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Hundreds of Pattaya’s shop-aholics turn up for the Pattaya International Ladies Club Annual Holiday Bazaar
by Brendan Richards
Pattaya’s shop-aholics turned up in force for the
PILC’s annual Holiday Bazaar held at the Royal Cliff Grand last Saturday,
October 5. Savitree Srisakul, the wife of the new Chonburi governor, was the
guest of honor and performed the official ribbon cutting duties and speeches
to PILC members and interested shoppers.
Savitree
Srisakul (left), the wife of the new governor of Chonburi, gracefully cuts
the ribbon to officially get the proceedings underway, ably assisted by PILC
president Laurence Fatus (center) and the chairwoman of the PILC Bazaar
committee, Arlette Cykman (right).
Premrudee
and Alvi seem to enjoy their time at the Bazaar.
Arlette
proudly shows the plaque of appreciation.
Once the formalities were over, PILC President Laurence
Fatus escorted the governor’s wife and her entourage around the bazaar.
The ladies were seen hunting down some of the many bargains to be had.
With over sixty stalls offering everything from
children’s clothing and toys to scented candles and Christmas decorations,
there was a great variety for shoppers to choose from.
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| Wow,
this is really a super sale! |
Look
what my mom bought me. |
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| A
big smile for the photographer. |
Mia
filled up her shopping bag with bargains galore. |
By late morning the first floor of the Royal Cliff Grand
was buzzing with eager shoppers wanting to get in some early Christmas
shopping, and by mid-afternoon the crowd almost reached the point of being
elbow to elbow. By then, the Royal Cliff Grand’s first floor and ballroom
were almost bursting at the seams.
While the mums and dads shopped to their hearts content,
the kids were not forgotten. A special room was set aside to entertain the
kids, complete with clowns, balloons and coloring competitions, games and
prizes for kids in three age groups.
How
about this beautiful teapot?
The
movement specialists are not going to move from their booth.
Everybody
knows these charming PILC volunteers.
The raffle this year also had a large number of prizes on
offer. Many of the stallholders generously donated items, as did Volclay
Siam, Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa, Bangkok Airways, Samui Palm Beach
Resort, Amari Airport Hotel, Aiyapura Resort & Spa, Conrad Hotel
Bangkok, Amari Rincome Chiangmai, Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Amari Watergate
Hotel, Tarn Thong Goldsmiths, PBL Travel, Thai Bijoux, Pandit Carpets, Royal
Garden Spa & Fitness Center, Dusit Resort Sports Club, Amari Orchid
Resort, Art Craft Trading, Afghan House, Au Bon Coin, Beauty House,
Bookazine, Brunos, The Balcony, Friendship Supermarket, Foodland, Duangjai
Silver, Henry J. Beans, House of Siam, Santa Fe-Global Silverhawk, Jim
Thompson, JTK Resources, La Gritta, Maria Pearl, Pattaya Mail, Pan
Pan-San Domenico, Phu Luang, Paris D้cor, Patricia Little, Thai
Design, Valentino Gems, VSK Trading, Villa Supermarket, Scan Products, Salon
Simone and RND Silver.
Ursula
and Judy full steam ahead on their shopping spree.
And
what’s the price for the complete set? 
Mom, I
want these cookies.
I know
this book already, it’s very interesting.
With the large number of prizes on offer, tickets sales
exceeded last year and over 167,000 baht was raised from this activity
alone.
The Annual Holiday Bazaar is one the PILC’s main
fundraising events for the year, with over six months of careful planning
and preparation by the special events chairperson Arlette Cykman, who
recently received a special plaque from Pattaya City in recognition of her
contribution in organizing special events such as this over the years, and
her dedicated team of Judy Clausen, Judy Hoppe and a host of others too many
to mention should be congratulated for yet another successful fundraising
event. The people of Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard once again turned out
for a charitable cause, especially the two major sponsors Volclay Siam and
Transpo International.
This
futuristic Christmas tree will fit perfectly on my desk.
Can you
paint as nice as we do?
To help
the Fountain of Life is real fun.
Having
fun is very important while shopping!
Event organizer, Arlette Cykman after the event said,
“I’m so happy when the event is over. All that hard work has paid off
and people enjoyed the day. Some people who had come from Bangkok told me
there is nothing as nice as the bazaar in Bangkok, (there are) a lot of
decorations and a lovely atmosphere.”
