Pattaya Mail — Features

Safe landing of first flight of Larsen Rejser at U-tapao

Larsen Rejser (Denmark) became the newest major charter airline to land at U-tapao Airport when their first flight touched down on Sunday, December 28, 1997. 309 passengers disembarked and were treated to a grand welcome from the welcoming committee.

About 90% of all passengers were couples aged between 20 and 70, and families who see in Pattaya a perfect destination for their holidays. The high standard of living and the cheap prices makes Pattaya very famous in Scandinavian countries. The welcome committee and the custom officers proved the spirit of ‘Amazing Thailand’ to the tourists with a warm and friendly treatment and those amazing Thai smiles.

A Thai-classical dancing group from Chan Mongkol Department of Fine Arts entertained the Scandinavian tourists in the custom hall. A Thai drum group later provided entertainment outside while the rather tired passengers received welcome flowers and enjoyed their first drink in Thailand, before entering the busses that brought them to their hotels.

All the representatives of Ben Adisti Co., the handling agency of Larsen Rejser in Thailand, including Wanna Anant, Bent Laasholdt and Stig Vagt-Anderson (the owners), and Nicklas Abrahamson, Destination Manager, came to U-tapao to welcome the 309 passengers. The inaugural flight arrived two hours later than scheduled, due to a delayed departure in Copenhagen.

Looking at increasing tourism

Comment by Kittisak Khamthong

Thailand is hoping that Amazing Thailand and tourism will bring the cataleptic economy back to life. The scale of the project is frightening in size, with the government reaching for the clouds and projecting that 17 million tourists will visit the Kingdom in the next two years.

The government is investing 10 billion baht on different projects, programs and fun and games to entice tourists to Siam’s shores.

The much touted Asian Games is one of Amazing Thailand’s main selling points.

The curtain is just closing on the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale, which began on November 14 and ended on December 14. The Sale was promoted by the world media and achieved a certain measure of success. But the figures are still not in to tell us whether the Amazing Thailand Grand Sale went boom or bust.

Even with no profit, we can be glad that the event was a promotion of coming events.

A general look at tourism in the last year shows that the number of tourists has not risen and the tourism industry is battling with rising costs, such as the increase in VAT.

No matter what, Thailand is still a paradise for tourists because of the low costs compared to other Asian countries. This must be qualified, though.

Tourists who come to Thailand on ‘package tours’ often experience the opposite, as they must use the goods and services chosen by the tour company in their home country.

What is worse than this is that many large hotels in Bangkok are now quoting room prices in US dollars to prevent tour companies from making excessive profits. It is hoped this problem will be sorted out in the next 6 months, as tourists are not stupid and know the value of the baht has fallen like a 747 with no wings. Tourists will know that tour companies should be lowering their price on ‘package tours’ to Thailand.

The prices of goods and services will also drop. This will be good publicity for Amazing Thailand and tourism will hopefully increase.

Family Money

Traditionally, the New Year is a time to review the events of the past year, and make resolutions for the coming one.

1997 was an eventful year for investors, but this is not the forum to detail what happened during the year in the various markets around the world: if you were interested or had holdings in them, you already know. If not, it’s too late now to do much about it.

Most people find they have tended to spend more than average during the holiday season, so the cash balance is probably looking a bit thin right now. For most people that’s just a short-term phenomenon which will soon right itself. Most of us manage our money fairly effectively from month-to-month.

What many people tend to neglect, however, is effective money management for the longer term.

Strategic Planning

When was the last time you took stock of your overall financial planning? Not how much money is in the bank, or the current value of your portfolio, but strategic planning to ensure the capital is going to be there when you need it. And enough of it.

For many, this is a boring or even painful subject. Certainly, this is not the time of year to be gloomy - and far be it from me to dampen your holiday spirits! But effective financial planning is important for everyone, if only for one’s peace of mind.

The start of a new year is an especially appropriate time therefore to review your overall financial situation and give some thought to strategic planning.

For me, strategic financial planning involves first asking the question, "What if?" on a number of topics, and then seeing whether the answers are satisfactory. If so, all well and good. If not, one has the chance to do something about it.

The list of topics is longer than most people imagine. Certainly longer than most people think about day by day.

For example, what provision has been made to provide for your eventual retirement? Will it be sufficient? Are you sure? Have you taken inflation into account?

How about the children’s education? Will you have enough to fund their education all the way through university? Are you sure? Have you taken both rising costs and inflation into consideration?

How about health care? Many people these days have health care coverage provided by their employer. But equally many don’t - especially the self-employed entrepreneur, of which there are a large number in the Pattaya area. Who pays the bills if any member of your family has to spend time in hospital? Are you aware how expensive this can be these days?

Is your family properly provided for if something unexpected should happen to you? Is your will up to date? (Have you even made one?) And who would advise the rest of the family how to manage the money wisely if you weren’t around?

