Pattaya Mail — Features

Travel & Leisure in and around Pattaya

Kanchanaburi: Serene country town, alluring natural beauty and intriguing archeological sights, yet most its powerful recent history

with Ken Bailey

with Ken Bailey

Captivating Kanchanaburi provincial city presides over a province rich in fertile, lush jungles which are pierced by living, life-giving rivers, frequently revealing spectacular waterfalls, mysterious caves and idyllic ponds and lakes. Centuries of human occupancy have left the province with fascinating archaeological ruins and relics as well as numerous exquisitely decorated temples.

Photo: Passenger train crossing Kanchanaburi's world famous Bridge over teh River Kwai.

Contrasting these natural wonders, Kanchanaburi is famous world wide as a scene of great human suffering and cruelty, home of the Bridge over the River Kwai and the Death Railway. Unlike other travel destinations with World War significance, Kanchanaburi doesn’t represent heroism in battle; instead it reflects on savagery and barbarity, battled only with stubborn heroism and a defiant will to survive and to help comrades do like wise.

Located within this lineal city are several attractions which stand as memorials to the enormous courage of the British, Dutch and Australian soldiers, and Asian slave laborers, who built the bridge and railway under the brutal and murderous direction of the Japanese army.

Led by the movie-famous Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanburi’s two war cemeteries and two museums are the results of Japanese efforts to build a railway to re-supply their armies fighting in Burma. Known as the Death Railway, this 403 Km stretch of track from Thanbyuzayat in Burma to Ban Pong in Thailand was completed on Christmas Day, 1943. 12,000 Allied Prisoners of War and up to 100,000 Asian slave laborers, murdered through shooting, bayoneting, beatings, torture, starvation, exhaustion and disease, was the price.

Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is located on the main Saengchuto Street opposite the railway station. Here lies 6,982 Australian, British and Dutch P.O.W.s who died as a result of atrocities committed in Japan’s name. Perfectly kept green lawns and neatly trimmed flowering shrubs surround the rows of inscribed metal plaques mounted on small cement slabs marking soldiers’ graves.

The plaques do not simply convey data. Collectively, they narrate the soldiers’ stories. Accounts of days like September 3, 1943, when an enormous amount of men in their early twenties perished. They tell of many Australian infantrymen who, although in their thirties and forties, were low ranking Privates and Corporals. Recent volunteers for a war from which they would not return. Comradeships forged under a sweltering sun and a Nipponese lash are eternal, as Dutchman, Brit and Australian rest in peace side by side in foreign soil.

One section of graves tells its own story. Final resting-place for those soldiers who were left to rot where they died on the railway’s route, this section’s headstones simply read "AN ALLIED SOLDIER OF THE 1939-1945 WAR. KNOWN UNTO GOD."

A couple of kilometres out of town, through the picturesque countryside, Chung Kai War Cemetery, where a further 1,750 British and Dutch soldiers lie, tells the same tales. Here the serenity is complete with little passing traffic, many, many bright red and green flowered shrubs and the sweet aroma of blooming frangipani.

The bridge itself is the big attraction, although not the original one built by the prisoners. This present bridge carries passenger trains and was built with Japanese war compensation payments. Visitors can be seen crossing the bridge on foot during all daylight hours. Its single track and intermittent viewing platforms must be one of the most popular photo spots in Thailand. The calmness and beauty of the river and surrounding countryside is at odds with its violent past. The natural tranquility of this place is said to be used by some survivors to sooth their tortured minds. At dawn and dusk the mirror like water and the mystique of the bridge render photographs you will value forever.

A few metres from the bridge, the World War Two Museum is trying to bill itself as the famous J.E.A.T.H. Museum down the road. Although misleading, this is an interesting and well presented museum. Featuring exhibits with relics covering Thai history back to pre-historic times, as well as World War Two, its Death Railway displays are graphic and extensive. The scene where prisoners are lying mortally wounded in the river due to being forced to stand on the bridge during an Allied bombing raid is powerful. Also on display are objects like Japanese army equipment and tools used by the prisoners to construct the railway.

