There used to be an advertisement that read, “When you’re on a good thing - stick to it.” Kim Fletcher from Delaney’s Irish Pub on Pattaya Second Road has taken that a step further, “When you’re on a good thing - build on it!”

Following on from the very successful “All You can Eat” Carvery nights, he then branched out into the Friday Curry Nights and then the Tuesday Pasta Nights. Finding he was sitting on his hands on Wednesdays, the next move was into the Mex cuisine for another “All you can Eat”, but this time it’s a Mexican night.

At Kim’s request, the Dining Out Team, in matching poncho’s of course, descended on Delaney’s last Wednesday. Met by the broad beaming smile of Beautiful, we were escorted to our table and a Singha Gold “magically” appeared at my elbow (does his homework, that lad Kim) while Beautiful explained the format of the Mexican nights.

The buffet is 240 baht and go up as often as you like - and we saw more than one go up more than once while Beautiful continued her explanations. The main thrust is towards Burrito’s, Tostada’s and Taco’s, with all sorts of sides and additions you can choose from. These included Mexican fried rice, American fried rice, Mexican baked beans, Chilli Con Carne, Salsa, three kinds of Capsicum (red, green, yellow), grated cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream, Mexican tomato sauce, onion and the almost mandatory ingredient - a bowl of Jalapeno peppers.

Mindful of the pig I had made of myself at the Pasta Night, I approached Chef Sunny and his assistants slowly. Starting with a Chicken Burrito I added some American fried rice, a goodly “dollop” of the baked beans and some Chilli Con Carne. Madame, on the other hand began with a Chicken Tostada along with a little lettuce and sour cream.

The next item on the evening’s agenda was the drink to go with the Mexican food. Beautiful told us that for the Mexican nights, Margarita’s were only 80 baht, but you could have a 12 glass pitcher for only 400 baht. Having been brought up frugally by my mother, Mrs. Diner, I plumped for the large economy size and a pitcher of Margarita’s duly arrived.

Madame’s Tostada was very tasty and quite mild - a good starter for those who are a little wary of some elements of the Mexican cuisine. After polishing off her plate, Madame repaired to the buffet section and returned with a big smile and a big plate of Taco’s.

My Burrito had just a little tingle and the Chilli Con Carne was certainly not nuclear, although hot enough for me. The next item that really was an eye opener was the Margarita. Regular readers of this column know that Miss Terry washes everything down with Singha Gold (honestly, I don’t know why the Boon Rawd Brewery doesn’t put me on contract), but the beer just did not go with the Mexican food. But the Margarita’s did! The slightly sweet, slightly salty and tart flavour went perfectly with the tangy Mexican dishes.

Approaching Sunny for the second time, it was a Chicken Taco that was selected, to which I added lettuce, cheese, capsicum and sour cream. The Taco shells were crisp and the end result was the best Taco I’ve ever had (and I made it)!

My favourite of the evening was a toss up between the Chilli Con Carne and my specially built Taco, while Madame’s vote was for the Tostada’s. And both of us loved the Margarita’s! (In fact we had a second pitcher, which we shared with friends, I hasten to add.)

So that was our Mexican night. For me it is great value at 240 baht and the food was excellently prepared and presented, as we have come to expect at Delaney’s. If you like Mexican cuisine, or would like to try, the Dining Out Team can recommend this place without hesitation.

How did Songkran, the “Thai New Year Water-Throwing Festival” evolve? At its most primeval, this is a celebration of water bringing new life.

Cultivation of rice is vital to the Thai and Asian economy and culture. It is supported by the agricultural cycle and the abundant seasonal monsoon rains. Songkran marks the beginning of the rainy season and is still thought of by many rice farming villagers as an invocation to the Water Goddess - the Moon - to ask for Her continued showers of abundance for the year. However, like so many ancient traditions it has along the way melded with Brahmin, Hindu, Buddhist and Animist beliefs.

As everyone is now very well aware, Songkran is celebrated nationwide in April, and marks the start of the Thai (lunar) New Year. Household Buddha images are purified by holy water and families gather to pay respect to their elders. Family elders are honoured by pouring blessed scented water over their hands and presenting them small gifts usually of cloth or towels (dare I suggest this is to help mop up?).

