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Tens of thousands turn out to watch
fireworks contest light up Pattaya’s night
Defense Minister Gen. Pravit Wongsuwan, Defense Ministry
Permanent Secretary Gen. Apichart Penkitti, Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
and other officials light candles and sing praises of Her Majesty the Queen
to honor her birthday.
Phasakorn Channgam
Photos by Vimolrat Singnikorn
 Tens of thousands of people turned out to see four
nations pay homage to HM Queen Sirikit and compete to put on the greatest
spectacular in the Pattaya International Fireworks Contest.
Teams from Thailand, China, Italy and the United Arab
Emirates lit up the night Aug. 14 with fireworks extravaganzas that
impressed even fireworks-weary Pattaya old-timers. Timed exquisitely to
musical scores, the show was deemed the largest and most extravagant ever
staged in the kingdom.
Defense Minister Gen. Pravit Wongsuwan opened the show on
Beach Road at Soi 6 with Gen. Apichart Penkitti, permanent secretary of the
Defense Ministry, which organized the contest, and Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol
Kunplome looking out over a beachfront shoulder-to-shoulder with thousands
of spectators. While traffic downtown deteriorated into a gridlocked
nightmare, the night was otherwise uneventful crime wise with more than 500
military and police personnel standing guard.
The two-hour show featured four themed exhibitions with
China leading off with a show of friendship between the two nations. Italy’s
showcase highlighted HM the Queen’s position at the side of HM the King,
while the U.A.E. saluted HM the King with an Arabian-themed extravaganza.
Thailand closed out the evening with its best effort at matching the
sophisticated competition.
For the first time, fireworks were launched from floating
platforms in Pattaya Bay, rather than the conventional spot on Bali Hai
Pier.
The contest and show were actually the second round in an
11-country, two-year Ministry of Defense competition organized to honor
Their Majesties the King and Queen. Countries competing are Austria, China,
Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Philippines, United Arab Emirates, U.S.A.,
Thailand, United Kingdom.
Spectators were given evaluation sheets so that the
judges could add spectator scores the judges’ scores. The four categories
for judging the fireworks were beauty, color of fireworks, in harmony with
the music, and impression on the spectators.
The first round was held in Thongthani Dec. 13 to mark HM
the King’s Dec. 5 birthday last year. The Aug. 14 second round fell just two
days after Mother’s Day this year. The next round is scheduled for December
2010 in Phuket or Rayong; followed by round 4 scheduled for August 2011 in
Khon Kaen or Chiang Mai, with the finals scheduled for December 2011 in
Bangkok, Nonthaburi or Suphanburi.
At the end of each competition, the organisers will
invite the top three winners to compete in the final round in December 2011
. At this event, all the countries that have participated in the overall
competition will be invited to a grand showing of fireworks in honour of HM
the King’s 84th birthday on December 5, 2011.
Area celebrates Mothers’ Day with cake, candles & umbrellas
Despite the heavy rain, Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome and city administrators
light candles to congratulate Her Majesty the Queen.
Sattahip Naval Base
gathered 35 units
to light candles on Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday.
Beautiful young dancers
perform in honor of Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday.
Elephants present flower
garlands to Her Majesty the Queen’s image
at Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens.
More than 1,000 Chonburi
cyclists ride 78km in honor
of Her Majesty the Queen, the mother of the land.
Vimolrat Singnikorn
Giant birthday cakes, racing bicycles and thousands of
umbrellas marked the 78th birthday of HM Queen Sirikit as the Eastern
Seaboard celebrated Mother’s Day 2010.
Festivities ran from dawn past dusk across the region as
public officials began Aug. 12 with ceremonies and merit-making and
continued into the night as thousands of Thais braved a torrential downpour
to light candles and parade along Pattaya’s beachfront.
Young traditional dancers perform well in spite of the wet conditions.
In Pattaya, the Mother’s Day commemoration began with
offerings of dried food to 79 Buddhist monks. Meanwhile, in Chonburi, Gov.
Senee Jittakasem and his wife Chorpaka, head of the Chonburi Red Cross, led
a similar merit-making activity at Sihing Hall. In Sattahip, 63 students at
Singsamut School were ordained as monks by Principal Prasit Luangthong.
Area hotels and department stores also joined in the
celebration with Amari Orchid Resort baking up a 78-meter-long birthday cake
and selling slices for charity at Central Festival Pattaya Beach. Central
honored local mothers by awarding “Best Mother” plaques to prominent women.
Elsewhere, more than 1,000 cyclists from clubs in Pattaya,
Banglamung, Sriracha, Bang Saen and Chonburi raced down Sukhumvit Road from
Pattaya to Chonburi - a distance of 78 kilometers - in honor of their queen.
