Serene Sukhothai

Come up the River of Kings and back through time to ancient Sukhothai, the first Thai capital some seven centuries ago. Sukhothai means the "Dawn of Happiness" and you can still sense the serenity which inspired this name. Visit Sukhothai Historical Park when the air is fresh and the early-morning light catches the spires of ancient temples such as Wat Traphang Thong, Wat Traphang Ngoen, Wat Si Sawai, Wat Mahathat and Wat Phra Pai Luang. See the spires reflected in a lotus pond, and a majestic Buddha framed against the limpid sky. Gaze on the stone where the great King Ramkhamhaeng proclaimed the wonders of this new, peaceful and abundant kingdom.

Visit Sukhothai’s nearby sister city of Si Satchanalai, where there is another Historical Park which is like a catalogue of Thai Buddhist architecture. Visit the Wat Chang-Lom where rows of stucco elephants still stand "holding up the sky".

Walking among these monuments, you can still feel the optimism and excitement generated by this first Thai kingdom where the Thai script was first invented and where Buddhism first took such powerful hold. So much has been well preserved that it is no surprise that UNESCO declared Sukhothai a World Heritage site in 1991.

Today you can still glimpse the serene lifestyle of past centuries. Walk beside the river in the early morning and watch saffron-clad Buddhist monks accepting offerings of food from local people. The tradition is as alive today as ever. See the crowds crossing the bridge by foot, bicycle, motorbike and truck as they go off to work in the orchards and rice fields. Seven hundred years ago, King Ramkhamhaeng wanted everyone to know that Sukhothai was an abundant place with "rice in the fields and fish in the waters". Today it is still a prosperous area. During the rainy season, the surrounding rice-fields are transformed into a sea of brilliant green. This abundance is reflected in the bright smiles and cheerful welcome of the Sukhothai people. The serene natural charm of Sukhothai still remains intact in the modern world.

For excitement, go to the Nan Boat Races on the Nan River. The boats are hollowed out from majestic trees, painted in brilliant colors, and manned by teams of athletic rowers. The riverbanks are crowded with cheering supporters. If you have an eye for landscape, choose the Phichit Boat Races and Phitsanulok Boat Races where the contests take place against a beautiful backdrop of blue mountains. At the Um Phra Dam Nam Festival in Petchabun province see a Buddha image carried in parade through the town to the banks of the Pasak River. Then watch diving into the river carrying the sacred image in to pay respect to the spirits of the north, south, east and west, and so ensure the prosperity and peace of the town.

Along the banks of the Nan River, see the raft houses where people to this day live on the water. Visit the spot at Nakorn Sawan where the Nan meets the Ping to form the Chao Phraya, the River of Kings which has been at the centre of Thai life and culture for generations.

A quick look around

Ayutthaya

About 76 kms north of Bangkok, Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 by king U-Thong, and was Thailand’s capital until it was sacked by the Burmese invaders in 1767. The magnificent ruins of the old city still remain while some have been recently restored. Ayutthaya Historical Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bang Pa-In Summer Palace.

Bang Pa-In Summer Palace

30 km south of Ayutthaya, the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace was used as a residence for many Ayutthaya kings. It consists of many buildings built in unique contrasting architectural styles - Thai, Chinese, Italian and Victorian styles are predominant. The best-known is the Thai Pavilion in the center of a small lake, acknowledged by many as one of the finest examples of classical Thai architecture.

Royal Folk Arts and Crafts Center at Bang Sai

Farmers from Ayutthaya as well as from other provinces undergo training in folk arts and crafts here. Products and activities which can be seen here are Wearing Basketry, Artificial Flowers, Wood Carving, Miniature Hand-Modeled Thai dolls, etc.

Phra Pathom Chedi

Located in Nakhon Pathom, 56 km west of Bangkok. This is one of the most important places of worship in Thailand. This Chedi, or pagoda, is the tallest Buddhist monument in the world and towers almost 380 feet in the air.

Festivals & events coming in April 1999

Poi Sang Long

April, 1999 - Amphoe Muang, Mae Hong Son

Held in one of Thailand’s most scenic areas, this event celebrates the ordination of novices belonging to the Thai Yai ethnic group. Offerings for monks are carried through the town in a gala procession.

Thai Heritage Conservation Day & Shadow Play (Nang Talung-Nora) Festival

April 2-4, 1999 - City Hall, Phatthalung

The festival features Nang Talung shadow play, Southern-style Nora dance, local food & products contests, demonstrations of local arts & cultures and local product sales.

