Pattaya Mail — Features

Amazing Sports & Entertainment

from TAT

Thai Traditional Sports

Surely the most famous of Thai traditional sports is Muay Thai, or Thai boxing. The sport has gained popularity all over the world, although some of the ceremony that makes the sport truly Thai is lost overseas. Today in Bangkok, live Thai boxing can be viewed every night of the week at different stadiums. For the brave visitor, the newly opened Muay Thai Institute offers extended periods of training in this tough martial art that has brought Thai fighters fame for centuries.

Other martial arts, although lesser known to the world, are still widely practiced in Thailand, including Krabi Krabong. This type of fighting involves a local long sword or quarter half staff and is a requisite skill for all of the king’s bodyguards.

For non-contact forms of exercise, Thai people play Takraw, a type of volleyball using only the feet, and fly kites, where the fighting is done in the air between ‘male’ and ‘female’ kites. Involving much more preparation, but equally as popular, is long boat racing. This takes place in any town or city with a river and pits 21 to 50 paddlers in a single boat carved from a tree trunk to compete down rapids against rival paddlers.

Modern Sport

As the economy of South East Asia grew over the last decade, modern sports became the rage of the rich upper class and the newer middle class. For some, long boat racing has been replaced by yachting and sailing. The original boost for sailing in Thailand came in the 1950s when HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej built a series of yachting dinghies. Ever since, sailing and yachting have grown, with several clubs in operation today.

Another sport growing in popularity with this same group is golf. During the economic boom of the nineteen-eighties several golf clubs were established with many of the courses themselves being designed by top golfing professionals. The rise of the quarter-Thai Tiger Woods has offered some inspiration to a new generation of potential Thai stars. For the more action adventure-oriented of the new middle class, deep sea fishing, canoeing, triathlons and tennis have also come to the forefront.

Over the two years of Amazing Thailand, sports will have an especially important role in the Kingdom, with the 13th Asian Games ending off 1998 in Thailand, and shortly after the FESPIC Games for the disabled. The Games will offer visitors a chance to see Asia’s best in sport competition, as well as support a worthwhile cause.

A cross between the vigor of sports and pure relaxation are the many Thai amusement parks available, catering largely to Thailand’s younger population with everything from water sports and slides to roller coasters.

For more relaxing entertainment, there are many concert and theater halls, most located in Bangkok, that offer everything from classical Thai music, drama and dance to some of the biggest international stars. The National Theatre, the Thailand Cultural Centre, and the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre as well as myriad discos offer a variety of entertainment.

Dive shop group actively involved in environment

The Pattaya and Eastern Seaboard Dive Shop Society has arranged a combined Reef Clean-up dive on the 21st February. All people interested, Divers and Non-Divers, are invited to participate and are encouraged to contact any one of the participating dive shops for details, and to make a booking for this fun day.

The Pattaya and Eastern Seaboard Dive Shop Society has also been actively involved in an ongoing campaign to help protect our environment. As part of this campaign the Chairman of the Pattaya and Eastern Seaboard Dive Shop Society, Max Foster welcomed Mr. Fred Edwards, visiting Professor at Durham and Manchester University, and a frequent visitor to Pattaya, to the January meeting of the members.

Mr. Edwards had agreed to give a short talk to the members on Environmental Protection, the principles, and the strategy to gain support and influence. Fred is actively involved in environmental matters in the United Kingdom, Europe and SE Asia, and is in regular contact with august environmental bodies such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Friends of the Earth.

In opening, Fred congratulated the members very warmly and expressed admiration for the group’s efforts towards environmental protection despite the prevailing economic situation.

In his talk, Fred set out a few main points for the members to aim for. Not to be mesmerized by the scale of the problem. To get involved with other environmental groups regardless of their area of interest. Consolidate so that we can "Punch above our own weight" to have maximum effect. Keep informed; use established networks, both formal and informal. To work with the media.

Fred stated that the Pattaya Dice Shop group is not special in its ideas and attempts to protect the environment. These are taking place all over the globe. The drive for protection is increasing and people from all walks of life are joining together to bring influence to bear on the powers, to do something about environmental protection.

The problems are global; we in Pattaya and the Eastern Seaboard are not unique in our interest and endeavors. Scuba divers are, however, unique, in that they are able to enter an environment that is not accessible to the majority of the population, but does, because of its enormity, have the singularly largest effect on the planet. (Pattaya & Eastern Seaboard)divers have shown that they are very concerned about the preservation of the marine world and are enthusiastic and very involved in the cleaning of the marine environment. It is therefore up to (this group) as the forefront, as leaders in the field, to stimulate the interest of the general public and of the government powers so as to get greater support and assistance in their efforts.

