 |
|
 |
| Features |
|
|
|
Who is Johnnie Jones?
by Elfi
You’ve never heard of Johnny Jones? If not, you surely cannot be in the hotel or
travel business in Pattaya! Johnnie Jones is almost a legend amongst the
old-timers in those fields.
 Though
born of English parents in 1925 in Mussourie, India, he still can’t shake his
head the proper Indian way. “My neck is probably too English, too stiff”, he
says. “My parents (my father was a missionary) could do it and even spoke the
language fluently. I never had the chance to study it for we went back to
England soon after I was born.”
It was there where he went to school and to college. For him it had to be the
Queen’s College, Cambridge. It still shows in the elegant way he talks. From
college he went straight into the Royal Air Force where he proudly served his
country in the Second World War.
 After
his three years of service for the crown, he began his career in 1947 as a
manage-ment trainee in administration and catering. After seven years, he became
an assistant manager.
“Later on I opened my own restaurant and a guest house,” Johnnie reminisced,
“which I had for over ten years. I also went into the travel business. But the
winter was just too long for me at the Channel Islands and I felt bored. Lady of
Horizon Holidays, who heard about me through friends, called me and hired me
immediately. Before I could think about it, I was already on my way to the
Canary Islands to become their representative. After Spain I worked in Hong
Kong, then onward to Thailand.”
ES: “What year was it when you came to Thailand for the first time and how did
it happen?”
 JJ:
“It was 1974. A friend of mine, who was the area manager in Thailand, died.
Right after the funeral I was asked to take his job. You know, I believe things
just happen. Planning things has never worked out for me. Everything seems to
just come out of the blue, and I take chances, saying: that’s it. It gives you
real satisfaction if it works out.”
ES: “You have stayed in Thailand since then?”
JJ: “Off and on. I changed companies and went back to Spain, then later to
Canada and Mexico. In 1976, after changing to another company, I finally came
back to Thailand. I was the area manager for Speedbird Holidays for Thailand,
Kenya and the Far East until I decided to join the Royal Cliff Beach Resort in
1981 as marketing director. Except for a one year “escape” to Woodland’s Resort,
I helped to build the hotel as managing director. I worked for the Royal Cliff
until I finally retired in 1994.”
 ES:
“Have you really retired? After all, you have had such an exciting life,
traveling around the world.”
JJ: “Yes, I have worked enough in my long life and I believe I deserve my
retirement. Even though my work was quite exiting, I have made business trips to
105 countries so far, which can be very stressful. Though one can overcome
stress mentally, I decided to take a rest. My life is still busy enough. Friends
keep calling me to help them out. Many other friends come to visit me and I
still travel a lot. I just came back from a tour to Moscow, Sweden and Helsinki.
Last year I went to South Africa and to Australia. This year I will go to Hong
Kong for the ‘hand-over’ and will go on to Mongolia. You see, I am not bored at
all.”
ES: “Traveling as much as you do, I believe it. In how many countries have you
been already?”
JJ: “As I have told you before, business trips to 105 countries, but I have lost
track in how many other countries I have traveled. I guess far more than the
official number.”
ES: “Maybe you should count the countries which you haven’t been yet. It might
make it easier. I was looking around your house and it’s decorated like a small
museum. Did you bring all these things from other countries?”
JJ: “Most of them, yes. From any country I travel to, I will bring 4 items with
me: a map, a video tape, a bank note and a souvenir. Soon, I believe I will have
to extend my house.”
ES: “Sitting here in your small but very beautiful garden makes me wonder if you
are going to spend the rest of your life in Pattaya?”
JJ: “If there was more cultural entertainment in Pattaya, like theaters and
operas, yes. On the other hand, working in hotels for so long, your whole
routine and life revolves around those hotels. After retirement there’s
basically no real social life. Of course, I still have friends, good friends,
from those days, but they are still busy working or they have moved away. My
long-term friendships are back in England and Spain. I believe some day I will
go back there. Spend a few months in England, a few months in Spain, but I will
definitely keep my house in Pattaya. I’d never leave here forever.”