Songkran marks the end of the dry season when the yearly crops have been harvested and there is no more work to be done except to celebrate and give thanks to the Moon Goddess of the Waters for her blessings and call in the rains. The rice farmers in the north have plenty of time for anticipation of fun, “sanuk”.

In Chiang Mai, Songkran lingers over ten days of wild exuberance, (while some of us consider, fortunately) the fun and festivities is limited to three days to a week in more urban areas such as Bangkok and Pattaya.

In these “civilized” days, Songkran has actually devolved into a frenzy of sanuk bent Thais changing an animist spiritual ceremony into a wild crazed water bombardment. While traditionally small silver bowls were used for ceremoniously pouring lustral water over the hands of respected elders, today the more ingenious use water trucks and fire hoses and large plastic pump action water pistols, together with plastering white powder over everyone and everything that stands still long enough.

Back in yesteryear, before sanuk seeking, when the true Songkran traditions were observed, Songkran was the celebration of three important days. The first day, Wan Songkran was the last day of the old year when day and night were believed to last each exactly twelve hours. Thought of as the hottest day of the year, firecrackers were set off to chase away evil spirits and the entire family co-operated in what Westerners would call a spring clean. The whole house and yard were cleaned thoroughly to banish all bad joss and demonic spirits. This is the day water fights start, and perhaps because it is the hottest day of the year it has become a tradition to gleefully pour gallons of water over complete strangers. Pretty Thai girls and farangs in white are targeted. Because of the sheer volume of water thrown nobody escapes a drenching if they venture out on to the streets.

The second day is called Wan Now and is the day that separates the old year from the new. In the morning, families prepare food and offerings to be presented to the monks the next day, New Years Day. In the afternoon Thai groups carry sand into their temple compound. They build model stupas from the sand and decorate them with small brightly coloured flags. This is performed to gain enough merit for wicked ancestors who have gone to hell, so that they may be finally released. It is a special day to be cautious in speech and behaviour. Cursing or speaking ill of others will bring bad luck through the entire coming year.

On the third day is Paya Wan, New Years Day. People gather at the temples early in the morning with food and offerings for the monks. Buddha images in temples and in homes are washed and polished and sprinkled with scented lustral water, which also brings merit. Then the water battles start all over again. This is the day when younger family members visit their elders to pay their respect. They take small gifts of cloth or food and kneeling, trickle scented water into the cupped hands of their elders while asking their forgiveness for any offences during the past year and their blessings for the coming year.

Then it is back into water fights again.

No matter whether the water is trickled reverently, poured politely or thrown hysterically, Thais always do it with the intent of calling in the life giving monsoon rains and to bestow the blessings of renewal and the New Year. It is important for farangs to try to take these drenching Songkran festivities in the spirit they are meant, both in fun and as a blessing. You are really privileged to be able to be part of it. Just wear a swimsuit!

The locomotives built by American firms for use in the 1914-1918 war were mainly of the 2-8-0 type and were used in France and Belgium. Many survived almost to the end of steam in France, having become the property of the State Railway.

The vast capacity of the American locomotive industry resulted in thousands of locomotives being built for war service in the 1939-1945 period. Even before the Pearl Harbour disaster, locomotives were being built to the order of the British Government under the ‘lease-lend’ arrangements then in force. The standard book on this subject embodies no less than 40 chapters: I cannot do it justice in 900 words, so I will choose three types which may have been seen during or after the war by some of my readers.

No less than 210 of this type of locomotive were built between 1942 and 1945; all were to the standard European track gauge 1435 mm, except 200 for Russia, gauge 1524mm, and 60 for India, gauge 1676mm. Those for India had some small modifications, but those for Russia were to the basic design, with no provision for the extreme cold they would encounter. All were built to fit the most restrictive height and width limits set by the railways of Britain, and it was in Britain that they were first seen in action, from the end of 1942 onwards. In preparation for the D-Day invasion in Europe, a very large number were sent to Britain, a good proportion of which did not work in our country but were checked and put into store, mainly in South Wales. One such store was remarkable in that it was formed by 119 locomotives in one long line on a disused section at Treforest. Others were put into temporary service in Britain until wanted for service elsewhere, and they became a familiar sight with their high-pitched boiler, high footplating along the sides. Both in Britain and on the Continent there were a number of bad boiler explosions eventually found to be design fault, not identified until several locomotives had been written off and some deaths had occurred though burns. Other that that they were designed for a life of no more than 90 days(!), by which time it was thought they would have been damaged in some way. Some taken over by the main line railways in Greece, Italy, Turkey and some of the ‘Iron Curtain’ countries, were still going strong more than twenty years later.

