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Thailand’s
Equestrian Ballet
by David Smith
For me, the French saying ‘Je ne c’est quoi’ sums
it up. It literally means that little bit of something, but I don’t know
what it is. I am at this point referring to that indescribable feeling one
gets when in the presence of royalty, and in equine terms the Lusitano horse
is certainly that. The Lusitano is a breed of horse that dates back to
around 1700BC, which makes it one of the earliest equine purebreds still in
existence today. There is of course a very good reason for this fact, and
the breed’s intelligence, eagerness to learn, incredible strength and
pace, combined with a relaxed and people friendly nature is paramount in
why.
 Horse
Shoe Point put on a magnificent show
Pattaya and Thailand are about to see the emergence of
what is truly a world-class equestrian center which features these fine
Lusitanos amongst others, and it lies near the furthest extents of Soi Siam
Country Club, at the soon to be completed multi million dollar equestrian
center and holiday resort. Refined excellence and quality is the first,
last, and continuing impression one gets when one visits the Horseshoe Point
Resort & Country Club, and fortunate was the only thought that came to
my mind when I was invited to the gala preview of a Classical Portuguese
Riding Display featuring their magnificent Lusitanos.
The night’s show was a display of the equestrian
talents of the master, Louis Valencia Rodriguez from Portugal, and the Thai
twin brothers Chaikiri and Chainarin who are the owners and visionaries of
the Horseshoe Point Resort & Country Club. The invitation promised a
display of the classical Portuguese riding program, which turned out to be
more like an act from an illustrious equestrian ballet, and what better
place to display this than the magnificent environs of Asia’s newest and
largest indoor equestrian ring at the Horse Shoe Point Resort.
 Twins
Chaikiri and Chainarin, the owners and visionaries of the Horseshoe Point
Resort & Country Club, with one of their gallant steeds.
We could have been in Spain, Portugal, France or any
other world class riding establishment that night, as the small invited
crowd witnessed the elegant demonstration of the training characteristics
for these prancing stallions, where the horseman walks alongside his steed
and instructs the Lusitano’s graceful dance with ever so subtle commands
from the long-reins. Then the program’s music moved into a classical aria
as the twins Chaikiri and Chainarin rode two magnificent white Lusitano
stallions into the arena for the time honored equestrian classic, the Pas
de-Deux (a dance for two).
One cannot help but marvel in appreciation of the time,
effort, patience and horsemanship that it takes to train these horses in
accomplishing such an elegant spectacle. The brothers were adorned in the
classical Portuguese show attire, which has its origins in the early cavalry
commander’s uniform, and they, with their stallions, traversed this
marvelous ballet with the poise and precision of a Nureyev or a Barishnikov.
The crowd was in awe.
 A
pint-sized troubadour took part in the proceedings
Soon afterwards, the resort’s equestrian Manager
Frederick Cardoso entered the expansive arena for a solo performance of
classical Haut Ecole, which is akin to a diva ballerina’s solo
performance. It was an awesome performance indeed, where Frederick
demonstrated his affinity with this brilliant steed’s skill, versatility
and grace. Soon after, the crowd was treated to a finale where three riders
Filipa Valen็a, Frederico Cardoso and Pedro displayed an equine
performance which was a high point of baroque horsemanship called
‘Fantasy’.
The whole team at Horseshoe Point Resort have worked
tirelessly for many years in preparation of the opening of this world class
equestrian venue, and should the other nights’ displays be an indication,
Pattaya and Thailand are in for a spectacle that brings a new level of
distinction in tourist attractions, in what one can only call an equestrian
Disneyland.
Should you be interested in visiting the Horseshoe Point
Resort and Country Club, you can contact the resort on 038 734972 or fax 038
734973 as the hotel is now open in pre-launch readiness and there are over
100 horses already in-stable and ridding lessons are available from some of
the leading equestrian experts in Thailand, if not South East Asia.
Countdown to the Jomtien
Children’s Fair
by Mike Franklin
The biggest and best Jesters Children’s Fair yet - this
year at the lovely Siam Bayshore Resort, South Pattaya - is not many days
away now. Sunday 16th September is the big day, starting at 10.00 am. (see
Siam Bayshore location map below).
 Bertie
Biker is about to take his Harley motorcycle road test supervised by Jesters
committee man, Jeff Paladeau.
This year’s very comprehensive fair program is already
on sale at 50 baht, and is your entry ticket to the fair. It will, of
course, be on sale on the day at the Siam Bayshore entrance on 2nd Road, but
buying it in advance will tell you all you need to know about the day’s
activities, events, and stage performances. It includes a detailed guide to
the fair layout and the many interesting stalls to visit. Inside the program
there is also a FREE 20 baht Children’s Raffle ticket to start you off, so
make sure you leave the raffle ticket stub at the Children’s Raffle stall
when you arrive.
The draw for the Children’s Raffle will be earlier this
year, at 2.30 p.m. on the main stage, with a wonderful range of prizes worth
over B.50,000, donated by the Jesters, local companies and individuals.
Bertie Biker, this year’s Giant Teddy, has been made an
honorary member of the Jesters Motorcycle Club and in the photo, is about to
take his Harley motorcycle road test supervised by Jesters committee man,
Jeff Paladeau.
Bertie Biker is again the star prize in the raffle - well
almost! The other prizes include a ‘child size’ Harley Davidson, color
TV, VCD player, CD/cassette player, remote control vehicles, children’s
bicycles, a slate base snooker set, roller skates, Casio keyboard, Harry
Potter books, and more!
Children’s raffle tickets will be on sale on the day
for B.20 each, B.200 for a book of 10, or three books for B.500. Visit the
Children’s Raffle Stall and see the prizes on offer. Harry Riley, staff
from Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, and other friends will be on hand to sell you
tickets with a chance to win one, or more, of the valuable prizes.
We will also be making a presentation to the winner of
the Fountain of Life Children’s Painting Competition. This year judged
early, so that the winning painting could be featured on the Children’s
Fair T-shirt and the shirt made available before the day of the fair. This
colorful souvenir of the fair and the 2001 Jesters Charity Drive is already
on sale at B.250, and available in a range of children’s and adult sizes
to suit all shapes, from the ‘teeny tots’ to the ‘tubby dads’.
The entries to the Children’s Painting Competition, and
the winning painting featured on the T-shirt, can be seen on our web page at
www.care 4kids.freeservers.com/fairs/2001_merchandise.htm
All proceeds from the program sales, children’s raffle
and sales of T-shirts go directly to the Charity Drive Fund in aid of the
Fountain of Life Children’s Center run by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
under the auspices of the Good Shepherd Foundation (see the article by the
Sisters in last week’s issue of Pattaya Mail to find out how the proceeds
from this year’s Jesters Charity Drive will be used).
I hope to see you at the Siam Bayshore Resort (check the
Location Map) on Sunday 16th September between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Visit me
at the Children’s Raffle Stall (just inside the No. 2 Road entrance), and
be sure to be there for the Children’s Raffle, on stage, at 2.30 p.m. when
the tickets will be drawn and I hope you may be one of the lucky winners.
And, if you are feeling really energetic, don’t forget
the Charity Bike Ride leaves the Siam Bayshore Beach Road entrance at 8.0
a.m. - full details available from Kim Fletcher at Shenanigans.
Newsflash! Just in: Siemens Westinghouse has become the
5th Platinum Sponsor for this year’s Jesters Care for Kids Charity Drive.
Tesco Lotus Pattaya
customers donate over 200,000 Baht to the Fountain of Life
The Tesco Lotus Store in Pattaya opened their hearts, and
the donation box placed in the store, to the Fountain of Life. The funds
which have accumulated since last year’s charity drive were counted by a
team of 28 volunteers, students and staff from the Fountain of Life and were
ably assisted by the staff of Tesco Lotus Pattaya in the arduous task of
counting coins and bank notes that had been placed this huge box.
 Volunteers
perform the arduous, but pleasurable task of counting over 206,000 baht in
coins and small banknotes.
Sister Joan from the Fountain of Life and Pornchai
Jungbunjerdsak, store managing director cut the ribbon to commence the
count.
As the team of volunteers happily sorted their way
through the mountain of coins and twenty baht notes, Lotus turned on the
hospitality, providing snacks. Long-time Platinum sponsor Niel Poulsen,
managing director of Chonburi/Siam Steel Mill Services was on hand to give
support to the cause, as were committee members from this year’s charity
drive, Mike Franklin and Lewis ‘Woody’ Underwood.
After almost three hours and a lot of sore fingers, the
final tally came to 206,535 baht. This was formally presented later that
afternoon by Pornchai.
 Sister
Joan (left) and Tesco Lotus Pattaya store managing director Pornchai
Jungbunjerdsak (right) proudly display the amount raised by the collection
box at the Pattaya store - funds which will go to support the Fountain of
Life Center.
The Sisters and supporters of this year’s Charity Drive
were overjoyed with the total and graciously thanked Tesco Lotus and their
customers for their generosity.
The funds will be put towards this year’s Jesters Care
4 Kids Charity Drive which raises funds to support the increasing number of
disadvantaged children who attend the Fountain of Life Center.
Frequently Asked
Questions on Wine
 Answered
by Ranjith Chandrasiri
Q: How long can unopened
Champagne be stored?
A: Non-vintage Champagne is normally sold after an
aging process and is hence ready to drink when released. However,
non-vintage Champagne can still be kept for another 3-4 years and any
further cellaring is discouraged. Vintage Champagne should be drunk within 3
to 10 years of its vintage.
Q: Why do people decant their wines?
A: Decanting, which is to transfer the wine from a
bottle to another container, is done for the purpose of aerating the wine or
to remove sediments from the wine. Aerating a wine is sometimes necessary to
allow off-odours to escape from an older wine or to soften the harshness of
young wines.
Q: What wine goes best with Thai curries?
A: Most, if not all wines do not go very well with
any curry dishes, especially if coconut is used. However, some have ventured
and they recommend matured and oaked Chardonnays or Riesling.
Q: Why is using a crystal glass for tasting better?
A: Generally, the thinner the rim of the glass, the
better the wine will taste. Due to its stronger structure, crystal stemware
can be made thinner than glass and hence contribute to the overall tasting.
Q: Do I serve my red wine at “room temperature”?
A: Unless your “room temperature” is around 15-20
ฐC, you’ll need to chill your wine. The easiest is to keep it in the
commercial fridge and take it out half an hour before serving. A short dip
in the ice bucket would do as well.
Q: What is AOC?
A: This is the abbreviation for Appellation
d’Origine Contr๔ll้e which means “protected place name”.
It is France’s official category for its highest ranking types of wine
whose name, origin, grape varieties and other defining factors are regulated
by law. Hence, AOC wines are typically better and of course, more expensive.
Q: What is the “New World”?
A: This is a collective term for those winemaking
countries of the world that are situated outside Europe like US, Australia,
Chile, South Africa, etc. “Old World” wines used to be more subdued and
understated in their flavours vs. the “New World” wines but there is a
changing trend.
Q: What is the sediment in the wine?
A: Many fine wines, especially the older red wines
have sediment or deposit in the bottle. This sediment is nothing more than
the result of the wine’s development and hopefully, improvement. It is not
only normal but desirable for fine wines. To remove, decant the wine.
Q: What is Ice Wine?
A: Also known as “Eiswein” in Germany, it is a
sweet dessert wine made from frozen grapes with the ice discarded, making it
very concentrated in flavour, acidity and sugar. Rare and hard to make (thus
very pricey), it is available from Germany, Austria and Canada.
Q: What is Botrytis Cinerea?
A: Botrytis Cinerea, also called the noble rot, is a
mould that attaches itself to the grapes and shrivels and dehydrates them so
that their sugar becomes concentrated. Botrytis is caused by a combination
of humidity, fog and temperature that allows the mould to develop. Many
sweet wines nowadays are made deliberately by this method.
Q: What is Beaujolais Nouveau?
A: Beaujolais Nouveau is wine released on the third
Thursday of November to be drank as soon as it is released. After the grapes
are harvested, they are put into vats and their own weight crushes the
bottom grapes and fermentation begins. It is then bottled and sold.
Q: Do all wines improve with age?
A: No. Most wines (more than 90%) should be consumed
shortly after they are released. Only pedigree wines of fine vintage improve
with age. Red wines usually can age better than white wines.
Q: What does Doux on a Champagne label mean?
A: This term is used to describe the residual sugar or
sweetness of Champagnes.
Brut - Very dry
Extra sec - Dry
Sec - Off-dry
Demi-sec - Sweet
Doux - Sweeter
Q: Why does the waiter in a good restaurant give you
the cork of the wine to examine?
A: Some reasons that have been going around are -
it’s for you to smell it, it’s for you to make sure what they opened is
what you ordered, or even for you to keep as a souvenir. The most acceptable
answer is that you can make sure the cork is still in one good piece and not
rotten or broken. If it is so, chances are the wine will be affected by the
cork.
Q: At my favorite restaurant, I’ve noticed a
tendency for wine to be served in small glasses filled almost to the rim.
Shouldn’t wines be served in larger glasses, and certainly not brimming
full?
A: You’re right to notice this as a problem - this
strategy of serving wine poses two problems to the wine lover. First of all,
a small, full glass leaves you very little room to swirl the wine - unless
you don’t mind sharing your Pinot Noir with the tablecloth. Swirling wine
is not only an enjoyable and dangerous art, but it serves to aerate the
wine, releasing more of the wine’s aromas into the air. Ideally, these
delicate scents will be cradled in the air within the glass. But with a
small glass, the wine’s aromas don’t have that kind of protection and
must compete with all of the other scents around you.
As you can probably guess, this isn’t the best way to
enjoy a wine’s aromas. Whether or not you can persuade your restaurant to
change its practice, at least remember this next time you open a bottle at
home: sometimes it’s better for the glass to be half empty than mostly
full.
Ranjith Chandrasiri is the resident manager of the Royal
Cliff Grand, Royal Cliff Beach Resort, Pattaya, Thailand. Email: [email protected]
or [email protected]
Updated every Friday
Copyright 2001 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]
Updated by
Chinnaporn Sungwanlek, assisted by Boonsiri Suansuk.
E-Mail: [email protected]
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The Rotary Club
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Skal
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Pattaya
Fun City
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