Environmental damage can be likened to stealing from your children and grand children, because unless the damage can be put to a stop now, there will be no environment, worth talking about, for successive generations. Although at this point, involvement and interest was at a ‘grass roots’ level, Fred went on to mention a few of the dangers that (the group) could look at, particularly as they are situated in a active and growing industrial area.

Utrification - the increase concentration of effluent and sewage.

Hormone disrupters - changing of the hormone levels which brings about an imbalance in the ratio of the sex of species and disrupting the natural chain.

Micro Climate Affectors - changes in the micro climates due to the inflow of hot or cold water in specific areas resulting in the alteration of the conditions. This could lead to a dying out of certain species that cannot withstand the change in climate and an inflow of species not endemic to the area.

Oil Pollution - a very real problem in our area.

Debris - pollution due to dumping of refuse at sea by international and national shipping, in contravention of International Shipping Laws.

Collectors - Of Coral and Marine specimens.

Over fishing - mainly by netting using nets banned by National and International Organizations.

Toxic Persistence - Industrial effluent.

Explosives - Used to kill and stun fish.

These are but a few of the dangers affecting the environment and are some of the specific dangers affecting our area due to the major industrial development in the Eastern Seaboard.

Major Strategic Points.

Political power is not going to get involved because short-term politicians are not interested in long term issues.

Banding together of young influential Thai people.

Join up with NGO’s.

Play the intergeneration power game.

Get old distinguished people on your side.

Get involved with the scientific field and use the information that we can gain from them.

Attract involvement from the social, political, religious, military and naval leaders.

Be abreast of new legislation.

"The Polluter Pays" 30 years down the line, and as a result investors are now looking at the possible consequences of their investments on a long term basis.

Combine with other groups, both within your industry and outside. E.g. Other NGO’s, Rotary Clubs, Lions and similar social organizations. There are many influential people involved with these organizations.

Get involvement from schools, pupils and parents. This is the source of the future generation of decision-makers. These are the people that may benefit from our efforts.

Notify the world powers of important activities. E.g. The "Coral Transplant Project".

Work with the media. They generate tremendous interest and support.

Encourage people to use "carrots and not sticks".

In conclusion Keith commended the group on their efforts and offered his assistance with his influence in other organizations, should they require it.

Felix - the fortunate

by Elfi

Felix Grieder, Manager of the Royal Wing, considers himself very lucky. Why lucky? "Because up to now, I have managed to get almost everything I wanted in life," he admits. Looking at his beaming face, it’s easy to believe.

He has worked at the Royal Wing since September 1996 when he came to Pattaya for the first time. He came to Thailand on holiday in 1992, but at that time he only visited Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Koh Samui.

Why not Pattaya? "Because I found mainly offers for the other places in Thailand and didn’t know much about Pattaya," Felix explains.

Why he is now in Pattaya? "It’s all because of Mr. Faßbind from the Royal Cliff. After I came back from my vacation to Thailand, I saw some articles in Swiss magazines about him and his life. It sounded so exiting and interesting, I immediately sent him an application. Mr. Faßbind contacted me and we had a meeting in Zurich during one of his visits to Switzerland. This meeting was very successful and Mr. Faßbind wanted me to start immediately. To my regret I had to decline, for I was still bound in a contract in Switzerland. We came to the agreement that Mr. Faßbind would contact me again after my contract was finished, which he did in March 1996. This time, the timing was right and I took the chance to work at the Royal Wing."

Felix smiles and shakes his head in surprise. "You know, this man is amazing. He remembers everything. At our last meeting he described Pattaya, the way to the Cliff and the Royal Cliff hotels so exactly, when I arrived it was like a deja vu. I immediately felt at home; the hotels and the gardens were so prepossessing, really beautiful. September was exactly the right time to start. Enough time to take over from former Manager Susi and to get ready for the high season. I never regretted taking this job."

Landing a job in the hotel business has been his dream since he was a small child. Due to his father’s position, the family had to travel a lot and therefore had to spend a lot of time in hotels. Little Felix loved it. After finishing school he began to work in a small 3-star family hotel. He wanted to attend a hotel management school, but the one in Lausanne, one of the best in the world, had a long waiting list. While waiting to get accepted he worked at Seiler Hotels, a chain with a hundred year old tradition in their 5 star hotel in Zermatt.

