Pattaya Mail — Features

Amazing World Heritage

from TAT

Already we have seen the amazing cultural heritage of Thailand. Some of this local heritage is also of worldwide significance. Two well-preserved historical sites, Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, exhibit the remains of two region shaping cultures. Thailand’s global importance also figures as prominently today as it did in history, with several wildlife preserves contributing to life in the future.

Sukhothai marks the first appearance of what could be the beginning of Thai culture as we know it today. Architecture, written language, art, religion and law that was passed on in one form or another until the present day, all bloomed in this period.

Ayutthaya is similar in its significance as a World Heritage Site, representing the further development and rooting of early Thai culture, and the model on which Bangkok was formed. The other significant step taken in this Kingdom was the large expansion of trade in the East, which today effects the entire planet. Ayutthaya offered one of the region’s first small steps towards globalization, linking Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Burma and India, not only through geography, but through a culture that was a median for many of these nations.

Allowing a glimpse farther into the past than either of these great kingdoms is the World Heritage Site at Ban Chiang, where magnificent ancient pottery and tools were discovered which may be among the oldest art in the world. Dating back 5,000 years to groups of cave dwellers in Thailand, the discovery gives a glimpse into not only the long lost roots of Thai civilization, but the roots of the entire human race.

The Kingdom’s obvious global historic significance may be important, but its active role in preserving the future may well be looked upon as one of Thailand’s greatest world heritage contributions. The Kingdom is home to many rare species of plant and animal life, many found nowhere else on the globe.

Two adjacent sanctuaries, Thung Yai Naresuan and Huai Kha Khaeng, together create a huge wildlife sanctuary covering 622,000 hectares, and has been made a World Heritage Site. The sanctuaries together shelter 21 endangered species and 65 threatened ones. The extreme wet and dry seasons, which give rise alternatively to bush fires and floods, along with government regulations to keep visits limited, keep the natural environment for the animals remarkably undisturbed.

Father Ray receives first load of computers

During Father Ray Brennan’s visit to Denmark in October last year, 25 computers were generously donated to the Pattaya Orphanage and Handicap Center by mobile phone company Sonofon Denmark.

On January 23rd, Father Brennan received the first 8 computers, transported from Denmark free of charge by SAS. The rest of the computers will arrive later this year.

The computers were donated by Sonofon during a gala fund raising evening last October on Ferry Sjalland, Denmark. 635 people attended the event, which raised funds and supplies for Father Brennan’s Orphanage and Redemptorist Center.

The luminaries on the guest list at the party included Princess Elisabeth of Denmark, M. of P. Mrs. Agnethe Laustsen, Eli and Helle Wallin and their son Benjamin.

H.R.H. Queen Margareth of Denmark’s uncle, Carl Castenskjold and his lovely wife Maja were also in attendance.

MD for Honda Denmark Mr. and Mrs. O.K. Pedersen donated a scooter valued at 17,000 DKK for the lucky draw contest. Mr. Grner Botoft from Simons Charter Company donated a trip for 2 to the Canary Islands. Sonofon Denmark, in addition to donating the computers to Father Ray, also donated 2 mobile phones with cards and first 3 months paid to the lottery. Over 150,000 DKK worth of prizes were to be won on the evening.

The grand prize of the scooter was won by Anni, wife of Johnny Reimar of the Clifters, but Anni immediately put the scooter up for auction, raising another 12,000 DKK for the Pattaya Orphanage.

The U-land Group from SAS contributed 10,000 DKK; Rodby Rotary donated an additional 25,000 Baht; Rungsted Rotary Club donated 500 dollars; and with yet another gesture of goodwill, Sonofon also gave Father Brennan a color lap-top computer.

Father Ray, who attended the event in Denmark last October, expressed his sincere thanks for all the help.

Texas Rose: Catherine Bond, PILC's new President

by Elfi

Catherine Bond was born in Beaumont, Texas. Although she has only been in Pattaya for the past year and a half, she’s no newcomer to Thailand. 18 years ago she spent a year in Bangkok as a chief accountant for a gas-pipeline project, at the time her second major position in a foreign country.