At press time the final count was not yet complete but
with the contributions from the raffle ticket sales, the entrance fees and
vendors’ contributions the final figure may well reach the 350,000 baht
mark. The funds raised will go to the Pattaya International Ladies Club’s
delegated charities on the Eastern Seaboard, ultimately benefiting the
underprivileged.
Bargaining
is more than just fun, it’s an art form.
Hey,
hey, don’t watch me all the time, says Pat.
That’s
the perfect mask for the up-coming PILC ball “A night in Venice”.
Sister
Joan, ever-so-thankful, watches as Brunhilde writes out the cheque.
A clown
sometimes has a heavy burden.
The next major function will the PILC Ball in November,
which promises to be a major social event on the city’s calendar.
Raffle Prize Winners
Election of a Headman
by Lesley Warner
It was with a sense of foreboding that I set out on my
last trip to the northeast. I sat in the car gloomily reflecting on the past
2 weeks and imagining the next 4 days. Let me explain, it was brought to my
attention abruptly one evening when my very stressed friend said to me, “I
need to give some money to my papa.” The warning bells started clamouring
in my head, I have never been able to adjust to the constant financial
demands that Thai parents and siblings make. Up to this point I have always
been able to avoid it costing me too much, as I truly never have any money
to give away. But this time I could see it was serious; my friend looked
extremely harassed. I asked him what his papa needed the money for and he
answered, “He wants to be headman of the village and he is campaigning
against another man (another family member it turned out) for the
position.”
The
blessing
I said innocently, “What’s that got to do with
money?” Stupid question, he looked at me as if I was an idiot and said
impatiently, “He has to pay.” Me, still being stupid asked, “Pay who?
Doesn’t he get paid to do the job?”
By this time my friend had obviously lost patience
completely and said as if he was talking to an idiot, “He has to pay the
people to vote for him, and he has to pay more people than the other man
does, so he can win.” At this point, I declined from making a comment
about what I thought of this method of voting, thinking it the wisest
course. Instead, I said, “How much does it cost to pay these people?” He
said, “100-200 baht each for about 130 people.” I worked out that was a
considerable amount of money and when I questioned further it turns out the
pay for the position of headman is only about 3-4000 baht a month and the
position is for 4 years. He didn’t seem to get the equation when I
mentioned it, so I decided it had to be for the status.
Waiting
to be fed
I immediately said no, as I always do in these situations
but over the next few days the pressure became more serious, to the extent
that my friend said I ought not to go to the village with him. He felt that
a brief trip by him to put his cross on the paper would be all that would be
acceptable, as we had not contributed to the campaign and he is the oldest
son. At this point I actually began to feel a pang of guilt, goodness knows
why. I explained to my friend that this would cost him his trip to England
in October, something he has dreamed of for a long time. But his obvious
loyalty and responsibility towards his father was more important. I have to
say that the relief that he felt when I said yes was so obvious; I didn’t
feel that I could have made any other decision. It was later that the regret
and disappointment would set in.
So, you ask why the sense of foreboding? Because as with
all Thai family money issues, once you start to give it doesn’t end there.
We travelled with a considerable amount of alcohol and cigarettes because
it’s the campaigners duty to entertain the voters. This can become costly
when it’s a whole village. Fortunately, I didn’t have to cover the cost
of the whole 15,000 baht that was spent on whiskey and beer. Not to mention
the cow and pig that were slaughtered to feed these potential voters.
A proud
mama
No one slept that night apart from me. I managed a couple
of hours. Everyone else just sat drinking till dawn; in fact, they didn’t
stop then, it just carried on throughout the day.
A pick up truck and a motorbike were available to escort
the voters to the temple to put their cross by the appropriate name. Many
had been brought from Bangkok or other areas where they had moved. Our job
was to enlist more voters and this meant standing in the scorching sun
outside the temple catching them as they went in. At this late stage if you
were lucky it only cost a cigarette or 20 baht. I’m not sure how they can
know that people don’t just take the money from both sides and then vote
however they wish?
During the day we also went round visiting people in
their houses, as always in the village this meant sitting and drinking.