Seiler Hotels have many houses in Switzerland, most of them located in winter sports centers, and it is a very good place to start working in the business. After Felix finished hotel management school he changed to another 5 star hotel with 350 rooms to become the food & beverage manager. This was a great challenge for him.

"My bosses there were very strict, but correct and fair. Of course, during the learning process, people will make a few mistakes. My bosses always criticized me in a constructive way and this helped me a lot. I am still very thankful for that."

From snowy Switzerland he went to hot South Africa to work with a big chain and to get some experiences abroad. His position there was a kind of trouble-shooter in Durban, Capstadt and Johannesburg.

"I had to take on all the positions which were on fire," Felix says. "It was very interesting and I learned everything one can think of, but it was also quite exhausting."

After 1 1/2 years ‘trouble shooting’ and ‘fire extinguishing’ he went back to Switzerland to work with Seiler Hotels again, as Assistant to the Director.

He’s always enjoyed golf and since he has been in Pattaya, he plays a lot. It’s no problem for him to get up very early in the mornings for that. "It is so beautiful to see the sun rising on the sky, all the pain of getting up so early is forgotten."

Why does he like to play golf so much? "It is very easy to explain. First of all, this sport is quite inexpensive in Thailand compared to Europe. Almost everybody can afford it here. The second reason is that I love nature. Flowers, trees, animals - everything that has to do with Fauna and Flora. Give me a garden and I am the happiest man on earth. Playing golf, one is always outside and we have around Pattaya extremely beautiful golf courses. Believe me, I know, I have been traveling around in many countries, all over Europe, Africa, America, the Maldives and Asia."

He adds, "I also like wind surfing and snorkeling and here in Pattaya we have a great opportunity to do them."

When asked if he has other hobbies, Felix admits that actually ‘his’ hotel is his biggest hobby, for it takes almost all of his time. But he just loves to do the ‘job’. "If somebody commits himself to do something, he’s got to do it whole-heartedly and he must have fun while doing so, or else he better leave. I really love my work and I am happy about all the experiences I have here."

"Sometimes it is so amusing what people tell you. One time, a Belgian customer, who worked for the Russian government and was considered a special guest, tried to sell me a submarine. First I thought he only wanted to explain to me how such a thing is built, until he told me that for the price of one billion 200 million Baht I would get a pocket-submarine (25 m length). Now, all my friends tease me by asking where my submarines are parked."

Talking about his plans, he says, "We have 84 suits and 2 presidential suites. Last year we started to renovate the rooms. 1/3 is done. This year we will achieve the second third, and next year the rest. The lobby will be renovated until end of July. By doing all this work, I have the standard of the hotel in mind. It is very important to keep it up, since 80% of our clients are regulars. Many of them get the same room every year, even the same pool bed, marked with their names and placed on their preferred spot. All of our regulars are given a bunch of orchids when they leave, not to mention the flowers and the fruit baskets at their arrival."

Felix’s involvement in his hotel is very impressive. One can see he still has the right motivation to carry on until ...until what? Felix laughs. "That’s what I call investigating people. My contract here is still on until the end of next year and then we’ll see. My dream for the future, near or far, is to have my own hotel in Switzerland on lake Geneva, where I was born and raised. I also have a house nearby in Montreux. This would be very convenient for me."

Right now, hotels are closing everywhere and especially in this area for economical reasons. Yet Felix just flashes another smile. "If it doesn’t work out in the very near future, I have all the hope that someday I will reach my target. As I have told you, until now I’ve got everything I wanted in life. My motto always is: You can lose a battle, but you must win the war."

Pattaya Wheelchair Dancers on national television

Wheelchair dancing! What is it? Is it possible to ‘dance’ in wheelchairs? How do people do it? A group of 17 young adults from Pattaya participated in an exciting venture this week. They traveled to Bangkok to the Katana Recording Studio to tape a dance segment for the Twilight Show on Channel Three.

Their dance will be featured on national television in early March. One of the students, Sorapong Deesamung, 20, was glowing, "This is a most exciting moment for me. It is my first time in a television studio. We worked with the stars and met the hosts of the Twilight Show, Tripob Prempapat and Pattrawadee Meechuthorn."

The Pattaya group was talent spotted after they performed in the Thai Japan stadium in Bangkok three weeks ago. The students are all from the Redemptorist Vocational School in Pattaya. All have some physical disability. Most have been wheelchair dancing for less than a year. Their teacher and choreographer is Mr. Tawee Srisuwan, a computer teacher at the school. Although not wheelchair bound, Tawee is physically handicapped. He is a talented man. Tawee also designed and made props for the students’ television performance.