Type S.160 2-8-0 locomotive, formerly working for the Italian State Railway, in service on the Greek State Railway at Larissa, in May 1965.

Photographs of them in the UK are not too common due to wartime restrictions and shortage of film, so I have chosen one of my own (photo No.1), taken on the Greek State Railways at Larissa in 1965. All those in service in Greece had been bought from the Italian State Railways a year or so earlier.

In the year 2000, it is hard to say where one of these engines could now be seen; I do not know any railway still operating one, nor have I a record of one in a museum. 2120 locomotives is a lot of metal to lose sight of!

In late 1941 the British Government ordered 200 heavy locomotives for work in the Middle East. All were built in 1942 by the ‘ALCo’, Lima and Baldwin companies. They were put into work on the line from the Suez Canal to Palestine, working through Haifa and into Lebanon as far as Beirut; I also used to work the through Cairo-Haifa express from and to Kantara West, such a powerful locomotive had taken over from an Egyptian ‘Atlantic’ with very little adhesion weight, which always had such a struggle to get the big train on the move from each stop.

Former ‘Middle East’ type locomotive, transferred to the Turkish State Railway in 1943 as No.46204, seen at Ankara outside the locomotive depot in May 1964.

Some of these locomotives were also used in Iran, and in 1943 some were sent to Turkey also; more came to that country after the war and they were used much on local trains and around Ankara. My picture shows one of them (photo No.2) outside the locomotive depot in Ankara.

U.S.A. shunting locomotive No. 1261, with about 23 others, in store on Newbury Racecourse in October 1947.

In Italy, due to some kind of ‘red tape’, the S.160 2-8-0s were only used on lines controlled by the U.S.A. Transportation Corps; the shortage and poor quality of Italian locomotives caused a shortage in the British controlled areas. Thus a number of these ‘Middle East’ locomotives were shipped from Port Said to Taranto to help out. They were in service on the State Railway for about 10 years, but had been withdrawn by 1956, before my first visit there. I have a suspicion that the Italians were somewhat afraid of them; they did not care for locomotives that were big, unless of a poor Italian design, nor those that produced steam too freely, as a crew which allowed steam to blow to wast through safety valves was liable to an on-the-spot fine. Shades of Bangkok Police!

There was virtually no difference between those two types other than small details; they had been built in Canada (CWD) and the USA (AWD), to a total of 434 locomotives. Other than the difference in gauge they were also almost identical to the ‘Middle East’ locomotives described above. They had been designed to be the equal in power to existing Indian locomotives of Class ‘XD’, the general purpose heavy freight locomotives; there was also a Class ‘XE’, which were bigger, and so a small number of ‘AWE’ locomotives were also supplied, the main change being a bigger boiler. The locomotives of both types worked on the Bengal & Assam line with its heavy coal traffic and the North Western and Great Indian Peninsular sections. They were still a common sight on many Indian main lines in the late ’70s.

Few of us in the U.K knew about this type until we saw one! These little six wheelers were intended for shunting duties at Army depots in the U.K. and in Europe, although a small number also went to the Middle East: the Army Workshops at Jaffa and Suez each had one and there have been many others. In the U.K. some also went to help out at the collieries and steel works, and they worked also in France, Austria, Greece, Yugoslavia (who built some more for themselves), and some ‘Iron Curtain’ sates. There were too many! - those in my picture, in store on Newbury Racecourse in 1947, had been there for at least two years. It was from these that the Southern Railway bought a number for shunting at Southampton Docks - possibly the best-known of all of them.

On the 29th of March in Zurich, the largest auction for Roman coins this year was conducted by the Swiss coin company Numismatica Ars Classica. The company, which is run by four Italian coin experts, is well known for its high quality coins.

Denarius of the emperor Augustus with his naval general and son-in-law Agrippa on the reverse, struck in the year 12 BC. Agrippa died later that year, which is probably the reason why the coin is so rare. (Sold for CHF 60,000)

This auction, which was #18, was no exception. The highest price at the auction was paid for a Roman gold medallion of 4 aurei struck in AD 308 for the Roman Emperor Maxentius. This gold coin came from the so-called “Parthentico hoard”, which was found in the Mediterranean in the 1950s. Almost all large gold coins known from this emperor are from this treasure, and this was the best known out of four pieces of this variety. The whole hoard contained some 20 medallions. After being called out at CHF 100,000, the hammer fell on the block at CHF 200,000, + 15% commission.