Signifying Japan, England, Australia/America, Thailand and Holland, the J.E.A.T.H. Museum is an authentically constructed prisoner’s sleeping hut. Inside is decked out as the wartime ones were, complete with figurine prisoners. Its walls are adorned with soldiers’ photographs and sketches from the time and post war newspaper articles dealing with the bridge and the battle survivors’ faces in leading normal lives.

These articles tell of the years of suffering, both physiological and physical, which has been the survivors’ legacy. They tell of how they and their families fought to overcome the scars and the anguish. Recollections are aired. Like desperately and unsuccessfully pleading with a Japanese guard not to bayonet your mate who is too diseased and starved to get off the ground and continue with the torturous labour. It is truly a thought provoking museum.

GETTING THERE

Most hotels and travel agents in Pattaya can book you on a mini-bus package tour which covers the highlights of Kanchanaburi over two days. Independently there are two options other than car hire.

Coach: Pattaya to Bangkok’s Ekami terminal services leave every 30 minutes and cost 66B. Coaches to Kanchanaburi leave from Bangkok’s Southern terminal, so you’ll need to take a Bangkok metro bus or taxi transfer from Ekami. The Kanchanaburi service leaves every 30 minutes, and takes around two hours, costing 68B.

Train: Going by train means an overnight stay in Bangkok due to the train’s 17:15 hrs arrival at the capitol’s Hualampong station. This service leaves Pattaya at 13:47 hrs and costs 31B. Trains to Kanchanaburi leave from Bangkok’s Thonburi station at 07:50 hrs and 13:45 hrs, arriving at 10:55 hrs and 16:26 hrs. These are 3rd class trains only and cost 28B.

ACCOMMODATION

Popular in the quality hotel range is the River Kwai Hotel on Saengchuto Street. On the budget side the Jolly Frog Backpacker Guest House underrates itself, as although its prices are backpacker range, its facilities are superior. Staff and service are friendly, double rooms with bathroom only 150B per night (less with a shared bathroom or single room). Meals are excellent and great value and tours are organised at good prices. Rooms have verandahs that overlook the river and the guesthouse’s lush garden courtyard. Jolly Frog staff meet trains from Bangkok offering obligation and cost free transfer to inspect their rooms. They will also pick up visitors from the coach terminal if you call 514579 upon arrival.

Any travel and leisure operators who would like their activities featured in ‘travel & Leisure In & Around Pattaya’ can contact Ken Bailey on TEL 427822, 429444 of FAX 427823.

The Pied Piper of Pattaya

Imagine this scene in an Italian restaurant in Pattaya: a customer orders a pizza, ‘I think I’ll go for the seafood one this week, and after I’ll take a pipe - I’ll go for a Dunhill this time’. Could this be? Yes, this is Amazing Thailand.

Most afternoons at the Duilio’s Top Class restaurant, next to Foodland, you can find Antonio Di Stefano talking and smoking pipes with his friends. Tony, as he is known to his friends, probably has the best collection of smoking pipes in Thailand which he displays to fellow collector’s at the restaurant. A 54 year old retired bank manager from Italy, Tony said, ‘I started smoking a pipe when I was 18. My Father gave me an Irish Peterson pipe on my birthday and told me that if I had to smoke, it should only be a pipe, for the sake of my health’.

During his career he travelled and worked in many countries and started his pipe collection, which now stands at over 300. ‘England was my favourite working place. It’s the heart of the pipe, and the home of Dunhill. My favourite pipe and tobacco can be selected at the London Dunhill shop. I’ve selected my own mixture, which is catalogued at the store, but in Pattaya, Friendship Supermarket has a great choice of imported brands.’

After sipping an Italian coffee and puffin’ on a Sherlock Holmes style Meerschaum natural fossilised pipe, he went on to say, in a cloud of aromatic smoke, ‘A pipe is a friend, not like a cigarette. Every pipe remains a moment of my life and the tobacco is a personal choice. I’ve spent a fortune on this collection. I don’t know how much, to think of the cost would drive me crazy.’

