Thailand’s Swan Boat Races

Although it’s eleven years since the first international boat race was held on Thailand’s Swan Boat Races, this annual event continues to go from strength to strength, attracting teams from around the world.

This year, the 11th Thailand International Swan Boat Races took place from October 31 - November 1, 1998, and as always featured modern and traditional competitions.

The base for this extremely photogenic event was Ayudhya province, some 30 kilometres north of Bangkok. Ayudhya is a former capital of Thailand, known in the past as Siam. Apart from some magnificent ruins attesting to the city’s former glories, it boasts spectacular Bang Pa-In Palace and the Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Center at Bang Sai.

It was against this historical and colorful backdrop that the 11th Thailand International Swan Boat Races were held. The actual races were divided into three main events:

1. International Boat Race, involving 22 paddlers, with separate categories for men and women.
2. Thai Traditional Long Boat Race, involving 55 paddlers - men only.
3. Thai Traditional Long Boat Race, involving 30 paddlers - men only.

In addition to these highly competitive and exciting competitions, visitors were able to learn more about the Swan Boat races at a special exhibition. This also acted as a forum for promoting tourism to historical Ayudhya province and the rest of Thailand.

Bang Pa-In Palace dates back to the 17th century and for most of the time thereafter was the traditional country residence of Thai monarchy. Surrounded by a lake, the palace is a wonderful example of Thai architecture at its most elegant.

At the Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Center at Bang Sai, visitors can get a glimpse of how farmers in central Thailand live and work, and how their arts and crafts are produced.

Asian Pacific Laser C’ships sailing off Pattaya

The first Laser Asian Pacific Championship to come to Thai shores since 1984 is being closely contested between the region’s Laser ‘giants’ on the waters off the Royal Varuna Yacht Club at Pattaya Point. During the first days of the racing, last Sunday and Monday, the North-easterly Monsoon showed signs of bringing fair weather and moderate winds; however, rain clouds continued to pass over, disturbing the wind patterns.

At press time, although the regatta is only at the half-way mark, it has developed into a battle between the two big contingents of the Antipodean and Japanese sailors who, together, comprise more than one half of the ‘open’ division sailors. The somewhat smaller and lighter Thai sailors are also very much in contention, favoured by the lighter prevailing winds and experience of local conditions: a factor which football pundits would call the ‘home ground’ - or, in this case, the ‘home water’ - advantage.

Peter Cummins reports from Pattaya
Photos by Peter Cummins

60 participants descended on Pattaya last weekend to participate in the Asian Pacific Laser and Laser Radial Championships being sailed concurrently on the Gulf off the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, South Pattaya. 50 sailors from Australia, Guam, India, Japan, Korea, Macau and New Zealand joined the host country contingent of 10 Thai participants, to bid for the top Laser honours in the championship which started last Sunday and will finish tomorrow.

Japanese beauties: they are good sailors as well.

Racing of the championship heats/round robin format continued through Wednesday, with yesterday allocated as a lay day to re-schedule abandoned races for some and a rest day for others. Many chose, rather, to "pai tiaw" around Pattaya’s renowned fun places, after four days of hard, intensive racing, before going into the last rounds of the "sudden-death" finals today and tomorrow.

Pattaya Mail and Loy Krathong

A highlight of the week’s social programme was the Loy Krathong festival sponsored by the Eastern Seaboard’s finest - the "Pattaya Mail". For most of the non-Thai participants, this was a first time, as they floated their traditional banana-leaf krathongs (polystyrene or any other artificially-constructed krathongs were strictly forbidden - City Fathers, please note!) from the Royal Varuna foreshore. This operation was second nature to these sailors who, countless times, have launched their Laser dinghies - somewhat larger ‘krathongs’ - off a myriad beaches around the region.

The mandatory "Loy, Loy Krathong" ramwong which followed, however, was to prove somewhat more difficult for some of the not-so-supple sailors, especially the "bigger guys" from the Southern Hemisphere, with rather large hands and pedal extremities. Nevertheless, after several of the Pattaya Mail’s ‘refreshments’ at the Varuna sea-front bar, even these fellows were showing some fancy ramwong movements - hands and feet!

Pattaya - for the second time

It was fourteen years ago this month that a Laser championship came to Asia for the first time, when the Royal Varuna Yacht Club hosted the 1984 Laser Pacifics and the Laser World Masters Championships. There have been two constants since then, even as the world-at-large has changed radically. The Laser, one of the world’s most numerous and most strictly-controlled one-design racing craft, has not changed perceptibly in this decade and a half. The second constant is, of course, the water-way where the racing is held which, although much more polluted than 14 years ago, is still the same.