Taking up HM the Queen’s call for environmental
restoration, Royal Thai Navy officials, Plutaluang officials and students
from Burapha University released four million banana prawns, 60,000 giant
perch, 1,000 chanos, and 200 giant clams into the wild.
The military in a separate activity also released 120,000
tilapia, jawa or carp into the Prince Chumporn Reservoir in Sattahip.
Separately, the commander in chief of Royal Thai Marine Corps led about
1,000 personnel into plating mangrove trees and laying an artificial coral
reef.
As the sun set and storm clouds rolled in, Pattaya
residents paraded from Royal Garden Plaza to Bali Hai Pier where they lit
candles and made offerings to a painting of HM the Queen, just as the skies
opened. But even pouring rain couldn’t keep Her Majesty’s followers from
leaving before toasting her birthday with fireworks.
Candles also were lit at the Sattahip Naval Base where
more than 3,000 local officials and residents assembled at Prince Chumporn
Park for fireworks.
Chonburi
Governor Senee Jittakasem led officers in offering dry food
to Buddhist monks at Buddha Sihing Hall in Chonburi.
Singsamut School brought 63 student novices to be ordained
in honor of Her Majesty the Queen on Aug. 12.
Young
recruits march down Pattaya Beach Road
in Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday parade.
Local villagers clean their neighborhoods and perform
an additional good
deed in honor of the mother of the land.
Pattaya
Mail joins the fun, marching in the parade to express loyalty to Her Majesty
the Queen on her birthday.
Bordeaux wine dinners delight all the senses
(L to R) Albin Roux, area manager for Laubade Et Domaines Associes; Jens
Heier, Amari Orchid Pattaya’s executive chef; Anuchit Saeng-on, channel
manager for Horeca’s Wine & Spirits Division of Italthai Industrial Co.,
Ltd.; and Supparatch Piyawatcharapun, social director at Mantra Restaurant &
Bar.
Paul Strachan
Wine dinners have always been a popular night out here in
Pattaya and the ones held at Mantra are no exception. On Wednesday the 28th
of August, to round off their month-long Beef & Bordeaux promotion, Mantra
held a Bordeaux Wine Dinner.
(L to R) Albin Roux, area manager for Laubade Et Domaines
Associes; Paul Strachan from Pattaya Mail TV; and Anuchit Saeng-on, channel
manager for Horeca’s Wine & Spirits Division of Italthai Industrial Co.,
Ltd.
Executive Chef Jens Heier explained that Mantra has a
very close connection with Italthai Food & Beverage Solutions and that they
had provided the wines for the evening. Jens’s job was then to create a menu
that would perfectly compliment these fine wines.
Anuchit Saeng-on from Italthai was on hand along with
Albin Roux from Laubade Et Domaines Associes, which brings in these wines
from France and utilizes the marketing skills and experience of Italthai to
get their wines into the best restaurants.
Paul Strachan (left) interviews and Jens Heier, executive
chef of Amari Orchid Pattaya for Pattaya Mail Television.
Guests were treated to a glass of sparkling white wine
upon arrival. Once seated, the guests started with a delightful variation of
French oysters from Bassin d’Archachon. These were prepared in Grand Mere,
Pakora, Florentine, au natural, and were served with a Chateau Cadillac,
Bordeaux Blanc Sec, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2007, which was the perfect
accompaniment.
The grilled butter fish with mango chutney was paired
with the Chateau le Bonnat, Graves, Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2007.
Then, in what seemed a somewhat unusual choice, wok fried
wild boar sirloin with black pepper & asparagus was served, washed down with
the heady Chateau Cadillac, Bordeaux Superior, Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon
2006.
Supparatch Piyawatcharapun (left), social director at
Mantra Restaurant & Bar chats with Nannapas Praditthoi, Horeca’s upcountry
sales executive in the Wine & Spirits Division of Italthai Industrial Co.,
Ltd.
The main course was yet to come; it was braised beef
cheek that had been cooked for 36 hours, served with truffles, mashed potato
and young vegetables, along with Chateau Haut Selve, Graves Merlot Cabernet
Sauvignon 2007.
Dessert was a delectable Valrhona bitter chocolate mousse
with gold leaf raspberry sorbet and a shot of goats cheese, which was
coupled with the last wine of the evening, a Chateau Peyros, Madiran, Tannat
Cabernet Franc 2004.
The overall feel and taste of the entire menu was very
favorably received by the guests with one stating that it was by far the
best meal he had had at Mantra.
Mantra’s focus this month is oysters which will yet again
scintillate the palates of diners who have a taste for quality in an ambient
setting complimented with excellent service.
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