Dear Pattaya Mail,

I am a full-time farang resident of Jomtien, residing in the development known as Jomtien Palace. For the past several months, we have been experiencing a nightmare of interrupted water service, where we literally don’t know from day to day if we will have water. On average, once the water goes off, it stays off for 1-2 days. In the past week, we have had three such interruptions.

Telephone calls to the company invite the observation that “they have no record of any service problems.” Visits to the water company result in being told that they are “fixing a broken pipe.” At this point, they could have fixed a pipe running from Pattaya to Bangkok.

Needless to say, there is very little quality of life living without water. What is so worrisome is that the people at the water company seem to have no concept of what to do or how to fix it.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide,

Editor;

In response to the recent “argument” in Pattaya Mail about sugar and artificial sweeteners, I hereby offer an extract from my book Roads to Health & Recovery.

Sugar cane took over a 1,000 years to spread beyond the borders of India to Europe, when only the wealthy could have it as a part of their diet. In those times sugar was a dark product – still containing vitamins and minerals, which are so important.

By the middle of the nineteenth century most of the raw sugar was being ruthlessly refined for consumption in many kinds of foods – with no regard or consideration of the adverse effects it was going to cause.

Gigantic business operations were put into motion and now, in spite of the knowledge we have about the importance of vitamins and trace elements, refined sugar is firmly established as an additive to many foods. Refined sugar, whether from cane or beet, is a pure carbohydrate and energy source for bodily function – likened to petrol in a car – which does nothing for engine maintenance.

Sugar consumption in industrialized countries is far too high, and like salt, it is found in a vast range of processed foods.

These foods are obvious to everybody. However, here is a short list indicating the approximate number of teaspoons of sugar in the “worst offenders”: Bitter Melon, 1 medium bottle has 5 teaspoons. Cola, 1 can has 7 teaspoons. Cordial, 1glass has 6 teaspoons. Ribena, 1glass has 6 teaspoons. Sugar Frosties, 1 bowl has 3.5 teaspoons. Chocolate cake with icing, 1 medium slice has 5 teaspoons. Instant whip, 1 packet has 10 teaspoons. Jelly, 1 packet has 19 teaspoons. Dolly mixtures, 1 small box has 20 teaspoons. Murray mints, 1 packet has 10 teaspoons.

Sugar is responsible for dental decay, depletion of vitamins and obesity. A well known expert has stated, “no one can show that refined sugar has any place at all in the diet of any living thing.”

Under the title, “Not Such Strange Cures”, I have included a suggestion from a reader of SAGA magazine, who advocates the taking of molasses for the easing and eradication of arthritic pain. Whether or not this remedy is effective I can’t say. However, molasses, which is the residue collected after sugar cane has been refined, is a rich source of nutrients. These are: vitamin b complex, thiamin, calcium, magnesium, riboflavin, phosphorus, chlorine, biotin, iron, sodium, pantothenic acid, copper, potassium and pyridoxine.

It is recommended that molasses or honey be used as sweetening agents in lieu of sugar. Conga Foods Preston, Victoria, Australia produce excellent molasses – stocked by Friendship Supermarket.

Sincerely,

Editor,

Having just returned from our 10th visit to Pattaya, each year we see the improvements made to make Pattaya more attractive to visitors.

Reading Pattaya Mail, now much thicker than your earlier editions but alas lacking the raw tongue in cheek humour of its infancy, we are told that the latest attempt to attract visitors is to issue gaming licences to Koh Larn island.

May we suggest that there is already a supreme gambling game played out daily in Pattaya? Namely crossing Beach Road and the bigger gamble of crossing 2nd Road.

We take our lives in our hands during the day but at night after a few Singha’s it becomes a matter of life or death.

Perhaps the Town Council could be persuaded to reduce this gamble in Pattaya before starting the gamble in Koh Larn.

We live in hope,

George McGuire

Editor;

Bearing on the front page of Pattaya Mail on that most ominous of days, Friday the 13th, I shall hopefully, with some clarity, bring some light on this ‘fear-belief’.

It has been said that, “the greatest nation on earth is not the one you belong to, but the imagination”. The human mind in all its strange states of being tends to stretch the truth beyond all bounds. Misunderstanding, exaggeration, and of course fear drive such superstitions.

The 13th came from the Tarot deck: Tarot card number 13 is the death card. Death, to any worthy readers of the Tarot, is neither sinister nor physical death. Instead, it is the acceptance of the changing or ceasing of a restricting attitude or ideas. Doors open inside people’s minds, for fear to parade in, when viewing the pictures of the death card. Most decks depict a gruesome scene of a horse supporting the grim reaper, with a large scythe in his two skeleton hands, hacking off heads of helpless corpses. Enough to send a chill up your four fronts.

In days gone by, the main agricultural production came from uneducated peasants, and prior to reading and writing most understood symbolism. Pubs may have names such as the Ox and Crown, so would show this above their happy establishment by way of pictures, not the words.

The number 13 in numerology has no cruel meaning. Number one beginning into some new, three trinity, or combined natural forces. Together they add to a four, which is the material number, or worldly. This is brief and a reasonably lazy explanation. Personally I blame strong Thai beer for my hesitancy.

The Friday part of the equation, I believe, is when Jesus Christ was crucified. Hence the big ‘fear’ of Friday the 13th. Simple, isn’t it?

Full moons: there are mountains of proof, for centuries, that insane patients locked away in deep, windowless hollows called asylums, on the evenings of full moons, unknown to themselves, simply ‘flip’, go bananas, ‘spit the dummy’.

If you don’t believe me, try working in an institution for the mentally impaired. The name may have changed, but the results on the patients are the same.

The word ‘lunar’ is an old word from Latin to Spanish meaning moon. Lunatic, “one who bays at the moon”.

In the Tarot the ‘moon’ card is the negative, the draw, opposed to the ‘sun’ card, positive and giver. Different cycles, that’s all.

Signed,

Dear Sir,

Last Saturday I visited Koh Samet with my wife and 2 young children. On arrival we, with many other tourists, boarded a pickup to be taken to our various destinations. After perhaps 100 meters into our journey we were stopped at a signboard whereupon all ‘Foreigners’ had to pay 200 baht and Thais 20 baht to enter the ‘National Park’.

This caused much consternation amongst not only the foreigners but also amongst many Thais who witnessed at first hand this blatant racial discrimination. I personally would have turned back to the ferry but my children would then have become the real ‘losers’.

Question: why are tourists not informed of this charge before departing from the mainland? We then proceeded to pass countless bungalows, food shops, pubs, bars restaurants, dive shops, tour shops and boat ride shops along the road to our destination. At our resort there were all manner of water ski boats, fun ride and glass bottom boats. The beachfront bars and restaurants were nearly all playing noisy music. Where was the serenity I had expected at the ‘National Park’?

In fact the place turned out to be like Koh Samui was some 20 years ago, everything expensive as it had to be transported from Rayong, beaches full of hawkers and pests. If I must endure such surroundings then please don’t insult me by charging me to see a ‘National Park’! Which is more like an amusement park!

Yours Sincerely,