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Tradition first at area Loy Krathong celebrations
Loy Krathong was officially
opened by Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome and Chanyuth Hengtrakul, former Chonburi
MP, along with deputy mayors and council members.
Staff reporters
After a Western-influenced Halloween weekend, area residents and
tourists embraced tradition Monday for grand Loy Krathong celebrations.
Pattaya’s celebration was centered at Bali Hai Pier with Mayor Itthiphol
Kunplome presiding over an event aimed at preserving Thai traditions as well
as stoking tourism. Activities included beauty and children’s contests, a
krathong-decorating competition and stage entertainment. Proceeds from
various events went to benefit the Redemptorist Vocational School.
 Mayor
Itthiphol Kunplome, Chanyuth Hengtrakul, deputy mayors and council members
prepare to float their krathongs.
Similar entertainment was staged at Lan Pho Park in Naklua.
One big change in this year’s celebration was the emphasis on the use of
natural materials to make the floating flower decorations which, for many
years, have become polystyrene and plastic. Many krathongs this year were
made of bread and flour which decompose and become fish food when released
into the sea with well wishes. The krathong contest saw some unique floats,
including those made of bread, ice cream, corn, coconut and hyacinth.
Area hotels got into the spirit, offering rich menus of traditional foods to
lure in hungry revelers.
 Garuda
towers over the Loy Krathong parade in Sattahip.
Thai and western menus were offered by the Marriot Resort and Spa Pattaya,
which also put on classical Thai dance shows and floated krathongs in the
hotel swimming pool. At the Amari Orchid Pattaya, delicious dishes were
waiting for those participating in the resort’s krathong-decorating contest
or taking in the beauty pageant.
At Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens, where Loy Krathong celebrations started over
the weekend, fire-lit balloons were set aloft, which impressed many visitors
despite the balloons later crashing down elsewhere, contributing to the mess
the 200 staffers from the Pattaya Public Health and Environment had to clean
up.
Natural ingredients or not, 10km of beachfront in Pattaya and Jomtien was
still covered with the remains of the night before. Mixed in with the banana
tree trunks and leaves were healthy portions of nails and metal pins and
copious quantities of plastic for a total load of about 10 tons of garbage.
 Emcee
Namcha Cheranat entertains people from the stage during Loy Krathong.
In Sattahip, Loy Krathong was no less festive. A festival sponsored by the
Sattahip city and Sattahip Cultural Center saw 30 city departments join in
the largest celebration of its kind ever in the area.
Entertainment unfolded on four stages with elderly classical dancing, Look
Thung-music from artists including Ekkaphol Montrakarn, Jingreadkhao
Wongthevan and comedy from Don Jamookban. Of course there were also the
requisite beauty and krathong contests as well as Thai boxing exhibitions.
One of the year’s most popular holidays, Loy Krathong is held on the full
moon of the twelfth month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar to pray for
good luck and thank the Goddess of Water, Phra Maekhongkha. It has evolved
over time to be a significant date for lovers, often being compared with the
Thai version of Valentine’s Day.
Dancing the Ramwong during the
Loy Krathong parade in Sattahip.
Nang Noppamas contestants show
their skills
in the umbrella dance at the Amari Orchid Pattaya.
Staff float their krathongs
during the celebration
at the Marriot Resort and Spa, Pattaya.
Teens perform traditional Thai
dance at the Redemptorist celebrations.
A vendor encourages revelers
to use krathongs
made of coconut husk and other natural materials.
Folks light the candles and
incense on their
krathongs at Nong Nooch Tropical Garden.
The winner of the Miss
Noppamas contest smiles at the judges.
An aspiring young Noppamas
contestant impresses the judges.
Fireworks light up the sky
during Loy Krathong.
It took more than 200 workers
from the Pattaya Public Health and Environment Department to clean Pattaya
and Jomtien beaches the day after Loy Krathong.
Young Noppamas contestants
line up for the judges.
Nang Noppamas contestants are
all so beautiful
it is difficult for the judges to choose the best.
PCEC members enjoy magical meeting
Emcee Les Edmonds welcomed everyone to the regular Sunday
meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club on November 1 at the Amari’s Henry
J. Bean Restaurant and after the usual announcements he introduced club
member Howard Posener.
 Howard
Posener shares his very interesting life story with PCEC members, followed
by some fascinating tricks.
Howard is a well known magician that has enthralled audiences with his
unique magic and illusions worldwide. He is recognized as one of the world’s
leading magicians and has performed for royalty and heads of state including
Prince Charles and the President of the USA. He has also entertained many
dignitaries and celebrities. He is a member of the prestigious Magic Circle,
the world’s most exclusive magic society, which is limited to 400 members
worldwide as well as several other associations of magicians.
Howard said that his primary reason for speaking to the Club was to
encourage members and guests to come see him perform his magic at the Grand
Charity Magic Show on November 21. This event, which will be at the Amari,
is sponsored by Bangkok Cosmopolitan Lions Club Jomtien Beach. The proceeds
from the wine buffet and show will go to Croston House Children’s Home in
Lamphun.
As a preview, Howard showed a brief video highlighting his magic acts
including performances at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada, and at the
Emmy Awards show.
After the video, he explained that he has always been interested in magic.
However, it is not a vocation that one can easily earn a living. He said he
feels fortunate that he was able to make a good living at doing something he
loved to do. When he was getting started as a performer, he managed to
persuade the owner of Annabelle’s, a very exclusive club in London, to let
him entertain there. The club had private dining rooms and catered to a very
elite clientele including Prince Charles. He would entertain the diners with
his magic. He said while there he performed for many celebrities,
dignitaries, and royalty, including Prince Charles.
 All
were very impressed with Howard’s tricks, especially Suzanne.
It was while he was performing at Annabelle’s that he received an invitation
to perform to a private audience outside of the club. He said he received a
call from someone with a Mid-Eastern accent inquiring on his availability to
do a private performance. Suspecting it was a prank call from one of his
friends, Howard said he named an exorbitant price to do a private
performance. Further, he said he would accept only if he was picked up in a
chauffeured Rolls Royce and traveled by private airplane.
Much to his surprise, it turned out to not be a practical joke from his
friend and as requested, he was picked up in a Rolls Royce and taken to a
private airplane. When he got to his destination, he was taken to a large
yacht where he was the only guest on board to use as his accommodation. He
still did not know where he was or for whom he was going to perform.
 And
the invisible pack of cards are no longer - invisible!! But how did the
imaginary card, placed upside down in the imaginary pack, turn out to be
mirrored in the real pack?
Around 7 p.m., he dressed in his tuxedo and waited, and waited, and waited.
Around midnight, he was picked up and escorted by soldiers to what could
only be described as a palatial estate. Howard said he was shown to a room
as big as a tennis court. There he waited again until about 3 a.m. when 8
men in Arab garb entered the room and took their seats.
Following them were four women in burkas who entered and sat at the opposite
end of this very large hall. Howard said he started by performing a magic
trick for a prince. When finished with the trick, the prince exclaimed his
delight and then said for him to go show his wife - this required walking to
the other end of the hall and repeating the performance. This scenario was
then repeated numerous times, which Howard said was a bit grueling as he was
continually running from one end of the hall to the other.
Howard did not reveal whether he ever found out where he was or who the
prince was, but his performance apparently pleased the prince as he received
many bookings over the next few years resulting from the prince’s
recommendations.
 Sylvester
Stallone meets Howard after a performance in Las Vegas.
Later in his career, Howard noted that he spent a few years in California
entertaining at many private parties thrown by celebrities. He also had a
stint performing in Las Vegas and on the Emmy Awards show. Howard mentioned
that he also did several shows for BBC1.
He then entertained the audience with another video showing one of these
BBC1 shows done on a hidden camera theme where he posed as a salesperson and
startled unsuspecting shoppers with his sleight of hand.
In conclusion, Howard performed some magic for the audience. Using a random
technique to select an individual from the audience, he had that person pick
a card from an imaginary deck, look at it, and replace it in the imaginary
deck so that it was reverse to the face of all the other cards. He then
asked them to toss the imaginary deck back to him, which somehow became a
real deck of cards when he caught it. He then asked the individual what card
he had viewed. The answer was the ten of hearts. Whereupon, to the amazement
of all, Howard opened the real card deck in his hand and there was one card
that was in reverse to the faces of all the other cards - yes, it was the
ten of hearts. To much awe and applause, Howard then opened it up for
questions.