Phanom Rung Fair

April 3-4, 1999 - Phanom Rung Historical Park, Buri Ram

Located on a hilltop overlooking spectacular landscape, Phanom Rung is an impressive Khmer temple dating from the early part of the Angkor period, and adorned with superb stone carvings. The temple complex is the centerpiece of this fair, which also features various exhibits.

Sukhothai’s Traditional Buddhist Ordination Ceremonies

April 7-8, 1999 - Amphoe Sri Satchanalai, Sukhothai

Featuring ordination candidate processions on elephants to Wat (Temple) Hat Siao, the dressing of ordination candidates and elephants, and local entertainment.

Dok Khun - Siang Khaen Festival

April 11-13, 1999 - Bueng Kaen Nakhon, Khon Kaen

This festival is part of the local Songkran (traditional New Year) merit making ceremonies. Celebrations include paying homage to revered Buddha images and shrines, respectfully pouring water on elders’ hands, offering food to monks, beauty contests, floral floats and Northeastern folk entertainment.

Songkran Festival

April 12-14, 1999 - Nationwide

The traditional Thai New Year is an occasion for merrymaking in Bangkok as well as in other parts of the country. Thais mark the occasion with religious ceremonies as well as public festivities. Anyone who ventures out on the streets is likely to get a thorough soaking, but all in a spirit of fun and goodwill at the peak of the hot season.

Chiang Mai Songkran Festival

April 13-15, 1999 - Tha Pae Gate and citywide, Chiang Mai

Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year, is celebrated all over the country but nowhere with more enthusiasm than in Chiang Mai. Part of the celebrations is religious, marked by merit-making ceremonies at local temples, and part is pure pleasure, with good-natured water throwing, parades, and beauty contests.

Bangkok Songkran Festival

April 12-14, 1999 - Sanam Luang and citywide, Bangkok

The traditional Thai New Year, is celebrated citywide, most notably at Sanam Luang, the large field fronting the Grand Palace, where the revered Phra Buddha Sihing image is displayed and bathed by devotees, and at Wisutkasat, where a Miss Songkran beauty contest is accompanied by merit-making, paying respects to elders and numerous forms of entertainment, including high-spirited water splashing.

Mai Kham Bho Procession Festival

April 13-15, 1999 - Chom Thong, Chiang Mai

In Thailand, the Bho tree is associated with Buddhism, the national religion. Mai Kham Bho, literally wooden supports for trees in temple courtyards, are employed in meritorious acts believed to bring participants long and happy lives. Mai Kham Bho are prepared on April 13 and 14, accompanied by cultural performances. April 15 sees a procession of Mai Kham Bho to local temples.

Pattaya Festival

April 12-19, 1999 - Pattaya City, Chon Buri

Thailand’s world-famous seaside resort puts on its most festive face for this annual event, held at the height of the summer season. Food and floral floats, beauty contests, stalls selling local delicacies, and a spectacular display of fireworks on the beach are but a few of the highlights that attract merrymakers.

Phra Padaeng Songkran Festival

April 17-18, 1999 - Amphoe Phra Padaeng, Samut Prakan

The Mons were among Thailand’s earliest settlers and a large Mon community still lives in the Phra Padaeng district of Samut Prakan province just south of Bangkok. They, too, celebrate the start of the solar new year with a thorough cleaning of the house, religious observances, and colorful parades.

A day out for the residents of the Old Folks Home

The "Seaboard Sound" and "Die Zugvögel" organized a day out for the inhabitants of the Banglamung Old Folks Home. Monika Rottmann, the initiator, director of the Seaboard Sound and member of the German language club, approached Khun Kampon, Managing Director and son of the owner of Nong Nooch Village, for sponsorship and he agreed immediately, offering transportation, entrance fees and lunch for 100 people.

It took only one week to put the idea into reality. On Sunday, March 7th, 2 busses from Nong Nooch Village came early in the morning to the Home to pick up the old people. The Home has app. 200 inhabitants, aged from 60 to 87, but not all of them are mobile and therefore only 70 could join. Some members of both the clubs were already waiting for them at the front gate of Nong Nooch Village when the busses arrived there.

Khun Tongchai Sodorn and Khun Teeranun Bonpetch showed the party first to the zoo of the tropical garden. After strolling around amidst deer, different kinds of birds, monkeys and tigers, it was time for the cultural show. The first three rows of the theater were reserved for the old people and all of them enjoyed very much the dances, the sword-fighting, Thai boxing and the big parade of the elephants. Watching the elephants, yes this was the next stop. The old people just couldn’t get enough watching the elephants do their tricks. Feeding them bananas and screaming and laughing when the huge beasts came to pick them up was about all they did. None of the seniors could be convinced to be picked up by the elephants or to lie down on the ground, so they could step over them. Understandable, isn’t it?

