf Astoria, and Anantara Siam. Renowned restaurants like Suhring, Chef Table Lebua, Cote, Blue by Alain Ducasse, Le Cabanon, Brasserie Palmier and Le Normandie also order from Thammachart Seafood. To spread the word about the health benefits of its products, the company creates delicious recipes and holds regular cooking demonstrations.

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Cover Story

“We put the world’s finest fish on display and empower people to get involved and enjoy it just as much as we do,” says Julian. In 2019, Thai Union PLC took a 65% equity stake in the company. Importantly, this allows the company to leverage the strengths of one of the world’s largest seafood with its worldwide footprint.

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EXPATS Who Make A ŝīĞƌĞŶĐĞ

Greg Lange and Friso Poldervaart Providing a lifeline for Bangkok’s poor during the pandemic 10

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EXPATS Who Make A ŝīĞƌĞŶĐĞ

For many thousands of impoverished people, Bangkok Community Help (BCH) has been an absolutely vital lifeline during the past two years of the Covid pandemic. Set up in April 2020 in response to the obvious and growing need for food and medical supplies in Klong Toey and other low income districts, BCH reaches out to the needy on a daily basis thanks a small army of volunteers and sponsors. Its work has PHDQW WKH GLႇHUHQFH EHWZHHQ OLIH DQG GHDWK IRU XQWROG QXPEHUV RI SHRSOH LQ %DQJNRN and surrounding provinces. Leading the charge is American businessman Greg Lange and Friso Poldervaart from The Netherlands who jointly founded the project, which has morphed from a small group of like-minded individuals into a complex operation involving hundreds of daily tasks. BCH is now registered as a charity with the Thai government. 'HVSLWH WKHLU GDLO\ SUR[LPLW\ WR KXQGUHGV RI &RYLG VXႇHUHUV QHLWKHU *UHJ QRU )ULVR has proved positive for any virus. The scope of their work is staggering. The following statistics tell an amazing story.

ĂŶŐŬŽŬ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚǇ ,ĞůƉ ; ,Ϳ Launched April 9, 2020 Operates without a break Free Covid tests given to over 250 people a day, each receiving

Ă ͚ďĂŐ ŽĨ ŚĂƉƉŝŶĞƐƐ͛ ĮůůĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ groceries toiletries, fruits and other goods Hands out 3,000 meals a day

Up to December 31, 2021 distributed: * One million kgs of rice * 1.3 million packets of instant noodles * 530,000 hot meals * 840,000 FDQV RI ¿VK * 210,000 litres of cooking oil * 630,000 face masks * 210,000 bars of soap * 210,000 bottles of shampoo * 210,000 bottles of alcohol gel * 5,000 litres of oxygen * 15,000 ATK tests * 10,000 strips of paracetamol TheBigChilli 11

EXPATS Who Make A ŝīĞƌĞŶĐĞ

Other extraordinary stats • BCH regularly visits 42 low income areas of Bangkok, including compounds housing police • Attended to over 100,000 people in the Klong Toey/Wattana area

Additionally: • Number of BCH volunteers has increased from 100 to over 500 in the past year, the youngest being ¿YH DQG WKH ROGHVW +HOSHG RXW DW IRXU ¿UHV DႇHFWLQJ ORZ LQFRPH UHVLGHQWLDO DUHDV LQFOXGLQJ RQH IRU EOLQG SHRSOH LQ Nitchada Thani. 5HVFXHG HOGHUO\ SHRSOH DႇHFWHG E\ VHYHUH ÀRRGLQJ LQ $\XWWKD\D • Sourcing low-cost Covid hotels • Advising more than 650 tourists who’ve become stranded here because of Covid with information, so-called recovery letters and even cheap quarantine accommodation

Sponsors: Modest to massive, from nine baht given by a young child – enough to pay for half a meal - to 200,000 baht given by several major organizations and banks, as well as 900,000 products donated by Unilever and supplies from specialists like Dr Donna Robinson’s MedConsult Clinic. The biggest single sponsor, however, was two million baht donated by an anonymous European.

More responsibilities: • Setting up Kids Day, entertaining 500 youngsters with games and food • Repair and painting playgrounds • Rebuilding houses occupied by low income families

Biggest challenges: :KHQ RYHU FDPSV KRXVLQJ FRQVWUXFWLRQ ZRUNHUV ZHUH VKXW GRZQ LQ 0D\ GXH WR &RYLG BCH supplied water and food to desperate people locked inside for several weeks. • Saving the life of a pregnant woman whose oxygen levels were dangerously low, thanks to the last-minute arrival of a workable oxygen tank. Three days later she gave birth.

Proudest moment: Witnessing the recovery of a young girl and former medal-winning athlete who had lost the use of the OHIW VLGH RI KHU ERG\ DIWHU VXႇHULQJ D EUDLQ KHPRUUKDJH DQG ZDV LQ D VHYHUHO\ GHSUHVVHG VWDWH

Saddest moment: When a 10-year-old daughter who was unaware her mother had died, asking for a blanket because her “mum’s body is cold.”

Awards: One from the Malaysian Embassy. “But our best reward is when people say thank you.”

The future: “Seems we can’t stop” – Greg and Friso. bangkokcommunityhelp.com Greg Lange, 63, is CEO and founder of Sunrise Tacos and majority shareholder in a company that RZQV 6XEZD\ RXWOHWV KWWSV ZZZ WKHELJFKLOOL FRP IHDWXUH VWRULHV SUR¿OH JUHJ ODQJH Friso Poldervaart, 29, from The Netherlands arrived in Thailand ten years ago immediately after graduating. Working in the media and video production industry, he caught Bangkok’s attention with his popular pre-Covid project ‘Dinner in the Sky.’ He met Greg after posting a plea for a kitchen to cook for in-need communities.

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EXPATS Who Make A ŝīĞƌĞŶĐĞ

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Proﬁle

Jonathan Wigley Hotel boss talks about the pandemic and why the future will see a reset rather than a recovery, with tourism receipts getting back to normal by 2025 but with fewer arrivals Name: Jonathan Maxwell Wigley. Nickname: Most cannot be printed but depending on various stages of life has been Wigs, Johnno, Tin Tin and now mostly Jo. Early Life: Spent in UK, Hong Kong and Switzerland. Family overseas: Mainly in US, UK, Austria and France. Two daughters aged 32 and 25 in New York and Vienna. Also an almost 2-year-old grandson in New York too. Education: High school graduated in the UK (too many schools to mention as there were some discipline issues) and university in Switzerland. Career: Only ever in various hospitality industry roles based in Switzerland, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand. Current Role: Chief Executive Ofﬁcer/Founder of the Absolute Hotel Services Group which has 14

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b business in 15 countries (f (from Germany in the west to I Indonesia in the east) but is h headquartered in Bangkok. B Besides paying the bills, my r role is grow the business of the group and support/ guide my team members in our seven ofﬁces worldwide. Places lived: UK, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Vietnam and Thailand. Longest place lived is Thailand where I have been based since 1996. Life High points to date: • Daughters and grandson. • Opening my own business. • That I am still alive. Low points: None really as I believe happiness is a personal choice thus I chose to be happy. Best achievements to date: • Being a Dad or trying to be.

• Opening my business and keeping it alive through the COVID 19 pandemic. Missed opportunities/ regrets: None. I believe regret is a useless emotion as it does not solve anything. Mistakes I view as learnings so will serve a positive purpose in the long run. People met/admired and disliked: • Most memorable person met in my career would be Lee Kwan Yew, the late prime minister of Singapore. We have an interesting conversation about the founding of Singapore. • I wish I had never met former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating; he was rude to me. • Professionally I admire Bill Heinecke for what he has achieved. I worked for his group for ﬁve years. Scariest moment in my life: 1988 ﬂight from Zurich to Singapore which hit an unannounced air pocket which caused the plane to drop for what seemed like an age. Favorite hotels I have stayed in. Metropole Hanoi, Four Season St. Petersburg and The Langham London. For our groups hotels/resorts I will say all of them! Relax and exercise: In general, I do not get stressed out so nothing really, but I enjoy travelling, food/drink and history. Exercise, I do it but hate it so it’s more about preventive maintenance. Run about 70km a week and some light weight and core exercises. Favorite eating/drinking venues and getaways: Bangkok: Indigo, Lenzi, JP French. (it’s as much about the ambience as the product for me). Love Italian, French and Indian food the most. Weekend getaway: U Pattaya for sure (yes, one of my hotels) Long weekend getaway: Hong Kong or Hanoi. Countries: Italy, Turkey and Russia. Covid 19: On a personal level, as for everyone, it was tough not being able to travel to see family and friends spread around the world, but actually in Bangkok we were never very restricted, unlike some countries. Professionally it has been turbulent, especially in the TheBigChilli 15

Proﬁle

and must be. The pandemic has worked as an evolution accelerator forcing us to adapt/update, which we should have been doing even without a pandemic. More guest focus on hygiene, space, health and choices. Organizationally to be able to operate with fewer employees who are multi skilled for combined job functions allowing us to remunerate them better. thus being seen as a preferred sector for employment.

hospitality/travel sectors but we used the opportunity to adapt/evolve for a sustainable future. I believe it has been difﬁcult to handle this pandemic globally as there was no real playbook for authorities to follow as a lot of decisions were either best guess or copy others. In general I would give Thailand a C+ on handling the pandemic to date and to give the grade some context I do not see any countries obtaining A grades and only a few B grades. Thailand’s tourism status – my thoughts: Basically nobody knows when and how things will improve but I believe it will be more of a reset than a recovery. We should not want to go back to how it was but now is our chance to reset how it should be. No longer a short-term focus on numbers of arrivals yet focus on higher in country spends and the income. Our old model was not sustainable as it focused on growing numbers of international arrivals. I think with this new reset we can achieve 2019 tourism receipts in Thailand by 2025 but with fewer arrivals. We expect India, Europe/UK and regional travelers to contribute the larger arrival numbers in the shorter term and China will re-start in 2023. Changes to the hotel sector: For sure there is 16

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If I was Bangkok Governor I would….. Resign. Next trips: For work will be Russia, Italy and Vietnam For leisure US and Italy. How’s the future: Bright and exciting both professionally and personally. I am an eternal optimist.