If you have international holdings (as many of us do nowadays - perhaps a house in one country, bank accounts in another, unit trusts and insurance policies in yet others, and so on), have you considered the problem that parts of your estate might be delayed in probate and thus inaccessible to your family? How would they manage? Have you looked into whether inheritance tax might be levied on parts of your estate, and if so, how much?

The list goes on...

If you’ve read this far, you’re either smiling contentedly because you’ve made sound and adequate plans for all these eventualities, or you’re wondering whether there might be a few gaps in your strategic planning that perhaps you should look into.

If the former, you’re almost certainly in the minority, in my professional experience, and perhaps should consider becoming a financial consultant!

If the latter, now is the time to make some New Year’s Resolutions.

Make yourself a firm promise to do something about it. Seek professional guidance in setting out your financial objectives, and how to go about reaching these realistically. And resolve also to do it soon - not wait until next New Year or the one after.

May I take this opportunity to wish all readers a Very Happy and Prosperous 1998.

If you have any comments or queries on this article, or about other topics concerning investment matters, write, fax or e-mail Leslie Wright, c/o Family Money, Pattaya Mail, or e-mail him directly at [email protected]. Further details and back articles can be accessed on his website on www.westminsterthailand.com.

Health and Nutrition Facts

Eating well when travelling

by Laura Zubrod, Registered Dietician

Vacations are traditionally a time of food and fun and sometimes overindulgence. Traveling does undoubtedly present many obstacles for sticking to a healthy diet. Overdoing it is very easy, especially when the menus are tantalizing, the portions are big, and the desserts are rich. The good news is that you can eat well and enjoy yourself while on vacation. By balancing fun with sensible eating, you can indulge in some of the foods that make traveling worthwhile and still stay on track nutritionally. All it takes is a little planning and some good nutrition sense.

When choosing a place to stay, ask if they can provide you with a microwave and refrigerator, or small kitchen in your room. Many hotels offer this convenience upon request. Bring or buy your own nutritious foods for quick and inexpensive breakfasts or snacks.

Most airlines offer special meals at no extra cost. If you or your travel agent call at least 24 hours before your flight, you can arrange for special meals: vegetarian, fruit plate, low-fat/low-cholesterol, low-sodium, low-calorie, diabetic, kosher, and often several types of ethnic foods like Chinese, Japanese, Muslim, etc. Plus there is the added bonus of getting served first during meal time and the food on special meal trays is usually fresher than the regular fare. If you just ate or plan to have a meal when you land, don’t feel you need to eat an airline meal just because it is offered.

Keep nutritious non-perishable snacks with you as you travel. Bring some of your own food in your carry-on bag such as dry cereal, pretzels, popcorn, crackers, granola bars, dried fruits, boxed fruit juices, etc. If you bring a sandwich or other perishable food, don’t keep it at room temperature too long; 4 hours is the limit, then throw it away.

Drink plenty of water when traveling, even when you are not thirsty. Water is especially important when you are flying. The low humidity and recalculating air in the cabin are dehydrating. Your lose body fluids through evaporation on your skin (even when you are not visibly sweating) and from your breath as you breathe. Try to drink 8 ounces of water for every hour of your flight. Drink water, juice, milk, or caffeine-free sodas, tea, and coffee. Avoid alcohol and caffienated beverages: coffee, tea, and colas. Caffeine is dehydrating and can promote sleeplessness, anxiety, and over-stimulation. Bringing bottled water in your carry-on is a smart move, especially if the flight is long. Dehydration only aggravates symptoms of jet lag.

You can minimize the effects of jet lag and adjust to the new time more quickly with proper nutrition and following a few other tips. Organize yourself so you are well rested and relaxed before you travel. Eat a nutritious meal before you begin your journey. While traveling, eat small frequent meals that are low in fat and avoid high-fat, rich foods. Drink plenty of water before your trip as well as during your travel, avoiding caffeine and alcohol. Keep drinking fluids after you have arrived at your destination.

When traveling, set a watch to the time of your destination. Thinking about the time at your destination allows you mentally adjust to the time difference and also helps your body to adapt.

Once you have arrived, immediately adjust your meals and sleep to the new time if you have traveled over several time zones. If you lose the night during your travels, take a short nap when you arrive if you need to. It is helpful to get outside into the sunshine for at least 15 minutes. Sunlight helps your body reset it’s biological clock.

Be aware that no evidence shows anti-jet lag formulas or diet to be effective. You may have heard anti-jet lag claims about the supplement called melatonin. While this claim is partially true, the amount of melatonin that promotes sleep is far less than the amount in over-the-counter products.

Traveling is a time for fun and good nutrition. Remember the changes you make in your eating and exercise habits are lifestyle changes that you take with you where ever you go.