Khun Kampon had arranged that the air-conditioned restaurant was set up for the group and the old people showed a healthy appetite after all the excitement. As soon as Khun Kampon showed up after lunch, a big cheering and applauding started. He had a kind word for everyone and was quite moved when an old lady, on behalf of all the others, bid him a special thanks and good wishes for his health and luck.

Khun Kampon explained to the special visitors that Nong Nooch Village was built by his mother and also named after her. He said he learned to be a gardener and loves to work whenever it is possible in this garden. Khun Kampon said that many famous people have visited Nong Nooch, including HRH the Princess, who recently came back for a visit after 18 years. Khun Kampon also mentioned the brand new photo album of Nong Nooch Village, available at the bookstore of the Tropical Garden. The photographs in there are really something special and a permanent memory of the beauty of Thailand.

Punctually, at 2:00 p.m., the busses came to bring the old people back home. Greetings and kisses were exchanged between them and the accompanying Farangs when it was finally time to depart. The old people, having had a beautiful and exciting excursion, promised that they will never forget this day and on the other hand, the Farangs promised them to organize something similar again in the near future.

Get A Kick...

1990 Kick Boxing World Champion Harry Conrad (40) of Germany recently had a tremendous comeback in Hong Kong after an eight year layoff: He won back the WBC Intercontinental Title (middle- heavyweight). Even though the reigning champion Li Guang Jing is 14 years younger, Harry won with a KO in round nine, after knocking him down two times in round 6 and even knocking him out of the ring once in round seven.

Harry Conrad, born and still living in Hamburg, has a proud record to look back on. Out of 72 professional fights he only lost 4, had 2 draws and won all the others - 52 by KO. Besides now being two times world champion, he was also European Champion twice, in 1989/90 and won the German Championship several times.

There’s a big difference between Thai boxing and kick boxing. While the fighters in Thai boxing can use fists, arms, legs, knees, elbows and head, a Kick boxer is only allowed to use his fists and his legs. In Thailand, not as famous as Thai boxing, it still attracts a big crowd and the fans are looking forward to March 28th when Harry will fight for the vacant title in super-middle-weight at the Lumpini Stadium in Bangkok against "The Snake", a Thai citizen, yet a resident of Detroit, USA. This is his first regular fight in Thailand, besides one in 1990 in Pattaya against the regular box champion (not a kick boxer) of Thailand during this time.

Right now, Harry stays at the Thai Garden Resort, preparing himself for the fight to come. He brought his sparring partner Mirko Vukopratovic, trainer Dirk Kröger, physiologist Harald and physician Olav with him and hopes that five weeks of hard training at the hotel, the Universe Gym and World Class Gym (all of whom are being very co-operative) will bring him the title. When asked what chances he has, he replied, "Even though I am 40 already, I believe I still can beat everybody. My perseverance is better than ever and the full-contact fight will go over 12 rounds @ 3 minutes, and I can take advantage of that. Younger kick boxers would have a chance against me in a (usual for Thai boxing) 3 round fight, but not as much in a more-round fight."

His wife and 11 year old daughter are never allowed to watch him live. "They have to cope with watching my fights on TV. I couldn’t bear having them sitting at the ring. It would make me nervous. Just in case, I would get really beaten up one time, I couldn’t stand it if they would have to watch it, because my pain would be theirs." To compensate, he will take them after the fight in Bangkok for a long vacation to Mallorca, where they own a beautiful house. Right after his holidays there, he’ll be back in Pattaya at the Thai Garden Resort again, to get through another intensive training for an up-coming fight in Singapore defending his WBC title.

He has a quite busy schedule this year, because in September, in Las Vegas, he has to - hopefully - defend the title from Bangkok. "Of course, I hope I’ll be there to defend my title, but also if I would loose in Bangkok now, I’ll be there as the challenger."

Good luck Harry!

Rhythm and Blues Man

by Mirin MacCarthy

Some of us have been fortunate enough to listen to Clifford Coulter playing up a storm on the keyboards at Delaney’s. Clifford is a big American from California who looks as if he’d be more at home in New Orleans or Carolina. Though he tells me they play more of a Dixie kind of jazz there and his sound is, "Rhythm and Blues with just a little bit of jazz sprinkled in."

Clifford sure has the music in his fingers, he just brings the keyboard alive. Although he had no training as a kid and is entirely self-taught, "Hey I play the piano and the guitar, but I was terrible on the sax and worse on the trumpet. The bass is O.K. It’s just a bigger guitar. I only played the drums when the drummer was out the front singing. Nobody else in my family played. Like it was easy, the first time I walked up to a piano I could play it. The community service told my parents they had better come down to listen and they bought me a piano." The ivories were obviously something he was born to.

Clifford keeps coming back to Thailand for a couple of months holiday every year. "I wanted to go to Spain, but I was offered a job playing the keyboards and work in a recording studio. It pays for my vacation."

Talking with Clifford, he comes across as all very casual and laid back, you suspect he is not about to blow his own trumpet. In fact he is a songwriter as well as a player and has written songs for some famous musicians, such as Bill Withers, "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" and Sergio Mendez, "Life".

Clifford started off doing some backing recording. "A friend had a recording contract with the ABC. We were all singing on other people’s records. I even played on Bill Wyman’s single, "Stone Alone", and Tower Power. My first album with CBS. I was the whole band, now I have an electric drum machine."

"Blues is popular in the States. When I was a kid, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, these guys came to town and hired us as an intermission band. I got to play with Little Richard’s band."

Revising an earlier statement that making it to the top is, "all a matter of luck", Clifford gave a huge grin and said, "I sort of take the luck stuff back. I played with three different Platters bands, and Zolo Taylor and did a couple of gigs with Clyde McFatter. George Benson and Chico Rea. You feel you’re making it when you get on the stage with these guys."

Back home Clifford plays at the Monterey Blues Festival in California and in Amsterdam with Rosa King’s Blues Band, and is working on putting together his own blues album.

"All the good music came out of Black America," he muses. "I guess it started with the African thing, rhythm and stuff. Even Rock and Roll, Doo Wop, that’s where it all came from. Chuck Berry started that. Every Rock and Roll guy plays that same 5th now."

I hope Clifford comes back to town soon. I want a copy of his Blues album, it will be a collectors item one-day. Anyone who has played with the Platters has to be a winner.

Road Carnage: What price will we accept?

Comment by Dr. Iain Corness

All progress has a price. From the day we stepped down from the trees and started on that long journey towards today, we have measured progress with only one yardstick. Unfortunately, that yardstick is human life itself.

As the pace of progress has accelerated over the past century, that cost of progress has also escalated. Whether it be electricity, dams, air travel or motor cars, our embracing of these elements of progress has been at the cost of countless human lives. It has become an accepted part of progress that there is an acceptable cost.

There will be those who will argue that even one life lost is too high a price. There will also be those who feel that in all fields of human endeavour must be a certain risk. No risk, no reward.

Different societies also put different values on human life. An acceptable level for one may be totally unacceptable for another.

Looking specifically at the road toll and attempting to be a pragmatist has meant that I, too, have had to examine what level I find acceptable. To quantify this in numbers defies my psychology. My medical training tells me that all of life is sacred. One death is too much. My scientific training tells me that any machine has the power to kill. My engineering experience tells me that no matter how safe any machine can be in its operation, human beings will operate it in an unsafe manner. Motor vehicles are purely machines. On their own they kill no one. It is the way we use them that kills.

To eliminate unsafe use of motor cars requires education and legislation, and even then it will not stop the road toll completely. There will always be errors, mistakes, mistiming and "bad luck".

However, there are some areas in the motoring sphere that have too much potential for loss of life for any thinking society to accept. The end result when a pick-up with 17 people in the back suddenly meets a solid object is totally predictable. The end result when a pick-up with 17 aboard meets a minivan with 12 aboard is also totally predictable. But how do you change the societies’ attitude? With difficulty and slowly. In the meantime, perhaps we should all be looking at our abilities to drive in a safe and defensive manner.

If that pick-up is headed towards me, I hope that my skills and training will be enough to avoid the metallic confrontation. If it is an accident looking for somewhere to happen, let it be somewhere else. Defensive driver training can affect the outcome, not only for you, but for the 17 people in the back of the pick-up too. Think about it.

Consulate Public Announcement

U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman

March 11, 1999

For security reasons, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok has advised all U.S. government employees and their family members not to travel for any purpose to certain parts of two northern provinces in Thailand. This restriction on personal and official travel by U.S. government personnel and their families to this area is due to a kidnapping threat that has been made against Drug Enforcement Administration and other U.S. government officials by drug traffickers. The travel restriction applies to the area of Chiang Mai province north of the town of Fang and the area of Chiang Rai province north of the city of Chiang Rai.