Exhausted, hot and irritable by the afternoon I actually accepted a drink
but as I looked at the homemade brew I thought it was a strange dirty
looking mixture. Fortunately, my inebriated friend was ‘with it’ enough
to only allow me one glass before he managed, “Careful, not good for
you.” Later when he was in a fit state to question (on the journey home) I
asked him what the drink was, he told me it was whisky made from ‘insect
spray’. This certainly explained the pounding headache I experienced for 3
days.
The law
When I eventually managed to take a look inside the
temple it was interesting to note how official it all looked. Both
campaigners wandered around watching the voters register with the officials
and then go to the individual booths to make their mark. As I stood and
observed them tottering over to the booth, I wondered if half of them were
in a fit state to know which person they were voting for. The police were
there in force to observe, eat, drink and keep everything on the “straight
and narrow”.
Papa won his campaign, and apparently this meant that for
2 more days he had to feed and entertain the villagers.
So the festivities continued throughout another night,
another pig and another cow but the supply of whiskey and money had dried
up. Don’t think this stopped them. I was given a torch and told to follow
my friend and his brother to the back of the house. We stopped at a huge urn
and when they removed the lid it was wet rice. With a piece of netting they
strained the rice into buckets while I held the torch. It was pitch black,
and we were surrounded by jungle. This was homemade rice whiskey. I have to
say it’s really very easy to drink, and drink they did by the bucket load
throughout the night while the ladies sang and danced to karaoke music.
The
second cow
I was unceremoniously woken the next morning by people
enthusiastically banging on the bedroom door who wanted the camera. I
climbed out of bed to look blearily out into a room packed with the old
people of the village and several monks chanting. I hastily retreated and
had to sit with my legs crossed for 30 minutes, unable to get out of the
room. When I did venture out I had to crawl ‘respectfully’ through the
elders and monks eating. The toilet is in a lean to on the side of the
house, near where all the women were sitting on the floor cooking. I
didn’t care; I could see my goal. I literally climbed over women and food
to reach it. When I ventured out again there was not a space in or around
the house for me to sit comfortably; everyone still stares at me even after
knowing me for 2 years. I still find this extremely disconcerting so I went
in search of a solitary place to relax. I eventually found it with the
German Shepherd guarding the poultry. Fortunately all his snarling and
barking was merely a front and we happily settled into the hay together.
After several hours I was getting bored and really wanted
to leave. One of the biggest problems I experience in the village is having
no one to talk to. Even if my Thai was better they speak Laos so it
wouldn’t help me, it probably makes it worse because they try to talk to
me and I can’t answer. I can’t even chat on my mobile phone because
there is no signal. For a gregarious soul like myself I tend to get
withdrawal symptoms after about 4 days.
An old man came up to me and in surprisingly good broken
English explained that papa needed money. I just smiled; I was not in a good
mood, broke, dirty, and tired and still suffering a blinding headache. I
said maybe I could find a money tree when I got back to Pattaya. The sarcasm
was totally wasted, and papa said good-bye and presented me with a piece of
paper with his bank account number on it!
I said to my friend. “Was it worth it? He owes so much now it will take
more than his 4 year office to pay it back.” My friend looked at me
patiently again and said, “Of course it is, he won, the other man paid 500
baht for each person and he lost.”
“Daddy, I’m Home”
The story of a reunion of a father and a long lost daughter
Story and photos by Sue
Anyone who’d been to Delaney’s before it became
Shenanigans Irish Pub in Pattaya would remember the popular East Coast Band
consisting of three musicians and a singer: Ramil, Elder, Hans and Janette.
Like all good things that must come to an end, this versatile group
completed their contract and swam offshore to rock the boat with their music
on the Dolphin Boat Restaurant moored in Pattaya Bay. After one season, the
group split, each going their own way.
Ramil Medyarov, the undisputed mainstay of the group,
decided to stay in Thailand where he has been since 1998. He is now
performing live every night at the Jazz Pit in Soi 5, where he offers guests
an inexhaustible variety of jazz music interspersed with passionate pieces
from his homeland. He was recently joined by a very talented husband &
wife duo; Vilena and Nikolai.
But behind Ramil’s happy face was melancholy that found
no relief for 23 long years. Not one day went by that he did not reminisce
about his younger days when he first met his wife at the age of 20 while
still serving in the army in Saratov City along Volga River, and eventually
married her. Together they had a beautiful daughter and named her Regina.