People

It’s time to move on, says Pattaya’s ‘Mr Nova’ After four decades, the resort’s best known property developer Rony Fineman has his sights set on the UK

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ew expats have made a bigger impact in Pattaya in recent years than Rony Fineman, the popular and charismatic owner of the Nova Group - the award winning property developer, with ten hotels, several condominiums and serviced apartments in its portfolio. For almost 40 years, he has lived and breathed the resort’s special atmosphere, experiencing both the good and bad times here. Change, brought on mostly by Covid-19, has forced Rony to rethink his goals and even his place of residence. He now sees a future in the UK. Born and raised in Israel to an Irish father and Israeli mother, Rony arrived in Thailand in 1986 as part of an Asian tour. He liked what he saw and decided to stay on a permanent basis. With his background in hotels and hospitality in Jerusalem, it seemed an easy fit. “I also liked the weather and, with Pattaya being so small at that time and offering very little in terms of western taste, almost any business you opened would be a first for the resort.” He adds tellingly: “Before moving to Thailand it was my dream to own a hotel”. But hotels weren’t Rony’s first business. And the success he now enjoys at 63 eluded him in his early days here. “Business was very difficult back then, with little success on the many ventures I opened in Thailand. My first business was renting large motorcycles to foreigners, which started well, but after a couple of these expensive bikes were stolen, I decided to move on to my next venture - renting jet skis on the beach. Again, business was booming but many accidents forced me to sell the business.” Undeterred, he went on to run a bar he knew in Soi Post Office after the owner had a heart attack and asked Rony to help out. “The owner said he wanted to see me in hospital and basically gave me the bar free of charge, along with his pet monkey. I did this for a few months but didn’t like the bar business, so eventually I got a job as a hotel manager for the Weekender Hotel in North Pattaya, which was good for a couple of years. “However, I decided to concentrate on real estate and started offering hotels for sale. I was lucky to sell a big hotel in Bangkok and the commission was huge, which enabled me to buy a few properties in Pattaya that I renovated and sold for a good profit. And that’s how I started my property development side.”

In 1994, Rony was approached by a Chinese company looking to buy a hotel in Pattaya. “After showing them a few properties they made an offer for a hotel called Nipa Lodge. However, the owning family had many internal issues so instead of selling it they offered to lease the hotel. The Chinese company wasn’t interested. Anyway, I had done my calculations and it seemed a viable project so I leased the hotel myself and changed the name to Nova Lodge. “The name Nova came from a motorcycle, the Honda Nova. Also, after finding out that the word nova means a new star, I decided to keep the name - and it is with me to this day. “The hotel was just OK, not making any money in the first two years and I almost gave up the lease. Then the Asian financial crisis started and the Thai baht was devalued by over 50% making Thailand a very cheap destination. Tourism boomed and we were able to double room rates in Thai baht, and as my rent was in the local currency, the hotel became very profitable. TheBigChilli 19

People

“After a couple of extremely successful years I bought a piece of land – a rice field – near Pattaya’s ‘Second Road.’ With a bank loan I built my first serviced apartment called Nova Park. This was also very successful, 100% full for over seven years “Then I bought a big piece of land in Wong Amat and planned to build five houses with a central swimming pool. I would live in one of the houses and rent the others till my two sons, Eli and Beni, were old enough for both of them to have a house of their own. “However, I met by accident an American developer who suggested that I build a condominium instead. He joined me and that was my first real estate project. We called it Nova Mirage and it had three buildings with 240 units, all of which were sold in less than three months. 20

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“From then on, we never looked back and started building project after project, including the Palm Wong Amat, Amari Residence in Cosy Beach and many more projects that won property awards over the next few years. “With the proﬁts from these projects I started building hotels mostly in central Pattaya under the Nova brand. These were managed by local hotel chains but in the last couple of years we have built hotels for international hotel chains, such as Holiday Inn Express Soi Bukao and Courtyard Marriott in North Pattaya. “The pandemic was a very tough time. Luckily I had stopped developing projects a year before Covid so I wasn’t affected on that side of the business, but all of my 10 hotels were closed for over two years with no support from the government. I had to sell many

single man, but this has changed a lot in the last few years with many family entertainment venues opening. “The Thai market didn’t amount to much in the past but now they’re coming here in increasing numbers, and with fast train service opening soon, I think Pattaya’s future is very bright - especially because it’s near Bangkok and has its own airport at Utapao.” He also applauds the local authorities for improving Pattaya’s infrastructure. “They’ve done a great job with motorways and highways connecting Pattaya to Bangkok, and also with the beach which has been extended. But drainage is still an issue and ﬂooding is also a huge problem when it rains.” Rony says he learned a hard lesson during Covid and as a consequence will try and sell a few of his hotels in Pattaya. “I want to buy a few country hotels in the UK under the Nova brand in order to spread the risks while keeping my passion for hotels.”

properties I owned in the UK and borrow from friends and banks to get through it. We finally managed to open all the hotels in March 2022, and slowly but surely they are filling up. We hope to be back to pre-Covid levels by 2024. It was a very tough period and we are not out of the woods yet. “In 2020 I moved back to London where I had lived before moving to Thailand and liked the vibes, so I made London my permanent base but coming often to Thailand for work and to visit my sons who still live here and take care of the business.” Rony is the first to admit that Pattaya has been good to him and he’s been loyal to the resort. That said, a few years back, he almost invested in Phuket but it never materialised. “Actually I wish it had because Phuket enjoyed a few great years after that.” Looking ahead, Rony sees a new role for Pattaya. “It’s always been a great tourist city, particularly for the TheBigChilli 21

Share the warmth and generous spirit of one of Hua Hin’s most beautiful private homes.

WELCOME TO SHRUBSOLE HOUSE Ake and I are delighted to welcome you to our home for a truly memorable stay when visiting gracious Hua Hin. Our home is very important to us and travels a history of 30 years in Thailand with its construction being solid in family friendship and wonderful stories that are the core of everything we both stand for. Every item has a story behind it and now you can be part of that journey. We look forward to providing unique hospitality, sublime accommodation and intimate private functions around the pool.

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It is indeed a pleasure to invite you to share our next chapter.” - David Paul Shrubsole

Coming soon from the founders of SHRUBSOLE HOUSE – ‘Club Hua Hin’, a unique bistro gallery zone for visitors to Thailand’s most elegant beach resort. http://www.shrubsolehousehuahin.com/ “We are looking forward to sharing our home with you in the not too distant future. Until that time, safe travels” David Paul Shrubsole TheBigChilli 23

Social

Rotary Bangkok South marks its 60th anniversary More than 110 members and guests celebrated the 60th anniversary of Rotary Club of Bangkok South, a truly memorable occasion held attracting members from ﬁve other Rotary clubs in Thailand and overseas visitors. Held in the newly renovated

Rajmontien Grand Ballroom of the Montien Grand Ballroom at the Montien Hotel Surawong, the event highlights included speeches by a number of past presidents. The party continued during the afternoon in the hotel’s bar lounge.

Beach Polo returns to Hua Hin After a break of several years, the InterContinental – B.Grimm Asian Beach Polo Championship recently made a welcome return to Hua Hin. Hosted once again by the Equestrian Association of Thailand, helmed by President of B.Grimm, Dr. Harald Link, Proud Real Estate Company Limited, and the

InterContinental Hotel Hua Hin Resort, Asia’s largest and only beach polo event, the competition featured teams from across the region, all vying for the HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha trophy. The action was watched by crowds of fabulously-dressed spectators, who enjoyed lunch and dinner at the hotel.

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Women

Books are making a comeback, but is it happening here in Thailand? Robin Westley Martin talks to M.R. Narisa Chakrabongse, owner and driving force behind River Books, one of Thailand’s independent book publishers.

he Coronavirus and mortar’ bookshops has been a have been busy, full of scourge on our customers browsing the lives for the past shelves, and buying printed three years, with many of us books. In 2020, over 200 facing long days of quarantine million print books were wondering how to use this sold, the highest number unexpected break from our since 2012. usual routine. Many people turned I found a solution. Since to books for entertainment, a young age I have always with some doubling the loved books, whether they amount of time they were being read to me at spent reading. The movie night by my mother before industry, Netflix, other I went to sleep, or when I streamed services and the proudly finished reading TV have also helped. There Goldilocks and the Three are a lot of first-time readers Bears by myself at the age of who want to delve deeper Book publisher M.R. Narisa Chakrabongse four. into the movie they have Although I use a computer to write every day, I have just watched, or they want to read the book before never been a big fan of reading a book online, or on they go to see the movie. a laptop or smartphone. It just feels so much nicer to The pandemic has shown that reading is still have something physical to hold, feel, read … and smell! an activity highly valued by millions of people, Indeed, the smell of a new (or very old) book is satisfying particularly in situations whereby increased leisure in itself … the content within is the added bonus. time has, and is, becoming the norm. While recent Since the dawn of the digital age the publishing results have shown that the publishing industry is industry has been going through challenging times. undoubtedly sustainable, it also has to be flexible and I looked at what has been happening in the print innovative. industry in the UK since Covi and discovered that the Are we seeing similar developments in Thailand? news is upbeat. Just as there has been a big surge in Let’s look at independent publisher River Books, the sale of vinyl music albums so there has also been and seek the opinions of its owner Khun M.R. Narisa a boom in purchasing physical books – and the ‘bricks Chakrabongse.