Sesterius of the emperor Galba struck in the year 68 AD. This is a splendid example of Roman portraiture of the best style. (Sold for CHF 50,000)

A gold aureus of the empress Julia Mamaea, mother of the emperor Severus Alexander (222-235 AD) became almost as expensive at the auction. A gold coin from this empress has not been for sale for more than 10 years. After strong bidding between an Italian collector and a Norwegian dealer, the latter secured the coin for CHF 190,000.

Medallion of 4 aurei in gold of the emperor Maxentius, struck in the year 308. This auction’s most expensive coin fetched CHF 200,000.

Silver and bronze coins also secured fantastic prices; for example, a silver medallion of the emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD) was sold to a Swiss dealer for CHF 135,000.

The huge interest for high grade ancient coins was proven during the whole auction. High prices were fetched even for the coins of the later, not historically important emperors. A solidus in gold, for instance, of the usurper Priscus Attalus (409-410 and 414-415 AD) was knocked down on CHF 140,000 after being called out on CHF 40,000.

A new record price was set for a silver denarius of the emperor Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD). Augustus was the first and the longest reigning of the Roman emperors. During his reign, Jesus Christ was born.

Denarius of Septimius Severus, 193-211 AD. The reverse commemorates the building of his triumphal arch, which still stands in Rome beside the Coliseum. (Sold for CHF 2,400)

These coins are normally traded for between CHF 1,000 and 2,000. A fantastic piece with the portrait of his general Agrippa on the reverse was not knocked down before it had reached a fantastic CHF 60,000. Agrippa was married to Augustus’ daughter Julia and was his heir to the throne, but preceded him.

The market for ancient Roman coins is world-wide. A lot of coins are found in the ground every year and millions of coins are always available. Most of these coins are common and of lower grade, fetching prices in the range of 5 to 50 US dollars. The few top pieces that are around are rare and widely sought after and these coins are commanding rapidly increasing prices, like the coins at this auction.

This week’s story comes directly from the files of the Pattaya Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and is a happy one. Lesley Warner writes:

A gentleman phoned me the other day. He was in a terrible dilemma, because of ill health he was unable to look after his monkey anymore. Could PAWS help him?

The monkey came from Laos; he’s a Macaque (Ling Wog in Thai); he was 2 months old when he first came to Pattaya and is now 18 months old. They named him Walter J. Freud but as he will not answer to this name, he is called ‘Jojo’.

He’s a very happy and healthy monkey that likes to take a bath and when no one is watching. Not only does he swim in the pool, but he’s a great comedian. Jojo eats fruit, vegetables, pasta and rice and if given the chance he will steal things - especially money!

The first place that came to mind was Nong Nooch because when I last visited there I was very impressed with their animals. At Nong Nooch they said they would be happy to help PAWS and give ‘Jojo’ a home.

When we reached the Tropical Gardens a translator, Khun Poo, had been provided for us. Khun Poo introduced me to Dr. Poom and Dr. Vinai, two of the vets that look after the large variety of animals they have in the Gardens. Dr. Poom offered to show me where they would keep ‘Jojo’ while they assessed him. So we climbed into a strange little wagon that bumped and bounced it’s way to a private area where they keep animals that need special attention.

It’s a beautiful setting, large individual cages set amongst huge palms. Dr. Poom then took me to be introduced to the other animals in the Mini Zoo. As we passed through I managed to get a photo of one of the large Chimps taking his bath. He was covered in soap suds and obviously having a wonderful time.

I met up with Khun Poo and she took me to the show of Thai Boxing and Traditional Dancing, then it was time for the Elephant Show. I was especially interested in this, as Dr. Poom had said that they might be able to use ‘Jojo’ and his natural comic character in this show.

All the staff at Nong Nooch are willing to do what they can to help Pattaya Animal Welfare Society. More and more people are coming to realize how beneficial it will be for PAWS to help them with their animal problems. We need more volunteers but if you cannot help with time perhaps you could give a small donation. Contact PAWS on Email [email protected] or Fax (038) 231675.