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Half a million fans crowd
Pattaya Beach for music paradise
Staff reporters
The largest-ever Pattaya International Music Festival rocked
across the city’s beachfront with more than 500,000 people enjoying a beach
party with few problems other than snarled traffic.
The Deep Ng Band from Hong Kong wows the crowds at the
Pattaya International Music Festival 2010.
More than 150 Thai and foreign musicians and dancers
grooved on six stages spread along the 3.4 km of Beach Road. In between
sets, fans thronged through tent after tent of food, drink and souvenir
sellers. Fights and incidents inside the festival area were noticeably few,
although post-festival violence between drunken partygoers on their way home
was reported.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome had pinned hopes of establishing
Pattaya as an Asian “music city” with the 40 million baht concert co-funded
by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Chonburi Administrative Organization
and private sponsors. With the tents torn down and the beachfront clean
again, organizers are calling it a huge success.
Navy police were on hand to ensure a safe event.
Top-name acts including Thai favorites Retrospect,
Hangman, Ampon “Nui” Lamphun, Da Endophine, Bodyslam and Big Ass were
complemented by foreign acts After School and f(x) from South Korea, Zhang
Li Yin from Taiwan, Deep Ng Band from Hong Kong, and the Leprozy Band from
Laos.
Stages were spread from Soi 4 / Beach Road to Bali Hai
Pier, each serving up healthy portions of various genres, including Indie,
Jazz, Electronic, Pop, Rock and World music. Various music zones offered
more than 700 booths selling items to complement the theme of the various
stages.
Of course closing Beach Road from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. each
day created a traffic nightmare for many with Friday and Saturday
experiencing the most gridlock. But for those already at the concert, the
fun soon put the traffic out of mind.
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Fahrenheit certainly had more than a few people heating up. |
Da Endifin makes a great impression on her fans. |
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Kritikorn “Tik” Pornsatid, leader of the Playground band, belts out
a tune. |
Dac from the Big Ass Band plays
to the audience. |
Thousands of music fans crowd the stages trying
to get a closer look at
their favorite star.
f(x) from Korea puts on a great song and dance show.
Ampol “Nui” Lampoon and the Micro band
musicians rock
festival goers at Bali Hai Pier.
Aside from the music, there are many booths for vendors to
sell their products.
This view of the event from high up Central Festival
Pattaya Beach shows just how much goes on during the Pattaya International
Music Festival.
Women With a Mission creating
a brighter future for the disabled
Roseanne Diamente
With the help of the Regents School’s Round Square Programme,
Women With a Mission has added six more fish tank projects to the existing
six projects in Sattahip, bringing the total to twelve disabled families
that are working to raise fish with the view to self-sustainability.
Regents School’s Round Square students and adults begin
assembling the fish tanks.
On March 9 with the help of sixty students, seven
teachers and a couple of contractors, WWM and the local disabled families
worked together to build four fish tanks. Children from four classrooms
raised funds at school to support this project and will follow up with
visits to the families to see how the fish are growing. One economics class
will work on how best the fish can be marketed to bring the best return.
It was a hot day as everyone pitched in to carry bricks,
bags of cement and sand. The students were shown how to mix cement and lay
bricks, either by the contractors or neighbours, and then they took on the
responsibility. It was a wonderful day to see the expat community working
together with the Thai families for a better future for the disabled. The
students worked so hard, we know for sure there will have been some sore and
stiff limbs the next day!
With the help of sixty students, seven teachers and a
couple of contractors,
WWM and local disabled families work together to
build four fish tanks.
The Pattaya Sports Club sponsored four cases earlier this
year and the fish have grown the four to five months needed to be of full
size and have gone to market. In April all twelve cases will receive a
supply of fishlings and fish food for four months. Women With a Mission will
follow these cases closely for while to make sure they are successful in
this endeavour.
WWM have been working with the Redemptorist Foundation
for the Disabled under the Father Ray Foundation for two years. We have
built new homes, made repairs to homes, given hospital beds and wheelchairs
where needed. After seeing more then sixty disabled people in the Chonburi
area, the city of Sattahip had voiced a request for fish tanks to help the
families be self-sustainable and it seemed a natural ‘next step’ for us to
take, given that we have some experience in raising catfish in tanks after
working in the tsunami area for three and a half years.
Visit www.mywwm.org for more information on our activities, including
those in Mae Sot.
Local contractors lay a cement brick foundation.
The students were shown how to mix cement and lay bricks,
ither by the contractors or neighbours, and then they took on the
responsibility.
The fish at four cases started earlier this year
have grown to full size and have gone to market.
The students are working so hard, we know
for sure there will be some sore and stiff limbs tomorrow.
Children from four classrooms raised funds at school
to support this project and will follow up with visits to the families.
It’s wonderful to see the expat community working together
with Thai families for a better future for the disabled.
BCCT adversely affected by Music Festival
Paul Strachan
The March networking meeting for the British Chamber of
Commerce Thailand (BCCT) was held on Friday the 19th at Shenanigans Jomtien.
BCCT Executive Director Greg Watkins welcomes everyone to
the event.