Pipe smoking has been around since 4000 BC, as has been discovered by archaeological excavation of several tribes. Sir Walter Raleigh popularised pipe smoking around the mid 16th century. He was believed to be the first to smoke a pipe in England. And, of course, there’s Sherlock Holmes, who became known not only for his deerstalker hat but for his bent stem shaped Calabash pipe made from a pumpkin in Central Africa.

With years of pipe smoking experience behind him, Tony went on to say, ‘There’s really no big deal to lighting a pipe; it just takes some practice. First, get yourself a quality pipe and some good tobacco. I like Petersons or Dunhill’s; they’re usually a good buy. Wood Briar pipes are good for Aroma, costing anything from 5,000 baht to 20,000 baht. Avoid pipes with lacquer finishes, or with a lot of "fills" (putty applied to smooth over surface defects). Rough-surfaced pipes are fine, though, and usually cost a little less (and smoke cooler). Look them over and buy the one you like best. It’s largely a matter of personal preference.’

Tony told Pattaya Mail his pipe dream was to run a club in Pattaya for smokers of the wooden tube and for other collectors. If any parties are interested, call him at Duilio’s Top Class any afternoon on 427154.

‘A club can be fun. One competition that is popular in Italy is a group sit down with a pipe and 3 grams of tobacco, and see who can smoke it the longest.’ Maybe the winner will end up on cloud nine.

Somewhat like a marriage counsellor, Tony offers some advice on advanced smoking, his ‘best friend’: ‘You may find the pipe getting a little juicy as you smoke. To avoid this, try to keep your mouth dry as you smoke and avoid swallowing. If it does get juicy, run a cleaner down it to clear it out. However, don’t take the stem off the pipe while it’s still hot, as this will eventually cause the stem to get loose. (You can, however, take a military-type push stem off a hot pipe; many Petersons and Savinellis have this feature.) Try to puff rhythmically. If the pipe gets too hot, or if your tongue gets "bitten", either slow down or lay the pipe down and let it cool a while if necessary. If the pipe goes out a lot, speed up. Before long you’ll find a good rhythm.’

Tony also has a selection of unused pipes for sale. If you like smoking a pipe, why not get another? Or several? Most pipe smokers have some kind of a collection, since they like variety, and because pipes smoke better if they’re given time to rest between smokes. Make sure you get to know the last pipe before you buy the next one so you don’t wind up with a lot of new, un-smoked pipes. It’s OK to make mistakes; hardly anyone likes every pipe they buy.

Royal Varuna sets sail for the wind of change

by Peter Cummins, Pattaya

The momentous event which saw Hong Kong revert to Chinese rule after 156 years as a British colony has dominated the world’s press and media headlines before, during and after the handover. Some seven million de facto Chinese from Hong Kong became de jure Chinese on 1 July.

Closer home, another event - or, in this case the anniversary of another event - also took place on 1 July. It was nothing to do with nationality or territorial integrity and it affected only about 1,000 people. It was the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club on 1 July 1957.

The remarkable formative years of this Club were described in Part I of this story, published in week’s Pattaya Mail. This period was greatly stimulated by the active participation of Thailand’s Royal Family in Varuna’s yacht racing, sailing and social programmes.

Photo: H.M. The King and MC Bhisadej Rajani try the Enterprise they built: off the Royal Varuna Marine Club. April, 1965 (File Photo)

Yacht Racing in the Kingdom took a quantum leap forward during that golden era when Varuna’s Royal Patron, HM the King created yachting history - still unmatched in the annals of sport. It was the first time a father and daughter had come equal first in a regional competition. When that father and daughter happened to be a reigning Monarch and a Princess, the record is not likely to be equalled in the near future. On 17 December, 1967, HM the King and Princess Ubolratana stood together on the winner’s dais, to receive gold medals from HM the Queen for equal-first placings in the OK dinghy class of the yachting division of the Fourth South East Asian Peninsular Games, now the Southeast Asian Games.