Ramil
and Regina are finally back together again.
Ramil, the gifted musician who first picked up an
accordion at the age of 4, fiddled with it and made music, decided that he
wanted to be a musician. He attended music school and college while teaching
music to young children in high school. But a musician as such was not
accepted by his conservative in-laws.
No matter how hard Ramil worked, the income was never
enough, and the harder he tried, the farther his dreams drifted. His parents
in-law eventually took their daughter and granddaughter back to their home
where they believed they could give them a better life than that being
provided by a poor musician.
Determined to prove his worth, Ramil joined the National
Concerts Organization and traveled extensively around the world performing
Jazz music with the “Doostar”. The first trip was to the USA on an
invitation from American Express in 1987, and from then on, the globe was
just a jazzy trot.
The group came to perform in Thailand in 1993 and shortly
after they split, with some members still performing at Oriental and
Shangri-La hotels.
Ramil came to Pattaya to perform at Delaney’s and on
the Dolphin Seafood Restaurant, and it was there where a tourist from the
same hometown in Russia was entranced by Ramil’s music and went to listen
to him very often. To show his appreciation, he asked Ramil if there was
anything he could do for him when he returned home.
It was
a touching reunion at the airport when father and daughter were at long last
reunited after 23 years.
Ramil did not have to think for a second; he asked the
man if he could find his long lost daughter for him. He gave the newfound
friend a photograph of his young son, born here to his beautiful Thai wife,
and asked the man to give it to his daughter when he found her and to tell
her that she had a brother.
A few months later, the phone rang.
“It’s me, Regina, your daughter.”
Ramil could hardly speak at first but tears of
unspeakable joy just overflowed at the realization that his 23 year old
dream had actually come true.
The voice on the other end was that of a dainty young
Russian lady, who was just as excited to have found her daddy after years
and years of just looking at faded old black and white photos of a young man
in his twenties taken with her mother.
That phone call led to exchange of emails as the two got
to know each other and began making plans for their meeting. The more they
talked, the more they recognized their mental and spiritual bond through
their mutual love of music.
Yes, his daughter, Regina, the little girl he had to
leave behind because his in-laws belittled his choice of music profession,
is now a musician herself.
A graduate from Saratov National University, Regina has
become a piano player, a music teacher and music expert.
The day finally arrived when Regina would meet her
father. Ramil had been counting down the days and there he was on 22
September 2002, at Don Muang Airport, nervous and sweating as he waited for
... what was she going to look like?! She was just a little bundle in arms
when he had to leave.
“Will I know when she comes, what will I say?” Ramil
kept asking himself.
He was still looking into the crowds of travelers when
Regina, recognizing him immediately, came up to him and hugged him and
cried. Everything stood still for what it seemed like forever. He turned to
see a beautiful young lady with long black hair stunningly contrasting her
cream coloured skin and sparkling eyes.
Regina fell in love with Thailand immediately, and loves
Thai food. Still finding her way around, she pokes into almost all the
activities her daddy does, joining him nightly at work at the Jazz Pit. With
so many wishes popping up in the happy little girl’s mind, the length of
her stay in Thailand will no doubt be extended ... and extended ... and
extended.
Regina wants to learn English, give piano lessons, and
hopefully one-day open a music school here with her father.
Asked by Ramil if she might want to go home at anytime, Regina snuggled
up, throwing her arms around her father and said, “Daddy, I am home.”
U.S. zoo sends 6 rare white tigers to Thailand as part of preservation program
Songklod Kaewvisit
The Zoological Park Organization of Thailand (ZPO), under
the Royal Patronage of HM the King, recently released 6 tigers - 5 white
tigers and 1 tan-colored tiger - into Khao Kheow Zoo’s Big Cat Complex.
The tigers were welcomed to their new home on September 30th, where they
will be able to roam freely in a natural habitat.
The six white tigers were bred in Nashville Zoo in the
American state of Kentucky and were sent to Thailand as part of a
preservation program. The plan was originally inspired to save an endangered
species of clouded leopard indigenous to Thailand. An agreement to implement
the program was signed by the Office of the Prime Minister on June 8, 2001.
This
beautiful white tiger has found a new home at the Khao Kheow Zoo’s Big Cat
Complex.
Local and government dignitaries were on hand at the
‘ceremonial’ release of the tigers into the Cat Complex at the zoo. Five
white tigers will reside in Khao Kheow while the sixth was transferred to
Safari World in Bangkok.
The big cats were shipped to Thailand from the U.S. with
FedEx sponsoring the shipping costs as part of their commitment to
environmental education initiatives and the communities in which the company
operates. This sponsorship saved the ZPO some US$40,000 (1,746,255 baht).
White tigers are very rare and can generally only be seen
in zoos. There are an estimated 200 white tigers in the world.
White tigers are not a different species of tiger; they
are just white-colored Bengal tigers. They are not albinos. White tigers
have blue eyes, a pink nose, and creamy white fur with black/brown stripes.
White tigers are rare because they only occur when two tigers mate and both
carry the gene for white coloring.
The first white tiger recorded was captured in 1953 in
Rewa, India after which it was crossbred with another tiger. In nature,
white tigers occur in 1 in 10,000 births.
The Khao Kheow Zoo plans to research methods on
preserving white tigers and increase the number of white tigers in Thailand,
which will then be transported to other zoos throughout the country.
The so-called ‘market price’ for these rare animals is around 1.5
million baht per cub. Thailand now has six; 2 males and 4 females.
Another World Class Wine Dinner to remember
Australian Winemaker’s Gala Dinner October 30
It is with great pleasure that Ranjith Chandrasiri
invites everyone to the Australian Winemaker’s Gala Dinner on the 30th of
October, 19:00 hrs in the elegant setting of the Grand Ballroom, Royal Cliff
Grand. This world-class event is indeed special, as no less than Ms. Anna
Flowerday, the winemaker of the prestigious “Leasingham’ winery in Clare
Valley, along with wine connoisseurs from the BRL Hardy headquarters located
in South Australia, will be on hand to present the wines.
Seven fabulous varieties of Australian wines plus Royal
Canapes will complement a six-course gourmet dinner that will be prepared by
the Royal Cliff Beach Resort’s team of culinary experts. The menu itself
promises to be another hit for Royal Cliff Beach Resort Executive Chef
Walter Thenisch and his team.
All the wines offered at the dinner are produced by
various boutique wineries that now belong to Australia’s largest wine
producer - BRL Hardy. Also included are multi-award winning wines from
Barossa Valley Estate, Stonehaven and Leasingham which have enjoyed
considerable success in recent times winning many accolades at national and
international wine shows.
Diners will also have the opportunity to taste sweet
sticky and gorgeous ‘Noble Riesling’ dessert wine from Padthaway
vineyard. Grapes grown on Padthaway vineyard have a proven record for
producing botrytis affected Riesling of outstanding quality; however,
vintage conditions for such a wine have only occurred three times in the
last nine years. This sensational dessert wine is a worthy successor to the
multi-award winning 1994 Padthaway Noble Riesling and is available in only
limited quantities.
This grand event promises to be of high quality and an
excellent value for money - nothing less than what the Royal Cliff Wine Club
has consistently offered in the past.
The all-inclusive price (including seven varieties of
wines) is only 1500 baht net (Wine Club members and their guests will
receive further 10% discount).
As more and more guests attend each wine dinner and due
to the fact that these events get booked out very quickly, we recommend that
you reserve your seats early.
For inquiries or reservations, please call the Royal
Cliff Wine Club at (66) 038-250-421 ext. 2782 (from 09:00 to 18:00 hrs) or
Guest Relations at ext. 2007 or 2037. You can also email [email protected]
1999 Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Merlot voted overall best
The “Wine and Spirit Thailand” wine competition was held recently as
part of the 10th International Food and Hospitality show at the Queen
Sirikit National Convention Center. A total of 82 wines were entered in
the competition including 14 wines made in Thailand. 1999 Kendall Jackson
Vintner’s Reserve Merlot was voted as the overall winner, which entered
under the 1,000 baht category. Doh- Lemon (white) and Khao Yai (red) were
the winners from Thai producers.
Sorrasit Wongsantivanich
(center) general manager of the California Wine Co. Ltd, the distributor
of Kendall Jackson wines in Thailand, poses with two of the 13 member
judging panel, Ranjith Chandrasiri (left), resident manager of the Royal
Cliff Grand and Zanto Zoppis (right) executive chef of Thai Airways
International Co. Ltd.
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