 ES:
“So, you believe we have a shortage in cultural life? What else do you think
about Pattaya?”
JJ: “When I arrived in Pattaya for the first time in 1974, there was nothing
here at all. By 1981, Pattaya was booming. It grew much too fast. There was not
enough time to plan the construction of the city. Money came in too easy, we all
believed that it was enough and everybody took advantage of it. People with a
lot of money started building hotels and apartment-houses, then didn’t take care
of them and let them get run-down. First, when Pattaya’s business went down, we
didn’t realize how much, and how fast, it went down. Slowly, when all the
complaints came, like the water and beaches being too dirty, streets filthy and
broken down, and too much open-air night-life, we woke up, but it was almost too
late by then.”
ES: “How about now? You have seen the changes. What do you think about them?”
JJ: “I am more than happy that people finally woke up. Now, people who haven’t
been here for several years are very surprised about the cleanliness and changes
for the better. We have many more restaurants and pubs, cinemas, department
stores and family oriented facilities for tourists and their children. The
beaches and the sea are much cleaner, and those who don’t wish to stay on a
beach in Pattaya have only a 40 minute journey to get to a most beautiful
island. Pattaya’s big advantage is that it truly has become an all-season family
resort.”
ES: “If a person with your experiences says so, Pattaya might have a chance to
survive?”
JJ: “I am certain about that. Pattaya is safe. It will get back on its feet. The
so called ‘better’ tourists keep coming. To get rid of the very low class
tourists, who over-ran Pattaya several years ago, Pattaya’s business people
should try to change their tourists clothing habits a bit. Nothing against
shorts and T-shirts during the day time, but in the evenings, especially when
going into a restaurant or a pub, long trousers should be a ‘must’ for tourists.
It would also protect them from mosquito-bites. In any holiday destination,
people will dress up in the evening. Nobody asks them to do so in Pattaya.
Pattaya should stay the ‘Fun-City’ of the Eastern Seaboard, but to dress a bit
decent wouldn’t be too much to ask. It would take a lot of courage for the
business people to simply refuse customers who are not dressed decent enough,
but it would help change the bad image of Pattaya. Hotels could try to start by
suggesting it to their guests.”
ES: “I personally agree completely with you. I have also traveled a lot and I
have never seen so many tourists so badly dressed. Johnnie, thank you very much
for this interview. Thank you very much for your open opinion and thank you very
much for your trust in Pattaya.”
JJ: “I’d also like to thank you and assure you once more: Pattaya is certainly
coming back, and so will I, all the time.”
|
|
 |
ScotchWhisky
Part one of a three part series by David Rice
Aqua Vitae
Eau De Vie
Uisge Beatha
Usquebaugh
The water of life
Picture Scotland with its stormy history, its rugged mountains
and glens, its lochs and streams, its legends, its clan loyalty
and clan warfare, its fertile fields and great cities, its
capital with the castle on the hill and add to this the wearing
of the kilt and the playing of the bagpipes you get a picture
which can hardly fail in its box-office appeal. Yet Scotland,
contrary to this typical view, is a real country. It has
produced sons who are famed throughout the world and is the home
of that which could be arguably the most talked about sport,
golf. However its most known export is Scotch.
 David
Rice shows his expertise during a recent Scotch tasting.
Much is spoken about whisky, especially Scotch whisky, yet few
people know of the history, the manufacturing process or of
their enormous varieties and their unique taste. This small
series of articles will, hopefully, give the reader an insight
to some of the mysteries surrounding Scotch Whisky.
So what makes Scotch so different and known throughout the
world?
What all Scotch whiskies have in common and that other spirits
do not is that they retain the character of the original grain.
They are not distilled to faint heartedness like Vodka, nor are
they flavoured with herbs, spices or berries, like Aquavit, Gin
or many original Slavic Vodkas.