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River Books was founded over 30 years ago to publish books on Southeast Asian art, history and culture. The company is committed to recording and preserving unique and vanishing cultures, as well as celebrating beautiful art and architecture in mainland Southeast Asia. It also publishes Thai-language books on similar subjects, while the River Books Unabridged EnglishThai dictionary continues to be reprinted, with electronic versions licensed throughout the world. River Books regularly organises book-related activities and functions, including the bi-annual Bangkok Edge Festival, which has been interrupted by the pandemic. It also holds book launches, where you can meet the authors personally, and take home a signed copy to treasure forever. Khun M.R. Narisa Chakrabongse, River Books. What is the driving force behind the books you publish on the histor y, culture and architecture of Thailand’s and other Southeast Asian countries? I studied Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art, part of London University. My father was an historian and my mother an amateur artist so both history and art were swirling around in my brain. I started publishing with my ﬁrst husband on subjects linked to the London Toy and Model Museum. When we divorced, I came back to Thailand and started publishing about Thai subjects. My ﬁrst real art book was called ‘Palaces of the Gods’ and concerned the Khmer legacy in Thailand. Then I started publishing books on Angkor, which were very successful in the 1990s - so much so that one edition of ‘Ancient Angkor’ can still be seen at all the ancient sites. Sadly it’s a pirated version. What have been your most successful titles? In the late 1980s I reissued my father’s autobiography in Thai, Kert Wang Parus, with several hundred of photographs of him as a child and his family. That’s , my best-selling book – probably around 50,000 copies. Recently I re-published the third volume of this trilogy with new photos, and that’s also selling well. Philip Cornwell-Smith’s ‘Very Thai’ has been through many editions and recently we published ‘Very Bangkok’, which I think will become a classic in years to come. Sales aren’t the only indicator of success, though. River Books publishes books that others might consider too niche, and we are very proud of those – such as ‘Yangon Echoes’, or the ‘Art of Thai Comics’.

At the launch of 'The King and the Consul' with author Simon Landy, centre, and writer Chris Baker I want to preserve vanishing cultures or look at areas that have hitherto been neglected. I am very interested in architecture and history myself, and have travelled to Penang, Rangoon, Cambodia, and other places in Southeast Asia extensively. Malaysian and Burmese (before the coup) governments are making great efforts to preserve their heritage. The same does not seem to be the case in Thailand. After promises it would be preserved, the wonderful art-deco Scala Cinema was recently demolished, for example. What do you think can be done to help preser ve important historical sites in Thailand? That is a very difﬁcult subject. Firstly, I think the budget of the Fine Arts Department is far too small. Secondly, preserving culture is understood in too narrow a way in Thailand. There is so much associated with the concept of Thainess – beautiful temples, monuments that reinforce the accepted history – that other parts of the heritage are neglected. Also, money and power are in the hands of a relatively small group of people. Powerful conglomerates and families control so much property and wealth. Unfortunately, they seem not to appreciate the architecture of the previous century or understand that another mall with the same designer brands is destroying the diversity of the city. The fact that Chulalongkorn University did not prioritise culture over money, and destroyed the Scala is sadly symbolic of the situation. Education lies at the heart of getting people to appreciate their heritage in a more wideranging way. Does River Books accept unsolicited manuscripts from aspiring writers or do you TheBigChilli 29

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commission books from authors you already know? River Books has an editorial board and unsolicited manuscripts are considered if they are broadly in the subject areas we cover – Thai and Southeast Asian history, culture, popular culture and more recently novels. However, we are a small company and have to be careful. Originally most of the titles were in English but in the last few years we have developed the Thai list – often a book will appear in an English edition and a Thai edition simultaneously, such as the books on Bencharong porcelain and Thai Silver and Nielloware, Siam and the First World War and Thai comics. Our next book, which is groundbreaking for Thailand, will be Bangkok Street Art and Graffiti – Hope Well, Hope Less, Hope Full. This is coming out any moment now and is a very exciting book, full of excellent photographs of Street Art, and a critique of Bangkok mega projects and urban planning, including interviews with 18 graffiti and street artists. Covid and its restrictions have given many people more time to rediscover the joy of reading books. Has River Books experienced an uptake in business? I wish I could say there had been more of an uptake. In the first year (of the pandemic) 2020 we had good sales but this last year has been harder. At first people still had money but the effect of two years’ financial wilderness, and no government support has taken its toll. We used to have far better sales in bookshops than now – the disappearance of tourists has been very bad for English language sales. Historical fiction has proven to be ver y popular, both in print and on TV, over the last two or three decades. How does their popularity compare with those rather more academic in your portfolio? In normal times the historical fiction was starting to do well (it is mostly in English) but it has not done well during the pandemic due to the reasons I just mentioned. Some of the titles were about Cambodia, but sales there have been non-existent for two years. They are also very hard to promote outside Thailand. However, I do have a new novel by Veeraporn Nitiprapha called ‘Memories of the Memories of the Black Rose Cat’ ( that’s not a misprint, but the book’s actual title) and I am excited about this book. It is 30

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somewhat historical, as the story unfolds through the lives of a Chinese family, the patriarch of which arrives in Thailand from China. I also plan to publish the second volume of Beads on a String by Paul and Yuangrat Wedel, along with a Thai version of it. This book is interesting as it is set in the south of Thailand, an area that features exceedingly less in novels about my country. As the editor of the Oxford River Books English-Thai dictionar y, how do you update it to include ‘new’ words, and is it one of your more successful published titles? Dictionaries have suffered from the fact that most people consume them online these days. Although we sold several editions of the dictionary to online platforms, it is unfortunate that we have not managed to complete the Thai-English side of the dictionary as planned. It was a huge undertaking to do the first part and as the rest of the company has grown, I’m afraid it became neglected. Oxford is also less keen on large paper dictionaries than before so although it was extremely successful, it may have had its day. When I look at it now, I cannot believe that I read and edited 130,000 words and phrases at least five times. You are also the President and founder of the Green World Foundation (GWF). What inspired your interest in the environment? I founded the GWF when the environment was not a hot topic and over the years I have engaged in a great deal of environmental education in conjunction with schools throughout Thailand. We also had a magazine and published several editions of State of the Thai environment. Under the Chairmanship of Dr Saranarat Kanjanavanit it received grants from Denmark and did a great deal of work on water quality issues. At a certain point it all became too much for me and currently it is in a process of re- establishment under younger leadership. Can you recommend a couple of books that would ser ve as a good introduction to River Books? That’s very difficult, there are so many great ones! Maybe ‘The Art of Thai Comics’, and ‘Katya and the Prince of Siam’. Thank you, Khun Narisa

Dining

The List Bangkok’s favorite restaurants, according to readers of The BigChilli. Part 2. Carne

Latin American steakhouse offering grilled meats, seafood starters and pasta dishes overseen by Chef Mateo Roberson. Handsome, masculine décor. Sukhumvit 23, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 066-069-2288

Fork & Cork by Sphinx nx Antonio’s

Consistently popular since opening in 2004, Antonio’s features a menu originating from owner Antonio Armenio family’s recipes in southern Italy. His VLJQDWXUH GLVK KRPH PDGH UDYLROL ųOOHG with porcini mushrooms, topped with a FUHDP RI EODFN WUXIŴH VDXFH KDV EHHQ rated Recipe of the Year. 26 Sukhumvit 29, Bangkok 10110 Tel: 095 110 1105 32

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Located on Bangkok’s increasingly vibrant Surawong Road, adjacent to Montien Hotel, this friendly and relaxed venue serves a good selection of popular Thai dishes along with vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. Decent beer and wine list plus signature cocktails.. Montien Mall, 54 Surawong Road, Bangkok 10500 Tel. 02 234 7249

Luka

Popular with the Bangkok brunch crowd, d, Luka offers western comfort fare and fantastic local coffee, plus simple, yet hearty y meals. 14/2 Soi Somkid, Phloen en Chit Rd, Bangkok 10330 Tel. 094 868 2639 9

Igniv

Chef David Hartwig’s European fare works well individually or shared as per the local eating culture. Located in the lobby of the St Regis Hotel, Igniv has a Michelin star. 159 Rajadamri Road, Bangkok 10330 Tel. 02 207 7822

Le Normandie by Alain Roux

Chef Alain Roux, the force behind England’s celebrated threeMichelin-star Waterside Inn, helms this legendary restaurant. Great food, wines and views over the e Chao Phraya. Mandarin Oriental, 48 Oriental Ave, Khwaeng Bang Rak, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500 Tel. 02 659 9000 TheBigChilli 33

Dining Brasserie 9 Br

Ab beautiful traditional villa just off Sathon in the heart of jus Bangkok, this elegant restaurant Ba serves brasserie-style French se cuisine in three separate areas. cu 27 Soi Sathon 6, Silom, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500 Ra Tel. Tel Te el. 02 234 2588

Quickie - Velaa Langsuan

Offering arguably the most creative selection of burgers in Bangkok, DORQJ ŴRDW GULQNV DQG unusual beers. Located in booming Sindhorn Village. 87 Lang Suan Road, Bangkok 10330 Tel. 061 632 6444

TTaling Pling

S Superior Thai cuisine served in spacious s premises surrounded p by gorgeous gardens b and ponds for a a very relaxed dining v experience. e 25 Soi Sukhumvit 34, 2 Khlong Tan, Khlong K Toei, Bangkok 10110 T Tel. 02 258 5308 T 34

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R-Haan

In this two Michelin star restaurant, Chef Chumpoll uses the same spices and ingredients found in traditional recipes to create authentic Thai food based on the essence and knowledge of Thai culture. 131 Thonglor Soi 9, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 095 141 5524

Samrub Samrub

Tuck into a tasting menu, usually nine courses, that changes monthly and offers all kinds of intriguing ancient Thai and Chinese dishes. Seats only ten diners. 100 Mahaseth, 102, Maha Set Rd, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500

Sühring

Chim by Siam Wisdom

Set in a vintage wooden house with lots of greenery, Chef Thaninthorn offers an interesting interpretation of traditional Thai cuisine with notable FRQWHPSRUDU\ LQŴXHQFHV 66 Sukhumvit 31, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 02 260 7811

