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Three busy days
by Lesley Warner
I was asked a few weeks ago to try and get some clothes
for the poorer people of the village I go to in Buri Ram. They planned a
temple day to party with free food, and an unlimited supply of sweets and
ice cream for the children. My sources were almost exhausted to gather up
old clothes, I had virtually ransacked all my friend’s wardrobes on
previous visits to the village. Anyway an idea came to me to ask my Thai
colleagues at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, of which there are a
considerable number. I have to say that they came through in a big way and I
had to borrow a pick up truck to take everything up to the village.
Making
more friends
We decided to leave early in the morning as my friend
wanted to go to the market at Naklua to pick up some fresh crabs for his
mama (in short supply in Buri Ram). I had not been to the night food market
before so it was quite an experience to arrive in the darkness to see so
much activity. We had a polystyrene box and filled it with the crabs and
other assorted fish, I was a little disturbed when I realized that the crabs
were not dead. We packed them in ice and hoped that they would stay cold in
the back of the pickup during the 6-7 hour journey.
When we arrived the fish were still cold and they, with
the bags of clothes immediately disappeared with an army of elderly women, I
did wonder if I would ever see what happened to them. I witnessed the
results of the fish quite quickly as a banquet was soon prepared and
demolished by an assorted number of people that appeared from nowhere.
Can I
fit into these
Many
hands make light work.
Who
needs chicken drumsticks?
“I
stood there transfixed as the truck went up on two wheels crunching, banging
and grinding as the digger made it’s slow progress onto the road.”
Very early the next morning I was woken and told we had
to go to the temple and set up the family noodle stall, as we were
responsible for providing the food. This meant several trips taking
equipment and food to the shady area we had chosen next to an ancient old
tree in the temple grounds. As it was a children’s day we were serving the
Thai equivalent to a slush puppy, there were large blocks of ice that had to
be manually crushed with a machine. This meant putting the block of ice on
the stand and pulling down the lever - sounds easy doesn’t it? Well it was
my job for the day ,obviously the only one they thought I was capable of, so
you can imagine my shame when the ice went spinning across the grass, and
the job was taken away from me. The general opinion was obviously that I was
incapable of work, as I was not asked to contribute anymore to the day.
I noticed that there was a large stage erected near the
temple and I saw boxes of clothes being taken on to it. I was unsure why and
asked my friend what was happening. He said, “Wait, later.” As everyone
but me seemed to be busy I had no choice but to do as he said, but it
wasn’t long before a man got onto the stage and started holding up the
clothes one by one. The people appeared to bid for them but no money passed
hands, and the clothes were just tossed into the crowd. When this had
finished they started the music and later in the evening a large movie
screen was erected and they watched movies and danced throughout the night.
Everyone appeared to have a great time, especially the kids that constantly
requested photos with me. I think they like the pictures because I always
send them back to the village and I imagine they don’t see many
photographs of each other.
You may remember a story that I did sometime ago about a
house in Bangkok on the Klongs that was literally taken to pieces bit by and
taken up to the village. The following day I decided to go and visit the
family to see how they were doing. I knew that they had rented some land and
planned to reconstruct their house. Getting the money together was taking
some time and the last time I looked they were living in the rice store. The
family had spent the first of their accumulated money on some pigs that they
were breeding and a machine for making rice. The rice machine makes the most
horrendous noise (I don’t know how anyone lives in the vicinity) but it
has the ability to use and divide every part of the rice, even the husk,
which is reduced to powder and used to feed the pigs. If it wasn’t so
noisy I could have watched with fascination the simple but clever technique
used to divide the rice for ages.
I had news that the rebuilding was starting early the
next morning, so we had the usual party that evening with me supplying 3
chickens and 3 bottles of whiskey. The chickens were presented to me alive
so I could squeeze them to see if they were fat enough. One was cleverly
roasted as I had seen before in an empty oilcan. The chicken was impaled on
a stick which was secured upright in the ground and the can was placed over
it. Then a huge pile of hay was placed over and around it and set light to.
This was replenished frequently for about 45 minutes, then everything was
removed and there was a perfectly roasted chicken. The other two chickens
were barbecued over an open fire; I must say it all tasted delicious despite
my misgivings after seeing them prepared, as always on the floor and in a
rather haphazard way.
At 5.30 the next morning the digger arrived on the back
of a truck. I stood there interested to see how they would remove it as
there was no facility to do so, it was just an ordinary truck not a
transporter. I didn’t have long to wait, as the digger was literally
driven off the truck supporting itself by the bucket placed on the road. I
stood there transfixed as the truck went up on two wheels crunching, banging
and grinding as the digger made it’s slow progress onto the road. As usual
I seemed to be the only person that found this even remotely interesting
even when the truck just crashed back down onto four wheels, and the driver
calmly drove away.
