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Traditional Songkran celebrated at PCEC meeting
Before the regular Sunday meeting of the Pattaya City
Expats Club got underway at the Amari’s Henry J. Beans Restaurant on Sunday,
April 12, members and guests were welcomed at the entrance by some lovely
Thai ladies wearing traditional dress who invited everyone to pour lustral
water over the Buddha statue positioned at the entrance.
 Mongkol
Thamakittikhun, nai amphur (district chief) for Banglamung, wais the Buddha,
witnessed by Richard Smith, ex chairman of PCEC, and Max Rommel, founder
member.
Master of Ceremonies “Hawaii” Bob Sutterfield started the meeting by
welcoming everyone to the club’s third traditional Songkran celebration;
pointing out the decorations provided by the Henry J. Beans’ staff for the
occasion. Bob then introduced Brother Joshua, a monk from Wat Dhammakaya.
Brother Joshua said that he would share with everyone his version of the
origin and traditional meaning of Songkran and would conclude with some
information about meditation.
Brother Joshua said the word Songkran comes from two Thai words. The first,
Sanuk, is Thai for fun. The second, Sangop, is Thai for peaceful or serene.
The origin of Songkran can be traced back to ancient history involving the
Brahman god Kabil. The God, being jealous of the knowledge of a young man,
posed to him three riddles. If he could not answer them, then he would have
his head cut off; but, if he correctly answered them, then the God would
have his own head cut off. The young man, not knowing the answers, took the
allotted days to listen to birds and overheard the mother bird telling her
children about his dilemma and the answers to the three riddles. Upon
correctly answering them, the god Kabil then had his own head cut off. But
it would cause a great calamity for the god’s head to touch the ground, so
one of the god’s daughters caught the head on a tray (tradition has it that
each year during Songkran, a different daughter retrieves the head from the
cave and carries it around Mount Meru, a sacred mountain in both Hindu and
Buddhist mythology). Brother Joshua said that the bathing of the head is
also done each year to pay respect.
 Brother
Joshua, a monk at Wat Dhammakaya, shares with PCEC members of the origins
and traditional meaning of Songkran.
Brother Joshua also provided a brief description of the celebration in the
different periods of Thai history.
Traditional Songkran, as explained by Brother Joshua, involves people
celebrating by going to a Wat (Buddhist temple) to pray and give food to
monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines as well as
Buddha images at monasteries by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai
fragrance over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and
prosperity for the New Year.
In northern Thailand, people may carry handfuls of sand to their
neighborhood monastery (in order to recompense the dirt that they have
carried away on their feet during the rest of the year). The sand is then
sculpted into stupa-shaped piles.
Songkran is a time for cleaning and renewal. Besides washing household
Buddha images, many Thais also take this opportunity to give their home a
thorough cleaning.
The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by
capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing
and then using this “blessed” water to give good fortune to elders and
family by gently pouring it over their hands, thus showing respect to their
elders. Thus, many Thais return to their home villages to be with family
during Songkran.
Nai Amphur Mongkol (seated on
left), Dr. Moryoon, Bangkok Hospital Pattaya and coordinator for the Aqua
Aerobics Guinness Word Record attempt (standing, second from left), Henry J
Beans management and staff, and PCEC members gather for a picture following
the traditional Songkran ceremony.
He also mentioned that since April is the hottest month
in Thailand, this has further evolved in recent times into the water
throwing that has become more the symbol of Songkran today. However, he
believes that much of the action at Songkran today is because of a lack of
discipline and the impact of being exposed to global influences such as
desire, greed, lust, anger, and jealousy. Brother Joshua said that to
succumb to these influences rather than to goodness and respect is a matter
of choice.
Thus, he recommended meditation to see truth and obtain the knowledge for a
better life. He then mentioned the what, why, and how of meditation.
What is meditation? It is making the mind still at one point. Why meditate?
It allows one to see and to know. How to meditate? It is developing the
ability to relax. To stop thought at one point and to concentrate on one’s
center of gravity; this can be a different place depending on the
individual.
Brother Joshua concluded by describing the physical and mental benefits of
meditation - reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure, increase
alertness, improve decision making and concentration.
Lovely Henry J Beans girls and
our own Sally pose
after the meeting and traditional Songkran.
Emcee Bob then called on Richard Smith to address the
audience and introduce the club’s special guests. Richard noted that this
was the third year for holding a special Songkran celebration in the
traditional manner. He introduced the club’s special guests, Mongkol
Thamakittikhun, nai amphur (district chief) for Banglamung and Dr. Moryoon,
Bangkok Hospital Pattaya and coordinator for the Aqua Aerobics Guinness Word
Record attempt scheduled for April 25. He also introduced the club’s other
special guests from the Amari Orchard Resort and Tower, which were David
Cumming, general manager, Makoo, deputy manager, and Waipot Klinhom,
executive assistant manager, food & beverage. He also thanked Sermsakdi for
again devoting much of his time and effort in coordinating with the Amari
staff and arranging for the Buddha statue and other decorations.
Richard then called on the nai amphur to be joined by three of the club’s
“elder” members to sit at a decorated table in the front of the room. Once
situated, members of the audience approached the table and poured scented
water over their hands in a show of respect, receiving their blessing in
return.
Upon conclusion of the ceremony, emcee Bob called on anyone visiting for the
first time to introduce themselves and then provided information on upcoming
events. He then called on Les and Judith Edmonds to conduct the often
humorous, but always informative Open Forum.
Charity Club presents certificates of appreciation
Christina and Steve Puttock.
(L to R) Nong, Tom and Christina.
Christina Boden
The Charity Club of Pattaya recently presented two more sponsors with
certificates of appreciation, M.D. Philip “Tom” Coghlan from C.S.P. Construction
Co., Ltd., and Steve Puttock.
Christina Boden presented Philip and office worker Nong the certificate for the
second year as sponsors. Christina also presented first time sponsor Steve
Puttock with his certificate.
Bangsaen quieter at Songkran
Sukhumvit Road at Bangsaen was
clogged for many kilometers.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Songkran at Bangsaen began complete with kilometers of traffic jams, but
also with fewer celebrants than in other years.
 Vendors
were out selling ice, powder, water, and food along the sides of the road.
On April 13 it seemed that everyone was heading for the popular seaside town,
the closest one to Bangkok.
Most brought their own cars and many came by buses as usual, clogging up
Sukhumvit Road for many kilometers.
The usual vendors were out selling ice, powder, water, and food along the sides
of the road.
Everyone had a good time as scented and powered water flew, cooling all.
Shop vendors said that far fewer people came, many choosing to stay home instead
because of the political chaos. Souvenir goods and food were left unsold.
Sattahip beach offers safe haven
Beautiful Dongtan Beach in
Sattahip.
Thousands of people escaped the
madness in Bangkok for a calmer,
safer Songkran on the Navy base.
Although parking was a bit of a
conundrum, it was handled in true military style.
Patcharapol Panrak
Thousands of Bangkokians found a safe haven to both cool down and escape
the protest heat in the nation’s capital to safely celebrate Songkran.
Where better than Dong Tan Beach in Sattahip safely under the control of the
Naval Base?
On April 13 over 1,000 families were relaxing and celebrating Songkran, having
sought refuge from the extreme hot weather and political upheavals in the
capital.
The beach is clean and beautiful. Everyone needs to hand in their ID cards at
the entrance, the same as at nearby Teuy Ngarm Beach.
Along the sand there are sugar palm and pine trees to provide some shade and the
beach is famous for sailing and serves as a practice spot for sailors on the
national team.
There are always many tourists coming to the beach, many soon in the hands of
professional foot massagers. There are also vendors selling hoops, beds and mats
to raise additional income for government worker families.
Suladda Feuangthanapoom, 45, one of the vendors selling hoops, beds and mats at
Dong Tarn Beach, said that this year had seen surprisingly many tourists trying
to stay clear of anyone wearing red shirts.
They feel much safer here, sheltered by the Navy.
The ‘Don’ turns 20
with a charity dinner
Miss Terry Diner
Pattaya is a city where people come and go, and restaurants come and go.
Some restaurants even closing before their ‘grand’ openings. True! However,
there is one restaurant that is going even stronger than before, and that is Joe
Parlati’s Don Joe Italian restaurant, which has been in Walking Street for 20
years.
 Don
Joe Parlati
In the 20 years, the restaurant has moved from one side of the street to the
other and back again, has changed its name three times, but the man behind the
restaurant has always been the same - Joe Parlati.
Joe is as Italian as an Italian can be. Pictures of Verona, his home town, adorn
the walls. His extensive wine cellar has (you guessed it) only Italian wines,
and the ones from Verona are uppermost, Joe being the son of a grape farmer. The
TV shows Italian programs, and if there is a Verona football club, Joe supports
it.
There are no real secrets as to why the Don Joe Ristorante Italiano has been so
successful - the first is you always get good home-cooked Italian food in good
home- cooked
portions! That is the reason why you will hear Italian voices in Don Joe. The
second reason is the effusive (Italian) welcoming nature of Joe Parlati (the
Don) himself, as he welcomes you “home” for dinner.
To mark the double decade, Joe is having two charity dinners, one on Friday May
1 and the second on Saturday May 2, with the proceeds from the dinner going to
the Camillian Center in Rayong to support the work being done for children with
HIV. This is a wonderful charity, which is supported by many wonderful people on
the Eastern seaboard, and Joe Parlati is one of those. Make a booking, and know
that your enjoyment is helping some unfortunate children.
Don Joe, Ristorante Italiano, 112/2 Moo 10, Walking Street (almost opposite
Tony’s Entertainment Center), South Pattaya, telephone 038 710 733.
Y for Yasothon, Yorkies and Yes!
Eileen and Dr. Iain
Just over a year ago, Norman and Eileen Denning, the proprietors of
Yorkies in Jomtien, decided to do something different to celebrate Yorkies’ 10th
year in Thailand. The concept of a celebration of a decade, and a combined
charity event came after March 2008, when they visited a school in Yasothon, in
Isaan.
Eileen said, “This school is desperately in need of help. The building is in a
terrible state and may not survive another onslaught of rains, no table, chairs,
and with little else. Our first estimate to build a new school was in the region
of 1.5 million baht. So we started to raise funds.
 Eileen
and Norman Denning are all smiles at their anniversary night.
Our band, ‘Harmony’, played at house warming parties and charity nights. With
the help of Somsuan Vacharopong, MD of Nu-Print, Bangkok, we then produced a
2009 Yorkshire calendar, paid for by sponsors who paid for their company logos
to be included on the pages. Next was a Yorkies global recipe book. All 100
recipes were donated by people from around the world. This book was again
printed by Nu-Print Bkk who donated an extra 50 books, and kindly printed at
cost price. Whilst we can no longer sell the calendars, the books are still
available at Yorkies for only 500 baht each.
We began to realize that we would not reach our 1.5 million target within the
time we set ourselves, and although funds were accumulating, they were not
rising quickly enough. We sold our calendars and books at the PILC Xmas bazaar,
and the Bangkok Pattaya Xmas bazaar, and at the Ploenchit fair in Bangkok. Our
own customers in the restaurant regularly dropped money into the charity box.
Papa David stepped forward with a donation of 30,000 plus 50,000 baht from a
charity evening held at his home. Our good friend Paul Anthony Wenham, MC of Art
of Entertaining in London raised over 1,000 pounds sterling.
Then we had Yorkies anniversary evening at Rimtalay restaurant, where all the
money from the evening went into the school funds. Thanks to Tom and Noi
Coghlan, C.S.P. Construction Co. Ltd, for all their support, hard work and
donations. World of Wine for sponsoring the wine for the evening. Yorkies
suppliers gave donations, and many people gave their time to help. The evening
was a complete success. Even the teachers from the school traveled down to join
us.
The Rim Talay evening raised 316,000 baht in total, with a raffle and auction.
Unfortunately, the person who bid 95,000 baht for the splendid oil painting
donated by Australian artist Robert Hagan, and worth over 1,000 pounds sterling,
called the following day to say they could not honor the bid. So, if anyone was
bidding for this wonderful painting at the charity night and would still like to
buy it, please contact me with an offer.
The special raffle for the motorbike made 33,000 baht with the winner giving it
back to be sold. This we did at 35,000 baht making us 68,000 baht. Thank you
everyone.”
I (Dr. Iain) attended the charity night and the entertainment was superb. All
the foot stomping numbers from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, for an audience that was
also from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Quite frankly, it was wonderful value for
money and just a great evening. The musicians and singers, and there were many,
included Sunny on saxophone, Peter on trumpet, Mathew on trombone, Willie on
keyboards, Charlie on 1st bass, BK on lead guitar, Sammy the percussionist, Stan
Leight on drums, William Danson on bass, Tom Coghlan rhythm guitar, male vocals
Malcolm Bradley, female vocalists Mandy and Eileen and solo trumpet and special
guest appearance Roddy Lorimer from Kick Horns.com.
Eileen went on to day, “We had already made a decision to opt for a pre-fab
school to cut the cost of building in half, when we then had a call a couple of
days later to say the local government in Yasothon would give assistance to
build the school, in solid materials for 800,000 baht, and this would
accommodate 80 children. On checking our bank balance we discovered we are only
250,000 baht short of this amount.
Offers of help are still coming in, and we are confident now of starting the
school building within the next couple of months. We would also like to thank
Carolyn Tarrant, MBE, president of the British Community in Thailand Foundation
for the needy (BCTFN) for their kind offer to pay for playground equipment.
If anyone else would like to help us raise our final 250,000 baht, please do
contact me on my mobile 0898005007 or through Yorkies Pork Platter, Jomtien,
telephone 038-231 918, fax 038-231 919, email [email protected]”
Hungry monkeys causing trouble
The little creatures have a habit
of destroying the shrines.
Patcharapol Panrak
Wild monkeys in the forest at Kao Thungprong it seems are always looking
for food handouts from villagers at wayside shrines, damaging the shrines in
their search for food.
The monkeys’ routine is to come out from the forest in the morning and wait for
bananas and other food from kind-hearted passers-by coming along the road.
Sangwan Karnraksa, 30, and her French husband Jean, his friend and her son and
daughter were visiting Had Sor Beach in Thungprong Bay where they found lots of
monkeys, many of them babies, waiting for food by the roadside shrines. So she
drove to Ban Taothan Market and brought some bananas back for the monkeys.
Three old shrines located in the woods were most likely built by villagers for
the souls of people who died so that they would stay away from people in the
area.
The monkeys have damaged much of them by climbing and playing on them as they
wait for food, which they do not get everyday.
Villagers pass by every morning to go to work. Sometimes they bring food for the
monkeys and the spirits in the shrines, all eaten of course by the ever-hungry
horde.
The shrines are often repaired but the monkey traffic demolishes them again and
again.
Tourists feed the monkeys near
this shrine.
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