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

Out of the wheelchair into the sea

by Suzanne Dooley

Patinya Chaweng-Wat thrives on challenges. He has other options. He could say life has been terribly unfair to him. He was crippled with polio when he was a baby and he will never walk. He could argue the state owes him a living and he should be cared for. He could moan that life is boring and restricted for the wheelchair bound in Thailand. But he does none of these things.

Instead, this twenty-five year old handsome young man smiles from his wheelchair proclaiming, "I like adventure." This year a friend suggested to Patinya that he go scuba diving. He snatched the opportunity. Since then he has literally climbed out of his wheelchair, onto his friend’s back to board a boat, and then tumbled out of the boat into the sea and down to the ocean floor.

Patinya glows describing his adventures. "It’s a wonderful experience. You can see a whole new underwater world. It’s very beautiful down there under the sea with the fish." Since his first time, Patinya has dived seven or eight times more.

Diving has not come easily to Patinya. He laughs as he recalls the ‘uncountable’ number of times he spent preparing and practicing in a swimming pool. His friend was a very thorough teacher. Patinya is grateful for all the time spent practicing as he has experienced no problems diving.

Now he would like to become a dive master for the disabled, but he is aware that this is a costly sport. It will take a lot of money. But Patinya is patient. Time is on his side.

Although at present he thinks he is the only ‘wheelchair’ diver in Thailand, Patinya’s sporting interests range beyond scuba diving. Currently he is Thailand’s Number Two table tennis player, and has his sights on the Sydney Olympics in 2000. He practices table tennis regularly and coaches disabled students
in table tennis at The Redemptorist Vocational School.

Patinya is strong. The first feature one notices about him is the enormous strength of his arm muscles. Much of his 65 kilograms of body weight is located in upper body muscle. This year Patinya took up power lifting for the first time, and his hard work and dedication is visible in his powerful muscles. He is yet to determine his placing in this sport in Thailand.

For Patinya, Pattaya is perfect. He says, "I can go anywhere I want. I push myself, although sometimes it is not too easy." Patinya has no car, but he regularly hurtles down Central Road, propelling himself in his wheelchair in the midst of the traffic.

Of these strenuous, lengthy and somewhat dangerous journeys in his wheelchair, Patinya states "Now I am strong. When I get old and have no power and no energy, then maybe I will need a car."

Catching a Baht bus is not so easy. "Maybe you want to know why I don’t go by taxi. They cost a lot. They charge me farang price." Sadness crosses his normally smiling face. "Ten taxis pass by. One taxi stops. He wants forty baht to go to Beach Road. The usual fare is five baht."

Patinya does not complain about this discrimination the disabled face when trying to use public transport. He has also had difficulty taking a boat to Ko Samet. "The boat wouldn’t take me until I paid more money." Patinya merely observes that the issue is always the same. "The disabled have to pay more money."

Patinya did not want the focus of this interview to be on his life. He wants to ask for sponsorship, so that other disabled students can have some of the same sporting opportunities he has experienced. He asks for donations of milk, sports drinks and energy foods so other disabled people can be strong enough to play sport.

He also wants to explain why he works so actively in the community and helps the disabled. From the age of five he lived in a Government Home for the Disabled in Bangkok. He is full of gratefulness. "I grew up on the taxes of the people. They paid for me every year."

Patinya continues, "I think I owe the people of Thailand something. I ask, ‘How can I repay the people, for their kindness to me?’ So I help the disabled. I give back to the community the good that has been given to me."

Currently there are no toilets with access for the disabled in Central Pattaya. The only toilets with disabled access are at Big C. Patinya does not complain. He notices the small improvements, like a small ramp at the Second Road entrance to Royal Garden which makes his access to the seats outside McDonalds much easier.

Patinya enjoys the present and looks forward to the future. He would like to visit Europe and other countries. Maybe one day, he might start his own Business Computer School. Maybe he might be a Dive Master for the disabled. For now he will continue ‘giving back to the community the good which has been given to me.’

But he wanted his final words to be a call for sponsors. "I want to ask for sponsors. We have two hundred students and a very small budget. It would be nice if somebody would like to support us by giving team shirts, energy foods, chocolates... Then the students will be happy."

Patinya can be contacted at The Redemptorist Vocational School on 716248 or fax 420340.

Modern Medicine

Presented by Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital

We spend one third of our lives asleep. Our sleep cycles change with age.

Infants sleep approximately 16 hours per day in 6 hour sleeping-waking cycles.

As we get older, we sleep less but remain asleep for longer periods of time. We also tend to sleep at night, following the requirements of human society.

Teenagers require more sleep than any age group. Adults require approximately 8 hours of sleep. Elderly people sleep the least and awaken easier than any other age group.