Immediately it was all hands to help, and the process of reconstructing
the house began. It was a long and hard day for the majority, but not for me
as they obviously still felt I was incapable of performing any useful task,
apart from of course supplying the beer! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves
and by the end of the day there was a new home constructed for the family.
This, of course, required another party.
St. Nikolaus Church holds special service on Christmas Eve
Suchada Tupchai
The festive season, specifically Christmas, is popular
around the world and can sometimes be a frenzied marketing spree for
retailers. The true meaning of Christmas is sometimes forgotten, especially
for expatriates living and working in a foreign country that traditionally
does not celebrate this time of year. But Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard
is home for many expats and the St. Nikolaus Church on Sukhumvit celebrated
a special early evening mass at 6 p.m. where worshippers turned out to honor
the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem 2002 years ago.
Father
Patrick Morrissey, head of the Redemptorist School for the Disabled
celebrated the special mass in English.
Two
little angels.
Young
actors play the parts of Mary and Joseph in the story of Jesus.
Santa
Claus also put in a cameo appearance.
Father Patrick Morrissey, head of the Redemptorist School
for the Disabled celebrated the special mass in English as part of the
festive season. Following the mass a host of special activities were put on
for the children who also dressed as part of the Christmas theme.
At 8 p.m. Father Jaotienchai Samarnjit performed another service in Thai
for Thai residents, and spoke of the true meaning and history Christmas.
Ceremonies continued through the evening with a final mass at midnight to
celebrate Christmas Day.
Royal Cliff welcomes 3,000 Scouts and Guides to PEACH
Suchada Tupchai
On Christmas Day, the Royal Cliff Beach Resort welcomed
over 3,000 Scouts and Guides from the UK Contingent to PEACH.
“Santa
Claus is coming to town.”
A group
of pretty Girls Guides poses in front of PEACH.
Panga
Vathanakul, Royal Cliff managing director welcomed Scouts and Guides to the
PEACH as part of the Christmas Day festivities.
The groups of guides and scouts from around the world
hopped on the specially decorated baht buses and with a police and ambulance
escort made their way to the hotel grounds.
At 7 p.m. they were welcomed to Pattaya by hotel
management with Panga Vathanakul, Royal Cliff managing director giving the
welcoming speech to scouts, guides and their families for a festive season
welcome. A huge party inside PEACH followed the welcome where everyone
gathered for dinner and plenty of activities as part of the Christmas Day
celebrations.
The
Thai Navy Band played at the ceremony.
A group
of Scouts and Guides from Italy live it up on Christmas.
The visitors were treated to live music and a special
visit from Santa, complete with Thai transport and procession. Everybody
enjoyed the festivities until it was time to bid goodnight in the final
hours of Christmas Day 2002.
The 20th World Scout Jamboree, held in Sattahip begins this Saturday,
December 28 and concludes on Tuesday, January 7. The event is expected to
bring 30,000 scouts, guides and supporters and their families from around
the world to the province.
Pattaya’s Christmas celebrations sparkled as many of the city’s hotels arranged special festive functions for the many revelers
Songklod Kaewvisit
Christmas Eve in Pattaya is always joyously celebrated
with numerous functions and parties, and many of the hotels hold special
functions. This year was no exception as large groups from all corners of
the globe converged at selected venues.
A very
special part of celebrating Christmas mass is to accept holy communion from
a man of god.
Father
Ray Brennan celebrates midnight mass at the Royal Cliff Beach Resort.
The Dusit Resort Pattaya held their Christmas Eve around
the pool area overlooking Pattaya Bay. Partygoers at the Dusit were treated
to live music and dance from the Honey Bees, the hotel’s in-house dance
troop, followed by a magic show by Prince Yamaha and music by the Heart
Throb band along with a spectacular array of food from an
international-style buffet.
The Amari Orchid Resort also held their festivities
poolside, and set up a stage featuring live music as well as a visit from
the big man in red who distributed gifts to all.
People dressed in red mingled in the streets and the
city’s bars, pubs and hotels displayed spectacular decorations with
Christmas themes to get everyone into spirit of the season.
The Royal Cliff Beach Resort, as always, is the place to be later in the
evening for its special open midnight mass. This year hundreds of people of
all nationalities, residents and tourists gathered for a special late night
Christmas service. They were joined by a contingent of guides and scouts,
who recently arrived in the province for the upcoming World Scout Jamboree.
Christmas Eve - Pattaya style
Christmas Eve has always been a special holiday in these
parts, and this year was no different. Thousands of people around Pattaya
celebrated the festive season on Christmas Eve in their own special way.
“We
wish you a merry Christmas.”
Pastors
Fred and Dianne Doell sing to the highest with the congregation at the
Victory Family Church service in the Ballroom of the Marriott.
Santa’s
helpers were ready and waiting with a customary welcome drink at the Diana
Inn.