Unfortunately this coincided with the start of the rather
inappropriately named ‘Pattaya International Music Festival’ which certainly
brings people into town, but causes havoc with the flow of traffic through
the city, thus the BCCT networking night was a pretty low key affair, with
slightly less numbers than anticipated.
However, this simply meant a few less networkers to
consume the wonderful buffet laid on by Stewart Fraser and his team at
Shenanigans - and the seemingly unending flow of beer and wine.
(L to R) Stewart Fraser, manager of Shenanigans is
interviewed for Pattaya Mail TV by Paul Strachan, production manager.
Many regular faces were in attendance including BCCT Vice
Chairman Graham Macdonald, Executive Director Greg Watkins and board member
Steve Graham, whose company European Safety Concepts was the co-sponsor of
the event along with Shenanigans.
Other regulars included Simon Matthews (Manpower
Services), Cees Cuijpers and Brett Cummuskey (Town and Country), Mark
Bowling (Colliers International) and Helmut Buchberger (ABC Asian Legal
Service).
(L to R) Paul Strachan interviews Joe Cox from Defense International
Security Services.
The contingent of lovely ladies was somewhat thin on the
ground with the worthy exceptions being Renita Bromley, the charming wife of
Maurice who was very excited about the upcoming Chiang Mai cricket sixes and
the another regular face Ann Wangvirayaphan from the Bangkok Hospital
Pattaya who will be sadly missed at these events as she has a new job in
Bangkok. Another lovely face was the delectable Nam who was seen hanging on
the arm of Peter Smith of AA Insurance - or maybe he was hanging onto her.
(L to R) Maurice and Renita Bromley talk about the
upcoming Chiang Mai Cricket Sixes with James Howard.
Bruce and Judy Hoppe were seen mingling with Jim Howard
and Neil Maniquiz from Bangkok Hospital Pattaya and a few new and welcome
faces including David Pearce, who is working on a soon-to-be-revealed
project, Peter Schofield (Ecology Care) and Joe Cox from Defense
International Security Services who gave an interview on Pattaya Mail
Television and talked about his company that has transported trained
security dogs from the UK to work here in Thailand. He stated that his
business provided tailor-made security requirements to corporate and smaller
companies; however, he was at a loss when asked to supply a chastity belt.
So another networking evening under the belt (not that
one!) the next of which will be publicized beforehand in the Pattaya Mail.
(L to R) Graham Macdonald, vice chairman of BCCT
reminisces
with James Howard, advisor of Milan Crosse Creative Ltd.
(L to R) Bruce and Judy Hoppe share a smile with Neil
Maniquiz.
(L to R) Helmut Buchberger; Pattaravadee Wangviriyaphan,
marketing executive in the International Marketing Department at Bangkok
Hospital Pattaya; and Mark Bowling, sales manager of Colliers International.
(L to R) David Pearce; Terry Schofield, director,
Ecology-Care;
James Howard, advisor of Milan Crosse Creative Ltd.; Simon
Matthews,
director of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand; and Steve
Graham, managing director of European Safety Concepts.
Casa Pascal turns nine
Dr. Iain Corness
It hardly seems possible that the ‘newcomer’ in the fine
dining restaurants is now nine years old. Casa Pascal restaurant, the
brainchild of Kim and Pascal Schnyder, has survived time, protracted low
seasons, global financial crises and all the other myriad of problems that
can befall businesses in Pattaya. Not only survived, but has prospered.
Pascal Schnyder (center) thanks his special guests as Kim
Schnyder (left) and Dr Iain Corness (right) agree.
Helping Kim and Pascal celebrate Casa Pascal’s ninth
‘birthday’ were many of the restaurant’s regular clientele, in fact so many
that the restaurant had to do two sittings to accommodate the influx.
Amongst the regulars was Ingo Raueber, the GM of the
Pinnacle Resort who told Pattaya Mail TV that he ate at Casa Pascal
at least 50 times a year. He certainly is a loyal customer. Another diner
was Pat Burbridge who said that it was the excellence of the food and the
beautiful surroundings that kept bringing her back to Casa Pascal.
To keep the ninth anniversary diners happy, Pascal had
produced a set menu, but with enough choices to keep everyone happy. A
‘goose liver egg’ on asparagus, artichokes and avocado was one choice of
appetizer, with beef Carpaccio and rucculo salad with aged parmesan and
black truffle the other. With the mains you could select a Barramundi and
shrimps in a lemon butter sauce or a whole roasted beef tenderloin with a
port wine Balsamico sauce (and it certainly was tender)!
Kim and Pascal had printed in the anniversary celebration
menu, “We will always keep serving you with our philosophy of cordial
hospitality and culinary art.” That indeed, Kim and Pascal have, and those
are just some of the reasons that Casa Pascal has continued to thrive.
We look forward to next year when Casa Pascal turns 10.
Guests are treated to a wonderful meal.
Arriving guests present Kim and Pascal with anniversary
wishes and gifts.
So many people wanted to help Kim and Pascal celebrate
this special occasion the restaurant had to do two sittings.
Ingo Raueber, GM of the Pinnacle Resort, tells Dr Iain
and Pattaya Mail TV that he eats at Casa Pascal at least 50 times a year.
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