With so few restaurants in Bangkok serving modern German fare, Sühring is a revelation. Run by twin brother chefs Thomas and Mathias, this sophisticated two-star so Michelin venue features M tasting menus for lunch ta and dinner. Impressive a home setting. h 10 Soi Yen Akat 3, Chong Nonsi, Yan Nawa, C Bangkok 10120 B Tel. 02 107 2777 T

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Dining

Methavalai Sorndaeng

Now in its 60th year, this is the place to come for classic décor, views of Democracy Monument and nostalgia for the old Bangkok. Wonderful Thai cuisine e also captures that era and its important history. 78/2 Ratchadamnoen Ave, Bangkok 10200 Tel. 02 224 3088

PPaste B Bangkok k

Located in Gaysorn Village, next to the Intercontinental Hotel, Paste Bangkok boasts a Michelin star for its Thai cuisine presented in inventive and imaginative ways. Gaysorn Village, 999 Phloen Chit Rd, Bangkok 10330 Tel. 02 656 1003

Cuisine de Garden

Chef Nan sources quality ingredients from the Royal Project farms and local producers to create exciting a ten-course French-Thai tasting menu, served in a beautiful setting with reminders of nature inside and outside the restaurant.. 12/6 Ekkamai 2 (Sukhumvit 63) Phra Khanong, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 061 626 2816

AAkart kart Bistro & Bar

A truly international dining venue, with Thai, Spanish, and Italian pasta and pizzas, along with seafood and Australian lamb. Lovely low-rise house and ample parking, an important factor in this area. 30 Yen Akat Rd, Bangkok 10120 Tel. 02 249 0182 36

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About Eatery

Owner Guilio is always on hand to greet guests with his charming smile and friendly conversation. Recommendations include the endive salad and carbonara as a main course. Ocean Tower II, Sukhumvit 21 Soi 3, Khlong Toei Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 092 907 2191

Il Bolognese

Known for its friendly buzz, Il Bolognese on busy Sathon Road is one of Bangkok’s most popular Italian eateries. The cuisine is inspired by the food culture of Bologna, including its pizza, and pasta selections, as well as the meat and seafood dishes, many featuring ingredients imported from Italy. 139/3 South Sathon 7, Bangkok 10120 Tel. 02 286 8805

Kavee

A relative newcomer to WKH 7KDL ųQH GLQLQJ VFHQH Kavee under renowned Chef Worathon ‘Tae’ Udomchalotorn offers an interesting take on some of the best-loved dishes using modern cooking techniques in a nine-course set menu. 88/1 Sukhumvit Soi 38, Phra Khanong, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 080 995 9095 TheBigChilli 37

Dining

AAppia

A Italian restaurant recommended by other Italian An chefs in Bangkok, Appia under chef and owner c Paolo serves freshly made pastas, Mediterranean P seafood and imported meats, along with 8-10 wines s by the glass, and classic appertivo cocktails b 20/4 Sukhumvit Soi 31, Bangkok 10110 2 Tel. 02 261 2056 T

Lenzi Tuscan Kitchen

Family-run Lenzi Tuscan Kitchen has consistently hit the spot since opening several years ago. Located in a private environment on Ruam Rudee, the fare is Tuscan, pasta, meat and seafood with many of the ingredients imported from Italy 69/1-2 Ruam Ruedee Soi 2, Wireless Rd, 10330 Tel. 095 251 5040

Maison Bleue

Located in beautiful premises previously occupied by Karmakamet Diner, tucked behind Emporium, Maison Bleue serves inexpensive classic French café dishes, including its hallmark brioche in many delicious forms. 30/1 Methi Niwet, Sukhumvit Soi 24, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 091 796 3136 38

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Mediterra Southern Italian Neatly tucked away from the hustle of Sukhumvit 23, not far from Soi Cowboy, this charming and unpretentious eatery serves quality Italian fare prepared by Chef Diego Pignatelli 14 Sukhumvit Soi 23, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 02 115 7776

Neil’s Tavern

A veritable Bangkok institution that’s been around in two locations since 1969, Neil's Tavern is renowned for its steak and seafood. Named after American astronaust Neil Armstrong, who in the same year became WKH ųUVW PDQ RQ WKH moon. 58 Ruam Rudee, Bangkok 10330 Tel. 02 256 6874

Trattoria Delina

Lively and recently expanded restaurant serving inexpensive Italian cuisine, plus a large selection of imported Italian n cold cuts and cheeses. Holds live music dinners and wine tastings. 11/14 Soi Ruam Rudee, Bangkok 10330 Tel. 092 665 7877 TheBigChilli 39

Dining

Kuppa

Puts you in a relaxed mood the moment you enter this popular coffee shop and restaurant. Located in an old warehouse, with lots of well-worn but comfortable couches, it serves Asian and d Western specialties, along with its own roasted coffee, 39 Soi Sukhumvit 16, Khlong g Toei, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 02 663 0495

Melting Clock

Despite its name and images by Spanish artist Salvador Dali, this is actually an Italian restaurant with lots of character, good food and wine selection a short walk from Ekamai BTS station. Sukhumvit Soi 61, Ekamai, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 02 046 3798

Witch’s Oyster Barr

An expat institution dating g back to the early 90s, famous for its oysters, of course, as well as contemporary British cuisine, good selection of beers and wines 20/20-21 Ruam Rudee Village, Bangkok 10330 Tel. 02 255 1745 40

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Buster’s Bus

O Opened almost two years ago, tthis authentic British ‘chippie’ has never looked back. In addition to its n signature Fish and Chips, Buster’s s sells pies, sausages, lasangna, s shepherd’s pie and macaroni cheese s iin its upstairs restaurant or for ttakeaway. Sukhumvit 33/1 (behind Villa S ssupermarket) Bangkok 10110 Tel. 065 696 6591 T

B Bourbon Street Restaurant & Oyster Bar

% %DQJNRNŒV ųUVW UHVWDXUDQW VHUYLQJ Cajun and Creole cuisine, opened in C 1986 by Doug Harrison who still runs it 1 tto this day. Louisiana favorites include Blackened Fish, Gumbo, Jambalaya, B iimported Oysters, steaks and ribs. Tana Arcade Alley, Sukhumvit 63 T ((Ekamai) Bangkok 10110 Phone: 02 381 6801 P

Mexicano

One of Bangkok’s few Mexican restaurants, this fun poolside venue with a/c indoors serves house-original and traditional Mexican dishes like homemade guacamole, ceviche and rib-eye beef tacos. Plus Sangria, Margaritas and live Latin music. Rembrandt Hotel & Suites Bangkok, Sukhumvit Soi 18, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 02 261 7060

Calderazzo On 31

Elegant yet relaxed venue that’s been around in its present and previous location for almost 30 years, Calderazzo run by Tony and his son Chef Marco recreates the traditional taste of southern Italy. Excellent wine list, good service and reasonably priced. 253/2 Sukhumvit Soi 31, Bangkok 10110 Tel. 094 494 9951

El Gaucho

This popular steakhouse has three locations in Bangkok, the best known being on Sukhumvit 19, which serves quality imported beef, lamb, chicken, pastas, burgers, and salads. 4-7 Soi Sukhumvit Soi 19, Bangkok 10110 Phone: 02 255 2864

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Sport

The British Club’s rugby team at their peak in 1994 - with the National Championship Cup.

When we were kings of rugby Back in the 90s, the British Club of Bangkok’s rugby team enjoyed a golden period that culminated in winning Thailand’s most prestigious rugby tournament. This unprecedented victory was achieved by a band of mates whose friendship and camaraderie continues to this day. Team captain and longtime resident of Thailand Jonathan Prichard looks back at that extraordinary period, its off-field antics, tours, and the players who made it all possible 42

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arrived in Thailand on January 4, 1991 and a day later I found the British Club. Even at only 32, my knees had suffered a lot due to the excessive rigours of rugger, snow skiing and me developing into something heavier and bigger than my genes had intended. But within two weeks the tropical heat had solved all my knee woes and I was a veritable spring chicken again. I had also found the British Club’s Rugby Section which comprised, as the species dictates, of massively gregarious, outrageously boozy and about as unﬁt as any un-rejected overweight army conscript could be …to a man!

BC’s rugby tourists in Durban, South Africa, including Trevor Allen, Simon Dakers, Tim Grayson, Ramsey McPherson, Jonathan Prichard and Roddy Kerr. TheBigChilli 43

Sport

My background is a simple tale of a public-school boy who gave up a prospective career life of easy City banking fortunes and chose instead the penniless contractor option. But during those early years I joined Windsor RFC in Berkshire UK where my Queen still lives. This was thanks to my Uncle Robin who had just left Saracens in the mid 70s. That’s the 1970s not 1870s!! That was a fabulous introduction into club rugger from the much protected and closeted school game to the seriously blood spilling activities of local derbies and seasons of drinking, singing (not me, I was banned from singing!), Easter tours and comraderie. My first game for the BC (British Club) was against the Navy at some pitch in north Bangkok and, appropriately for a Navy game, a season starter during the Monsoon - and it had rained all morning. Not UK rain, but as Terry Pratchett would say: “It was like the sea with slots in!”. Upon arrival there was no pitch, just a lake with vague white lines shimmering through the murk. The game had no specifics other than our opposition exhibited none of the graceful Oriental manners I expected but punched, kicked and bit like Dervishes. We had heavy cotton long sleeved shirts and within minutes we were all sloshing about with orangutang arms and no hands! One of the immediate and heartfelt wardrobe results after the match was to have all our jersey sleeves cut off!! was appointed BC captain quite quickly at the end of ’91 and I think by accident…like musical chairs… I was the last sad knob still standing! A great accolade though and I tried my best I think throughout my tenure…well, I owed it to my minions. I’ve often been asked how the BC was able to become the best rugby team in Thailand – and first expat team to achieve this. After all, it had only been in existence for eight years. It’s a tough, long question to answer. Obviously, we had some great players in most key positions, none of whom were young as there were few youthful UK teachers in circulation in the early 90s and most work permits were given to senior expat managers or country managers who definitely held down meaningful 24-7 jobs. There were stalwarts from the existing BC team

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En route to another overseas rugby tour and donning the team’s instantly recognizable ‘Pink & Black’ silk blazers.

Simon Dakers and Jonathan Prichard in the Foreign Correspondent's Club, Phonm Penh, Cambodia.

Our best game was that unique and stunning victory to win the Phya Chindaruksa Cup or as we liked to call it - The National Championship Cup in 1993 - and be given the massive trophy by General Wonwanich, who shook hands with every player’s muddy mit without blinking

The BC team at the the Hong Kong 10's tournament.

JP ﬂying high. Peter Snell...uniquely at work! who continued into the 91-93+ era, namely Vincent Swift at any position from 1-7 and even in the backs so long as he ‘got out there!’ and perennial Colin Hastings on the wing – mostly getting a suntan as we rarely passed it that far! e had some great strong, powerful forwards in Mike Pincock, a prop from Oriel, Julian Olds from Bath, Hugh Butler, our token mandatory mad Taff, Paul ‘Meggo’ Meggison from Wagga Wagga, Paul Hunt from Lower Hell and our cannonball No.9, Bulla Tui from Fiji. The others and myself made up the necessary chaff to support, lift and promote our heroes. The more youthful backs were always chopping and changing with only the one constant - Joe Grunwell since he was also Chairman and therefore on the selection panel each week and able to pick himself at No10 despite regiments of highly skilled, ﬁt, capable

We expat players quickly learned that the Thai opposition, despite their lack of matching mass, blubber and smoking ability, were extremely fast in all directions, kicked the ball accurately and had excellent hands TheBigChilli 45

Sport

Lions Tour to Durban, South Africa, 1997 in the team’s tailored tour shirts. 46

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alternatives that languished on the bench. We had wingers who could catch and run (with the ball) and unbelievably tackle as well! People like Alf Hodges, 'Pineapple' Mark from New Zealand as fullback, 19-yearold Gordon Ellard who went on to found the fabulous kids swimming club the Bangkok Dolphins, and Semi Tui, Bulla’s brother. But where Bulla was like a small rogue planet, Semi was a dark 6' 2" Achilles from Fiji on the wing…possibly brothers of a different mother!! One wholly unique player who arrived about 1993 was Trevor Day. A small, squat, sinewy centre who could run untouchable zig-zags with the ball and tackle (mostly with his face) anything that moved. This human equivalent of a Tasmanian Devil was also the life and soul of any outrageous post match drinks or go-go bar antics. He has also seen the inside of most of Asia's ER hospitals with broken arms, wrists, depressed cheek bones, hernias, atrophied biceps and unmentionable visits to various clinics. ther ‘characters’ included impish scrum half Alan Lovell, my able bodied vice captain who, by his less able wit and repartee, proudly retitled himself the Captain-of-Vice, a most suitable sorbriquet for his late night bar activities. Alan always insisted he didn’t need to open his eyes to pass the ball accurately. We also had a giant in the lineout, high-stepping Russell ‘Rusty’ Chalon, who invariably led the post-match bar singing We were then a side of very capable expats with some infused Thais who kindly, if timidly at ﬁrst, joined our ranks. Among these welcome Thai speedsters were: Dakorn at No 9, Prote in any position that his denim business allowed, Wai in the centre and Peechai on the wing with golden mercurial boots. We expat players quickly learned that the Thai opposition, despite their lack of matching mass, blubber and smoking ability, were extremely fast in all

Veteran rugby tourist Simon Dakers directions, kicked the ball accurately and had excellent hands. We thought we’d beat them in the rains…nope they simply got better!! Off field social gatherings were excessive: Twice weekly post training drinking in the BC’s Churchill Bar and exploratory expeditions to Patpong, Cowboy and Nana undid 95% of what the previous two hours had honed into tired bodies. Business executives joined in a commitment to their old beloved UK sport despite long working hours and some with family responsibilities, and they all took our team very seriously. We were a very close knit, jovial, fun-loving group but also our Anglo-Saxon heritage gave us all an uncompromising will to win. Two key elements invisibly strengthened our team’s camaraderie even further: • A very successful and generous group of financial sponsors: HSBC, Santa Fe, TransPo, NET and many more but most especially Carlsberg!! Their logo graphic translated magnificently into Thai glyphs and we were able to sell our logo adorned pink and black rugby shirts at Asian rugby venues for years. We were flushed with cash and this helped to promote, engage and provide financial support to our

Trevor was a small, squat, sinewy centre who could run untouchable zig-zags with the ball and tackle (mostly with his face) anything that moved. This human equivalent of a Tasmanian Devil was also the life and soul of any outrageous post match drinks or go-go bar antics

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Sport

Better entertainers oﬀ the ﬁeld?

ﬂedgling Thai players to help them afford the second element, namely… • Asian rugby tours: These started out as 15-a-side games in Phuket but quickly morphed into the ubiquitous annual 10s tournaments in Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta and locally in Chiang Mai and Vientiane...we went on them all...annually! So, that’s a long attempt to answer that tough question. In brief - training, organisation, personal commitments, skilled player base in key roles, money and huge barrels of fun!! A very succesful blend of aged experience and youthful exhuberance. Stand-out players There were lots who shone brightly during different matches but as real workhorses in the forwards I’d say Mike Pincock was a hugely powerful mobile rock, Meggo, a wiry 6ft 5in, was a scourge in the lineouts - to both sides in fact! – Simon Dakers whose Edinburgh nasal whining in set pieces was gratifyingly supportive, Julian Olds and Paul Hunt mowing down anything that moved, plus Hugh Butler whose own brand of late tackles and accidental hand stamping should be mentioned in dispatches. The backs included Joe Grunwell and Fran Kuchera 48

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vying for the No10 shirt despite neither being able to kick a ball to hit a barn door at ten paces, as well as Marcus Carling who performed a nimble side-stepping ballet in the centre while his younger brother Will captained England, and crash-ball Steven Reese, our vice captain. Phil Tiffin was also one who could play backrow and in the backs but rarely passed the ball hence Colin's healthy suntan on the wing! an Brydon had arrived from Aussie Rugby League as a young powerful centre and quickly learned fluent Thai and was able to whisper annoying insults at the opposition after administering crunching tackles or line breaks at will. Ian was wholly incapable of doing even ONE press-up…but his massive steam driven piston-like thighs made up for any such unnecessary deficiency. Bulla Tui was a wrecking ball, again interspersing with Guy Hollis for the No 9 shirt, the latter marshalling his estate agent guile, sneakiness, Irish enterprise and simple slipperiness to confound the Thais from one week to the next.

Stand-out characters In the early 90s our off-pitch mob were brilliant to a man. The original bookkeeper was Roy Mcgregor

from Scotland who marshalled our pennies magnificently but although 6' 3" tall never graced the field and who later handed over to Keith Rowley whose day job was the BC Rugby finances whilst his salary was apparently paid for by KPMG. Keith aspired to greatness through an ability to always find the best go-go bar on tour, always be where the 'action' was, an unquenchable thirst and a very annoying habit of never ever suffering from a hangover!

to foot in mud. Amazingly we also always put ourselves forward for the various 7s tournaments in both a 1st team capacity and as an over 35s category and in that same year we won the main Kodak 7s Tournament again a Cup never won by a foreign team! Fiercest rivals During 92-93 it was certainly the Royal Thai Air Force who had rarely been beaten by in the previous ten years, let alone by a bunch of fat boys from the BC. The Police team also created a growing threat to the established order but the Navy were by far the punchiest most physically combative of all. Later, of course, our biggest were the Corsairs and the strengthening Southerners.

Stand-out coaches We didn’t really have any appointed ‘coaches’ other than players with various skill sets that bellowed and ranted at us as we scampered about the BC artificially-grassed double tennis court which was our only training pitch. Ian Brydon remined me that Losing good players to other expat teams these were poor training areas for big open moves Frustration from being benched for serial offenses but brilliant fun for close quarter, interpassing skills on the pitch almost always receiving a red card by preand manouvers that induced fun and laughter for the warned referees, we lost Hugh Butler and Paul Hunt two hours of hard sweaty work.There was a locally made scrummaging machine (read: deathtrap) that we to the Corsairs and then sadly Julian joined his mate Hugh, fat boys could push against on n the BC’s BC s Hug so we lost some very manicured back lawn – very able players. Sadly we which soon resembled we also lost two young aspiring players in Jordan The Somme. Joe Grunwell asp Janson and Ian Houghton took it upon himself (a Jan who typical Yorkshire spotlight wh passed away in the same seeker) to squeak loudest sam season. RIP. and longest and he DID Best meld us into something Be referees On an inadequate but resembling a proper team easily seen pedestal is of players…that’s no ea Col. offence meant to earlier BC C David Viccars as our teams but we did get fitter, o dear friend and well trained, experienced stronger, better organised tr Belles of the Ball: Rugby (Hong Kong and with more purpose… ( wives Bea Grunwell and Jane qualified ref) lending oh, and a very practiced qu Prichard join the fun. interminable patience quaffing capability. and understanding as a whistle blower. David’s Best games endearing long, long The best was that stutter after a loud blast unique and stunning of the whistle was hugely victory to win the Phya welcomed by all players Chindaruksa Cup or as on both sides in the we liked to call it - The stifling and oppressive National Championship heat as we took a break Cup in 1993 - and be gasping for air and waited given the massive trophy for the official ruling... by General Wonwanich, these could be quite long who shook hands with breaks if F's or S's were every player’s filthy anywhere involved. mit without blinking Terry Adams. who – all of whom were was equally compromised indistinguishable from by the tropical heat, being covered from head

Twice weekly post training drinking in the British Club’s Churchill Bar and exploratory expeditions to Patpong, Cowboy and Nana undid 95% of what the previous two hours had honed into tired bodies