He first had the idea for wheelchair dancing four years ago. Tawee states, "Wheelchair dancing is an excellent activity. It builds up muscles, stamina, coordination and breathing. It’s also great fun to be dancing to the rhythm of popular music."

How do the students do it? Wheelchair dancing involves deft finger-work to keep the chair under control and moving in the desired direction. It requires a keen sense of balance as the chairs tip backwards and the students ‘rap.’ Strong arm muscles are needed to push the chair back up to an upright position again. Good rhythm, teamwork, energy and much rehearsal are essential.

Wheelchair dancing is no easy ride. Audience members in Studio One discovered this when some tried to ‘have a go’ after recording. It is a learned skill. It also requires a special sense of humor as students pick themselves up from falls during rehearsal. Students learn to ‘go on with the show’.

The atmosphere in Studio One was electric during Friday’s taping. As the fog machines started pumping so did the students’ hearts. The live audience, mainly of young women from Nakorn Pathom School of Technology, were fired up for the occasion.

Wasan Jantasena, 24, one of the dancers, described his feelings. "I was so nervous I could barely speak when the host came over to me after the dance. I originally come from a small village in the northeast. There is no telephone in our house. Yet here I am in Bangkok with lights, cameras and television stars. It’s an unbelievable experience."

Wheelchair dancing is an extra curricular activity at the Redemptorist Vocational School. All activities and teaching at the school are made possible by donations from sponsors. The students pay nothing. New sponsors for students or for activities are always needed.

As Teacher Tawee says, "Music can help the students develop their bodies. It increases their pride and self-esteem. It’s new for Thai people to see. We want to make positive steps to allow disabled people to live in Thai society with pride."

Tune in to Pattaya’s own wheelchair dancers on the Channel Three Twilight Show screening on March 1st and March 8th. Michael Jackson ‘eat your heart out.’

New Chef in Town

Jean Pierre Fothi of Switzerland is the new Chef of the Royal Wing (since December last year). Before his appointment at the Royal Cliff Group he worked in Bangkok at the Swiss Lodge, successfully re-launching their Cafe Swiss Restaurant. Jean Pierre gained a wealth of experience in his native country as well as in Mexico, before he decided to settle down in Thailand. He is working on a new concept and has a lot of new ideas, which are already highly appreciated by the customers.

Calorie counters at Amor Restaurant

It’s no longer the best kept secret in town that one of the most popular international menus is to be found in a narrow soi between Pattayaland two and three. At the Amor Restaurant, host Richard, now in his early fifties, is building up a successful business by paying attention to details. "People are expecting more as Pattaya becomes increasingly diversified and sophisticated," he says, "and our secret is to ensure every dish is homemade and looks like it."

All tastes are catered for. There’s a daily special and the Saturday roast lamb seems especially popular. Vegetarians will find the large menu contains much of interest to them. Richard explains that the trend is away from high cholesterol foods and towards healthy eating. There is a substantial Thai menu and chilli strength is indicated by markers on the menu. But lovers of jumbo hamburgers and fish and chips will not be disappointed.

I noticed a Russian family ordering banana splits to be followed by pork chops. Richard was over in a flash to ensure they really meant the dishes to be served in that order, which they did. A Moscow tradition it seems. On another table, a Frenchman was debating the merits of the Saint Emilion as against the Chateau de Comes with Richard who is fluent in French and very knowledgeable about wines.

My companions and I ordered for starters delicious, iced cucumber soup and cute garlic mushrooms, followed by an Indian curry (served with half a dozen condiments) and Chilli Con Carne. A well trained Thai staff ensured that fresh French bread was always on offer. The varied dessert menu is disastrous for those with tight trousers and skirts, but I felt it necessary to sample the lime and ginger cheese cake in the interests of accurate journalism. Excellent. "Never put on the menu anything you can’t make yourself," muses Richard who has nearly thirty years’ experience in satisfying culinary lust.

If there is a downside, it is that some menu choices may be finished by 10:00 p.m. as fresh ingredients are bought on a daily basis and can run out. A good thing you could say. Situated as Amor is near the main gay soi, Friends of Dorothy are not in short supply as customers, but families and married couples mix amicably with the regulars. The restaurant can be crowded especially between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., but no problem as last orders are around 1 a.m. Amor opens at 5:00 p.m. and is a noted venue for golf players taking a late afternoon tea. There is not a reserved section for non smokers, but the open terrace makes a good choice for them.

Prices are reasonable, although the fall in the value of the baht has pushed up the price of imported products everywhere, notably wines, beyond the reach of journalists of modest means. Unusually for haute cuisine in Pattaya, the menu is revised every few months. Amor is not for hasty eaters en route to a convention of the Hash Harriers. It provides a dining experience. And don’t forget to study the unusual framed pictures on the walls which have been painted by a gifted amateur. Or so he says.

Automania

by Iain Corness

Tired tyres

Your tyres are probably the most neglected part of your motor car. We just take those round rubber doughnuts for granted and automatically expect them to be correctly inflated at all times. Punctures? They are things which happen to other people! And wearing out? How dare they!

Your tyres have a lot to contend with. There are some pot-holes round here which are so deep you can hear Chinese music coming out of them! That you have any rubber left at all is a tribute to the durability of the modern tyre.

There are some things you should do to try and give them an easy time, however. The first is to regularly check the inflation. The quickest way to kill a tyre is under-inflation. It will overheat, delaminate, fracture the cords in the walls and finally dump you in the middle of nowhere.

Next time you fill up with fuel, get the pressures checked. Don’t know what pressure you should have? Look in the owner’s manual. Haven’t got an owner’s manual? Look around the driver’s side A or B pillar or the edge of the door - the manufacturer usually puts a sticker there. Still unsure? Then drop in to a tyre outlet and ask. They will help you.

After incorrect inflation, the next cause of premature wear is also under your control. It is very rare to actually get a duff tyre - the principal reason is incorrect alignment.

Again, the condition of the roads leads to knocking the front end out of alignment. Tyre technicians can actually look at the wear pattern across the tread and tell you when there is misalignment, but I don’t suggest you wait till then. Get it checked at your next service and every six months after that. Even earlier if you do some high speed pot-holing!

Tyres have certainly come a long way since John Boyd Dunlop invented the inner tube. These days, motor racing does improve the breed and the tyre manufacturers fight to be represented in Formula 1. Bridgestone is the latest to come up with excellent racing tyres and Bridgestone shod cars are currently setting the fastest times in testing in Europe. A prediction - watch the Mercedes McLarens this year.

The good news for you is that the technology filters all the way down. Your next set of tyres may not have been personally tested by Damon Hill, but the millions of race miles done by the manufacturers does result in better and safer tyres for us all.

Night vision

It should be perfectly obvious that you need good vision to drive a car. Driving by Braille does not fill your fellow motorists with joy, let alone the fact that it is damn well dangerous to the physical sanctity of your own carcass.

Internationally, there are visual standards that must be met so you can get the magic bit of paper to let you to drive on public roads. Unfortunately, the application of those standards is at best, erroneous and at worst, haphazard or non-existent.

In the international Code of Practice it even states that the vision test must be done in a good light. This is where it all becomes fanciful nonsense, I’m afraid. You see (putting on his medical hat and the pun unintentional) as you get older the initial sign of failing eyesight is difficulty in reading at night. During the day you are fine, but a telephone directory after 6 p.m. is impossible. In other words, after the age of fifty, you can pass the test in good light, but at night - that’s a different story.

Personally I hate getting older. The need to carry glasses around is an enormous intrusion into my everyday lifestyle. I am too vain to carry glasses on a string around my neck, so I have had to forego wearing T-shirts in favour of golf shirts with a pocket for the specs. Have you noticed that you also need six pairs at any one time? One to carry with you, one to leave in the car, one pair for the office, another in your briefcase, one pair to sit on and yet another to give to your wife so she can read the menu!

Now, in Pattaya there is an even greater need for good night vision than there is in downtown Pennsylvania or Puddlehurst-on-Thames. And that’s nocturnal elephants! All of a sudden, a large grey amorphous mass lumbers out of the gloom in front of you - without a "tail" light, I must add, and scares the living beejeezus out of you!

I don’t know how many elephants get clobbered every year, but even one would be too many. They are absolutely lovely animals. How can we get the mahouts to put a twinkling light on the rear of the howdahs?

So, getting back to all you fifty plus year olds with the Presbyopia (fancy medical terminology for failing vision with age), what can you do to counteract Father Time? Not much, other than getting your vision checked annually, and wearing night glasses if necessary. These are glasses with an optical correction, not those silly yellow lens things which do nothing other than give you a jaundiced view on life! I do recommend you check it out!

Auto Trivia

Glad you Automaniacs out there are enjoying this column. Thanks for the support and words of encouragement. This week’s little tidbit really comes from motoring history. What was a "Sprague" and what was it used for? A free beer on me for the first correct answer into the Pattaya Mail Editorial Office. Fax 427 596 or email: [email protected]

Copyright © 1998 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