The earliest references to whisky in Scotland dates back to
1494. The origins of the drink are shrouded in mystery. Many
believe that the art of distilling was brought over from
Ireland. It would be a very brave man to dispute that claim
because in the dark ages the two countries were united by their
proximity - with a common religion and a common language, also a
hatred for their nearest neighbour England......Braveheart, and
all that!
The Grist Mill where the barley is
ground prior to it being mixed with water in the Mash Tun.
For the origins of Scotch you have to visualise the country of
Scotland and its people, the rolling hills, the adequate supply
of water and the abundant harvests of grain. Known throughout
the world as frugal people it was obvious that they would find a
way of using nature’s wealth to provide that bit of inner warmth
to keep out the winter cold.
For centuries distilling was as much a part of their lives as
tending their animals in the hills or fishing for their salmon.
The whisky they produced was kept for their own use -
transforming the barley from their harvest, the peat from their
hills and the clear waters from their streams.
Such was the birth of the single malt whisky and the real secret
behind a good scotch.
How whisky is
produced
The production of whisky is started by taking barley
and screening it to remove stones and bits of metal. It is then
soaked in warm water for two to three days in tanks known as
Steeps.
The wet barley is then spread out on a solid floor and allowed
to germinate. This is called Malting. A similar process
is used in the production of certain beers in Britain.
Germi-nation may take from eight to twelve days depending on the
time of the year and the temperature.
The process takes in oxygen and “breathes out” carbon dioxide
and at the same time produces heat. This must be controlled to
ensure an evenness of germination and to ensure that the growing
rootlets do not become a matted mess. This is done by turning
the barley at regular intervals. The traditional method is by
hand using large paddles.
A view of a typical Highland
distillery. Note the pagodas which are symbolic of the malt
kilns.
During germination an important development takes place. The
barley secretes an enzyme called diatase which converts the
starch in the barley ready for conversion into sugar. When the
barley is ready the germination process must be stopped. This is
done by the addition of further heat. An often asked question
is; “How do you know that the barley is ready?” As the barley
becomes soft and chalky during the germination process the
traditional method of testing it was by taking some of the
barley and if you could write your name on the wall with it, it
was ready.
The method of applying the additional heat to stop the
germination process is by taking the malted barley or Green Malt
and spreading it onto the floor of the kiln. The floor is
perforated to allow the warm air to pass through. This air and
smoke is produced by burning peat, a natural fuel in Scotland.
It is the peat which imparts some of the flavour to the final
product. Peat has a smoky, pungent, sweet smell. There are two
types of peat: Marsh peat made up of decomposed mos-ses and
forest peat made up of decomposed leaves.
It is marsh peat that is used to flavour malt whisky. The
smokiness of the peat varies in different areas of Scotland so
this variety of peats gives a differing smokiness level to the
malt.
The dried malt is then ground in a mill into Grist which is then
mixed with hot water in a large circular vessel called a Mash
Tun. The soluble starch is converted into a sugary liquid
known as Wort. The wort is then drawn off, cooled and
passed into large vessels called Washbacks. The washbacks
can hold anything from 9000 to 45000 litres. Yeast is then added
and fermentation takes place. The result is a weak form of
alcohol similar to beer. This is known as Wash.
Next week the continuing story on the production of Scotch
whisky.
All whiskies are good — some are just better than others.
Key: a: Barley Steeps; b: Malting
Floor; c: Peat Furnace; d: Malt Kiln; e: Malt Bins; f: Dresser;
g: Grinding Mill; h: Grist Hopper; i: Mash Tun; j: Underback; k:
Refrigerator; l: Yeast; m: Washbacks.
|
|
A.N.Z.A.C. DAY
Slaughter, bravery and a symbol of nationhood for Australia and New Zealand
Australian soldiers with a captured Turkish
sniper who has used local vegetation strapped to his body for
camouflage.
by Ken Bailey
Next Friday is April 25, known in Australia and New Zealand as
A.N.Z.A.C. Day. It was on this day 82 years ago in 1915 that soldiers
from these then young nations were slaughtered on the beaches of
Turkey’s Gallipoli peninsula. This was their first major engagement of
World War One, and the courage, determination and initiative they showed
had them hailed as heroes by newspapers throughout the Allied world.
