Bali Hai may call you

MC, Richard Silverberg opens the meeting by explaining the significance of Remembrance Day, also called Armistice Day and Poppy Day, and in the US called Veterans’ Day. Richard called for a moment of silence, marking the anniversary of the end of the ‘Great War’ on November the 11th, 1911.

Remember the song, “Bali Hai may call you, any night, any day … In your heart you’ll hear it call you, come away, come away?”
PCEC members Pat Koester and Donna Westendorf answered the call to visit Bali during Songkran last year, and they shared their experiences as guest speakers at the Sunday, November 11 meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club.
Pat started the presentation with a video of the Legong, a Balinese Classical Dance performed by young girls in which every blink of the eye, every twitch of a finger has a meaning. Pat said she and Donna decided to avoid the most crowded part of the island where the top-end tourist beach hotels are located, and headed instead for the area called Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali.

Chair Pat Koester & friend Donna Westendorf had a trip to escape Songkran earlier this year, and in this week’s presentation they told us of their adventures on the picturesque island of Bali.

On their first night in Bali, she and Donna and about 20 other tourists were taken by van through the dark countryside to see a performance of Bali’s mesmerizing Kecak Fire Dance (commonly known as the “monkey dance”), which features a “choir” of 80 shirtless men who sit in circles around a tree of fire and slip into a trance as they sway and chant “chak-a-chak-a-chak,” imitating a troupe of monkeys, while dancers re-enact the Hindu epic Ramayana.
Donna described a visit to a typical Balinese family compound, a high walled enclosure with a number of small, special purpose buildings. Family compounds are joined together, so that entire sections of streets and roads are lined with high walls punctuated by occasional gates. It is rare to catch a glimpse of the interior of any compound. So Donna and Pat were delighted to learn of a compound in a rural area that the family has opened for tourist visits. A family member served as a guide and explained the various rooms (bale) within the compound. One of the rooms is designed for ceremonial occasions, such as a Tooth Filing ceremony that follows the rite of passage to adulthood. The upper canine teeth are filed down to the same length as the front teeth - to symbolize eliminating the individual’s “wild” nature with such characteristics as lust, greed, anger and drunkenness. In the corner of each family compound is a temple with shrines to various Hindu gods.

Bali’s mesmerizing Kecak dance, or “monkey dance” is a must-see.

This family compound had a shop featuring a Balinese Coffee made by a very unusual process. An animal similar to a mongoose thrives on the ripe coffee bean cherries. While the bean is in the little guy’s stomach, it undergoes chemical treatment and fermentation. The still intact beans found in the droppings are collected from the forest floor, then cleaned, roasted and ground, just like any other coffee. This exotic, bitter coffee is Kopi Luwak (aka cat-poo coffee) and sells for about $15 per cup. (Donna and Pat decided to forgo the pleasure.)
Across the road from the family compound, an elderly man was making wood carvings, one of the crafts for which Bali is most famous. Donna decided to purchase one of his carvings, and suddenly the empty rural road was filled with vendors with various hand-made crafts, who surrounded Donna in hopes that they had found a gullible tourist. Although it was an amusing incident (especially for Pat), both Donna and Pat agreed that the high pressure sales people that they encountered throughout were the only unpleasant part of the trip.
Another highlight of the trip for Pat occurred one day while she was walking down a back street in Ubud that was lined with a wall fronting family compounds. Pat noticed a lot of people going in and out one of the gates. She asked what was going on, and they said they were preparing for a birthday party. She asked if she could go in and look around, and they said sure. So she was able to photograph the elaborate preparations, as well as the family temple area.
Pat ended the presentation by sharing tips, including how to get reasonable flight and room rates. A number of members had visited Bali, and during the question period they joined in sharing tips for getting the most from a trip for anyone who might hear Bali Hai calling to them in the future.
In commemoration of the Nov. 11 Veterans/Remembrance Day, MC Richard Silverberg asked members to observe a moment of silence.
Richard updated everyone on upcoming events and called on Roy Albiston to conduct the Open Forum. Questions were raised and answered regarding visas, banking and other aspects of Expat living in Thailand, Pattaya, in particular. Read more about the Club’s activities on their website at www. pattayacityexpatsclub.com.

Nova Platinum hosts the BCCT

Dr. Iain Corness (left) and Paul Strachan (right) interview BCCT Executive Director Greg Watkins for PMTV.

