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Serving the Royal Family is ‘the greatest honor’
Suchada Tupchai
At their latest weekly meeting, Rotary Club of Pattaya
members had the pleasure of receiving a glimpse of Royal Family life.
 General
Chatchai Thammaruksa have been serving the Royal Family since 1979.
General Chatchai Thammaruksa and his wife, Khunying
Tidarut, who are both the King’s servants, were guests of honour at the
meeting held at the Town in Town Hotel, Pattaya.
“My family and I have worked for His Majesty the King since 1979. I am
so impressed with the Royal Family’s great deeds and their devotion to the
people in the kingdom. No wonder we Thais wholeheartedly love them. To be
serving the King and the Queen is the greatest honour my family and I could
ever have,” the general told the meeting.
Kalae - traditional oriental furniture gets the “Italian touch”
The Kalae Company is not new to Thailand. It has three stores in Chiang
Mai, two in Phuket and now one in Pattaya. This furniture shop sells mainly
Chinese furniture and is under Italian management. The two owners have
excellent taste and a flair and feeling for the ‘right’ furniture. You
can see that as soon as you enter the tastefully decorated shop.
 Kalae
has exquisite pieces from China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. The
main attractions in the shop are antiquities between 70 and 100 years old.
Kalae gets most of its furniture from China. But there
are also exquisite pieces from India, Vietnam, Indonesia and last - but not
least - Thailand. The main attractions in the shop are antiquities between
70 and 100 years old. Necessary renovations are always carried out in the
country of origin to make sure that the right technique is used.
Prices for the furniture, including big wardrobes, are
astonishingly moderate. Quality pieces run from 5,000 and 40,000 baht and
the price for something “really special” is about 30,000 baht which will
delight bargain hunters.
 Kalae
is located at the corner of Sukhumvit Road/North Pattaya Road. Opening hours
are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m.
to 7 p.m.
These fabulous prices are the reason why Kalae in Pattaya
has many international and Thai customers. And guess what? You get to
bargain! That’s right. If you spot something you can’t live without, the
shop will consider a reasonable offer. After all, Italians, like Thais,
enjoy the art of good-natured haggling; a cultural finesse which is slowly
disappearing in the age of modern, fixed-priced merchandising.
Naturally, there are also many small things like
decorative items which are priced over a wide range that fits everyone’s
budget. The owners want their customers to come in and literally take time
to explore. Can’t make up your mind? Relax and enjoy a leisurely browse.
Purchased furniture will be shipped for foreign customers
and they will receive it at the customs office in their home country. For
customers who live here in the Chonburi area, the delivery is free and
sometimes even delivered to Bangkok!
Besides that, Kalae has a saleswoman who speaks perfect
German, English, Thai, Italian, French and even Romanian customers will be
received in their native tongue! What else could you hope for?
You can find Kalae at the corner of Sukhumvit Road/North Pattaya Road and
the shop has convenient parking. For more information call 038-413551.
Opening hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays
from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
St Georges Night at Queen Vic’s
St Georges Day turned in to a great night at the Queen
Victoria Inn on April 23rd. The biggest grunter possible was roasting
outside and with plenty of cheap booze inside everyone was well fed and
watered.
 The
staff once again voted Dave the Hat (back row, 2nd right) winner of the Best
Face (as they say it hides his ugly one!).
Once again Dave the Hat was winner of the Best Face (the
staff vote for him every year as they say it hides his ugly one!), but the
surprise win of the night was Spanner the Taff claiming the Best Singer.
Claim is a good descriptive word here, as when you see the size of him, if
he says he won, He Won!
All voted the day a great success and look forward to more ugly faces and
bad singers next year.
Best
singer? That might be stretching it a bit, but the more beer consumed, the
better it sounded. Well, it sounded better to the person singing at least.
Painted
faces were only part of the fun on St George’s night at the Queen Victoria
Inn.
Singapore sharks end up in Pattaya
Several sharks have arrived from
Singapore’s Underwater World at the company’s aquarium in Pattaya, its
general manager, David Hong, announced last week.
 This
child has a close up view of a nursing shark.
Darong Yingchon, an expert in aquatic animals, said
Blacktip Reef Shark and Nurse Shark from Singapore are not frequently seen
in their natural habitat because of their size and feeding habits.
The Blacktip Reef Shark has a black tail and fin, and
grows to about 1.82 metres. The Nurse Shark has a small mouth with what
looks like a moustache to help it find food. Fully grown, it reaches 3.2
metres.
Hong said that Underwater World intends to expand the number and variety
of specimens for local enthusiasts to study marine life further.
Warm and relaxing moments inside the Funtasea Fun Pub
Rungratree
Thongsai
Forget about your tiring time at work and plain life, and
come join the fun at Funtasea Fun Pub.
It is located in Cholchan Hotel, with an exclusive,
beautiful beach, and is only one and a half hours from Bangkok. It will
brighten up your smile. No headache with notorious traffic jams in Pattaya.
 The
music is tailored to fit the changing themes, which are always fun at the
Funtasea Fun Pub.
Funtasea Fun Pub is half pub, half restaurant with its
own particular style. It can serve family members’ preferences with
striking decorations that change in concept every month. The most recent
customers’ choices were the Rock n’ Roll Night, Safari Night, Rock on
the Beach Night, Halloween Night and Hawaii Night.
 I’ll
take mine shaken, not stirred...
The interior is clean, modern and relaxing and can
accommodate over 100 people. The Funtasea Fun Pub has well-trained waiters
and waitresses who will always be ready to serve you with tasty foods and
various choices of beverages. Prayoon Chaitosa, director of food and
beverages, guarantees excellent taste.
Moreover, you will go into raptures about the many styles
of music performed there every night, like blues, jazz and Latin from a
professional band “Mo Town”, headed by Pan Baron, a great musician from
Pattaya. Jazz and blues music are performed from 9-10.30 p.m. However, many
other styles of music are showcased, matching the decorative concept each
month.
Song requests will be fulfilled at your table with guitar
solos and serenades for any special occasions.
In May, come and feel welcome at the awesome Mexican
Night. If you want to feel the difference, don’t miss this.
Funtasea Fun Pub is simply the best.
Power-jamming the night away
If you want to spend again an interesting
and cozy evening accompanied by good music, then head for the Moon River
Pub.
Power Jam is the name of the new Filipino band that is
entertaining guests with powerful and seducing music. They have something
special to offer not only for the ears but also for the eyes.
(From
left) Edward G Dansay Jr, lead guitar; Galileo B Luna, bass; Leslie Ann
Rosete, vocals; Michael C Murrillo, vocals; Carol Joy D Gonzales, vocals;
Isaac Dodong Gonzales, keyboard; and in the background, Dennis S Luza,
drums.
The band consists of seven members and can look back on a
long history both at home and abroad, having performed numerous gigs in
Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, the Seychelles and - of course - all around the
Philippines.
The future of this band looks bright as well.
Negotiations are currently underway with the Kuala Lumpur-based mother
company, Seagulls Promotion.
It is quite possible that they will be playing in China
and even tour Europe, although that is not yet definite.
But let’s stay in Pattaya for the moment. The group has
an extensive repertoire that consists of standards, oldies, evergreens,
blues, pop, rock ‘n roll, jazz and mild jazz.
So there’s something for every taste.
They usually start with slower and quieter rhythms and
then build up to more pulsating sounds during the course of the evening.
You can feel how the good mood becomes even better.
But there’s not only the singing; the dancing of the
two female singers and one male vocalist is definitely something worth
watching. The choreography is very professional and slick.
This is the first time the band members have been in
Thailand, except for vocalist Michael.
They reckon they are overwhelmed by what they see and
enjoy their rare leisure time. They love to go shopping and enjoy the beach.
They are so impressed by all these new things that they can’t decide
what’s the best over here.
All of them come from the Philippines, though from
different parts of the country. Two of them originate from the capital
Manila, while the other five are from Mindanao.
They all wish very much that they could perform in Europe
or the US one day.
* Power Jam will be in town till the end of June.
Nong Nooch Garden puts on great Songkran parade
Pacharapol
Panrak
Thais and foreigners gathered at Nong Nooch Tropical
Garden to witness a procession aimed at promoting traditional Thai culture.
Thongchai
Sodorn, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden marketing manager said, “This year for
the first time we let elephants join in splashing water on the tourists.”
The procession was decorated in the different styles of
each local Thai region in order to express the unique cultures of every part
in Thailand.
“Every Songkran festival we arrange some activity to
reward our customers,” said Thongchai Sodorn, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden
marketing manager. “This year for the first time we let elephants join in
splashing water on the tourists. We have always had a huge number of
tourists from all around the world. This year more tourists from Europe have
shown interest in our program.
“This will bring a bright future for our tourism industry. The
activities will impress the tourists with the fine and elaborate Thai
culture. They will talk about our culture and history when they return
home.”
YWCA celebrates Songkran Day
Ekachai
Kamolsri
The YWCA and the Pattaya Expats Club held a bathing
ritual during which scented water was poured over the hands of respected
elders at the Banglamung Home for the Elderly on April 18.
Everyone
enjoyed the bathing ceremony performed for the elderly by the YWCA and
Pattaya Expats Club.
The ceremony, headed by association president Malinee
Saliman, was to bring good luck and prosperity and to establish a warm and
happy moment to the 290 senior citizens.
The club also donated daily necessities.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the seniors dressed in traditional Thai
costumes, and performed a “Rum Thai” dance for their guests. Later, all
gathered for the bathing ritual, which brought smiles to the faces of the
senior citizens. This was followed with lunch.
PILC donates money for 15 children’s scholarships
Helle Rants้n
Welfare chairperson of PILC
On April 9, Roseanne Diamente (PILC welfare team) and
PILC welfare chairperson Helle Rants้n met with pastor Dianne Doell
from Victory Family Church to hand over a contribution which will cover
scholarships for 15 children for one school year.
 Roseanne
Diamente (PILC welfare team) and PILC welfare chairperson Helle Rants้n
met with pastor Dianne Doell from Victory Family Church to hand over a
contribution to cover scholarships for 15 children for one school year.
The scholarship includes basic school uniforms, school
books and activities fees. School is free of charge in Thailand, but you
have to pay for the above to be accepted into school. When you are growing
up in the slums of Pattaya your parents/caretakers will not have the extra
money to provide for these items, making it very difficult for slum children
to attend school.
VFC Mercy Ministries are in contact not only with all of
the children in the scholarship program, but also with their
families/caretakers. Knowing that if the families have problems it can make
it almost impossible for the children to attend school.
The VFC Mercy Ministries will try and help the best they
can and the PILC welfare team knows from their own observation that the
members of the VFC do a great and caring job for disadvantaged children.
It is the attention of the welfare team of PILC to follow up on the
PILC’s scholarship children to see what progress they make in the future.
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