One such place was the Queen Victoria Inn, who hosted the
Pattaya Orphanage Choir. Alan Jones, a volunteer at the Pattaya Orphanage,
explained that this night was in remembrance of Jimmy Mac. Jimmy started the
tradition of singing Christmas carols here in Pattaya, and sadly passed away
earlier this year.
The choir sang a variety of Christmas carols and treated
guests to a really wonderful performance. Santa Bert then distributed
presents to all the children, which were kindly donated by the customers.
Queen Victoria Inn also donated all funds that were raised through the sales
of draught beer to Pattaya Orphanage.
In continuing with the charitable spirit of the season
members of the Victory Family Church and friends gathered at the Marriott
Hotel Ballroom for a special service marking the birth of Christ. The
congregation sang Christmas carols and read passages from the bible, fusing
their faith and beliefs in goodwill with a mixture of music and dance.
Santa
Bert organises the Queen Vic staff to hand over the sack’s Christmas
presents donated by customers of the Queen Victoria Inn.
Plenty
of Christmas parties around Pattaya. This happy group enjoyed a wonderful
night at the Poppy Garden with mine host, Chatchalit ‘Pui’ (far right)
shouting a round for his customers.
Outside around the pool of the Marriott Resort & Spa
a crowd of over 200 people attended the evening’s festivities. They were
treated to a variety of entertainment for the night including a live jazz
band and a mind-blowing acrobatic show, presented by a family from the
Philippines. There was also a performance by a number of Hawaiian dancers.
The Diana Inn also put on their traditional Christmas celebration for
guests and friends around the poolside. The music was provided by the
resident band and special shows, including a magic show and prize draws were
part of the fun. Santa Claus, that large jolly man in red made a brief
appearance handing goodies to all the children, young and old, at the party.
In all it was a busy night for Santa and the all the fun places in Pattaya
City.
Kitchen Studio will design and build the kitchen of your dreams
Kitchen Studio is not a new business in Pattaya. It has
successfully existed for 6 years and is located on Thappraya Road 413/79-80,
directly at the curve (on the right hand side) before you reach Jomtien
Beach.
The quality of its product equals or excels standards of
European kitchens. However, all of the work to prepare and finish the
kitchen is done in Thailand. The result is a much more favorable price for
your kitchen than if manufactured in Europe.
The management was ready to begin work shortly after they
arrived in Thailand. It did, however, take considerable time to find good
sources for cabinets and appliances. This time period was very useful for
the Finnish owner. He learned the “ins and outs” of doing business in
this country and finally found the best suppliers.
Some parts, such as handles and tracks and various other
products which cannot meet the quality standards set by the company are
imported from Europe.
The trend for materials used in modern kitchens is mostly
wood which is, with the exception of some native woods, imported. Most
popular is oak from North America.
Everything depends on the customer’s taste and how much
money he wants to invest. The owners are proud to say, “We have the proper
wood and material for you and when we say we can do it we stand by our word.
Naturally Kitchen Studio can produce a kitchen from any suitable
material.”
All steel used in the kitchen is rust free and must be
imported. All components necessary to complete the kitchen are manufactured
in Bangkok. This is a factory which works almost exclusively for Kitchen
Studio.
No matter what the client’s requirements are, the plans
are drawn by specialists of Kitchen Studio and forwarded to the manufacturer
who builds the components so that they can be delivered and assembled at the
customer’s house or apartment.
Major partners such as Siemens, Bosch, Elbay, Hewlett and
Smeg see to it that all appliances and hardware work flawlessly.
Plans for the kitchens are drawn by a Thai designer who
is a university graduate and experienced. His designs follow the wishes of
the client. With the use of computers the client can actually see the end
product before the work begins.
Management says, “Computer design service is free of
charge for the potential buyer because we feel confident that the client
will purchase our product once he sees what the kitchen will look like. We
also quote three different prices for the same design, depending on the
material the client selects”. No wonder that Kitchen Studio is the leading
kitchen manufacturer on the Eastern Seaboard.
Although most components are presently manufactured in
Bangkok there are plans to build a glass and metal factory in Pattaya.
When interested clients visit Kitchen Studio’s two
floors of display kitchens people are astounded at what they see. They will
find kitchens people dream of even in Europe.
The home kitchen is no longer a separate entity of our
living quarters where the cook is alone when the meal is prepared. On the
contrary, the kitchen is an integral part of the home. Cooking is now a
family affair and the kitchen should tastefully fit into the interior design
of the home/apartment.
Good design includes proper lighting and interior
decoration. Kitchen Studio automatically includes all of these factors in
its plans.
The fact that everything - appliances, lighting,
decoration, all materials and much more - can be delivered by Kitchen
Studio, results in prices which clients can afford to pay. A nice kitchen
can be purchased for as little as 100,000 baht.
Studio Kitchen invites the public to stop in at their showroom for a
visit. For more information please telephone 038-231281 or 038-303 279.
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