Dr Iain Corness
Following the current trend, the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) invited both the American Chamber (AmCham) and the Australian Chamber (AustCham) to join with them for their November networking evening, held at the Nova Platinum hotel. In addition, an invitation was extended to the Automotive Focus Group (AFG) whose members certainly swelled the numbers at the event.
With the chairman of the BCCT Simon Landy having just returned from the UK, the task of keeping everyone happy was left to Executive Director Greg Watkins, which he did with his usual aplomb. The task of making sure the venue was functioning correctly fell to the new Nova Platinum GM David Roberts, and despite some anxious looks at the heavens with the threatened rain, it remained fine and the area around the pool was well used, and the spread of nibbles more than enough.

CES Sales Manager Patchararatch Tanasetpiwat and CES Sales & Marketing Manager Manita Boontham add heaps of pulchritude to the event.

Kevin Fisher and Andy Hall (CEA and CES) were chatting to the ‘dog man’ Joe Cox, running the Defense International Security Services, whilst the two vivacious CES girls Jack and Manipa were interviewed on PMTV for the “Doc and Jock” show by Dr. Iain and Paul Strachan.
Scott Finsten, the Harbor Master at Ocean Marina, is a regular these days, and even brought a couple of customers, Paul Birgan and his wife, ship builders from Queensland’s Gold Coast who have fled from Australia and now are comfortably ensconced in the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand.
AFG members always enjoy themselves at these functions, and George Strampp, Mike Diamente, Richard Jackson and Armin Walter were never without liquid refreshments and an audience. Mike’s wife Rosanne Diamente was the only member of her group Women With a Mission, but was her usual charming self. Another charmer was Hanna from Harry & Sons, who was definitely not one of the “sons”! Bangkok Hospital Pattaya was represented by Dr. Iain, Neil Maniquiz and Janya Ratanaliam and the Holiday Inn’s Tea Tree spa manager Jeena was touting for business with that bright smile as usual.

Joe Cox (left), Managing Director of Defence International Security Services left his dogs at home when talking with Russell Jay Darrell, Managing Director of Soundzgood Co., Ltd.

Despite the numbers being down, all attendees enjoyed the event, but undoubtedly City Hall has to do something to alleviate the grid-locked traffic jams which are now unfortunately regular features of Friday evenings. Shortening the cycles at the traffic lights would help, as well as positioning policemen to ensure the major intersections are not jammed up. In the meantime while all these ideas are being implemented, raise your umbrellas as there is a flock of pigs flying overhead.

It’s lots of fun when these three get together (L to R) Dr. Iain Corness, Renita and Maurice D. Bromley.

Paul Birgan, Gold Coast Ships Ltd. networks with Peter Banner, The Happy Auctioneer.

 (L to R) Paul Fox, Sales & Marketing Manager for Urbaan Real Estate; Scott Finsten, Harbour Master at Ocean Marina Yacht Club; and David Lawrence, General Manager of Urbaan Real Estate.

Supaporn (Hannah) Nontanam, sales rep for Star Residence discusses ways to make her sales pitch sound as good as possible with Russell Jay Darrell, Managing Director of Soundzgood Co., Ltd.

Three jolly networkers (L to R) Greg Hoole, General Manager/Director Precision Springs; George T. Strampp, AMS Managing Director; and Ron Kosinski, Engineering Technology Advisor for Unity Powertrain Co., Ltd.

Rosanne Diamente from Women With a Mission and Simon Birkett, CEO of La-iert Cryogenic Sanitisation Co., Ltd. make it a mission to clean up the world.

Vicki Birgan and Chris Hagerman from Gold Coast Ships Ltd. share a laugh or two.

(L to R) Nisaluck Thamaphat, Assistant Manager, Sales, Amari Orchid Pattaya; Sirikorn Chingduang, Assistant Manager, Sales, Amari Orchid Pattaya; David Roberts, General Manager, Nova Platinum Hotel; Dueanpen Thongsombat, Assistant Director of Sales, Amari Orchid Pattaya; Kamolphop Suksamarn, Assistant Manager, Sales, Nova Platinum Hotel; Pacharin Machima, Assistant Sales Manager and Weeraya Sakolchai, Manager, Sales, Amari Orchid Pattaya.