Called A.N.Z.A.C.s, which is the abbreviation of Australian and New
Zealand Army Corps, these volunteer soldiers landed at dawn, in row
boats, on narrow beaches at the foot of steep cliffs. Dug into the
cliffs, the Turkish defenders were waiting and slaughtered them with
intense artillery and machine gun fire. Many died before even reaching
the beach.
Rather than wallow on the blood stained beach and wait to die, those who
survived the firestorm took the initiative, clawed their way up the
cliffs and took to the Turks with rifle and bayonet. Against what seemed
like impossible odds they secured a flimsy beach head. Under constant
Turkish fire from above, they clung to rocky ledges, dug in, and
repelled countless counter attacks.
So why were they there? Turkey had joined the war on the side of Germany
and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The war in France and Belgium had
become a trench warfare stalemate. On the Eastern Front, the Russians
were desperately holding the Germans and Austrians at bay.
Australians on the beach they landed on at
dawn on April 25 1915. Since the war this place has been named
A.N.Z.A.C. Cove by the Turkish government.
It was thought by the British high command that if Turkey was knocked
out of the war, Russia could be reinforced from the rear, allowing a
counter attack against Germany from the east and south, hopefully ending
the war.
This invasion of Turkey was launched with troops from Britain, France,
India, Australia, New Zealand, France’s African colonies, as well as the
Gurkhas. However, its significance to Australia and New Zealand is
greatest.
Both were young nations, not long matured from British colonies. Both
were keen to show the world what their young men could do. However,
no-one imagined just how much they would impress friend and foe alike
with their soldierly qualities. The A.N.Z.A.C.s were mainly bushmen,
used to thinking for themselves. They had come form rough, raw environs
which bred a toughness and a determination in the face adversity, which
did not exist in industrialised Britain, or the mother country as they
called it. Many had endured work in harsh outback and rural conditions
since childhood. This prepared them mentally and physically for the
hardships of war.
As the sun rose on this first A.N.Z.A.C. Day a legend was born, and a
reputation was won which soldiers from both countries have strove to
live up to ever since. In the madness of battle, Australians and New
Zealanders found a national identity for the first time. So it is that
April 25 is remembered by Australians and New Zealanders as the day they
matured as nations in their own right.
Turkish prisoners being escorted by British
troops on Gallipoli.
The A.N.Z.A.C.s clung to their small beach head for nine bloody months.
They held onto trenches only metres from the Turk’s and were constantly
under fire. Death found them everywhere and makeshift cemeteries
overflowed. Several major attacks were launched to try and break through
the Turks and capture their capitol Constantinople. None were successful
as they were dogged by the in-competent generalship which prevailed
during World War One. In December 1915 they silently withdrew from the
peninsula. The withdrawal was so well planned and executed that the
Turks did not even know they had left, and not a life was lost
evacuating.
Throughout Australia and New Zealand, every April 25 old soldiers
reunite and remember their mates who did not come home. They march
through the streets of every city and town so that we, the current
generation can show our thanks for the freedom they won us. As nations
we think of the original A.N.Z.A.C.s, and those that followed in later
wars, and are saddened by their sacrifices and proud of their deeds.
Here in Pattaya A.N.Z.A.C Day is commemorated at the A.N.Z.A.C. Hotel,
restaurant and bar on Pattayaland Soi 1. Everyone is welcome next Friday
when there will be traditional rum-coffee for breakfast, showing of the
movie ‘Gallipolli’, starring Mel Gibson, as well as other A.N.Z.A.C.
related movies. On top of that there will be ‘two-up’ played, which is a
traditional Australian game of chance, and always provides a lot of
excitement. The day promises to be just like A.N.Z.A.C. Day in Australia
and New Zealand.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