Why must we sleep? Scientists do not know the answer to this question. It is theorised that sleep is a way of conserving energy. Our bodies also regenerate themselves during sleep. In teenagers, most body growth occurs during sleep. Researchers have found that more growth hormones are secreted during sleeping than waking time.

Food and Medicine Have Effects on Sleep

Cigarettes: In small doses, nicotine makes us sleepy, but large doses cause restlessness. Smokers should not have a cigarette before bedtime.

Alcohol: Alcohol causes drowsiness and makes us fall asleep quickly. But alcohol is metabolised very quickly. If one drinks before going to bed, sleep will come quicker, but one will usually be wakeful in the middle of the night. By early morning one will be awake, have a ‘hangover’ and not feel rested. Drinking before bedtime also causes nightmares, headaches and sweating.

Coffee: Caffeinnated beverages should not be drunk after late afternoon, as caffeine remains in the body for long periods of time.

By following certain simple rules, one may be reassured of a restful night’s sleep. Regular exercise at least 4 hours before bedtime and a light snack before retiring promote sleep.

Meditating upon lying down will often let one slip into natural sleep.

High spirits at the Hare House

By Sgt. Bomo

Located on Soi Post Office between Beach Road and 2nd Road, the Hare House has progressed from its humble beginning in September of 95 to what is now for many Pattaya residents a hub of local sport activities, good food, and spirits. Steve Beard, his wife Lamyai and Wayne Tischbern have worked diligently to ensure that patrons always leave the premises well fed, smiling, and in most cases, sufficiently inebriated.

Since its opening the Hare House has served as the meeting place for the Hash House Harriers, perhaps best described as "a drinking club with a running problem". For those unfamiliar with the weekly activities of the club, the events of a typical Monday afternoon include a bus ride to nearby countryside, running and/or walking for approximately 90 minutes, and then spending an equal amount of time socializing in a circle around a few large blocks of ice, each block sizable enough to comfortably seat two offending participants. And everyone is an offending participant.

As a center of the Pattaya Sports Club, the Hare House also provides the meeting place for The Alternative Golf Gentlemen’s Society where members get together twice a week to perpetuate rounds of frustration at various courses. After each round the group returns to the Hare House to drown their sorrows under the pretense of an awards presentation. There is, however, an upside to the day; the food. Before the round many golfers arrive early enough to have breakfast, and the Hare House offers plenty of choices at agreeable prices.

For example, before the last round of golf I played with the TAGGS group I had two eggs, bacon, toast and coffee for a mere 35 baht, all of which were properly prepared and hit the spot. Among the other choices were a ham and cheese omelette for 45 baht, three pancakes with maple syrup for 35 baht, or a plate of baked beans on toast for 45 baht, which I refrained from as a courtesy to my playing partners.

After the round most golfers order something to eat to go with their beverages, and over the course of the past year I’ve tried many of the 12 different sandwiches offered for an average of 60 baht. I especially like the half pound fishburger served with fries for 75 baht, but there are plenty of other choices that provide a good lunch. Among them, beef stew for 50 baht, spaghetti with Benny’s meat sauce for 60 baht, a half pound chicken burger with fries for 70 baht, a half pound cheeseburger with fries for 85 baht, and a double chili dog for 75 baht.

One afternoon last week Steve overheard me telling a friend that I was very hungry and suggested I try a special one pound burger with fries for 120 baht. It was huge, and even though it was tasty I couldn’t quite finish it. He went on to say that they will prepare an even larger burger upon request for those with an enormous appetite, the price being relative to the estimated weight (of the burger, not the person.)

Last week a friend and I went to dinner at the Hare House, and after a brief look at the sports bulletin board, the numerous framed Hash T-shirts on the walls, and the daily special board, we started to glance through the menu. There is an extensive Thai menu, which includes 10 different types of Thai salads averaging 55 baht, 25 different rice and noodle dishes averaging 45 baht, 35 different beef, pork and chicken dishes averaging 60 baht, and 15 seafood dishes averaging 65 baht. For those that prefer international fare, there is a list of chef’s recommendations including 8 ounce to 20 ounce sirloins, T-bones, and fillets, very reasonably priced at between 100 and 230 baht.

From 15 different available appetizers we chose fried river prawns in batter and spring rolls at 45 baht, followed by mixed salads for 40 baht. From the many main courses to choose from my friend ordered a 10 ounce T-bone served with tomatoes, mushrooms, and fries for 120 baht, and I chose the mixed grill, complete with a lamb chop, fillet steak, kidneys, two sausage links, bacon, egg, baked beans, potatoes, tomatoes and mushrooms, all for 195 baht. It was all we could do to make it through all of it, and we received excellent service, largely due to Lamyai’s supervision of both the kitchen and dining staff.

The Hare House is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Also, above the restaurant there are eight air con rooms with color TV and fan ranging from 200 to 350 baht per night.

Copyright © 1997 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240, 411 241, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
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