More of Howard and his magic is available at www. magichoward.com. Tickets
for Howard’s charity performance in aid of the Croston House Children’s Home
in Lamphun can be obtained by emailing Sig at artnut51 @hotmail.com.
Emcee Les then updated everyone on coming events and called on John Fishback
to conduct the always informative, interesting, and sometime humorous Open
Forum where questions are asked and answered about living in Thailand and
Pattaya in particular.
Queen Victoria Inn celebrates 8th birthday
Christina Boden
On Friday October 30, the Queen Victoria Inn in Soi 6 celebrated its
8th birthday. The English bar was packed to the rafters with friends, well
wishers and business colleagues.
 Valerie
Smits from Auspro Engineering proudly displays the Certificate of
Appreciation her company received from the Charity Club of Pattaya.
Members of the Charity Club of Pattaya, the Royal British Legion, Alan
Bolton of Alan Bolton Property Consultants and his staff, Kevin Fisher from
Cranes and Equipment Asia and his staff, Malvinder Malhotra of Classic
Tailors, Marlowe Malhotra of Massic Travel, Matt from Asia West Fine Foods,
and guests from Australia from the Auspro Engineering Company, all helping
owners Vic and Jane King celebrate their 8th year running the Queen Vic.
The free buffet opened at 7.30 p.m. and lasted well into the night. The
buffet was sponsored by Asia West Fine Foods Co., Ltd., www.
asiawestfoods.com with everyone complementing Vic and Matt on the excellent
food.
On this occasion Vic and Jane were not just thinking of themselves. All the
proceeds from the draft Magners and bottled San Miguel were donated to the
Charity Club of Pattaya’s Isaan Appeal and Vic and Jane also donated 10,000
baht to the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.
 (L
to R) Vic King, Bob Myers and Christina Boden during the handing over of
10,000 baht from the Charity Club of Pattaya to the Royal British Legion’s
Poppy Appeal.
A raffle was also held with the proceeds going to the Charity Club. The
prizes were donated by the Queen Victoria Inn, Manhattan’s Restaurant,
Gian’s Restaurant, Rosie O’Grady’s and Isaan Flowers.
During the evening, Auspro Engineering handed over 10,000 Aus$ (around
290,000 baht) to Malcolm and Christina Boden of the Charity Club of Pattaya.
Valerie Smits and company personnel from Auspro Engineering Pty. Ltd. were
in Pattaya to meet with Kevin Fisher of Cranes and Equipment Asia, who is a
big supporter of the Charity Club.
Kevin Fisher (right) with family and friends certainly liven up the party.
Kevin had told Valerie about
the works in Isaan that the Charity Club is involved with which spurred
Valerie to make the donation to help with the projects.
Christina had been sending various projects to Valarie via email before her
arrival in Pattaya, and while here Val could look over all the projects past
and present that the club has been involved with.
The amazing donation will help immensely towards the cost of building a home
for Autistic Children in Isaan. The need to get the children under a roof
rather than in tents is the Charity Club’s priority at the moment with the
cold weather in the North of Thailand approaching.
Alan Bolton’s table is certainly enjoying the night.
Also on Friday October 30 at
the Queen Victoria Inn, the Charity Club of Pattaya met with Poppy Appeal
Organiser Bob Myers and other members of the Royal British Legion to hand
over a donation of 10,000 baht for the 2009 Poppy Appeal. This will be the
third year that the Charity Club has donated to this very worthwhile cause.
The Queen Victoria also donated 10,000 baht to the Poppy Appeal and received
a Friend of the Legion certificate from Bob Myers.
The party was enjoyed by all and went on late into the night with everyone
going home after a very enjoyable evening.
The Charity Club would like to extend its congratulations to Vic and Jane
and thank them for their support over the past years. The Queen Victoria Inn
is the adopted home of the Charity Club.
Val Smits (2nd left) and the Auspro table are all smiles on this fun night
out.
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