That was an era of wooden boats, wooden masts, hemp ropes, heavy metal boat fittings and boats that took several people to lift and launch. Then, in the mid 1970s, all that changed and this second part of the history of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club covers an era of fibre-glass high-speed catamarans, light duralium fittings and high-tech carbon-fibre masts and rudders, reflecting an age of rapid social change, underscored by internet, mobile phones, video cameras, CD players and all the other trappings of life in the fast lane.

Although Varuna has resisted the concrete jungle which now surrounds its pristine sea-front tranquility, it has been unable to escape from a world that seems to be constantly moving ever faster. No one has as much time as in earlier days, when long hours were spent changing, tuning and, often, just "messing around" with wooden boats.

One of Royal Varuna’s early devotees, the incomparable Bill Avery, recalls when Varuna members had what he called a "70-30" principle: 70 percent of the time was devoted to tinkering and imbibing a little in between; 30 per cent was dedicated to actually sailing and racing. Or, as one devoted member phrased it: "Varuna then was a drinking club with a sailing problem."

Then, with the advent of the first plastic and fibre-glass hulls in the mid-1970s, it became the opposite: sailors now spend 30 percent "fiddling" with their craft and 70 percent out there on the water - racing, sailing or just cruising. The big winner in this reversal has been standards: Royal Varuna and Royal Thai Navy helms have reached world class, evidenced by a Thai sailor becoming the Kingdom’s first world yachting champion, at Pattaya last March and a Royal Varuna team placing in the top 10 of 200, at the Hobie Cat World Championships in Spain.

But, let us return to the history. Naturally, like any other human pursuits, sailing and yacht racing change and evolve, with new types of craft bringing a somewhat different approach to the racing and social ambience which pervades any yacht club. Although there are still a few Enterprises, Fireballs, an OK or two and other assorted wooden boats sailing around the "straits of Varuna", it is the fibreglass, hi-tech catamarans and Lasers which now dominate the racing and sailing.

The catalyst for change was, no doubt, the introduction of the Hobie Cats, the prototype of which was brought into the Kingdom in the early l970s, and the Laser, the single-hander which came in just after the Hobies. Not only have these Hobies greatly enhanced the weekend spectacles, but they have also become the major force in yacht racing at Varuna and elsewhere. The Laser, while not so colourful, nevertheless has become Royal Varuna’s ubiquitous dinghy with huge fleets participating in regular club racing and national championships. With no crew required, the Laser is ideal for the busy technician or executive.

Actually, the catamaran has been around for more than 2000 years. The original craft known by the Tamil word "kattumaran", which have been plying the coastal waters of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim for two millennia, are still regarded as the most primitive ocean-going vessel in existence. They are simply a raft of logs lashed together, devoid of any gear.

The only semblance to today’s sophisticated multi-hulls is purely coincidental. One source cites the "kattumuran" crew as "the most dexterous and daring seafarers in the world. They have to lean out to windward to balance the craft which tend to capsize easily."

While it is hard to relate the "daring seafarer" bit to our venerable Royal Varuna catamariners, Varuna Flag Commodore David Race, for one, would certainly relate to the second statement, having just returned from the Hobie Worlds in Spain where "leaning out to windward" was sometimes of no avail to avoid capsizing in the 30-knot winds encountered there.

Since the introduction of the Hobie Cats, the multi-hulls have tended to proliferate at Royal Varuna: Prindle l5, l6, l9; Nacra 5.0, 5.8, the 16 Square and the mighty 6.0. There are the Hobie Cat l4, 16, l7, l8, l9 and the Hobie Cat Wave. There are Top Cats, Darts, the Super Cat 20 and other assorted felines.

Varuna pursues a vigorous children’s training programme, conducted in the small Optimist dinghy, numerically the largest one-design class, sailed in more than 100 countries world-wide.

Appropriately enough, on International Children’s Day, the 8th of January, l977, the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand formed the Junior Sailing Squadron of Thailand (JSST), with a mandate, inter alia, "of promoting youth sailing throughout the Kingdom."

The 2.4 m Optimist dinghy is the ideal trainer and upwards of 500 young people (under 16) have been trained by joint JSST-Royal Varuna courses over the past two decades. Many of them, such as Navy man Damrongsak Vongtim and Royal Varuna’s Patrick Helms, have moved on to become national and regional champions.

Eighth Varuna Flag Commodore, Albert Chandler (l975-l977), an international and Olympic yachting judge, has been the principal force behind these - and many other - programmes and was, for two years, president of the prestigious International Optimist Dinghy Association (IODA) - the only Thai-based president in the Association’s history.

Over the past twenty years, Royal Varuna has hosted and co-managed all the big international regattas held in the Kingdom, starting with the 1978 Singha Fireball World Championships - the first world yachting event to come to Thai shores.

Then, in 1979, the IODA world championships came to Thailand for the first time and, although Varuna was not the venue, the Club co-managed the regatta, sailed off Jomtien Beach.

In l984, the Laser Pacifics and World Masters Championships and, in l989, the International Enterprise Dinghy World Championships were both held at Varuna and, again, both events were a first for an Asian venue.

The Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, established by Royal Varuna sailors to honour the Club’s Royal Patron, HM the King on the occasion of his 60th birthday in 1987, is now recognized as one of the world’s great regatta weeks. The eleventh will be held this December.

Although Varuna is strictly a dinghy club with all craft beach launched, and, hence, no keel boats, nevertheless, many of Thailand’s keel boat sailors are Royal Varuna members and the Club keeps a close liaison with the Yacht Cruising Association (Thailand). Royal Varuna’s Bill Gasson, undisputedly one of the region’s best keel boat sailors, is a four-time winner of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, including the last one in 1996.

Earlier this year, the Volvo Topcat World Championships were held, the first such event this group has organized outside their home waters. The more than 200 participants and supporters could not believe what they were experiencing, at the time. The majority of them had just come from a Northern European winter, with the thermometer in some parts hovering at minus 10 degrees C.

On hold for the next three years are the Laser Pacifics, for the second time, a return of the Fireball Worlds and Thailand was just confirmed as the venue for the Hobie Cat World Championships in March, 2000, just prior to the Sydney Olympics.

Sponsorship is the life-blood of any sport and Royal Varuna’s sailing calendar is interwoven with such sponsors as the Bangkok Post, BMW, Boonrawd Brewery, the Royal Garden Resorts, Triumph International, Jebsen and Jessen, R-8 Office Equipment, Schwing/Stetter, Ruffino and Phuket Yacht Haven.

The racing has proceeded, nevertheless - with or without sponsorship - with long-distance and "round-the-buoys" courses, in-shore races and ongoing series races. Trans-Gulf events, the "Royal Vega Rudder" trophy race, commemorating H.M. the King’s Gulf crossing in an OK dinghy in April, l966, and the Prince Bira Memorial Trophy race, are just some of the great events on the sailing calendar.

There is a trophy enshrined at the Royal Garden Resort, Hua Hin, for the fastest Trans-Gulf crossing (east/west) which stands at 4 hrs. 22 mins and 30secs., established in March, 1992.

With some 400 active members, comprising some 30 percent Thai and 70 percent drawn from the expatriate community, the diplomatic corps and the private sector, Royal Varuna at peak weekends resembles a great cross-section of society.

The strength of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club lies in this very diversity which imbues the Club with an indomitable spirit. Many members recall the fire several years ago, which destroyed almost 200 of the club’s boats. Even as the boat-storage area and a third of the boats were still smouldering, the club, like the mythical phoenix, "arose from the ashes". Teams had arrived for the selection trials for the Fifteenth Southeast Asian Games and, even though some of the Fireballs, Lasers and Enterprises to be used for the trials were charred, twisted wrecks, the club rose to the occasion, found other boats and Thailand’s team went on to win five golds and three silvers in the eight yacht-racing events of those Games.

Since those halcyon days of the 1950s and 1960s, the club has certainly changed; but these changes are cosmetic rather than substantive. After the city fathers of Pattaya have done a remarkable job of turning Walter Meyer’s "shimmering shores" of yore, into today’s "polluted pond", Royal Varuna still stands out as an oasis of tranquility in a desert of development.