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Sport

On tour in South Africa – three BC captains: Joe Grunwell, Jon Prichard and Rod Kerr. still managed to keep up with play if, at the next breakdown, he had to recall why he had blown in the ﬁrst place. Grant Signal from New Zealand who manager to referee for years with only a passing knowledge of any laws. Khun Porchai, one of a number of Thai referees who ofﬁciated many of our games but unfortunately suffered from that everfearful notion that if the Thai side didn’t win by any means at his disposal, then he would be posted to the Eastern Front...or is that Western Front? Memorable visiting teams We were blessed with many sides from around Asia, but the teams that stand out most were: A spectacular team of mixed army regiments and Police sides from Bermuda that thrashed us in 1992 when, ironically, we were actually at our strongest. A booze fest of on-pitchantics and off-pitch boat racing beer swilling against Mitsubishi RFC from Japan…and a mention must go ohama to the Old Boys match against Yokohama RFC when a Golden Shorted 82 year-old-Samurai scampered over crablike (and untouched) for a much celebrated try by both sides! Stand-out tours Many Phuket tours have shockingly brilliant memories, none of which can go public, but the stand-out tour for excess, 50

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durability, stamina, divorce, grit and stupidity must be the epic 10-day tour to Manila and Hong Kong in the mid 90s. But "what goes in tour ....stays on tour". Thirty years later, the BC camaraderie still ver y strong, with former players spread across the globe It’s an amazingly tight knit group who have remained in contact with each other – remember, when we were playing 92-93 there were NO cell phones, no internet and so bonding was very much more personal - as may be true for all rugby clubs. Today, with the aid of WhatsApp we remain amazingly close friends and happy hosts for any former players re-visiting Thailand. e had planned a reunion in 2020 … then came Covid. We shall wait for a better time…better hurry though as some of us are not getting any younger!

Joe Grunwell, genius of the sidestep, plotting his next move.

Your You rugby-ravaged body – was wa it worth it? Well, W that’s easy…despite dilapidated dil knees, beggared foot, foo broken ribs and ﬁngers, countless co splits and stitches and an a barely functioning liver, an an empty bank account, a heartbreaking divorce and h general aging…I’d do it all g again in the blink of an eye! a

Travel

The Rhino Lady of Namibia

Thee times daily Annette feeds 6 month old Mwenzi

Bangkok resident for over 26 years Christian Schulz nevertheless still keeps very close ties to his childhood home in the south western part of Africa. Even the onset of Omicron early December did not stop him from visiting his many friends he grew up with together in his beloved Namibia. Christian was also able to catch up with Namibian wild life conservationist and author of ‘Capture to Be Free’, Annette Oelofse, and experience ﬁrsthand the passion she has for her work.

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Africa has seen numerous female conservationists like Joy Adamson raising lioness ‘Elsa’ documented in the 1966 film ‘Born Free’; Diane Fossey’s dedication to mountain gorillas in Central Africa (inspiring the Academy Award–nominated film, ‘Gorillas in the Mist’); or Jane Goodall, spending years working with chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania, just to mention a few. Had these courageous women inspired Annette Oelofse or was it her own desire to fight for the survival of the wild rhinoceros in Namibia against the

Annette's warm words comfort while feeding 9 month old white Rhino Malaika growing number of poachers? Together with Annette’s late husband Jan (a world renowned conservationist and animal trainer who started as a mass game capturer and whose knowledge and passion for wild animals earned him the role of animal trainer for the classic Hollywood ﬁlm ‘Hatari’ featuring John Wayne and Hardy Krueger) and her son Alex, Annette founded ‘Mount Etjo Safari Lodge’ in the heart of Namibia. While Namibia is home to many varieties of African wildlife this private game reserve on 36, 000 hectares of land not only hosts but also shelters many of those not protected in this wide open and rugged land. Rhinos have always been a top priority for the tireless conservation efforts by the Oelofse Family, and the sanctuary was rewarded in 1993 for being as one of the very ﬁrst rhino custodians for the black rhino custodianship program in Namibia. ince a young age, Annette has had a passion for caring for vulnerable animals. However, only in 1995, when she received a seven-day-old rhino orphan suffering from malnutrition, did Annette realize her absolute passion. Naming this young black rhino ‘Nossi’, Annette fed her an average of 25 litres of milk daily until she was weaned at 18 months, and gradually introducing soft leaves to allow her to slowly getting accustomed to its natural diet in the wilderness. Strong enough to support herself, Nossi was eventually re-introduced into the wild, sharing the Private Okonjati Game Reserve with many of Namibia’s rich variety of game. Nossi and so many others over the years have been saved from certain death and given a second chance at life, living out a wild and fully productive life on the Wildlife Sanctuary. Saved by Annette, Nossi has contributed to the survival of her endangered species by giving birth to nine calves to date. Countless other rhino orphans have been lucky enough to make it to Annette’s doorstep. Asia is home to some of the world’s remaining one-horned rhinos, the largest number of which can be seen in

Namibia is home to both black and white two-horned rhinoceroses. White rhinos tend to be significantly larger, while black rhinos are shorter, sturdier and more compact. An adult white rhino can weigh up to 2,300 kg, while a black rhino doesn't usually go over 1,000 kilograms

India’s Assam Karziranga National Park. Namibia, however, is home to both black and white twohorned rhinoceroses. White rhinos tend to be signiﬁcantly larger, while black rhinos are shorter, sturdier and more compact. An adult white rhino can weigh up to 2,300 kg, while a black rhino doesn't usually go over 1,000 kilograms. Black rhinos are browsers and they use their lip to feed off branches and shrubs. White rhinos do not have a prehensile lip and instead use their ﬂat lips to graze off ground foliage. TheBigChilli 53

Travel

In January 2022 The author with Annette there was a total of four of these magnificent creatures in Annette’s sanctuary including 19-monthold ‘Cato’(male), 16-month-old ‘Kamshona’ (male) and nine-month-old ‘Malaika’(female), all white rhinos. The star of the kindergarten, however, is a sixmonth-old female black rhino, ‘Mwezi’. By luck she was found at another reserve, approximately five weeks after her mother became a victim of ruthless poachers (who only receive a very small fraction of the sometimes three quarter million US$ a single rhino horn is worth on the illegal market, mainly in Asia) and sent to Mount Etjo, where Annette had very little hope she would survive the following day. nnette spent many hours day and night feeding the very weak Mwenzi in the first weeks of her life. A month after arriving Mwenzi still receives most of Annette’s attention, along with an average of 25 litres of milk per day. Right now, this beautiful animal is slowly learning to munch on the fresh leaves of small twigs. Annette’s daily routine starts early. At sunrise, she gets into her modified open army Jeep and enters the 80ha orphanage. It just takes just a few minutes for nine-month-old Malaika to greets her “begging for the bottle”. Annette’s soft and warm words (her

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mother tongue is German) provide additional comfort for the youngster as she drinks. The mutual affection is obvious. After the 10 minutes it takes to empty both ﬁve-litre containers Malaika seems to lose interest and slowly diverts her attention to other things. Then Cato and Kamshona approach from the bush to greet Annette by pushing their weight against the reinforced jeep chassis. Although they already are very able to collect their own food they seem to enjoy the cuddling and soft fondling around the ears and head. The Mount Etjo Rhino Trust was established by the Oelofse Family in 2015 due to the increased number of orphaned rhinos, caused by an alarming rate of poaching incidents all over the country. In order to minimize possible aggression, professional antipoaching units supported by many installed CCTV surveillance cameras are on duty at Mount Etjo 24/7. All this involves considerable cost. Contributions to the Trust are very welcome so are the results from auctioning the rhino paintings drawn by Alex’s wife, Carola, a very talented artist. Over the years Annette had nurtured several young rhino’s orphans delivered to her and although it involves great sacriﬁces (time, emotion, and money) Annette claims the reward she receives from her ‘kids’ are worth the enormous effort.

News

WHAT A LAUGH!

Stand-up comedy is back big time in Bangkok. Here’s what and where

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Chris Wegoda: Bangkok Comedy Club “During the two-year hiatus we’ve been keeping comically fit, working behind the scenes, and planning for the re-opening of The Comedy Club. We’ve already started our gigs again, since late January, and I’m happy to say all our regulars have returned, telling us how much they’ve missed the shows. The ball has really started rolling now and we are once more having weekly shows, check our social media sites. We’re very excited for 2022, hopefully things will settle down quickly now, and we will soon be back at full strength. A good hearty laugh is great for the lungs! Expect our usual top-quality live presentations with all our usual staples; stand-up comedy, open mics, showcases and headliner shows, plus ‘improv comedy gold’ with the much-loved Tinder and Deathmatch shows. All of this, along with the workshops – which are attracting newcomers all the time – we’re really looking forward to bringing back the laughs into Bangkok!’ It’s been fun starting everything up again, and there will soon be new specials in the pipeline, and headliner shows, plus brand-new improv gigs. What’s more we now have a regular Monday night comedy meet-up for anyone wanting to get a taste of making up comedy on the spot … for free!’ As the restrictions on entry are increasingly being relaxed, we have a selection of huge international comedians set for 2022 … think Netflix and movie-star level comedians. They will be coming to do shows at some of Bangkok’s best concert venues. I can’t divulge any more than that right now, but with any luck this could well be our biggest year yet. And the buzz is already out that we will be opening some new smaller venues around town, so keep your eyes peeled! You heard it here first!” The Comedy Club Bangkok, Sukhumvit 33/1, above 'The Royal Oak Pub'. Phrom Phong BTS, Exit 5. ComedyClubBangkok.com / FB: ComedyClubBangkok / IG: ComedyClubBangkok