American citizens traveling to or residing in these provinces of northern Thailand are urged to review their personal security in light of the above. American citizens may also obtain additional information about travel in Thailand on the U.S. Embassy’s web site at http://www.usa.or.th or by contacting the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok (Tel: 66-2-205-4000) or the U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai (Tel: 66-53-252-629).

For further information on travel to Thailand, please consult the Consular Information Sheet for Thailand which is available on the Internet at HTTP://travel.state.gov, or as recorded information by calling the Department of State in Washington, DC at 202-647-5225 from a touch-tone telephone or by telefax by dialing 202-647-3000 from your fax machine.

This public announcement expires on April 30, 1999.

Rotary South, Royal Varuna Regale Pakkred Children

by Peter Cummins

It was a day to remember for some 170 handicapped children, aged from six to 18, from the Pakkred Orphanage when they spent a few hours at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club seaside facilities at South Pattaya last week.

Arranged by Rotary Club of Bangkok South and sponsored by Rotary, SAS, Coca Cola, Castrol and Caltex, the day, appropriately called "Kids Out", took months of preparation to ensure the enjoyment, the well-being and, especially the safety of this special group.

They went to the sea in wheelchairs - it was the first time for some. Photo Peter Cummins.

Philip Baechtold, President of Rotary South, noted that this year represented the third time that Rotary had organized such an outing for the children and acknowledged the prime role played by the Varuna Club, in bringing a little sunshine into the otherwise gray lives of the children.

Gary Worthington, Chairman of Rotary’s Organizing Committee for the event, was very happy with the outcome. Gary has arranged each outing since the first in 1997 and looks forward to continuing what is now a major event in the lives of these little ones.

There were many present from Bangkok’s Rotary South as well as President John Richards and some of his committee from Jomtien-Pattaya Rotary. The manager and many members of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club did everything possible to help the children enjoy their big day.

Happ Pakkred children enjoy the “Resident Magician” at Royal Varuna. Photo Peter Cummins.

And, enjoy it they certainly did. Very few of them had ever been to the seaside before and, under the very close supervision that such a group requires, the children frolicked at the water’s edge. Those who were too badly deformed to go into the water at least were able to feel the caress of the sea on the feet they extended from the wheelchairs drawn up alongside the shore.

The staff of the Pakkred Orphanage who accompanied the four bus-loads of the children in their care, were also extremely happy for the most successful day. Khun Janjira and Khun Yuvadee expressed their gratitude to the Varuna Club. Both the physical therapist and the "house mother" of the Pakkred facilities said that "they were amply rewarded to see the happy faces of their delighted charges smiling out at the sea and the beauty of the Gulf, sparkling on what seemed to be a day especially designed for the children."

In fact, one could be forgiven also for feeling that the Rotary South’s newsletter "The South Wind" was most appropriately named within the context of this outing, as the southerly Monsoonal winds blessed the little ones playing on the beach, in the warm waters of the Gulf, or simply splashing around in the Royal Varuna Club’s swimming pool.

The children were amply supplied with Coca Cola and a superb meal supplied courtesy of SAS. Their tee shirts said it all: "Rotary Club of Bangkok South Kids Out 1999" and on the reverse side "Castrol, we care about you"; an appropriate gesture to celebrate the renowned company’s 100th anniversary.

Rotarian & Royal Varuna founder Walter Meyer regales the Pakkred children. Photo Peter Cummins.

"Kids Out" is also of great satisfaction to Walter and Olive Meyer who took much interest in the children’s activities and, as they have done for the past three years, Walter and Olive manned the Royal Varuna gates, to hand out refreshment packages to the little ones for their return bus journey to Pakkred.

The highlight was undoubtedly the appearance of the magician who fascinated the enrapt audience with more than an hour of magic, involving as many as he could in the routines.

Then it was suddenly all over and this little army of courageous, smiling children was assisted, wheeled or hobbled their own way to the fleet of buses waiting at the Varuna gates to take them to the only home they know - the Pakkred Orphanage.

I noticed more than one pair of damp eyes on the able-bodied who saw the children off. Many of us, I know, went away a lot more thoughtful than when we came in. These unfortunate little innocents had left something with us: courage, patience and perhaps even a better acceptance of what life deals us.

Copyright 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
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Created by Andy Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek.