Family Money: Planning for the Hols

By Leslie Wright

Leisure and tourism have become major growth industries in many countries around the world.

Pattaya residents are especially aware of this. Indeed, tourism is Pattaya’s raison d’être. The majority of businesses in Pattaya are geared towards tourism and the hospitality industry; or are providing goods or services to those who are. (There are of course exceptions, so if you’re one of them, please don’t write in to complain; I’m one too.)

Despite so many expatriate entrepreneurs in Pattaya being tourism orientated, it may come as a surprise to learn that many don’t give much thought to planning their own holidays very well.

Of course, some might say that most expatriates in Pattaya are on a permanent holiday, so what is there to plan for? Hah, hah!

While that may be true in some cases, it certainly isn’t for many.

From personal experience of knowing many expatriate Pattaya residents and entrepreneurs who cater to the tourist trade, most work very hard at it - and often have a lot to put up with from "difficult" customers, some of whom seem determined to get their pent-up frustrations out of their systems, no matter who suffers in the process.

Give me a break!

We all need holidays from time to time, to relax, recharge our depleted batteries and restore our well-being, and clear cobwebs from minds which may have been overworked and overtaxed (in both senses) for several months past.

When working in the high-pressure environment of Hong Kong I found I needed to get out of the (former) Colony about every three months, just to retain my sanity.

These regular breaks (most of which were taken in Thailand, by the way) enabled me to return to work with renewed vigour and a clearer focus on the tasks awaiting me.

Similarly, many large US corporations insist that their senior executives take regular vacations, having found after exhaustive studies that better results are achieved from rested minds & bodies than from stressed ones.

Book early

Planning for your own holiday doesn’t consist just of deciding your destination.

As many discovered last ‘High Season’ in places like Phuket, hotels are often booked up months in advance, and may even be overbooked.

So also with flights to popular destinations.

By way of personal example, I used to book my Christmas flights no later than September; my Songkran trip in January, and my August/September one in April.

In other words, booking my next holiday immediately after my last.

That way I managed to have confirmed reservations for the dates and carriers I preferred, rather than having to take whatever was available (if anything) by leaving it till the last minute.

If you have a family to consider, and will need four or more seats, advance planning is even more crucial if you want to fly together.

Tourists unlucky enough to turn up at the flight counter or hotel only to find their confirmed reservations cannot be honoured due to overbooking have every right to be indignant.

But there is nonetheless a very good reason why both airlines and hotels tend to accept reservations beyond their capacity.

Statistically a predictable number of people don’t show up for their flights or rooms, and the carrier or hotel would lose money if it were unable to find an alternative walk-in customer.

But while statistics show the general trend, it may be your flight for which every booked passenger shows up; and the late-comers get bumped.

Frustrating it may be if the bumpee were you, and even more disappointing if you were travelling with your family - who then usually blame & berate you, just to make matters worse.

Better to book early, and arrive at the check-in counter a little earlier than required.

Planning the finances

Planning the financial aspects of your holiday go beyond just how much spending money you’ll need - although that’s of course an important one which I’ll come back to.

Many people euphoric about going on holiday neglect the "what if" factors.

What if you or your family get sick or have an accident?

Hospitals in Thailand may be well equipped and relatively inexpensive; but neither is true of many other popular holiday destinations.

Have you got international health insurance? Is it adequate? Is it valid for your destination? Will it cover all likely (and extraordinary) expenses? Will the insurer pay the hospital directly, or will you have to pay first and claim back your expenditures later?

Another more morbid, but nonetheless important "what if" factor that should be taken care of before you depart on holiday is your estate planning.

Have you made a will? Is it valid? Is it up to date? Does your Executor know where it is, and what its provisions are, and the location of your assets?

(Actually, this "what if" factor should be addressed by everyone, whether you’re planning or holiday or not.)

Driving you crazy

If you are planning a motoring holiday, it is well to bear in mind that standards of driving vary from country to country, and even from region to region.

For instance, driving in Bangkok is certainly not for the inexperienced or faint-hearted, while drivers in the north of Thailand seem far more courteous and aware of what’s happening around them than the average motorist in Pattaya.

Drivers in the southern provinces, on the other hand, seem even more blithely uncaring of other road users.

Nonetheless, if you collide with the lady moped-driver who suddenly swerved out right in front of you, you can be sure you’ll be the one to pay the bills. One of the prices of being a farang in Thailand.

Taking out fully-comprehensive vehicle insurance may be expensive, and hopefully it will have been money wasted, but you’ll be very glad you had it if and when you need it.

Similarly if you plan to rent a car or motorcycle overseas, check the terms of the rental agreement carefully to determine your liabilities - preferably before signing it.

In some places, an accident may result in your being liable to pay for all the repairs to the rented machine or even replace it - even if you were not at fault in the accident.

Renting a vehicle from a recognised firm may be dearer by the day than from the private owner on the corner, but should you be unfortunate enough to have an accident, the former may well prove to be the most cost-effective route in the long run.

This also applies to maintenance. A low-rent (but clapped-out) car/bike/moped may be cheap by the day, but if it breaks down while you’re miles from anywhere, and the local garage’s equipment runs only to a set of spanners and a screwdriver, your motoring holiday may be severely curtailed, and end up far more expensive than you’d envisaged.

Another thing to bear in mind is your Driving License. Not only must you remember to bring it with you (some forget), but before you depart on your holiday check that it’s still valid (it may be about to expire), and whether it will be accepted where you’re going, or whether you will require an International Driving License.

Most European countries’, U.S. and Hong Kong driving licenses are acceptable to car rental agencies in most countries - but a license issued in Thailand or the Philippines (to cite just two examples where driving skills are less thoroughly tested to internationally-accepted standards) most certainly are not.

A similar point applies to your passport. Is it still valid or about to expire? Will you need a visa for your destination? A phone call in advance to the embassy of your destination country may save you a lot of heartache and frustration upon arrival at your destination.

Similarly, will you need an exit & re-entry permit for Thailand? If so, you’ll have to leave sufficient time to arrange this.

Accommodation

Having addressed most of the ‘minor’ details that are sometimes forgotten, we can now look at planning the ‘main’ budget for your trip.

The most obvious expense is the accommodation.

If you’ve paid for your hotel in advance - perhaps as part of a package which includes air fares - you may exclude this item from your cash budget.

On the other hand, you may have planned to pay the hotel with a credit card. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that not all credit cards are internationally accepted. It depends what card you’re carrying from which issuing institution.

For example, some Visa cards issued by some Thai banks may not be accepted (or even valid) outside Thailand.

It is also worth noting that smaller resort hotels in many places don’t accept credit cards at all.

So assuming you haven’t paid for the hotel in advance, this is the first item on your budget.

It would be silly to have booked a hotel (and perhaps even more silly not to have booked one) without finding out first what the prevailing room rates are at your chosen destination.

This may seem obvious common sense (a remarkably rare attribute), but I’ve heard of many instances of people flying off on holiday abroad imagining that the room rates at their destination will be comparable with, say, Pattaya prices. And getting a nasty shock at their exotic destination.

On the other hand, this advance planning can sometimes work against you.

Some years ago I booked a holiday to Penang (my first trip there) through a Hong Kong travel agent and paid for the whole trip in advance.

I became decidedly upset upon arrival to find that the selected hotel was offering a ‘special’ rate to walk-in guests which was 35% less than the rate the travel agent quoted and I’d paid in advance.

F&B, etc.

The next two items in your budget are food and drink.

Again, eating out in Pattaya (or indeed, virtually anywhere in Thailand) is remarkably inexpensive compared with many other popular destinations, and this has to be taken into account - literally.

For example, in Pattaya a decent dinner for four including drinks can be had for well under Bt.2,000. The same dinner in a comparable Hong Kong restaurant could cost perhaps five times as much.

Entertainment is another item that has to be considered. But this will vary tremendously from one individual to another. What you spend on having fun may well be more than any other item in your holiday budget; or it may be virtually zero.

Either way, it should be itemised on your budget, allowing a certain amount for each day of your planned vacation.

Transportation also has to be considered. Whether you plan to rent a vehicle (car or moped), or use taxis or buses to get around, an allotment for these expenses should be included in your budget.

Again, the soundest course is to allow a certain amount for each day.

Transport to & from the airport (both going and coming) may be a minor or it may be a significant expense, but should be allowed for (unless it’s included as part of a package tour.)

Similarly, airport departure tax has to be considered, and this also applies at both ends of the trip.

More etceteras

The item that many forget is what I call "sundries & miscellaneous". The souvenirs that catch your eye; the presents for Aunt Mary, Cousin Joe, and your secretary, all have to be bought and paid for - and should be built into your holiday budget. Similarly your duty-free indulgences.

Having then noted down on a sheet of paper all the various daily expenses as noted above, allow a fair sized contingency fund for the "maybes & what-ifs".

Thus if your video camera breaks down and you can’t get it fixed immediately, and need to buy a new one (as has actually happened to me), your holiday budget won’t be ruined, and nor will your memories of your holiday.

Personally speaking, I’ve always found the old adage which advises "take half as many clothes and twice as much money" a useful guide to ensuring an enjoyable and care-free vacation.

Have a good one!

If you have any comments or queries on this article, or about other topics concerning investment matters, write to Leslie Wright, c/o Family Money, Pattaya Mail, or fax him directly on (038) 232522 or e-mail him at [email protected]. Further details and back articles can be accessed on his firm’s website on www.westminsterthailand.com.

Leslie Wright is Managing Director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd., a firm of independent financial advisors providing advice to expatriate residents of the Eastern Seaboard on personal financial planning and international investments.

The computer doctor

by Richard Bunch

This week’s column has been turned over to the subject of the World Wide Web and Internet related topics.

For many people the World Wide Web (WWW) is a venture into the unknown. You may have decided that your company needs to have a WWW presence but are unsure how to go about it. You choose an individual or company to make the design for you and deal with the domain registration and hosting for you. Because of your uncertainty, you probably want to outlay as few Baht as you can and thus select the cheapest bid. However, in the long run this is likely to prove the most expensive.

You should ask yourself basic questions, like has the company got a track record, who are their clients, do they have an office (some operate from their ‘bedroom’), is it too cheap; like everything in this world you get what you pay for. You also need to remember that a bad web presence is worse than no presence at all. Badly designed websites with code that does not work portray an image of your company to the world, do you want the world to think that you are a company who doesn’t care?

I have received many complaints and I am personally dealing with the problems caused by some less than scrupulous operators.

These problems fall into many categories and I will deal with the main ones here.

Incorrect Domain Registration. The top level domains, i.e., .com, .net, .org, are administered by Network Solutions, formerly known as InterNIC. Thai domains are administered by THNIC and other country specific domains by the relevant body in that country. Their records are essential to the efficient running and ongoing maintenance of your domain. The records they hold are: Registrant, Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Billing Contact and the primary and secondary Domain Name Servers (DNS).

The Administrative Contact should be you or a competent person within your organisation. It SHOULD NOT be the person who does the registration for you or anyone else. Whenever changes are required to a Domain Record, an automated response is sent by e-mail to the address on file of the Administrative Contact. They then have to signify their acceptance or rejection of the ‘Modify Ticket’; without this acceptance NO processing will be done. There are instances where the Administrative Contact has absconded and their current whereabouts are unknown. I also know of cases where fees of 50,000 Baht have been demanded for agreeing to the request. You may think this does not affect you, as it is your best mate; well what happens if your best mate comes off the worst in an altercation with a Baht Bus? You may also think that your website is running OK so there won’t be a need to change anything so why bother? You may want to change your hosting service for more reliable, better features, cost, etc., or maybe you move the location of your office so need to advise a new address for the Billing Contact. All these require the acquiescence of the Administrative Contact.

The Billing Contact should also be you or an individual within your organisation and the address should be one to which you have access. If your bill is unpaid, your Domain Name will lapse. Once again if this is the person who registered the domain, then you are reliant upon them to pass the bill on to you and there is a danger that this will not happen.

The Technical Contact is normally the person who deals with the technical issues for you and is often the person who dealt with your website design, domain registration, etc., for you.

Registrant should ideally be you, not the person who does it for you.

I would advise anyone with a registered domain to check the details, for top level domains http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois/ and for Thai domains http://www.thnic.net/. Should you find any irregularities from my comments then contact the Administrative Contact without delay and get the appropriate changes made. Do not be fobbed off with excuses like you can only do changes on renewal, or it’s very expensive, best leave it in my name. Deal with these problems whilst time is on your side. Remember that if the details are not as I have indicated, it will be very difficult to prove ownership of the Domain Name and in any event this is a long and protracted process taking many weeks.

Domain Registration with Network Solutions is presently 70USD for 2 years, not one year as is being quoted by some companies.

Hosting of your website is also important, this, after all, dictates many aspects of your website, such as how fast it loads, the features that can be used in its design, integrity and backup of your data. Most of the ‘bucket shop’ hosting services advertise very cheap hosting but then things that you require are chargeable extras. You most likely will want POP mail, so that you and your employees/departments can have personalised mail, i.e., [email protected], [email protected]. You should also be able to administer this in-house. An ftp directory is also a standard requirement, this will, amongst other things, allow you to upload changes and updates to your website.

On the subject of ftp directories, these should be secure and only you or your authorised staff should have access to them. When you log in to your ftp directory, you should only have access to your ftp directory; you should not be able to see and have access to anyone else’s ftp directory. After all, if you can get into theirs, the chances are they can get into your directory. The consequences, whether malicious or not, could be quite devastating - your complete website could be wiped out!

One final word on the subject of hosting, beware of people selling you lifetime hosting.

The comments contained within this column are not necessarily the views of the author or Pattaya Mail Publishing Co., Ltd. Letters may be edited.

Send your questions or comments to the Pattaya Mail at 370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, 20260 or Fax to 038 427 596 or E-mail to [email protected].

Richard Bunch is Managing Director of Action Computer Technologies on South Pattaya Road (900 metres from Sukhumvit Road). Providing total computer and IT solutions to corporate clients and households on the Eastern Seaboard.

Successfully Yours: Michael Franklin

by Mirin MacCarthy

Michael Franklin "retired" to Pattaya five years ago from the U.K. and like most expats has found a compelling reason to continue working. In his case it is continuing to do what he does so well (a personal philosophy of his), and that is organising a major programme of golf tournaments and weekly competitions for the Pattaya Sports Club.

Mike has been Golf Chairman of the PSC for the last two years and during that time has really helped put golf in Pattaya, indeed SE Asia, on the map. The PSC, incidentally, has 600 golf section members alone.

His "accidental" relocation here is a familiar expat tale. Mike originally arrived just to play golf but after the third trip decided it was just the place to retire. Fortune favoured him again and he met and married his beautiful Thai wife and is now the proud father of a cheeky 2-year-old daughter.

Mike comes across as a great guy with an easy, not overpowering, smile. Someone who meets you half way and describes his career in a laid back manner as "Sales and Marketing".

It is not until an hour into the conversation that you find out that Mike Franklin was a high powered advertising executive involved with major promotions of large accounts such as Esso, Rothmans, Kodak and Tesco. In addition he was on the board of worldwide agencies like McCann Erickson, Saatchi and Saatchi and Walter J. Thompson.

Born in London sixty odd years ago, with an uneventful childhood as an only child, his father "worked in the city" as a chartered accountant. However, Mike admits, "I always regretted having no brothers or sisters, though you do tend to become more self sufficient and independent."

The first, most compelling change in Mike’s life was his call up for National Service. "I spent two years in the Middle East. That was an experience. I joined a boy and came out a man. It is something I would recommend to every youngster. The discipline helps make you mature."

Mike names three highlights of his career. The first was when he was Group Director of the Tesco account in 1977. In the U.K. in those days of a cash strapped economy, most retail outlets and supermarkets were involved with coupons and "Green Stamps" as a means of discount marketing. Mike felt that it was time for a change because there was a public swing away from discount coupons, preferring a cut price instead. Accordingly, over a four day Jubilee weekend, he masterminded the most successful grocery retail coup and marketing direction change for Tesco. Mike managed to get a televised jump start on all his competitors and moved the entire Tesco outlets from a "Checkout" of Green Stamps and into Cut Price before his competitors even got wind of it.

With coups like that, it is not difficult to see why Mike was invited to join the Saatchi and Saatchi board in 1986, specialising in sponsorship, while continuing his involvement with Tesco as their consultant for sponsorship and charity events.

This is where his promotional star took another sensational leap skywards and produced his second highlight. With Mike’s initiation and direction he organised a major charity golf tournament along with the PGA European Tour.

He had been playing golf with Tesco’s chairman, who floated the idea of a charity golf tournament, and Mike ran with it. "Let’s go for gold and get the top golf pros and the Royal Family," was his answer.

Mike did the impossible and set it up with the Director of the PGA European Tour. He convinced 40 top golf pros to play for no money, then invited 120 amateurs who gladly paid to play and then had senior members of the Royal Family present the prizes, with all the money raised going to a Royal nominated charity. A total win-win scheme that raised 850 thousand Pounds (around 50 million Baht) in six years.

All this leads on naturally to the third highlight of his career, "My opportunity to put together the Pattaya Sports Club Golf Tournament calendar." His golf chairman position, although unsalaried, has a heavy involvement of 40 to 50 hours a week. However, there are 600 golfers who appreciate it and rely on his work. "Hard work" and "highlight" seem to be synonymous in his very being.

Mike’s philosophy in life is, "Whatever you do, do it the best you can. Choose and concentrate on the things you know you can do well." This is a dictum he has obviously followed to bring him here to a happy new life of community involvement in Pattaya.

Snap Shots: It’s a frame-up!

by Harry Flashman

Have you ever seen in magazines, those wonderful photographs of people positively "glowing" with health and vitality? Sickeningly brimming full of goodness, and golden hues just radiating from their very presence. Well, like so many things in photography, it’s a fraud! A photographic "tri

However, all photographic tricks still conform to the basic rules of physics, in particular the rules of light. Light travels in straight lines and will bounce off any non-translucent object. And that, quite simply, is the basis of this trick.

Ayuthaya.

The "golden glow" is really just reflected light, bounced back on to the subject. People shots benefit from this warm healthy look and the subjects will look many years younger because you can get rid of saggy chins quicker than a plastic surgeon can say, "Get your wallet out!"

Now photographically, the natural golden glow comes in the late afternoon, with the sun getting low on the horizon. There are good scientific reasons why this is so, but here is not the place to discuss them. Just accept the fact that late afternoon sun is the "warm" time. Take pictures at this time of day and you will get that golden glow - but our photographic trick will allow you to get that warm golden glow at any time of day - and control it as well, something you cannot do so easily with the sun as your light source!

What we have to do is build a light reflector that reflects that warm colour. Go to the newsagent and get some gold foil paper. The sort of wrapping paper you use for wedding gifts. It may be embossed or patterned, and in fact it is better if it is, but must be gold in colour. Glue the gold paper on to a sheet of cardboard or polystyrene sheet approximately one metre square. You do not have to be deathly accurate or neat. If the surface gets a little "scrunched up" that is fine too. Your capital outlay is probably around 50-100 Baht. Not bad, so far!

Now you have a reflector, which if you play with it near a window for example, will shine "gold" on to any subject. You are now ready to impart that golden glow.

The best photos for this exercise are people shots taken outdoors, with the sun behind the subject. This we call "back lit". You will find that the subject’s hair becomes very bright around the edges, almost like a "halo" effect.

Vietnam hairdresser.

Now for the addition of the golden glow. To do this, you position your reflector to shine some sunlight back towards the subject. Prop the reflector in the best position to give the degree of golden glow you want (I generally just prop it up with the camera bag, or you can get an assistant to hold it for you) and look through the viewfinder. See what a difference this makes? The ugly chin shadow has gone and the subject looks brilliantly glowing and "healthy". The one metre square reflector will also impart "highlights" to eyes to make them sparkle as well.

The end product is shiny hair, bright eyes and a golden complexion radiating warmth. A fabulous photo.

Now, the downside! It is more difficult to get the correct exposure setting in the backlit situation. If your camera has a "Backlit" button, then use it. If not, walk in close to the subject so that the persons face fills the frame, and take your exposure reading from there. Use the exposure lock, or just memorise the readings and put them in on manual mode. Give it a try this weekend!

Modern Medicine: The Silent Epidemic!

by Dr Iain Corness

Any disease process where a minimum of 10% of the people have it, and if you are over 65 then one in three has it, must be considered to be an "epidemic". If you do not know you’ve got the condition till a catastrophe happens makes it "silent".

The condition referred to this week is Hypertension, otherwise known as High Blood Pressure. It is important to note that everyone has "blood pressure", otherwise the blood won’t circulate around your arteries and veins. It is only when the pressure is too high that we have "hyper" tension. OK?

In General Practice, the management of Hypertension is probably the most common condition encountered. Yet, despite this, the methods of treatment, surveillance and results can be very different.

Most people are aware that Hypertension does exist. In many countries there are health promotion programmes to raise public awareness of the issue, and public service organisations often run free clinics to test the populace for the condition. This being the case, why is Hypertension still a worldwide problem?

There are many reasons for this, but probably the major one is that for 95% of Hypertension cases there is no nicely demonstrable cause for the condition. In fact, it appears to be more of a "lifestyle" problem - and it is very difficult to get people to change the ingrained habits of a lifetime.

Another problem factor in reducing the incidence of Hypertension is that it seems that the treatment has to be maintained for the rest of the person’s life too. This is difficult for most people to swallow and stopping treatment is exceptionally common.

There are also other reasons for stopping medication, especially when the treatment itself may produce symptoms and side effects, while the condition appears to produce none! Add to that, the fact that treatment costs money and doing nothing does not. It all becomes a very difficult one to sell to the unfortunate sufferer.

However, it is an important one to sell. The results of untreated Hypertension can be horrendous. Stroke and heart disease are not fun conditions to have for your final years on Planet Earth. These types of long drawn out endings are not ones we would choose for ourselves - but if we ignore the necessity for personal treatment of Hypertension we are choosing those ends by omission, if not commission!

So there you are, you have a very good chance of having High Blood Pressure problems, especially if you are over 65 years old, overweight, drink alcohol and do little exercise. You must get your pressure checked to find out if you have got the condition and you must keep up treatment for the rest of your days, if you wish those days to be pleasant.

If you have not had your blood pressure taken recently, go along and see your doctor and get it checked today. It may just be good insurance for the rest of your life!

Dear Hillary,

I always feel so bad when I see beggars on the footpath. Should I give money to them or not? My husband always tells me not to, but I just can’t bear walking by. What do you think?

Carmel

Dear Carmel,

Yes it is a hard world out there. The Thai sentiments, at least from the friends I have asked, seem to agree with your husband. My friends all say, "Don’t give beggars anything. They are only begging because they want to. Some of them are put there by organized gangs who don’t even let them keep the money they’re given." I suggest if you cannot resist donating, just give a few one baht coins occasionally. Remember, money will not fix their problems. If you want to effectively help then consider joining a community organization such as the Rotary, YWCA, or the Pattaya International Ladies Club all of which are involved in charity work.

Dear Hillary,

I criticize your answer to Miss Sharon two weeks ago. Do you really want to give the advice to a daughter to tolerate her mother’s disloyal behavior to her father? The suspicion exists and that has to be answered, otherwise the daughter will not feel very good every time she sees her father. I would suggest to Sharon that she ask her mother if the suspicion is true or groundless. If she doesn’t give an honest answer also tell her husband immediately. If she has indeed been disloyal, then the daughter has the obligation to do that. If there is no honesty then this family is already a past love story. The children are involved in family matters, this is not judgmental. A mother with that behavior can not bring up a daughter, that is sure. Sharon may not play blind; she has to speak to her mother about the "story".

Daniel K.

Dear D. K.,

I see your point and raise you one. Sure, if Sharon could speak with her mother and ask her reassurance, this may ease her dilemma about her undue interference and lack of honour and respect for her parent’s privacy.

Dear Hillary,

We are new to Pattaya and want to ask you how safe is it to eat from the food carts at the side of the road. Is it likely to give you food poisoning or some awful disease?

Newcomers

Dear New,

It all depends on what you eat. Anything cooked or with the fruit peel still on is O.K. Gai Yang or barbecue chicken is fine. Avoid all seafood and som tum, the green mango salad. Besides being nuclear hot it usually has shrimps and crabs in it, which may or may not be fresh. Also bypass the fried grasshoppers and beetles for although these are not a serious health risk they tend to choke the unwary.

Dear Hillary,

Can you tell me why do all the girls here wear ridiculous tall platform shoes?

Puzzled

Dear Puzzled,

All the better to see you with, it increases their height. By walking around on mini stilts then no one can claim they are vertically challenged. Also it increases the impression ratio when riding sidesaddle through the traffic to nonchalantly dangle the odd platform in front of all the other drivers, though they have to deduct points if the shoe drops.

GRAPEVINE

Dining Out: Visit Portofino!

by Miss Terry Diner

"Where’s Portofino?" I asked, displaying an abysmal knowledge of geography. Paolo Osti, mine host of the new Portofino Restaurant, looked shocked and came back with a beautiful coffee table book on the Ligura region of Italy. "There is Portofino," he said proudly, his boyish face radiating enthusiasm. "It is beautiful," he said with a reverent tone.

Portofino Restaurant.

Paolo’s new restaurant is beautiful, too. Italianesque, decorated in terracotta colours on the walls and tiled floors with pale wood chairs. The Italian atmosphere does not end there. Situated in a small soi beside the re-opened Day Night, the sound of small motorcycles puttering past were immediately reminiscent of Italian Lambrettas and Vespas. Close the eyes and listen to Paolo’s lilting Italian tones and some Verdi playing in the background and you could be in Portofino - Italy.

But back to Portofino - Pattaya. The menu is small, but there are enough choices. Pastas are between 100-130 Baht, Pizzas 120-150 Baht, 3 soups at 110 Baht, Antipasto 95-100 Baht and Mains 145-295 Baht, including Pepper Steak and choices of Scallopini’s. These come with French Fries or potatoes and vegetables. There are also some side orders with spinach, garlic bread, pizza bread and sautéed potatoes with rosemary.

The wine list is also all Italian. "No French wines," said Paolo, "they don’t go with Italian food." In the reds there is a Montefalco Rosso, a Valpollicela and a Chianti with a Soave, Orvieto, Pinot Griglio and a Gavi in the whites. We chose the Montefalco Rosso, which, at 395 Baht, was not only good value but eminently drinkable as well! Lacks "nose" but for under 400 Baht, who cares! While we deliberated, we nibbled on a plate of hot pizza bread and drank from decent sized, cut glass, wine goblets.

For starters Madame chose the Antipasto Portofino and for myself it was the Tomato with Fresh Basil Soup. The Antipasto was fabulous. Parma ham and breadsticks rolled from pizza dough. The breadstick is called "Grissini" in that form. Paolo explained the intricacies of this dish because you roll the ham around the breadstick and eat it like that. My soup was also thick and flavoursome and a little of the parmesan cheese and ground black pepper on top just made it excellent.

For mains, we both decided on Scallopini - Milanese for Madame and Al Limone for myself. Both were nicely cooked and the lemon sauce was smooth with just enough "tartness" for my palate. Madame also ordered some spinach on the side, which was given full marks.

To finish, we turned down desserts and coffee in favour of a liqueur neither of us had tasted before called "Limoncello". This is made from lemon peel and sugar and stored for many months before bottling. 32% alcohol in the commercial form and this certainly does have a good nose! One tentative little whiff and your back teeth are awash. This was a great little drop. Thank you, Paolo.

Portofino Restaurant is a niche market establishment. It has only been open six weeks and has a good ambience. I believe it will, like a good Italian wine, continue to improve. This little place could end up as a rare jewel. Try it.

Animal Crackers: Yorkies

by Mirin MacCarthy

I am setting my little paws working to tell you about myself and my master I call ‘Pepi’. As you can imagine it was very difficult for me to leave behind my lovely home, relatives and all my dog friends in Rome to make a new life in Thailand.

Here in Pattaya I have a large home and huge grounds to run around in but unfortunately the weather is just so hot and I become immediately exhausted when I try to race around.

Yorkshire Terrier.

I have had some very nasty experiences also with the local street dogs always wanting to fight, the snakes in the grass which really frighten me and the giant red ants that continuously nip.

I am a Yorkshire Terrier and my name is ‘Happy’. I have already made a couple of friends here, one is a Shiatsu and the other a Poodle, but to really enjoy my life and be safe and cool the only place I can go is to the shopping centre’s where I can play with my ‘Pepi’ and anyone else without any problems.

What I really miss here in Thailand is my favorite sporting exercise that I did with my friends. In Rome together with my ‘Pepi’ we would practice and take part in athletic tournaments. All European or American dog lovers will know of the Agility Dog.

This is a sport that dog and owner perform jointly as a team and allows them both to spend time together in the open air.

The course of the Agility Dog event is a series of very funny activities - jumping fences of various heights, scaling obstacle walls, negotiating soft plastic tubes, and slalom like sky sports. Each of the contestants have to complete the course within a certain time and points are awarded, the winners are then presented with prizes.

In Italy we entered and won some championship events, of course this required extensive training but is very important to discipline oneself and avoid troubles. The exhilarating and happy moments we spent competing and socializing together was well worth it.

It would be excellent to be able to arrange something like this for all dogs lovers in Pattaya, who want to spend time playing with their pets. If any dog reading this is interested to join in with his owner (and himself of course) in this Agility Dog Activity, please contact me at the following address: [email protected].

So goodbye, bark woof and slurp.

Auto Mania: Shoppers’ Bumper Bar Stickers

by Dr. Iain Corness

I have to admit I am a sucker for bumper stickers. "No one’s ugly after 2 a.m." still creases me with laughter. Here’s a few others that may tickle your fancy!

"I still miss my ex...but my aim is getting better!"
"I’m the person your mother warned you about!"
"My other wife is beautiful."
"It’s lonely at the top, but you eat better."
"Just when you think you’ve won the rat race along come faster rats."
"Who cares who’s on board?"
"Flying saucers are real, the Air Force doesn’t exist."
"I don’t care who you are, what you are driving, or where you would rather be."
"If this is the tourist season, why can’t we shoot them?"
"We are born naked, wet and hungry. It gets worse from there."

Autotrivia Quiz

Last week I asked you about the six wheel road car - not a 6 wheel pick-up, Jack Wilson! The answer was the Panther 6 and to help you, I even published a photo of it, a very expensive "orphan" made in the UK. The only other 6 wheeler I know of was the Tyrrell race car that Jackie Stewart raced in F1 for one season. The concept was OK, but the engineering necessary was too complex and Ken Tyrrell dropped it.

The other day we looked at the BMW 730, a fine motor car. Bee Emm have produced some excellent cars over the years and deserve their place in motoring history. Mind you, the recent 1.8 litre Z3 was a let down, I must say - sluggish, scuttle shaking and most disappointing, despite its "brutish" appearance.

So let’s look at BMW for the subject of this week’s Autotrivia quiz. BMW’s insignia has a circle cut into quarters with alternating blue and white sectors. For the Automania FREE beer of the week, be first in correct to this question - what does the insignia stand for? Fax 427 596 or email to [email protected].

While I remember, a couple of weeks back I asked about the connection between Bugatti and the Indy 500. Malcolm Kent went very close with his answer which referred to the cylinder heads and blocks used in Bugatti’s. The completely correct answer was that Bugatti bought the two Miller Indy cars that had been brought to Europe around 1929 and copied the design of the cylinder heads to use on the famous Bugatti type 35’s. So there you are Martin, let’s get together for a beer anyway. No-one else was even vaguely within cooee!

Lotus to return?

With Honda having ritually fallen on its crankshaft and withdrawn there is now a "spare" slot available in the tightly controlled F1 racing business. Several makes are now lining up, jostling at the barrier. Colin Chapman may be long gone, but the famous marque "Lotus" is not forgotten in the Formula 1 circus. Plans are already afoot to resurrect the Lotus F1 team to take the name back into the world market.

However, Edenbridge Racing, an F3000 team have their hand up as well, but need a "joint venture" partner (read : Money!) as well as the rumoured Toyota giant sitting like a Sumo wrestler on the side-lines. It will be interesting to watch. Stay posted!

Turn around

While sitting down and watching a Grand Prix on the telly you can become a little blasé and forget just how does the travelling circus actually get there. For all the teams there are three cars - one each for the drivers and a spare, called the T car. There will be at least two spare engines per car, plus transaxles, wheels, tyres, etc. Then there’s a mountain of tools, plus all the telemetry equipment. They have to employ someone just to be in charge of getting all the gear together for freighting to the next venue.

When there is only two weeks between races and the circuits are continents apart (e.g. Spain and Canada) the logistics are frightening. The teams have to pack up after the race weekend, take the bent and broken bits back to the workshop and get race-ready to test at the next circuit the following week. That gives them only a few days back at home base.

The turnaround time between Spain and Canada was a good example of this tight schedule. In the case of the Jordan Team, the cars returned to the UK on Tuesday evening after the Spanish GP and departed for Stanstead airport at 7 a.m. on Friday morning. That’s a grand total of 48 hours in the workshop!

It took 36 hours to load all the freight of Jordan Grand Prix and the other F1 teams, and the planes departed on Saturday evening for Montreal. By the time they were all unloaded you are now into Tuesday, with the pits being fully set up and operational by Wednesday. Check the cars over and away for first Practice session on the Thursday. After the race, no time for mutual back-slapping or wound-licking, it’s a pack up and get all the hardware on the plane, to be back in the UK by Tuesday again and get ready to leave on the Friday for the French GP the following weekend.

Perhaps now you can see why sometimes these teams seem a little disorganised! For them to do any real testing needs another complete race team, that does not leave the country, and just tests all the new development doo-dahs. That team will have at least one car, several engines, transaxles, wheels, tyres, mechanics, telemetry - in fact the whole shooting match. In fact it even has a team manager of equal abilities to that of the "race" team manager. (BAR actually moved their test team manager to become their race team manager for the Spanish GP.)

GP Calendar

Here are the dates for the GP’s between here and the end of the year:

French GP June 27th, British GP July 11, Austrian GP July 25, German GP August 1st, Hungarian GP August 15, Belgian GP August 29, Italian GP September 12, European GP September 26, Malaysian GP ("ours") October 17, Japanese GP October 31.

Plan your visa runs now!

Fitness Tips: Fat Bits Revisited

by Dvid Garred,
Club Manager,
Dusit Resort Sports Club

G’day Pattaya,

A few more interesting lessons have come out of the 8th International Congress on Obesity, none of them can be reproduced quickly so again, I’ll be rationing them out for you over the next few weeks. We will, however, start off with a very healthy size ration.

The prospects for the miracle weight control drug?

Despite major advances, they’re still not good...

If press interest is any indication, it seems the solution to our weight problem is just around the corner - of the medicine cabinet. Progress in molecular biology has thrown up some exciting new prospects in genetic and biochemical research. But when will this come into fruition?

The discovery of the hormone Leptin in 1994 rejuvenated drug company interest in the pot of gold at the end of the obesity rainbow. However, the intervening period has yielded less than total satisfaction. At the 8th International Obesity Congress in Paris last year, packed houses heard of some new directions, and some new disappointments in drug research.

In this week’s article I will present a review of some of the prospects for your perusal.

Leptin

Discovered in 1994, leptin is a satiating hormone, which, it is believed, signals the brain that we’ve had enough to eat. In administration to rats it led to their reduced food consumption and thus they showed good weight loss. In humans, on the other hand, it’s now well known that obese people have more, rather than less leptin as would be predicted. So far only 9 cases of a deficiency on the leptin have been identified (that 9 is testing world wide) and administration of the drug in trials has seen less than spectacular results. The latest thinking is that leptin may be just ‘the leader of the band’ of a number of chemicals associated with food intake and energy expenditure. In obese people, leptin resistance may also be more of a problem than leptin deficiency, just as with insulin resistance in diabetes. In any case, leptin alone is becoming less likely to provide a drug solution to the obesity problem.

Uncoupling protein (UCP)

A family of proteins has now been identified in the process of energy loss in the human body. Basically, these result in energy being lost as heat in the process between the ‘uncoupling’ of food to it’s chemical source of energy in the mitochondria of the cell. Genetic manipulation of mice to increase UCPs in muscle has lead to mice that stay leaner than controls, even when these mice were challenged with a high fat diet.

However, research published in 1999 has shown that, as with leptin, fat people have more UCP. A drug therefore also looks more distant.

Specific Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

Serotonin is a brain chemical known to be associated with feelings of satisfaction and decreased appetite. Manipulation of serotonin is the rationale behind recent antidepressant drugs (eg Prozac). Early SSRIs such as dex-fenfluramine, held much promise in reducing appetite and food intake. In 1997, however, one of these (Adifax of Redux in the US) was voluntarily withdrawn from the market after being shown to cause valve problems in the heart. Although this was greater when the drug was combined with another weight loss agent, Phentermine (the ‘Phen-Fen’ combination), there was also a small effect of the drug alone. All drugs have side effects that must be weighed up against the benefits. Recently, there have been attempts by scientists to reintroduce fenfluramine onto the market. A number of new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, however, have confirmed the heart valve-drug relationship and effectively ruled out any quick return. A slightly different SSRI drug (sibutramine), which works on a different serotonin receptor, has been approved for use in the US and application has been made for approval in Australia. The drug would also reduce appetite, but possible side effects are currently unknown and the fenfluramine experience has left prescribers jittery.

Fat digestion inhibitors

A major problem for anyone overweight is dietary fat. Drugs that will block the digestion of fat may presumably reduce the amount of energy absorbed. One such drug, Xenical (Orlistat), has been approved in Europe and New Zealand. It was approved in the US and later withdrawn and is now pending approval again. Several scientific studies have shown at least a short-term effectiveness of Xenical, but there are concerns about possible side effects. Through its action in blocking an enzyme involved in the absorption of fat, it could also block fat soluble vitamins and minerals (although the company selling the drug claims it has evidence that this is not the case). Anal leakage of fat is also a distinct possibility as a side effect. In the meantime, Roche Pharmaceuticals is spending up big to bring Xenical to the corner chemist.

Other possibilities

A range of further approaches is currently being tested, including a derivative of a growth hormone, which has been tested positively by Monash University in Melbourne. With new products being pushed onto the market all the time, it now becomes difficult for consumers to distinguish between those scientifically tested and medically prescribed and those with no testing or scientific base. With desperation creeping into the weight control stakes, this is only likely to get worse.

Finally, effective weight loss: the unthinkable alternative to drugs

Although pharmaceutical scientists looking for the magic elixir don’t like to think about it, lifestyle change appears to be the best for weight loss at the moment. In a widely reported study on the effects of lifestyle in heart attack patients in the US in 1998, a group of researchers from the California Pacific Medical School in San Francisco found that patients lost an average of 10.5 Kg over a year when given a low fat vegetarian diet and regular exercise. There was no real intention to lose weight.

Most drug studies to date show some effect on weight loss, but when this effect is compared to that of controls, who are given a placebo and put on a low calorie diet, the average weight loss is around 3.5 Kg over a year. With drugs, the effect is also lost after the drug is discontinued.

Other lifestyle-based studies carried out in health spas in the 1980s have also shown a weight loss of 10 Kg or more over a year, weight which was kept off after the change in lifestyle. So, while the argument about which is the best drug continues, perhaps the most effective long term technique of weight control is being ignored. After all, it does require some effort, which is not what most people favour these days.

Take home message: a change in lifestyle is still the best and safest technique for weight loss and long term maintenance of a healthy body weight / size.

Carpe’ diem

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