And, as we round the windward mark into the 2lst century, there will be a run to the shore and a cold beer waiting at the haven called The Royal Varuna Yacht Club.

Sitting on the fence

by Peter Jaggs

One warm, tropical evening, as I pedalled my bicycle back from the market, I encountered an unusual sight that made me pull up and take a closer look. I was surprised to behold a number of small, strange looking figures sitting on fences or tied to posts that stood outside many of the wooden houses along the bumpy track horn. On closer inspection they proved to be weird, slightly ghoulish looking dolls that were constructed from long, dried rice stalks, and clad scruffily in various items of cast-off clothing. In the half-light of dusk, these spooky effigies created a slightly unnerving effect, and I re-mounted and pedalled off quickly, rather uneasy at being watched from the roadside by an army of staring mannequins.

Once home I asked Dang, the owner of the house where I was staying, the purpose of these peculiar little people. In answer, she dumped a heap of golden rice stems on the table in front of me, together with a shabby hat and a few old garments.

"I’ve been waiting for you," she said mysteriously. "We had better make a start quickly, before the spirit corns for you," Whilst we worked, Dang told me all about the age old North- Eastern custom of "The Hoon."

According to Thai tradition, when a woman of the village dies in her sleep, for the following three nights her soul will come looking for a man to take with her. To fool the hunting spirit, every household with a male in residence constructs their very own "Hoon", and displays it in a prominent position along the road outside. The walking ghost, on encountering a suitably handsome "Hoon", carries it away to the afterlife, leaving the worried residents of the village free and easy in their minds once again.

We made a wonderful "Hoon". He wore a baby blue anorak and an old baseball cap, and his beer-bottle top eyes stared sternly at us from above a tomato nose. A pair of old gloves completed the effect, and I dug him out an old pair of underpants to retain his modesty. Dang took advantage of this to furnish him with a large courgette-like vegetable to prove his manhood.

"That will do," she said, perfectly straight faced. "I quite like the look of him myself, now."

We sat him on the bamboo fence outside, to await his unenviable fate. Feeling rather proud of my "Hoon", I bid him and Dang goodnight, then retired to bed, sure that I was now safe from prospecting ghouls.

In the morning, my "Hoon" was gone. I was a little annoyed, and remarked to Dang that some of the village children mist have abducted him during the night. The old lady merely shrugged, and pedalled off on her bicycle to her work in the rice fields.

Peter Jaggs is from Essex in England and has written numerous travel and angling articles and has had stories published in several magazines. He has travelled widely throughout Thailand and many other Asian countries and as a result of scribbling down anything that seemed to be amusing at the time on bus tickets and the backs of cigarette packs, we, having painstakingly deciphered the resulting mess, are able to offer a series of humourous short stories. Peter hopes you enjoy reading the following tales even half as much as he enjoyed living them.

Health and Nutrition Facts

Who needs vitamin and mineral supplements?

by Laura Zubrod, Registered Dietician

According to most health authorities, you do not need supplements if you eat a balanced diet or a variety of foods. In other words, you do not need vitamins in a pill if you get enough from your food, but do you?

Vitamins are complex chemical substances that work as regulators. They cause reactions to take place in your body. Minerals are part of many cells and also work to trigger chemical reactions in your body. Vitamins and minerals work together to help carbohydrates, proteins, and fat produce energy, and to keep your body functioning normally. They provide no calories and are needed in very small amounts. Both plant and animal foods provide us with vitamins and minerals.

Getting too much of a certain vitamin may cause problems similar to not getting enough. Vitamin toxicity or deficiency can cause depression, fatigue, fainting or dizziness, rashes, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, disease, and even death. Before taking a supplement, be aware that health risks exist for some people. For example, pregnant woman should not take more than 5000 IU (international units) daily of vitamin A from retinol (a form of vitamin A). Too much iron can increase risk of heart disease in
men and post-menopausal women and can increase the risk of colon cancer.

Foods you eat provide you with the best source of vitamins and minerals. Eating the suggested number of servings from each of the five food groups every day helps to ensure that you are getting adequate amounts of the vitamins and minerals you need. Multivitamins are useful when a person is unable to eat an adequate daily diet or when a major food group is omitted from the diet on a regular basis. A multivitamin that contains no more than 100% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance is recommended to prevent toxicity. Self-prescribed high dosages of supplements are potentially dangerous.

A supplement may help when:

You are not eating the recommended number of servings from the food groups (Bread, rice, pasta group: 6-11 servings; Fruit group: 2-4 servings; Vegetable group: 3-5 servings; Milk, yogurt, cheese group: 2-3 servings; Meat, poultry, fish, egg group: 2-3 servings).

You are on a low-calorie diet to lose weight.

You are elderly and not eating as much as you used to or as much as you need.

You are a strict vegetarian (may be low in calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin B-12).

You can not drink milk or eat cheese and yogurt due to a protein allergy or lactose intolerance (may be low in calcium).

You are a woman of childbearing age who does not eat enough fruits, vegetables, and beans (may be low in folate).

Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding need more of many nutrients, especially iron, folic acid, calcium, and additional calories. A physician should recommend the proper supplement for each individual.

Since vitamins and minerals work with other nutrients in foods to benefit the body, supplements cannot replace well-balanced meals or turn an unhealthy diet into a healthy one. If you don’t over do it or use vitamins as an excuse to eat a poor diet, a multivitamin supplement can give you the added insurance that you are meeting your needs.

Readers may write Laura care of the Pattaya Mail with questions or special topics they would like to see addressed.

“Camillo”

by Moo Torn

Invited with my friends to dine at Camillo’s Restaurant in the Siam Bayshore Hotel in South Pattaya, we were pleasantly pleased to discover that Camillo’s offers traditional service and delicious food in a stylish ambiance, a combination that few establishments in this city are able to pull off.

The restaurant is the perfect place for entertainment, with its interior both modern and opulent at the same time. Tables are well spaced, which is essential because diner’s may want to do some moving around. Decorated in red and white tones, a flower on each table gives the dining room a pleasant atmosphere. The soft sounds of the live pianist every evening adds the right touch. The message is clear: relax and enjoy the food.

One might begin the culinary evening with cold appetizers. Camillo’s offers a full range of delicious teasers, including lobster with pomelo in a light basil vinaigrette or mussels in a chive cream sauce - a simple combination with a great taste. Also, the mild lobster cream soup, flavoured with tarragon and armagnac, has an intense taste and is great for a hot appetizer. Other appetizers include crispy, batter-fried squid with herb mayonnaise; and soups, like the chicken tea with shitake mushrooms and chives - a tasty combination; Zuppa Pavese - a clear beef broth with cheese croutons; and the classical minestrone - an exquisite vegetable soup.

For the main course we chose pan-broiled sea bass fillet with black olive mousse, served with parsley potatoes and vegetables - delicious! The pork medallions on mushroom cream sauce with homemade noodles was a great dish, especially the cream sauce with the fresh mushroom to merge the flavors.

From the menu, one can also choose from different pasta dishes, like Fettuccine "Alfredo", noodles with ham and cheese in cream sauce; Spaghetti "Con Vongole" with clams in white wine sauce; or the lamb medallions with ratatouille served with stewed vegetables - a terrific dish.

Also from the menu, one can choose from "Our Chef recommends", which gives the choice of Chateaubriand for two or the rack of lamb for two.

In case you pine
for a typical cheese
fondue, Camillo’s
specializes in dif-
ferent fondues; Bourguignonne-, Chinoise-, Seafood- and Cheese Fondue.

If you still have room for dessert, go for the Chocolate mousse mille feuille which is a wonderful combination with a flavorful inside, or hot cream cheese in a thin pancake with jackfruit sauce, served with vanilla ice cream. This is definitely for sweet lovers.

As we left the restaurant, we both agreed to come back and as I said before, "Camillo’s is a place to relax and enjoy the food".

"Camillo" Restaurant is located in the Siam Bayshore Resort on Beach Road, Tel: 038 428 678.

Copyright © 1997 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand 
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Created by Andy Gombaez