Jonathan Samson: Khaosan Comedy Club / Somtam Comedy Club “During the enforced downtime, with the curfew and lockdowns, and with little to do I turned to Tik Tok, the video sharing app. I’ve helped to make it popular with Thai comedians, and it’s become the first regularly streamed live Thai comedy show. My Tik Tok name is Jonny Nanachart. Now that I have a large online following within the Thai community, I suspect I'll soon be able to have more Thai performers becoming involved in standup comedy or improv, and the plan is to introduce late shows in Thai at Khaosan Comedy Club, but still producing the daily shows in English. I've also traveled to America and performed in Boston and NYC, making many new connections that will help me to bring the best and brightest of US comedy to Bangkok and Asia. I've also done a fair amount of TV work during the pandemic, most frequently on ‘Chris Jobs’ a comedy edutainment show on TPBS.’ As Jonathan Samson I’ve been a stalwart of the stand-up scene for many years, and as Jonny Nanachart I’m best known for Thai language comedy, and acting. I play a major part in the movie ‘Love Destiny’ which has been adapted for the big screen from Thailand's blockbuster television series of the same name. It’s being released in theaters this May. Speaking both Thai and English, I’ve appeared in any number of Thai TV shows, and I’ve mentored or coached a good number of local comedians. Bangkok’s first weekly open mic came at the Khaosan venue; it had the first improv troupe; and it was the first seven days a week English language comedy club in all of Asia. The Khaosan Comedy Club was forced to shut down due to Covid measures, and it’s now looking for a new home. In the meantime, we have recently opened Thailand's first fully bilingual comedy venue, the Somtam Comedy Club. On Tik Tok's live streaming platform, doing shows that lasted up to eight hours, I attracted nearly a quarter million online followers. As a result of this I’ve

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News

now been appointed to the post of International Public Relations Ofﬁcer for the National Comedy Association of Thailand. Perhaps most importantly (for the club), we are planning a ‘Staying-in-business Sale’ that will see offers such as discounted presale tickets, specially created and designed shirts, and other collectable le he stuff. Drop by, and help to ensure the club can afford its rent for the ﬁrst few months, before the tourism sector really starts to kick in again. ‘Somtam Comedy Club can be found in Bangkok at 8/73 Ratchada Road, on the intersection of Ratchada and Ladprao roads. You can enjoy weekly comedy shows in both Thai and English, with the kitchen offering up delicious somtam and other Isaan classics. And freshly baked bread made in-house.’

ŚƌŝƐ ZĂƵĨĞŝƐĞŶ ĂŶĚ :ƵƐƟŶ ^ƚ͗ RAW Comedy “RAW Comedy, at our club in The Sportsman building, central Bangkok, has already started to ramp up the fun again, by putting on over a dozen events in downtown Bangkok since the end of lockdown. Right now, RAW Comedy open mic is once again revving up the action every Wednesday night. We have also been supporting New York Comedy at P.J. O’Brien's, with professional showcases every Thursday, run by fellow comedian Lex Morales. We plan to write more than ever and continue promoting the best stand-up we can, as often as we can. We’re going to produce special events at other venues in Bangkok, and showcase what we have to offer at other expat-heavy cities outside Bangkok, too. We recently had a show in Chiang Mai. Many thanks to our man on the ground there, Ian Harvey Stone, along with the city’s talented local performers. Maybe Bangkok will soon see some of these provincial rising stars. We’ll also be supporting fellow comedian Ric Diez with his alt comedy experience in Bangkok: Broken Souls, Broken Toys, and Secret Sessions. 58

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Production of the RAW Comedy Podcast has ha been spearheaded by Chris - a fun, original and engaging series of hilarious or discussions, typically starring Bangkok di comedians Chris, Justin, Ric Diez, and Lex co Morales. Audio-only versions of the show are also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Podc We W talk about life in Thailand, current events, history, curr relationships, and just about rela anything else. The conversations any are usually extremely immature, giving viewers an inside look at gv gi what wh it’s like to hang out with comedians. We recently had co our o great friend and YouTube sensation, comedy magician s Charles The French as a guest, C and we’ll be looking lookin to have more special guests on the show in the future. As soon as we’re allowed to, we’ll be picking up right where we left off, putting on our weekly open mic show every Wednesday at the Live Lounge as well as other specially curated shows in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand (Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pattaya, and Phuket). We’re also hoping to put on a Christmas-themed musical comedy show extravaganza in late December. And there’ll be Roast Battles, Game Shows, and other themed comedy events coming up at regular intervals throughout the year. Aside from that, we’ve been spending the downtime writing a bunch of new jokes. But standup is a weird art form. You need an audience to practice on and reﬁne your jokes, and that’s exactly what our open mic offers. We can’t wait to get back on stage and see our audiences again, many of whom have become friends. Stay tuned for more weekly comedy, themed shows, and monthly showcases in cities around Thailand, powered by RAW. Any new potential collaborators or performers are encouraged to reach out to us, we’re always searching for new places to welcome us into their bosom … to keep growing the Thailand standup comedy brand. Raw Comedy - 200 baht Entry, pints begin at 119 baht, and small bottles at 99 baht. 2nd floor Sportsmans Bar, BTS Nana, Wednesdays 8PM

Lex Morales: New York Comedy / Bangkok Comedy “I came to Asia to see what the growing scene was

doing and stayed in Bangkok because of the amazing talent here. Before coming I was touring across America, and worked with a lot of other professional comedians. There are so many talented performers here that don't get looked at (or paid) as professionals. This is what I have been working on over the past 12 months. I teamed up with both Raw and Stagetime to facilitate this. I also have to give a shout out to Delﬁn Solomon and Bangkok Hilarious for the support he has given me. Matt Wharf gave me access to the Stagetime community, and has been one of my most supportive friends here in Bangkok. In fact he was the ﬁrst person to have me up on stage here in the city I now call home. Thanks, Matt!’ Raw Open mic is the only real open mic in the city. An open mic should be a real ‘OPEN MIC’ where anyone can come on stage and try out their chops, and also be allowed to fail. To take a chance. Learn from their mistakes. What Justin and Chris have done throughout Covid should really be applauded. They provided a weekly space to practice in, when no one else would do it … for the people who really care about their art to have a stage to work on and hone their skills, even when they weren't allowed to have an audience. What I’m trying to do is to encourage those guys that are ready – and those that are closer than even they themselves realise – to have a pathway to make it an actual career. I have been a comedian for close to 20 years now, and sadly one of the things I have noticed is that once a booker sees a comedian as an open mic'er, they stay in that box.’

New York Comedy is a show, yes, but it’s a professional show in the same way that you will see in the comedy clubs of America. It allows for the comedians we have here to grow. Working closely with all the clubs I have associations with, it allows the comedians who are learning their skills as they go along to step up to the next level.’ The community here that I work with decided to band together and create the collective Bangkok Comedy. We are based above PJ O'Brien's Irish Bistro in Phrakhanong (across the street from the W District). Here we will host NY Comedy – the only professional weekly show in Bangkok – every Thursday. I now have the intention of bringing over my working comedian colleagues from the US to Thailand, once restrictions are removed and travel becomes easier again. These are comics you might not have heard of, but they’re all killers in their own right. Hopefully fans of stand-up comedy here in Bangkok will see the excitement in what we’re doing, and come to join in the fun. Everyone is most welcome. Let’s all start to enjoy ourselves again. It’s about time!’ NewYork Comedy - 300 Baht Entry, 2nd Floor of P.J. O’Brien’s, BTS Phra Khanong, Thursdays 8pm

ĞůĮŶ ^ŽůŽŵŽŶ͗ Bangkok Hilarious Comedy Club “Bangkok Hilarious Comedy Club is Thailand's longest running comedy collective, active since 2012. We organise stand-up comedy shows, trivia nights, and game shows. We are also afﬁliated with The Comedy Den Pakkret and the Bangkok International Comedy Competition, both of which are currently on standby. Our comedy shows have featured popular local performers, to famous professional comedians such as Ahmed Ahmed, Gina Yashere, Paul Morrissey, and Matt Davis. Regarding our future plans as freedoms are returned, and Covid restrictions dwindle, we are right now putting on local shows once a month, on Tuesdays, which we have dubbed ‘Lady Laughs’. They are shows featuring only lady performers, and they’re proving really popular with the Bangkok audiences. Towards the end of the year we plan to have special showcases with headlining comedians from several different overseas countries. Keep an eye on our Facebook page.’ Bangkok Hilarious Comedy Club / Lady Laughs The Hive, Thonglor Soi 49 Facebook – Bangkok Hilarious Comedy Club TheBigChilli 59

Pattaya

Upton Boy with his Upton Girls ‘Barry’s Tropical Beach Café’ is music for sun and fun lovers By Robin Westley Martin

espite Covid lockdowns and a huge decline in tourist arrivals over the past two years, Pattaya-based musician Barry Upton has been busy al recording a 13-track album ‘Barry’s Tropical Beach Café’ which has now been released worldwide. ks, BTBC is an album of easy listening tracks, featuring various different styles that bring minds the likes of Sade, Matt Bianco, soft reggae / jazz infused with South American rhythms. The vibe of a tropical beach is easy to imagine. To produce the album, Barry assembled a team of backing singers and musicians, including longtime expat Mark Hodgkins, a highly regarded sax and horns player from the UK. Barry found fame as a musician on guitar and vocals after joining Eurovision winning band Brotherhood of Man in the early 80s, a few years after their song ‘Save Your Kisses for Me’ won the Eurovision Song Contest. 60

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Barry toured ex extensively with the band in the UK and Europe until the mid-80s, writing u m much of their new m material. He also put together and composed hits for the multi-million selling boy bo band Steps in 1997. A proliﬁc songwriter and producer, he has worked with The Cheeky Girls, John Otway, and also wrote the soundtrack of the movie ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. In 2009, Barry moved to Pattaya as the music business in the UK was in decline, with the intention of retiring. But that never happened, as he was soon offered work presenting on Thai TV and radio. Barry loves the weather here, the relaxed lifestyle, the people, and the inexpensive cost of living. He says he only regrets not having made his move to Thailand years earlier. At the recording sessions for BTBC, Barry says Mark “smashed it” and now describes him as the top foreign sax player in Thailand. Being an upbeat type of guy, Barry wanted the album

to bring a bit of the sunshine he woke up to every day into the lives of those who didn’t have it. He knew from the start that to really make the album work, it had to be supported by YouTube videos. Having seen a few of the videos myself, I can vouch that it’s easy to imagine yourself there with Barry and his bevy of beauties, who clearly enjoyed themselves helping to create the music. BTBC is an album with a very distinct ‘feel good’ factor, so your day isn’t going well give it a listen, it’ll lift your spirits. The album kicks off with ‘Another Cup of You’, a smooth-running bongo beat declaration of love for a

tropical maiden. BTBC continues its glide in the same vein, drawing you into Barry’s world. And Mark’s haunting, enigmatic sax lines help to transport you right there to the beach where the magic happened, Koh Lipe and Pattaya. The videos brim over with bikini clad beauties on the beach, making and sipping cocktails, tangoing together on the shoreline, and singing along with Barry. ‘Deliciously Naughty Weekend’ captures to mood perfectly. Coming from Birmingham, home of UB40, I particularly enjoyed the upbeat reggae bass-beats of ‘Beach Bunnies’ while the Sade inﬂuence is noticeable on ‘My Idea of Heaven.’ The closing track ‘As the Sun Kisses the Ocean’ says it all about tropical beach resorts. I count myself lucky to have been given an advance copy of the album and the promo videos by Barry to review. It’s all about positivity and great original music. The album is playing at my home right now, and will be played again! TheBigChilli 61

Guest review by Bangkok Beefsteak & Burgundy

La Bottega di Luca

talian Renaissance art is widely recognized and appreciated around the world, but the importance of its artistic workshops or botteghe is often underestimated. The bottega was a cooperative venture for producing the commissions of wealthy patrons or institutional clients. It physically resembled a typical artist’s workshop, but was also a functioning shop where ﬁnished products were displayed. A bottega was established by a master artist or maestro dell’arte who accepted and trained young apprentices or garzoni for periods of several months to many years. The garzoni performed menial tasks until they proved themselves talented enough to learn the art of their master by copying and collaborating on his works. This system increased a master’s productivity and also resulted in the preservation and transfer of skills to the next generation of artists. This tradition was clearly in the mind of Luca Appino, a chef and entrepreneur from the Piemonte region of Italy, when he established La Bottega di Luca, an upscale Italian grocer that later morphed into his

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well-loved casual fine dining venue. Over its 14-year history, La Bottega has seen hundreds of recipes created and products transformed by various chefs. Marco Avesani, who is from Verona, recently became the latest Head Chef entrusted with building on this tradition of excellence. It was our fourth visit to La Bottega, which is always a wonderful experience. On arriving we were greeted with a choice of two aperitifs, Bellavista Alma Cuvée Brut NV and Cantina Terlan Voberg Pinot Bianco Riserva 2015, and a selection of tasty canapés served in the beautiful al fresco dining area. Club Wine Spokesman Alan Rankin gave high marks to both of these wines, but thought the Voberg went especially well with the canapés. After everyone had arrived, we moved into the private dining ‘wine’ room to enjoy our first starter, Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Guanciale, Walnuts, and Chives. Food Spokesman Daniel Arn enjoyed both the soup and the selection of fine fresh breads that were served with it – a sentiment shared by all. Along with the soup we enjoyed a Marco Felluga’s

Mongris Collio Pinot Grigio 2019. Alan thought it was more flowery than usual (for a Pinot Grigio) but said it paired very well with the soup. Our second course was a traditional Tuscan Pici with Braised Duck Ragout, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Fresh Rosemary. It was a generous portion, and packed full of rich flavors that Danny really appreciated. He declared it to be “very good”, but also said the thick-string Pici pasta (like a fat spaghetti) was a bit too al dente for his liking. Others seemed to enjoy its slightly chewy texture. The pasta was paired with a Tuscan red blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot, Tenuta Sette Ponti’s Cognolo Toscana 2015. Alan declared this to be the best wine of the day, saying “it tasted just like it looks” with an intense ruby red color and thick long legs on the glass. No wonder James Suckling gave this vintage 94 points. The main course, Grilled Wagyu Flank Steak served with Sautéed Turnip Top and Demi Glaze, was served with Zenato Amarone Della Valapolicella Classico 2015. Some of us were dubious about the choice of a flank steak, but all were pleasantly surprised. Danny said the steak was perfectly cooked – tender, juicy and full of flavor. The Amarone also did its job. Made from a blend of grapes (60% Corvina, 20% Rondinella, 10% Oseleta and 10% Croatina), this was a heady and spicy wine, full-bodied and well balanced, that stood up to the richness of the meat. Alan noted its dark red, almost black color, as well as its strength (16.5% ABV), and said that for him it also went well the subsequent dessert and cheese courses. Dessert was a beautiful Sicilian Cannolo served with Almond Ice Cream. It tasted every bit as delicate and delicious as it looked, and Daniel declared it to be an “excellent” connolo. This was followed by Stilton Cheese, donated by absent Club President

Tom Whitcraft, and two bottles of Noval Tawny Reserve Port provided by birthday boy Alan Rankin. For his efforts, Alan was chosen to express our appreciation to Luca, Chef Marco, and their excellent staff who served us so ably. But this was not the end of our lunch. Most of us retired to the al fresco dining area, to relax and enjoy more ﬁne wines amidst the beautiful artwork and architecture that makes La Bottega di Luca such a special venue. Time will tell if it can rightly be compared to the Renaissance workshops of Domenico Ghirlandaio (whose apprentices included Michelangelo) and Andrea del Verrocchio (who welcomed such rising talents as Leonardo da Vinci and Pietro Perugino, who later taught Raphael), but the evidence so far is looking good – just as we look forward to another visit. TheBigChilli 63

People

The Bangkok doctors behind the school for abandoned children

very day across the world at least 7,300 children are abandoned. Just outside Bangkok, there is hope for at least a few of them – thanks to Dr. Cleopandh Soorapanthu, a senior doctor at Bumrungrad Hopistal in Bangkok who runs the Chaiyapruk Foundation for abandoned and abused children in Thailand. "When you think about how many children are left alone on the street or are born in prisons to drug-addicted mothers, and those who have been abused, you must open your arms and do something," says Dr. Cleopandh, who together with her husband Dr. Somsughi saw a chance to contribute and give some children a happy, safe childhood and an education. An obstetrician, Dr. Cleopandh is not only a loving mother to her own children, but also a substitute mother to 48 abandoned children.

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She was born to a Thai mother and a German father who came to Thailand to teach at Chulalongkorn University, while her mum worked at the US embassy. After her father's passing, her mother decided to move back to Bonn in Germany, where Dr. Cleopandh received her medical education. For 20 years, she and her husband managed a successful practice in Germany before relocating to Bangkok. Since its launch in 1985, the Chaiyapruk Foundation has grown considerably and today consists of a three-building complex in Nakhon Nayok, north of Bangkok, where it provides the children with love and security. The kids regard the doctors as their parents. During the week Dr. Cleopandh works long hours at Bumrungrad in Bangkok. Only recently she performed surgery at 2:00am and then that same morning went out to the center to be with the children. The impact of the home on the children has been extremely positive. “It gave me happiness and taught me everything I know today. I have many sisters and brothers there,” said one, while another added: "Dr. Cleopandh and her team took care of me like a mother and father.

Every Saturday an English teacher visits the center to conduct English lessons for the children. On Sunday an instructor comes to teach them computer programming in the newly built computer room. ome of the children are studying at universities, returning to the home during weekends. Many have become such good students that they have been awarded scholarships. Currently there are 26 children at the center, the youngest being only six years old and the oldest 17. As well as daily education the children take part in daily chores. They learn how to grow vegetables, Palm and Eucalyptus trees, as well as baking and cooking. They also learn how to respect and help each other, all of which makes them well-rounded for the future. This many children takes a lot of ﬁnancial support, most of which comes out of the doctors’ salaries and occasional donations. With Dr. Cleopandh's imminent

retirement, the school needs a long-term funding plan and more donations in order to secure the its future. She would love to build a school at the property for children from kindergarten up through high school. But that also would require ﬁnancial support and donations. The center is ofﬁcially registered with the Thailand Government as a charity organization. Active fundraising with long-term committed donors is needed to provide education and scholarships. Sponsorship of each newly admitted child is also possible. The foundation is also looking for volunteers to teach English and as well for general help with the children. For more information, view Youtube/ chaiyaprukfoundation Tel.+66 (0) 81 611 6261 For donations: Account name: Chaiyapruk Foundation Account number: 1970134134 TheBigChilli 65

School Report

Olympics beckon for Bangkok Patana’s super sailor Christopher Marsh

angkok Patana schoolboy Christopher Marsh continued his stellar sailing career recently by winning a welldeserved first place over two-time Thai Olympian Kamolwan Chanyin at the Thailand International Laser Class Association (ILCA) 6 National Championships held at Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya. It’s the latest in a long line of successes for the 15-yearold, who moves to UK this September to study for his A levels at Royal Hospital School where he has secured a sailing scholarship. Christopher, who was only five when he took his first sailing lesson at the RVYC and eight when he won his first race, is having a very busy year. As a member of the 2021-22 RYA Laser Radial Youth Performance team, he trained with his teammates at Weymouth in the UK before travelling onto Abu Dhabi for the 2022 Asian Sailing Championships where he competed for the first time in the ILCA 7. Last month he returned to the UK for the Youth Nationals, followed in July by four back-to-back ILCA 6 events - Youth Europeans in Thessalonica, Greece, Youth Worlds in Hague, The Netherlands, UK Nationals at Hayling Island, and then the Youth Worlds in Texas, USA. August will see the Thai-English teenager back to training, including two weeks in Gran Canaria sailing with Tamas Eszes, Sailing Academy. 66

TheBigChilli

Sailing to victory and an overseas scholarship

Christopher today and as a ﬁve-year-old at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club The future certainly looks bright for Christopher. His father Stephen says the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand has developed an Olympic program for the youngster for the 2028 Olympics, but he will try for Paris Olympics in 2024. An avid sailor who competes or trains every weekend and all school holidays, Stephen is a regular at his home base of the RVYC where he is supported by his father, mother Kittiwara, and younger brother William, another up and coming sailor.