In terms of the competition it will be most interesting to see which country will emerge from the pile tomorrow as the Asia-Pacific’s best Laser sailors. The 1984 event was totally dominated by the Australian and New Zealand sailors who filled the first six places, leaving only Japan able to break the Antipodean rout, finishing seventh.

Japan, however, has surged to prominence as a yachting nation in this intervening period, producing some world champion sailors, and even breaching the hallowed portals of that bastion of yachting prestige - the America’s Cup.

Hosting many big yachting events over the past 10 years, the Japanese are taking yacht racing VERY seriously and with a contingent of 22 sailors are, by far, numerically superior at this championship. Another facet of Japan’s surge to prominence is the fact that half the team is comprised of women who are racing in the Radial event.

The Laser

For the uninitiated, the Laser ‘Radial’ is a smaller rig, designed for the lighter sailor who cannot handle the regular craft, especially in stronger winds where the Laser is not all that user-friendly. The radial consists of a 5.76 square metre sail area compared to the regular rig of 7.06. It is thus ideal for females who, thank goodness, are rather petite.

The Laser itself, the small (4.5 m) light (63kg) single-handed dinghy, designed and launched by yachting journal editor Bruce Kirby in January, 1971, is now one of the world’s most numerous classes.

The Laser made its debut as an Olympic single-handed class for both men and women at the Atlanta (Savannah) Olympiad in 1996 and, certainly, is on line for Sydney 2000. In fact, some of the national associations at this Pattaya event will be counting places of their entries towards pre-Olympic trials.

Internationals

A highly-international management committee is in place at Pattaya which gives the imprimatur of excellence to this event. Royal Thai Navy men, Rear Admiral Prasart Sribhadung, a renowned international juror of Olympic standards, heads the regatta jury, with Vice Admiral Sombat Chaiyasap, Australia’s Mark Pryke, Great Britain’s Ronnie McCracken and India’s C. S. Pradipak, making the mandatory five-person committee required for such international events.

Lawnin Crawford, Royal Varuna Yacht Club Flag Commodore and Chairman of the Regatta Organizing Committee officially opened the championship last Saturday. Mr Crawford noted the support of the Royal Thai Navy and the members of the Committee who had come from the International Laser Associations of their respective countries: Paul Millsom from Australia, Mason pepper from New Zealand and Takao Otani of the Japanese Association.

Paul - with much assistance from Thailand’s Laser Fleet Captain Charlie Zbinden, Japan’s Laser builder Takeo Otani and Paul’s wife, ignoring her jet lag - spent a feverish week preparing the boats to conform to the exacting standards required for such an event.

Perennial beach master, the incomparable Gilbert Leemann flew in from Zurich, drove straight to Royal Varuna from Don Muang airport and, within minutes of arrival, was already concentrating on the minutiae of organizing the regatta.

Jesters Celebrate 2^nd Anniversary

At one point nearly 300 people turned out for the Jesters Motorcycle Club’s 2nd Anniversary celebration / Halloween bash on the Terrace of the Moon River Pub Saturday, October 31st.

The 2nd Anniversary party weekend actually started the night before with the "official" Preamble to the Weekend at the TQ Rock and Roll Bar on Beach Road.

Michael Vogt was awarded an honorary Jesters plaque for his continued support of the Club and its activities. (Photo by Patryck Kilvington)

The benevolent bikers then hosted a Halloween party for the Banglamung Boys Home, serving up a roast pig buffet at the Harley Bar on Soi Thepprasit early Halloween afternoon.

Afterwards, the party really began when seemingly hundreds of Harleys rumbled into the Moon River Pub for the Jesters Pattaya MC 2nd Anniversary Harley Davidson Halloween Party, complete with a Leg of Ox buffet, live bands, creative costumes and plenty of liquid refreshments.

As part of the festivities, Michael Vogt, GM Thai Garden Resort, was awarded an honorary Jesters plaque for his continued support of the Club and its activities.

Happy Anniversary Jesters!

Royal Cliff Beach Resort wins Gold Key Award for Best Resort 1998

The Royal Cliff Beach Resort has again won the Gold Key Award for Best Resort from Meetings & Conventions Asia/Pacific. Read by more than 12,000 readers in 12 countries in the region, M&C Asia/Pacific is a bi-monthly publication for meeting and incentive planners.

Despite the region’s tough economic crisis, this year’s nominations for the M&C Gold Awards have consistently shown high standards of service, creativity, and commitment. The broad spectrum of the M&C Gold Awards covers all facets of the Meetings, Incentive, Conventions & Exhibitions (MICE) industry. The nominations were received by a cross-section of corporate end users and key industry players in the Asia/Pacific region and the selection of the winners for the "best performance" in all 16 categories were based on the following criteria: quality of product, standard of service, level of marketing and professionalism, and other attributes such as creativity and dedication.

Panga Vathanakul, Managing Director of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort receives the prestigious Gold Key Award from M&C Asia Pacific.

Receiving the award at the 1998 M&C Gold Awards Presentation Ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Mrs. Panga Vathanakul, Managing Director of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort, expressed her delight by saying, "We are very proud to have been honoured with the prestigious Gold Key Award for Best Resort. This award is very special to us because we are celebrating our 25th Anniversary this year. It stands as a testimony to our ongoing commitment of service excellence and our dedication to improve service standards. I would like to thank M&C Asia/Pacific as well as all our sponsors and clients for their recognition of our commitment and dedication, and of course the staff of the Royal Cliff Beach Resort who have made this award possible."

The Royal Cliff Beach Resort has previously won the Gold Key Award for Best Resort in 1995 from M&C Asia Pacific as well as numerous other awards, including a record-breaking Best Resort Asia/Pacific for 8 consecutive years from PATA.

As one of Asia’s premier resorts, the Royal Cliff Beach Resort has long been the venue for many of the world’s top groups, meetings and incentives, playing host to major events such as the 1995 SITE University, the Universal Federation of Travel Agents Association (UFTAA) 30th World Congress and the 1996 PATA Travel Mart.

The Royal Cliff Beach Resort boasts a host of meeting facilities which include 2 ballrooms for up to 1,500 and 17 meeting rooms for 30 to 150. To complete its extensive range of meeting facilities, the resort is currently constructing an exhibition and convention hall built on 2 levels with an underground car park for over 400 cars and total meeting space of 4,950 m2. The main exhibition hall can accommodate as much as 5,800 theatre style and 2,800 for banquets, and can be divided into 3 smaller halls each ranging from 1,300 m2 - 1,600 m2. Scheduled for completion in October 1999, the Royal Exhibition And Convention Hall (REACH) will take the Royal Cliff Beach Resort into the next century with the most comprehensive range of meeting facilities on the Eastern Seaboard, as well as being one of Thailand’s major conference and incentive venues.

PILC donate 12,000 Baht to Drug Center

by Mirin MacCarthy

At the November luncheon of the P.I.L.C. held at the Siam Bayshore Hotel, the Thai P.I.L.C. Welfare committeewoman, Khun Siriwimon donated Baht 12,000 to Police Lieutenant Colonel Jirat Phichitphai of the Pattaya Drug Treatment Center, Baan Phoonasri Oupatham.

Khun Siriwimon introduced Lt. Col. Jirat and explained the P.I.L.C.’s rationale to continue their support of his center, thusly:

"In 1988 Police Officer Lt. Col Jirat was appointed head of narcotics Suppression Bureau. There he came to the conclusion that imprisonment of addicts was not the answer and so determined to open a drug rehabilitation center. Lt. Col. Jirat then opened the Pattaya Drug Treatment Center in 1992 with his own funds and financial support of other committed individuals.

"He runs their programme solely for community benefit. Word of Lt. Col Jirat’s dedication spread increasingly to the private sector and Government agencies who recognized his efforts.

"The treatment service at Baan Phoonsri is carried out in four stages, namely, Pre-admission, Detoxification, Rehabilitation, and Follow-up. Lt. Col Jirat employs the ‘Peers Help Peers’ approach.

"At the shelter drug addicts are given the opportunity to rebuild their lives. Drugs addicts there additionally often wish to help in drug prevention and suppression activities. They therefore work with authorities which results in the increasing arrests of drug dealers.

"The center now can admit up to sixty men for a 49 day rehabilitation course and also treats approx. 200 outpatients daily. Outpatient age starts with children of ten years.

"On this occasion the P.I.L.C. would like to show our appreciation of Lt. Col. Jirat’s dedication. Especially in his efforts to reach young children before they become victims, by his lectures at schools, colleges and universities.

"The P.I.L.C. has been supporting the Lt. Col’s center since 1994 and this donation of Baht 12,000 will be able to settle their September’s utility bill, also replacement of water filtration chemicals."

Khun Siriwimon said in conclusion, "The P.I.L.C. hopes to be able to continue to support this center and its founder, Lt. Col. Jirat." All the attending ladies applauded this very worthy cause.

SAS opens new office in Hanoi

SAS (Scandinavian Airlines Systems) opened its new office on the ground floor of Regency Hanoi Towers in Hanoi. This is the first time an airline has opened its own offline office in the Vietnamese capital.

(left to right) Mr. Axel Blom, General Manager SAS Thailand & Indochina, H.E. Mr. Ove Ullerup, Ambassador of Denmark, H.E. Mr. Jens Otterbech, Ambassador of Norway, H.E. Mr. Gosta Edgren, Ambassador of Sweden, and Mrs. Bodil Morkov Ullerup, SAS Passenger Sales Manager in Hanoi, after cutting the red ribbon to the new office.

Mr. Axel Blom, SAS General Manager in charge of the airline’s operations in Thailand and Indochina, said in his speech, "The economic situation in this part of the world is not the best right now. Nevertheless, we have made the decision to open an office and to go against the general trend. In order to reach our goal of establishing a direct route from Hanoi to Scandinavia, we need continued support and interest in our business from the Vietnamese authorities and the Vietnamese people." He stated that SAS will also need support from the Scandinavian companies and the foreign community in Vietnam as a whole.

An opening reception took place in Regency Hanoi Towers where the new SAS office is located. The opening ceremony was performed by the three Scandinavian Ambassadors and on behalf of the Scandinavian community His Excellency Mr. Gösta Edgren, Ambassador of Sweden, emphasized in his opening speech that the fact that SAS is willing to open an office in a retracting economy shows that SAS still believes in long-term opportunities in Vietnam.

Some 200 persons from both the Vietnamese and the foreign community attended the opening ceremony at Regency Hanoi Towers. A combined buffet-lunch of Scandinavian and Vietnamese specialties was served at the premises.

Pattaya Celebration

International entertainer Dale Gutzman brings for the fifth time an explosive fun-filled Musical Revue to Le Cafe Royale in South Pattaya for a series of shows from the 12th to 21st of November. This year’s show is entitled CELEBRATION.

Celebration follows last year’s successful formula of blending show and movie songs with pop tunes and standard hits, mixed in with liberal doses of comedy and audience participation.

After an opening number performed in masks to set the mood, Gutzman and Company launch into a medley of hit tunes concerning love and romance. There follows 90 minutes of action, with a mix of comedy and song to keep the shows fresh and exciting. The excellent musicianship of the cast and crew will amaze and awe the audiences. Song medleys twist and turn through every form and fad of music from Classical to Country and in all shows new and clever material is blended with beloved and well-known hit songs.

Performances will be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 12, 13 & 14 November, a special 8th Anniversary Show on Thursday, 19 November and Friday and Saturday 20 & 21 November 1998.

The show at 10:30 p.m. is preceded by a four course dinner from 8:30 p.m. at only 850 Baht per head. A special Le Cafe Royale 8th Anniversary Revue with a 5-course dinner is on 19th November (1,000 Baht per person).

This is truly a show with something for everyone. Comedy, song and dance and beautiful melodies that you will cherish for a long time to come. For further information and reservations, contact Le Cafe Royale in Pattayaland Soi 3, South Pattaya in person or by telephone on 423 515 or 428 303; fax 424 579; or email - [email protected]

Monitoring pollution in Mab-Ta-Phut

On October 27, the Board of Directors of the Project for Youth, Ladies, and People of High Age, composed of a compliment of 30 people, were led by Vice-Chairman of the Committee Ms. Lalita Lertsamran, MP of the Democrat Party, on an inspection tour of factories near the Mab-Ta-Phut Pittayakarn School in Rayong.

The esteemed committee wished to check the pollution levels in the school area and the community with the intention of solving the problems and changing the laws.

The committee was welcomed by provincial civil servants, including Mr. Samphas Kaewlai, the Deputy Head Civil Servant of Rayong, Mr. Phinij Charoenphanich, the Chief Civil Servant (Head of the City District of Rayong), Mr. Inthorn Lapta, the Director of the Mab-Ta-Phut Industrial Estates, Mr. Vinij Pratanrasadorn, Director of the Mab-Ta-Phut Pittayakarn School and Abbot Sarathamasophon, the Abbot of Sophonwanararam Temple.

The civil servants presented the results of the past year’s efforts, pointing out that, from the central and regional viewpoint, it has been accepted that the problem has improved somewhat and the smells are a bit less evident.

There are now only two factories that still need improvements: the Rayong Refinery and the Dry Fertilizer Company Ltd. The committee made plans to monitor and assess their progress, deciding to have meetings every two weeks.

The principal of the Mab-Ta-Phut Pittayakarn School, however, confirmed that the school is still planning to move to another area according to the budget allotted.

After the meeting, the committee visited the school, in which air-conditioning has now been installed. The air conditioning was financed by the Industrial Estates. The committee also inspected nearby areas and various factories in the Industrial Estates.

Successfully Yours: John “Jack” McNulty

John McNulty is known as Jack to his mates, and since coming to Pattaya he has certainly managed to gain a few of those!

Jack hails originally from Dillinghurst, just outside Manchester, and spent most of his life on the railways in the U.K., rising all the way to a Ticket Inspector (2nd Class). "Eeh, by goom, it were good on trains in those days. After a couple of years I got in’t good books with Stationmaster, and from there I ‘ad the platform to meself."

The first turning point in Jack’s life came when he tripped over an umbrella left at the Station. The resulting injury, after sitting on the handle, was such that he found he was no longer able to stand the rigours of the heavy work as a Ticket Inspector.

It was only after his Railwaymens Union threatened industrial action that Jack managed to find the second turning point in his life - he received financial compensation from the Railways and worked out that if he played his cards right he should never have to work again! Here he was, aged 62 years, and suddenly "retired".

Jack freely admits that fate has indeed played a large part in his life. First it was the umbrella handle, and then it was a cheap excursion fare to Thailand offered by Air Lingam last year.

After getting out of the smog of Bangkok, Jack came to Pattaya for three days. The next turning point in his life came in "Clappy a go-go", one of the night time dancing establishments in the Pattaya-Naklua area. This turning point was called Nit who Jack says used to work as a cashier in the bar. "One of’t dancers didn’t turn up and Nit took her place, just for the one night, yer understand. She saw me from behind the pole and t’next thing I know, she’s on me lap. I couldn’t believe it!"

Jack was very impressed with the way Nit looked after him, despite the obvious age difference (40 years). During those three days, Nit declared her undying love and Jack returned to the U.K. and the dark clouds of dismal Dillinghurst knowing that Pattaya was where he wanted to be.

Again, fate played her hand in Jack’s life - this time in the shape of a letter from Nit. Unfortunately her mother had fallen ill and she wondered if Jack could help with some hospital expenses. Jack sent 100 pounds over, but when the next letter came to say that mother was worse, he realized he should come over himself to help Nit’s unfortunate family. As Nit could not write English, Jack was very touched that she should get one of her friends to write on her behalf.

So Jack arrived in Pattaya and was immediately made welcome by Nit, her sister Noi and their mother (who had made a great recovery). To help him settle in quickly, they suggested they all rent a house together. Jack does find that his home is somewhat crowded, especially now that Nit’s other sister and her boyfriend and the two children have moved into the spare room, but is looking to buy something larger.

Jack decided to buy a bar and install Nit as the manageress. Not knowing much Thai, Nit helped him complete the business deals and Jack now has a 50% share in a bar beer in South Pattaya, along with two other partners who also have 50% shares. Jack finds this somewhat confusing, but Nit assures him he has no worries.

Meanwhile, retired ticket inspector Jack and now bar owner, can be seen dispensing beer and advice to his mates any afternoon and evening. He does find business rather tiring and is disappointed that Nit does not come home every night as she has "so much work to do at the bar" but puts it down to building up the business. Unfortunately, we could not publish Jack’s picture as he doesn’t have a work permit, but you can expect to see Jack around town for a few weeks yet!

AutoMania: Pick-ups if it picks up?

by Dr. Iain Corness

Autotrivia Quiz

We looked at the Lotus marque last week and the famous Lotus Elite. The question put to you was regarding the engine for this car, who made it and what was its original use? The answer, as a few people correctly identified, was the Coventry Climax 4 cylinder engine, which was designed as a stationary engine, used to drive fire pumps! In a Lotus, the engine wasn’t very stationary at all, I can assure you. While only of 1200 cc displacement, the car was so light that it’s power to weight ratio made it a veritable weapon on the tracks of Europe (and Australia). Colin Chapman was a great believer in good power to weight ratios, and in fact some of his detractors claimed that his cars were in fact too light and therefore unsafe. The unexplained crash that marked the end of Jimmy Clark’s life is thought by some to have been caused by some mechanical or structural failure. Perhaps he went too far in that instance? Who will ever know?