Catherine’s first appointment in a foreign country was a job in Dubai as a cost accountant, setting up payroll and reviewing costing systems. Her company in the States chose her as the first woman ever to go to an Arab country. "It was a memorable experience," Catherine says, "and a great honor for me. The experience gave me a taste for travelling and I gladly accepted the offer to go to Bangkok."

After leaving Bangkok she went back to Houston, Texas, for a while, then on to London, Amsterdam, Philippines and finally Pattaya.

In 1985, she met her husband Jonathan, whom she describes as a "Truly English gentleman from Kent, who has all the best characteristics of the English - courtesy, honorable character, and he has added Texas characteristics to that. He’s protective and strong, and since I have been together with him, I am never afraid of trying anything. I know he always backs me and never gives me restrictions. Each year with him is better than the year before. I consider myself a late bloomer, but a long lasting one."

The first years of their marriage they spent in Houston and from there they went on to the Philippines. Catherine gave up her own career for her husband in order to follow him. Still, she has never been without a challenge. Catherine admits, "By travelling around the world, I received an enormous amount of education on people, culture, geography - and patience. You can’t learn those things from books. Experience has to come first hand by living it. Life is so exiting and beautiful, yet so hard to talk about with other people. It’s like describing the taste of Tom Yum Goong: it’s spicy, it’s hot, it’s salty, it’s lemony - but nobody really knows what you are talking about unless they’ve tried it."

After seven years in the Philippines, Catherine came to Thailand with her husband. She likes new experiences, but she will always hang on to old friends. That was the reason she brought her housemaid along from there. And her cat Biffy. Catherine laughs while describing the cat, "He’s naughty but nice. He’s beautiful but arrogant. We pay the rent for the house, but he’s the master. Still, I am very happy he lets us stay with him."

When asked to describe herself, Catherine smiles. "I feel I’m like everybody else, like an onion. Layer comes after layer. My first layer gives people the impression of a bubbling, giggling person. Only very close friends know how my inner layers really are. They know that in fact I am a very serious person and commit myself strongly to everything I promise to do."

Recently, at the beginning of this year, Catherine was elected to the presidency of PILC (Pattaya International Lady’s Club). First of all, she wants to clear up the image of this club. "All (of us) on the new board want to make sure to promote our true identity and image, and banish the common belief that we are an expat wives’ club looking for ways to spend money and time. What I am going to try is to promote women’s issues. We have 31 different nationalities within the club. The age of those women range between 25 and 70. We have young women who put their own career on hold to accompany their husbands. We have women who have lived a successful life already, and we have newlyweds, just graduated, who are going through the same experiences many of us have already had. There are so many talented and bright women; we have to take advantage of their talents. With all these women together, we can achieve a lot, and believe me, we are not only a tea club for bored expat wives. Instead, the club can be a vehicle for expression for women’s interests. At the same time, it can be a learning process for all of us since so many different nationalities gather together. It is amazing how much you can learn about all those different countries without actually making a trip there, and only by speaking with the people first hand."

PILC has already started to promote this image. The club wants to have at least five great events per year and all the benefits go to various charity projects. The first one for the new board is already being planned, and will be a St. Patrick’s Day event. Catherine explains, "The events to come are open for everyone, not restricted to club members and their families, and we hope a lot of people will show up to help us to successfully fulfil our aims."

Catherine Bond is exactly how she described the other women. She’s very intelligent, bright, colorful, lively and talented. She has composed music and written poetry. Writing is one of her biggest hobbies. Right now she is working on a children’s book, telling about the life of a squirrel. She started to write stories when her only son was very young. Now he is 26, lives in Austin, Texas and works for an import-export company. He is ‘the’ computer man there and of great value for them, since he’s fluent in Spanish. Of course, it’s a bit easier for him, since his fiancée is a lawyer from Mexico. We will see them soon in Pattaya when they come to visit their parents in August.

When asked how best to raise a child, Catherine answered, "I tried to give my son the tools, as I try to with everybody. I prepare them to work with them and then make them use it."

Our last question was, what will she do after her husband’s contract expires. "First of all, we will stay in Pattaya for at least another two years. Later on, I believe we will be going back to the USA, preferably to Washington State. We enjoy talking about our retirement days, having a bed & breakfast and a huge garden, where we can grow strawberries."

Valentine's Resolutions Anyone

by Urban Peasant

I know, I know it’s a bit too late for New Year’s resolutions, and you must be thinking ‘oh no, here’s another ‘won’t let go’ freak like Christmas songs in the department stores that kept haunting you from November to mid February’. Well, this is different. Because most people will take only the year end to make a new year’s resolution, and since most people I know never do it until it’s after new year and they say it’s too late to turn over a new leaf this year, they’ll definitely do it next year. And it goes on and on, year after year. By the time you actually get down to it it’s too late for plan A resolution and you will have to make do with plan B, or even C,D,E,F,G. There are simple examples for you to get the picture. Suppose you were five kilos overweight and wanted so much to resolve at the year end to lose them, and of course you never got around, because it was always too late, so you kept postponing, year after year. In the meantime your weight kept increasing, from five kilos to ten to twenty to fifty, and because it has become obvious to you that there is a very ‘slim’ chance to lose all that bags, five years later your New Year’s resolution would be to get surgery to suck out the fat as soon as you save enough money. Then again you never get to resolve to save money. The excuses can go on and on. But don’t despair, you are not the only one to make those excuses, a lot of people do, mainly the government folks.

What makes people put off making new year’s resolutions when it is so important? Well, there are many reasons. You know how it is when December arrives. You start thinking about writing down the resolutions, but you could only think. There was not enough time to get down to it, as there were hundreds of other things to do, or to be exact, ‘to think’ about doing. What with the holiday plans, trips and everything, not to forget the Christmas cards and presents to send to family and friends, that is, once you decide to actually go out and buy them. But, like everybody else, you just wait and see what you are going to get first, then you can plan your budget to buy something that was ten baht cheaper than what you got from the cheapskate suckers. Just kidding. After all, 1997 was, and still is the IMF year, you can’t expect much, and you knew darn well that you’d be lucky to get 10 cards and say about 5 gifts.

To Cathy,
There will always be a special 'Bond' between us, Jonathan

Christmas came and went, maybe two cards came in the mail and they were sent to the wrong address. Not to dismay, you think, there were still five more days before New Year. Worse comes to worst you would at least get some complementary gifts from the neighbor banks. After all you are a good customer and they never forgot to send you their exotic gifts like calendars. Of course occasionally they would send you a toiletry bag and even traveling hand bags if your account had been behaving nicely throughout the past, say two weeks.

In the mean time you couldn’t just sit and wait, so you decide to go ahead and send those cheap suckers the gifts anyway, at least to remind them that you’re still alive and waiting. You go to the nearby department store and look around for something that is really nice for them, something that will make them remember you for life. All the things are at discount prices. Even the discounted items. The lighting in the store was dim, but you can’t blame them, everyone is saving now. Just be grateful they still turn on those lights. If economy gets any worse, they will just shut the lights out altogether and only use the flashlight to blink at the items you ask to see. You walk around and around until you get dizzy but you still couldn’t find the discounted items that matched your discounted wallet and the discounted value of the money in it. But, it’s time to be brave and big hearted. You walk down past all the disgusting luxuries you couldn’t afford until you come to a shelf displaying bright colored boxes and tins with classic pictures of English gardens and country kitchens and ovens on them. Yes, you have decided to buy those round boxed cookies wrapped up so roundly and pleatedly no one would ever guess what’s inside. The receivers would be so delighted they would want to save them in a safe place and send it back to you on the very next Christmas, and this time it will arrive on time, if not eleven months ahead of time.

Finally when you get this shopping out of the way, you then start the next important mission, which is waiting for those people to reciprocate with presents, and waiting to see how big your bonus will be this year, and of course crossing your fingers not to get fired. These take up all your concentration capacities, so you couldn’t think about the resolutions yet. Anyway, you think, there is still time. On the 31st you go to the bank to withdraw what was the last breath of your account in order to celebrate the New Year in style, and of course to get your usual special customer gifts from the bank. You go to the teller with the most promising face and hand out your withdrawal slip and the bank book.

"Sawasdee pee mai ka" You remind her as she hands back the book and your devalued money.

Aneeta,
My love for you dwarfs the Taj Mahal,
Sanjay

"Sawudee pee mai ka... oh wait, we would like to give you something." You try to look bored like you were thinking, ‘oh brother, another useless traveling bag and Tupperware.’ The teller disappears down under her counter for a minute and a half and comes up with a pile of wall and desk calendars. She probably wants you to hang and put those darn calendars on each and every wall and desk in the house including the toilets to remind you to pass your checks on due dates. Oh well, can’t blame them, it’s the IMF (I m finished) year.

Instead of sitting home and sulking about the bad economy, you then go out and get drunk. This year was special, because the government decided that they should change the official holiday from the 31st and 1st to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, since the 2nd was so close to the weekend it was just irresistible. This should give the people more time to get drunk and stay drunk longer in order to forget their miseries of their defunct baht. How considerate our government is.

By the time you sober up, which is about seven days later, if you’re lucky, you have already gone back to all your bad habits, one of them was the drinking habit and you think, "nah, it’s too late for the stupid resolutions anyway, it’s well over a week into the new year and I’m still not fully sober." A lot of people would just say it’s too late to turn a new leaf this year if they didn’t get to do it from the very first day of the year so what they do is go back and get more drunk and stay drunk and include the rest of the bad habits they so much wanted to get rid of until the next December when they promise to start setting new year’s resolution for the following year.

What I’m trying to say is it doesn’t take only the international new year to make a resolution. What’s wrong with Chinese New Year? And because I could not get this column finished in time for new year and even the Chinese new year due to my laziness, which was part of my new year’s resolutions that I didn’t get around to like many others, I say what’s wrong with Valentine’s resolutions. And if my advice reaches you after Valentine’s day, well, there is still Songkran resolutions, Easter resolutions, Diwali resolutions, even Cheng Meng resolutions. The point is to start right away, on whichever special day you feel attached to. Personally, Cheng Meng is not too bad.

Beatrice,
Over 400 years and you are still my Valentine,
Benedict

Once you got over the special day sentiments you can start writing down what you want to get rid of. Hopefully, only your habits and not your spouse’s, which might lead you to making another resolution of not messing around with a sleeping tiger.

There are so many bad habits we should terminate but keep fooling ourselves that it was normal facts of life. A whole lot of government fellas think the same.

If you are not sure where to start, you may read some of my own resolutions and if you like, you are most welcome to use them. Since we’re going to use the Valentines as the sacred day we can start with love and affair issues.

1. This year resolve not to sit with an Egyptian boyfriend in a German car with a French chauffeur and a British bodyguard all at the same time. It’s bad news.

2. Resolve to marry a Thai politician. You’ll become a billionaire in no time.

Marion,
All my love on Valentine's Day. And every other day of the year.
Michael.

3. If you’re planning to become a President or a Prime minister and still keep an active extramarital affair (under oath or not) without raising a single eyebrow, resolve to become one in Thailand. Here, if you ‘re married without a mistress, you are actually looked down upon and put into the category of ‘K1ua mia’ (wife chicken) club. If you do have minimum of one mistress, you are approved in joining the most prestigious club in the country. The ‘Tiger Lion Bull Rhino Club’. (Sua Singh Krathing Rad).

4. If you are a woman in Thailand and don’t want your hubby to have a mistress, resolve to marry an Orangutan. Your rights will be empathetically protected, a whole lot more than marrying a human ‘bean’.

5. Resolve not to call anyone ‘potato’ unless the person can be boiled, baked, fried and sits on the couch.

6. Resolve to save money by drinking less, smoking less, hanging the fish and eating only rice, and using the chopsticks neon tubes.

7. Resolve to be sweeter to your girlfriend or your wife. Give her a rose, call her a rose, but don’t sing her ‘good-bye England’s rose’ song, especially if she is still alive and you intend to live longer.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

Peter Corp Dyrandal

One of the rising stars in the modern music scene, with Grammy Entertainment, Peter Corp Dyrandal is a young man with a friendly character who always wears a smile on his face. He has already won the hearts of many teens.

Peter recently performed in a concert at Pattaya Palladium. It was a great one. Before he went on stage, Pattaya Mail’s Tony and Vicki got a chance to interview him. His pleasant manor and easy disposition made the interview smooth and friendly.

Pattaya Mail includes it now as a special Valentine’s Day gift to our teenage readers.

TONY: How many times have you been to Pattaya?

PETER: Many times already because I like Pattaya.

VICKY: What do you like about Pattaya?

P: I like Pattaya because Pattaya is a good place. You can get all sorts of things here. Pattaya is the combination of many things - I like the beaches and there are a lot of conveniences.

T: If you have to compare Bangkok to Pattaya, in your opinion what’s the difference between them?

P: They are not the same. Bangkok is bigger, and everything is more available there than in Pattaya. But Pattaya is a good place to relax. It is a place where you can enjoy yourself. The people are kind, no one is serious, and there are places for enjoyment. We can have fun here.

T: Now let’s talk about yourself. Where did you finish your education?

P: I finished high school in Denmark. I’m thinking of going back to study, because my plan was to come to Thailand for only a year. But then I became involved with Grammy Entertainment. I think when I finish my work I’ll continue my studies. Maybe I’ll continue here in Thailand.

T: How long have you been thinking of becoming a singer? Was it something you planned to do?

P: No, I never thought I would become a singer. In Denmark, the chance to become a well known singer is very small, so I never thought of it. But I like music.

T: Did you ever sing anywhere else before coming to Thailand?

P: Just singing and playing the guitar among my friends.

T: When you came and sang for this album, was it the same as you thought it would be?

P: Yes, it was. Before I did this album, I had been discussing it with the producer and we agreed that it was supposed to come out in the form of Rock music. We wanted to combine all different kinds of Rock; every song is Rock - in other words, it is a combination of rock music in one album. Nearly every song is based on ‘Rock’.

T: How do you feel when you’re singing on the stage?

P: I feel very good. It’s beyond explanation. If the audience enjoys with me, I enjoy too, and the environment is better. When the audience likes my songs they sing along with me and I feel good and impressed.

T: Is it different from when you sing in the recording studio?

P: Obviously, the feeling is completely different. In the studio I am more serious because I want the result to come out good.

V: You composed a song, which is called ‘An Angle in My Life’. When you were writing this song, where did you get your inspiration?

P: When I wrote this song it was during the time I was practicing the guitar, so I was just making the melody on my own. I then I put the lyrics with it and accidentally it came out as this song.

T: If you have to choose one song to sing, which song would you prefer to sing?

P: I would like to sing a few songs of Nirvana and a few songs of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Before I’m going to sing somebody else’s’ song, though, I must see whether I can sing it as good as the original singer or not. If I can’t I won’t sing it.

V: Have you any plans to join the film industry?

P: I haven’t decided yet, but there are a few contracts. I’m not sure and not in a hurry, too.

T: By now, is there anything else which you still want to do?

P: I want to perform in a big concert like they have abroad. (I would like to) play with famous singers in a big band with a big audience. I want to do that.

T: What do think about yourself?

P: I am a happy person. I like to have fun and laugh. I never take things serious. I have a good mood. I concentrate 100% on my work.

V: What are your plans for the future?

P: I haven’t planned anything yet - maybe I will do some acting; either a series or a movie, because I used to perform on the stage in Denmark.

T: Have you got any thing to say to the people of Pattaya?

P: The people of Pattaya are very kind and fun loving. I wish that you all will continue to be like this and have happiness always. Forget about sorrow. If there is any concert in future, please don’t forget to come and see. (Ha Ha!)

T: How about something for the tourists in Pattaya?

P: I want all the tourists to enjoy themselves, because Pattaya is a fun city - it is the city of enjoyment. Whenever you visit Thailand, don’t forget to come to Pattaya.

T: We would like to thank you for sparing your precious time for us to interview you.

Visit on a Little Hill

A short 15 minute drive brought my friend and I to a paradise: Little Hill. Located a bit outside of Pattaya, it is close enough for a short ride, yet still far away from the crowd. The owner, Hans Frei from Switzerland, started this project not too long ago. He had to landscape first, but in a rather short time managed to open in April last year. Now Little Hill looks like it has always been like this - a green, natural looking, beautiful, huge garden. Even though the shape of the land is rather flat, Hans made a little hill to build his own house on. Coming from the mountains, he needed at least one little hill. Besides his own house, and the main building with 8 hotel rooms on top of the restaurant and club house, he also has another bungalow with 2 rooms for rent. All the rooms are very comfortable, nicely furnished and with perfect bathrooms. From the rooms on top of the restaurant one has a view from Laem Chabang to Jomtien.

The restaurant & club-house itself is open-air, viewing the nice gardens and the big swimming pool in the back, but there is also an air-conditioned room, generously furnished like a living room and with huge windows towards the gardens. Actually, this Little Hill is a place where people from Pattaya can escape during the crowded weekends, spend one night, relax at the pool and at the same time have nice meals all day long. Little Hill offers a pick-up service, from four persons up, without charge, from 10 a.m. until closing time, which is around 1:00 a.m.

Looking at the menu, my friend and I were quite surprised with the large selection. The menu itself is written in three languages: English, German and Thai. There are also four different weekly specials, which will be changed every week according to the offers of the season. Both Hans and his manager Andy insist having all food freshly prepared.

We started with a Tomato Cream Soup flambé for Baht 70, very rich, yet not too thick and no adding of any spices was necessary. It was perfect. As a second dish we chose home made noodles "Fettccini" with a Gorgonzola Cream Sauce for Baht 180. We took the bigger portion, but the Fettucini is also available for Baht 100 as an appetizer. After the first bite, we could taste the difference to other noodles, home-made is always much better. The Gorgonzola sauce was very tasty and had the right consistency.

We then started with the main course: A Shrimp Fondue in Beer Paste. Never heard of that? You have got to try it. A big fondue pot with sizzling oil in the middle of the table, raw shrimp with 8 different kinds of sauces on the plate, and a bowl with beer-dough in front are the ingredients for this very special dish. All you have to do now is take the shrimp, dip it into the beer dough, fry it in the hot oil until it’s brown and eat it with all the sauces. Mmmh - delicious! This fondue is served with fresh bread or chips and a salad and the price for all is only Baht 380 per person. The mixed salad was served already with an Italian dressing onto it. Exactly the way one can eat it in Italy.

We had some Sorbet in-between, icy and very refreshing, to have the right taste for the other main course still to come - a "Little Hill Fillet Steak" - served with either French Fries or Baked Potato for the price of Baht 240. Prepared and flambed on the table it not only looked good, it was absolutely marvelous! The imported meat was very tender and it came exactly as we had ordered it: Medium rare for me and medium for my friend.

The last dish we ate was a Crêpe Suzette with Vanilla Ice Cream (110 Baht). It was the dot on the i to make this dining out a very special one. Did I forget to mention that we had excellent wine to drink? The wine list of Little Hill offers wines from Italy, Argentina, Chile, Spain, but most comes from France. The prices range between Baht 380 and Baht 1,750 per bottle. Champagne costs from Baht 380 up to Baht 2,250 per bottle. By the way, they also have a bar in the restaurant, which is open at least until 1:00 to 2:00 a.m. - or longer.

It is always so sad to see such a huge menu without being able to try it all. Anyhow, my friend and I have already made a booking to try the Parrot Fish Fillet, the Chateaubriand and, if possible, the Fondue Bourguignonne. Maybe we’ll see you there?

Directions to Little Hill: Coming from Sukhumvit Road turn into Siam Country Club Road and follow it for about 3.8 km until you see the sign of Little Hill on the right side of the road, turn right and just follow the street, another sign tells you when to turn left - you can’t miss it.

For reservations, pick-up service and further information call 734 484 or Fax: 734 485 and ask for Hans or Andy.

Automania

by Iain Corness

Life as a motor noter can be great fun, and you certainly can get your backside into some sensational motor cars. Mind you, it is also necessary to trial the everyday vehicles right through to the mundane and dead-set boring, but people would rather know what was the fastest car, or the most expensive car, or the most exotic car I’ve ever tested.

Using those parameters it was all rolled into one vehicle. The Lamborghini Diablo. Only one of these little jiggers came to Australia, complete with a price tag of two thirds of a million dollars! That’s right, $660,000 Oz - or if we convert that to the local currency, just a smidgen short of 20,000,000 Baht, and that’s without the thumping great Thai Import duties either. That made it one of the most expensive cars in the world.

Now I’ve always had this sort of crazy passion for Lamborghini’s - and by the way "It’sa Lamborgeenee, notta Lamborjeenee" as my favourite Italian coffee shop owner told me. Remember the Miura? Those flowing lines and the eye-lashes over the headlights? That’s when my affair with Lambo’s began in the early 60’s.

The next Lambo I fell in love with was the Marzal. This was the fore-runner of the Espada and was released at the 1966 Motor Show in Geneva. My mad Aussie mate John Weinthal and I made a beeline for it as it was wheeled into the show and were the first journos in the world to sit in it. Undying love beat in the breast again.

And so to the Diablo... the love affair was still there the minute I set eyes on this car. It looks great in pictures. In the sheet metal it is nothing short of sensational. The coachwork, designed by Gandini, is just so wide (2040 mm) and so low (1105 mm) it almost defies description. Amazingly (Ohmigawd it’s that word again!) it is almost identical in length to a Porsche 911, which veritably looks like a bus, towering over the Diablo by comparison.

When you get in it, through upswinging doors, not normal hinged ones, you notice one thing straight away... you are now surrounded by a whole bunch of people with their mouths open. You have just become the subject of everyone’s envy and sneakily you are enjoying it!

Mind you, the next thing you notice is that you are totally cramped in the cockpit and your knees are banging on the steering wheel! You look for the electric seat controls - after all for your 20 million Baht you should expect it - and it’s not there. For 20 big ones you scrabble around between your legs to find a lever and shuffle backwards and forwards to get the perfect seating position. This takes some time, as you also have to adjust the steering wheel in and out as well as up and down.

After about ten minutes worth of adjustments can you imprint them in this "super car’s" memory (a la BMW for example)? Sorry folks, for 20 million you’ll have to remember them yourself!

Now is the time to fire it up - and you are ready to forgive this car as the howl of 5.7 litres of V12 bursts into life behind your head. The sound of the free revving engine is just beautiful. Then you push in the clutch and the reason for the "prancing bull" logo becomes obvious. You have to be as strong as an ox to push the bloody pedal in! No woman could ever drive this car (though some Chinese Olympic swimmers could probably go close!).

As you drive away, the mere mortals in other cars point to you, pedestrians stop in their tracks and minor traffic jams occur in the oncoming vehicles. This certainly swells the ego, but almost as quickly you begin to notice the thumps and bangs in the race hard suspension and just how much effort is needed to turn the wheel around town. If you are contemplating buying one, sign up for a year’s course with Charles Atlas Gymnasiums first!

By the same token, take it out to a race track and it’s a different story. The performance is mind blowing. Zero to 100 kph in 4 seconds and a standing start kilometre in 20 seconds. That’s just the acceleration. The top speed is quoted as 325 kph. I believe them. I ran out of road (and brave pills) at 250 kph and it was still climbing. The exhaust howl I described as "aural orgasm". Half an hour on the race track and you are seduced again.

However, you then have to drive home and all the bangs and clatters, bits falling off the interior trim (yes, really!) and general discomfort leave you with nothing but disappointment. The numbers you remember after the drive are not the performance figures, but the price. Sorry Mr Lamborgini, but the value for money wasn’t there. But, oh god didn’t it look fantastic!

Trivia Quiz

I thought I was the only one who collected automotive trivia. That grab bag I call a mind, cluttered up with all sorts of inconsequential and nearly useless motoring information. Notice I used the word "nearly" - I’m sure "some" of it may be incredibly important in the years to come. My wife does not agree, but then of course, that’s what wives are for, isn’t it?

Now I find there are many of us out there. Secret hoarders of snippets of previously unrecorded historical data which will one day be revealed to the world. That day is fast approaching! Forget the millenium. International Auto Trivia Day is coming! And between us, we will make it happen.

As a "kick-off" for this new form of collecting I will supply a FREE BEER to the first person to correctly answer this weeks Trivia Quiz. (Note that’s "a" free beer - this is MY money we’re talking about here, not the Editor’s!)

So here we go: Who was the first to successfully produce a self propelled passenger carrying vehicle? And (you don’t get a beer that easily!) what date? Surprise me with additional info and I could even buy you two beers! Fax your answers in via the Editorial Office addressed to me. Good luck!

Copyright © 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand 
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Created by Andy Gombaez