Lotus Esprit.

A couple of weeks back I asked about the origin of the Ferrari emblem - and didn’t that bring in a flurry of answers from the Tifosi. Undoubtedly the best researched (and the first in for the FREE BEER) was Mike Davies from Jomtien. Mike had everything other than the colour of Enzo’s socks! Here is the fax I received from him, "The prancing horse appeared on Scuderia Ferrari cars in 1932 at the Spa 24 hour race. Ferrari remembered that the idea had been offered him nine years before. On his victory as a driver, at the 1923 Circuito del Savio, he was given the prize by Countess Paolina Baracca, the mother of air force pilot and First World War ace, Francesco. The Countess offered Ferrari the horse logo which was on the fuselage of her son’s fighter aeroplane, so that he could use it for his racing cars. Ferrari accepted with gratitude. Since 1932 the black horse on a yellow background has identified all the cars, competition and production, from Enzo Ferrari’s activity.!

Regular entrant Bruno Buergi from Switzerland had a similar, but not so detailed response, and beaten to the punch by Mike. What all of you failed to advise me was that the origin of the horse was from the coat of arms of Ravenna in Italy (and that’s where Countess Baracca got it from)!

Let’s go back to the U.K. for this week’s quiz question. This is one heavyweight question! What did Aveling Barford produce and what was its top speed? First in to the Pattaya Mail with the correct answer wins my FREE BEER of the week. Fax (038) 427 596 or email [email protected].

And talking about the UK, Mike Davies had just got back from there and reports that the new Jaguar XK8 is just simply fabulous to drive. I’m envious, Mike, you’re one up on me there!

Eastern Seaboard: Pick-ups if it picks up?

The future for the Eastern Seaboard car manufacturing certainly looks promising in the long term. We know David Snyder and Co are already producing the Ford and Mazda pick ups. BMW have now put their hand up and have given a commitment to assemble their own vehicles down here, hooray! Meanwhile poor old GM are still continuing to build their manufacturing plant at the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate to produce the car which metamorphosed into a mini-bus but might even turn into a motorcycle if they turn their back on it enough times. However, my spies tell me that several truckloads of sheet metal presses have now been installed in the E.S.I.E. factory, so you can put your money on a 4 wheeled device.

In the meantime, Toyota stated that they are also definitely in the show to produce the Tiger in large numbers here - provided that things pick up! Seems like the Toyota guys have been getting lessons on fence sitting! Or perhaps there’s a merger afoot with GM? It’s not such a ridiculous concept. After all, if Daimler-Benz A.G. can get into bed with Chrysler Corp. then anything’s possible.

While talking about Chrysler Corp., Chrysler Sales and Services (Thailand) Limited has just signed a deal to build a huge service centre and head offices in Bangkok. It would not be surprising if Chrysler started to assemble locally either.

Despite the sales downturn (generally about 70% from 1997 figures) the appearance of the parent manufacturers in this country will do nothing but good in the long term for the auto industry in Thailand.

The other players in the auto industry (some of them previously better known as assemblers) are also trying to put their shattered houses into order and there are all sorts of deals on different board-room tables. Talks of assembling Fiats, VeeWees, Alfa Romeo’s, etc., are really just that - talk. Don’t hold your breath waiting for cheaper continentals. It doesn’t work that way.

Save Your Body

Tip 1. Don’t try this one if you live on a hillside, but if you want to stop those annoying little dints on your bumper bars leave the handbrake off when you are parked. Always park parallel to the kerb with your wheels in the straight ahead position. This way when the "Park by Braille" drivers back into you all it does is gently move you backwards, rather than leaving a hefty dent.

Tip 2. Constant sun burns paintwork, so you should use a good quality wax polish to protect the duco. Never use furniture polish or any form of silicone. While it may look brilliant for a while, it is almost impossible to get rid of and makes re-painting the car a major problem after any body or paint damage.

Tip 3. When washing the car, never let the soapy water dry on the paintwork in the sun. It will leave a stain which will need cutting compound to remove. Never use any hard bristled brush on paintwork either. It will leave millions of little scratches which will show up as circular designs on your panels.

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 Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek.