September 2005 117th Issue

Hua Hin Events

Richard Vine with his wife Jojo proudly pose with their new born baby - Congratulations!

The staff of new Japanese restaurant Wasabi celebrate it's Grand Opening.

Jaroon (left) and Prom (right) with their grandmother Sai, as they become monks for Buddhist Lent.

The Parrots, a cricket team of locals, look shamefaced after having lost to the Tigers, all Aussie Rules footballers (!), in a match at the Dusit. However the locals excelled later at the after match drinking!

Nean celebrates his birthday with Somphop (right) crooning the night away.

2005 King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament

Thailand 's Team Meet All Blacks and Wallabies!

From 5th to 11th September, the royal seaside resort of Hua Hin will play host to the 5th King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, which as well as featuring the world's top horse polo players, will see the returning of Stu Wilson, Bernie Fraser, the New Zealand's former world-ranking All Blacks rugby players plus new comers, Nick Farr Jones and Peter Fitzsimmons from the Australia's Wallabies team!!

Anantara Resorts & Spas Vice President, Christopher Stafford, introduced the tournament to Thailand in 2001. In just five years it has gone from a small 2-day event with 6 teams into a week-long elephant polo extravaganza, and has been ranked as the 6th largest event on the Thai calendar, featuring 16 teams including Mercedes Benz Germany, PricewaterhouseCoopers/Air New Zealand/Swiss International Airlines/ All Blacks, Chivas Regal, Chivas Thailand All Stars, Angus Estates, Singapore Polo Club, Sandalford Winery, Element, Tickle & the Ivories, Mullis Capital, Shanghai Tang, DHL Global Mail Wallabies, Knight All Stars, American Express/UBC Thailand, British Airways Army team and Anantara Visitors Team.

The event takes place at the Development and Resources Preservation Division (formerly known as 16th Infantry Division or Som Dej Pra Suriyothai Military Camp) on the southern outskirts of Hua Hin and is supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Spectator entrance is free of charge.

The 2004 event was broadcast across the USA on ESPN, was photographed for the 60- million circulation Sports Illustrated swimwear issue and was written about in newspapers and magazines across the US, Europe, Asia and Australia. The tournament has also been featured on Discovery Channel, CNN, Star TV, the UK 's GMTV morning breakfast show, Germany 's ZDF television, Australia 's Channel 9 and in glossy magazines such as Conde Nast Traveller, The Robb Report, Country Life, Polo Quarterly, Harpers Bazaar, Singapore and Hong Kong Tatler and CNN Traveler. Past winners whose names are now engraved on the King's Cup trophy are Chivas Regal (2001), Mercedez Benz Germany (2002 and 2003) and Mobile Easy Thailand (2004).

To date the tournament has raised over US$100,000 for the National Elephant Institute, which provides medical care, sustenance, employment, welfare and mahout training to Thailand 's elephant population. It is estimated that Thailand has around 2500 domesticated elephants and 1500 wild elephants. This is down from an elephant population of around 50,000 in 1950 and 100,000 in 1900. The National Elephant Institute's Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in Lampang is famous for its painting elephants and its elephant orchestra.

This year's fund-raising goal is 2 million Baht, all of which will be donated to the National Elephant Institute by event organiser, the Anantara Resort and Spa Hua Hin. The auction items are, Anantara Grand Tour - spend the nights in all of Anantara Resorts & Spas, staying at Al Maha Resort Wadi include bashing and Falconry, Chivas Regal Magnum, a jumbo bottle of Chivas Regal are amongst the items up for auction at this year's King' Cup Elephant Polo gala dinner. Other top auction items this year include the signed All Blacks shirts. Straight off their backs, 3 original limited edition, All Blacks polo-shirts signed by three

of New Zealand 's top all-time players: Bernie Fraser, Stu Wilson and Steve McDowell. One chance, and one chance only to claim a piece of All Blacks and elephant polo history. Manohra Song Cruise on the River of Kings , fl oat serenely up Thailand 's Chao Phraya River from Bangkok to the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya . Past glorious temples, inspiring palaces, hidden markets, this 3-day/2-night trip on the elegantly and luxuriously converted teak rice barge, the Manohra Song, offers a unique opportunity to observe Thailand's river of life from a seat of unsurpassable comfort. Chiva Som Detox, a blissful escape for

stressed urbanites. Eat yourself healthy and find your inner glow (it's in there somewhere) with a 5-night detox at the luxurious and award-winning Chiva Som.

This year, the Gala evening “Matadors & Senoritas” will be held on Saturday 10th September at the Anantara Resort and Spa Hua Hin. The evening will start with cocktails at the garden area, next to lagoon rooms before moving to the fantastic live buffets dinner; enjoy the live music and dancing at the resort's beach lawn. Tickets are available at Anantara Resort and Spa Hua Hin.

For reservations can be made by phone to (032) 520 250 or by email to info@anantara.com

THE JACOB'S CREEK THAI HOSPITALITY AWARDS 2005

Thailand Hospitality magazine is pleased to announce the inaugural Jacob's Creek Thai Hospitality Awards, a new awards program that will culminate in an elegant awards presentation at the Landmark Hotel in Bangkok on November 28, 2005.

Thailand Hospitality will be holding a press conference at the International Food & Hospitality Show, Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, immediately following the official opening ceremony of the Show on Wednesday morning 14th September 2005 to release further details of the awards

Website: www.thailandhospitality.com

IN MEMORIAM

TOBY CHARNAUD

1964-2005

There was a good turnout from local expats and Thais for the service held to commemorate Toby. A fond farewell was bid to him at the temple in the centre of the town, Wat Ampharam. Members of Toby's family had also traveled to Thailand for the ceremony – he will be missed by all who knew him.

HHDRC Auction and Raffle – July 27 th 2005

Hua Hin Dog Rescue Center would like to thank all of the following for their kindness in donating items or services for us to auction or raffle. Thanks to their incredible generosity, a total of 123,530 baht was raised on the evening and will go towards building our new dog center. Donors are listed in no particular order

Restaurants

Baan Itsara Restaurant

Koravick Cuisine

La Villa Restaurant

J&K Restaurant (Cha-am)

Monsoon Restaurant*

Fisherman's Wharf Restaurant

La Grappa Restaurant

Sasi Restaurant

Seaside Restaurant

Mr Torr Steakhouse

All In Hua Hin Info Bistro

Let's Sea Restaurant

Hotels, resorts & Spas

Sofitel Central Hua Hin Resort

Chiva Som

Sailom Hotel

Hyatt Regency Hua Hin

Dusit Resort Hua Hin

Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa

Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa

Evason Hua Hin Resort

Golf

Palm Hills Golf Club

Golf Of Siam

Mike “Spike” Collier – Golf Pro

Other Leisure

Hua Hin Yoga

JWS Motorsport

Miscellaneous (shops, artists, other businesses)

Chamois Collection – tailor

Elizabeth & Jorn – artists/sculptors

Hua Hin Ham Bacon & Meat Co

“Hurricane” Thep – musician

Arrowwood Furniture

Starfish Ventures – volunteer procurement

The Cottage Kitchen – meats, snacks & ready meals

Food Glorious Food (BKK) Delicatessen

Rashnee Silk Village

Time Optic

Individual donors

Somphop Somsamai (Du)

Patrizia Marano & Jerry Mosselman

Dawn Poole

Paul Taylor

Josette & David Fisher

Gillian Guess

The following made monetary donations to our relocation fund :

(Not included in evening's total, as quoted)

Western Tours

Time Optic

Ecco ( Satukarn Square store)

Thipurai Group & 7 Storm

Nordic Travel Co Ltd

Lena & Chai

Royal Lake Housing Development (Khao Tao)

•  Special thanks go to Monsoon Restaurant for hosting the evening and providing the food & a welcome drink with no charge to HHDRC, so we could maximise our fundraising efforts!

The aforementioned have helped extend a lifeline to Hua Hin's sick and injured dogs and our heartfelt gratitude goes to all of them.

Asian news and current affairs

Book Reviews

Deconstructing the ‘ Land of Smiles '

Bangkok Inside Out by Daniel Ziv and Guy Sharett.

Equinox Publishing, Jakarta. ISBN: 9799796466. Price US$19.95, 176 pages.

Review by Sara Schonhardt

Welcome to the Land of Smiles , made famous by its gilded temples, endless waterways and floating markets. The phrase that has become synonymous with Thailand began as a tourism promotion slogan and has drawn its fair share of visitors. But the real Thailand , the one that lies outside the pages of glossy travel brochures, is imminently more intriguing and beautiful at every turn. At least, that's what authors and intrepid adventurers Daniel Ziv and Guy Sharett, are out to prove in their newly released collaboration, Bangkok Inside Out, a book that takes readers on an illuminating, no-holds-barred journey through Thailand 's chaotic capital.

And prove it they do. In their attempt to get to the bottom of the madness that is Bangkok , they reveal the city's charms and quirks in a way that is humorous, honest and engaging. Coupled with prominent photography that features humans - as well as two dogs and an elephant - rather than monuments, the book is an urban glossary of sorts, an alphabetized lexicon for curiosity - bound residents and visitors. Ultimately, Bangkok Inside Out focuses “not on ‘must see' attractions, but on the people and dynamics that make the city tick”, write Ziv and Sharett, neither of whom sees the need to romanticize a city they say has an abundance of romance all its own. From urban elephants to ladyboys, from dog masseurs to fortunetellers, the city portrayed on the pages of Bangkok Inside Out is a young and energetic one that arrests the senses for far more than its traditional Thai images.

The book takes readers into kickboxing gyms, super-slums and Bangkok's most abundant attraction - the ubiquitous 7-Eleven, so indigenous to the city that “these 24-hour shops are an integral part of the non-stop Bangkok existence” (p 122). With punchy and comedic prose, the authors praise the wealth of wonders to be found in Bangkok's more than 1,300 7-Eleven convenience stores, or as they refer to them, “florescent humanoid filling stations”. There are other landmarks as well. The infamous Khaosan Road , put on the map by Alex Garland and, later, Leonardo DiCaprio and its imminently more friendly, charming neighbor Phra Athit, with its “delightful stretch of modish bars, pubs, bakeries and bookshops” (p 112). There is Khlong Toey, Bangkok 's so-called “Grade A slum”, and Nana, “where Africa meets Arabia ”.

Sights and scenes aside, Bangkok Inside Out also tackles topics such as tabloids, traffic and energy drinks. It uncovers the phenomenon know simply as pha yen (cold cloth), “ Bangkok 's idea of a cold shower on the run” (p 109). It takes in everyday customs such as tam boon (merit making) and more ritualistic practices that include the sharing of cheap, Thai whiskey, “typically downed with a mixer ... rather than straight and accompanied by an assortment of spicy bar snacks” (p 152). To give readers an insight into Bangkok's growing pop culture, Ziv and Sharett also reveal some of Bangkok's more popular trends: indie rock, gambling dens and the slightly more quirky DIY dining, conceptual dining joints that provide the ingredients and then tell diners to “do it yourself”. From pastimes – the book delves deeply into the wild world of karaoke, a pursuit that has become so popular in Thailand these days that “even some

taxis offer passengers a chance to sing their way to a dreaded dentist appointment” (p 61) - to people: hollering food hawkers, infamous katoey (transgenders), farangs (white foreigners) or their mixed-race offspring, Bangkok Inside Out reveals a city that is shaped by yuppies, migrant construction workers and eve ryone in between.

The authors don't claim to be “insiders” or experts on the city, an impossible task according to many, but it's obvious they've done their research. In their effort to mingle with people from various walks of life, they have trudged through the crowded market stalls of Chatuchak, Southeast Asia's largest market, and shimmied down the shining halls of the Emporium, “a gleaming upmarket shrine to conspicuous consumption” - the “one truly sanctified ed place for Bangkok's high society”, the so-called “movers and shakers” of the country deconstructed on page 55 in a section of the book aptly dubbed “Hi-So/Lo-So”.

“ Bangkok is a chaotic place,” Ziv and Sharett conclude in their introduction (p 11). And indeed, the very sights, sounds and smells of Bangkok (what book about this city would be complete without a reference to Southeast Asia's smelly “king of fruit”, the durian?) unveiled on the pages of Bangkok Inside Out reflect a bit of that madness. “But it's also a city that's constantly bettering itself” (p 11). And despite its choking pollution, gem scams and sometimes fierce and always scruffy soi dogs, the Bangkok that comes shining through is raw, quirky and at times even quaint. Like the authors themselves, those pulled into the pages of this book are sure to be charmed by the urban experience the City of Angels has to offer, whether or not those gleaming temples of the popular imagination appear.

(Copyright 2005 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved.

Please contact us for information on sales, syndication and republishing.)

Bikes, Boats & Boxing Gloves:

Adventure Writer in the Kingdom of Siam , 2005 by Antonio Graceffo,

Published by Gom Press, Columbus , Ohio . 224 pages, including 16 B&W photos.

Regular readers of the Observer may previously have come across articles on Thai adventures by this self-styled “Adventure Writer” particularly his participation at the fourth Hua Hin Elephant polo tournament, which has apparently been made into a full-length book! This book is basically a collection of similar articles, based on an eight-month stay around Chiang Mai in northern Thailand . The author describes various adventures, as well as his avoidance of the common tourist traps by walking and bicycling in poorer country areas. The book is characterized by the fact that he is living a hand to mouth existence and this is often reflected in his choice of ‘adventures'. “Living in a US$2 a night hotel in Thailand can be extremely draining on one's psyche, especially when there are nights that you don't have the two dollars.”(p.51) The first three ‘chapters' include a series of diary entries converted to articles about life at a temple for orphans training to be Thai boxers, and segments largely about “inventing adventure ideas”, necessarily cheap adventures in order to live the lifestyle around Chiang Mai. His accounts include thumbnail sketches of daily working life as a poor trainee boxer. These sometimes give an insight into remote Thai lifestyles but are mostly filtered through the eyes of a westerner more intent on his own reactions to this novelty.

The longest sections of the book discuss the authors “adventures” with the Akha Hill tribe”, though the majority of this covers his association with Daniel and Emit, two seemingly warped ‘home grown missionary' types. Although there are brief glimpses of the ‘Akha way' cultural rules and the pitiful missionary methodologies for developing these, I would have expected much more interesting writing from someone who has really spent their time with these people. A free canoe tour trip down the Maekok River , in return for publicity, is compared briefly with the Apocalypse Now screenplay, but when it comes to the crunch of journalistic research, our author says to his travel companion: ”Can't I just make something up or do research on the internet when we get back?”

The book does occasionally tantalise the reader with brief glimpses of what it might have been, and the author is certainly a “trier” and has found himself in a fair few areas off the beaten track, but is not yet an accomplished writer, despite his listed record of publications. If you feel like reading a “somewhat surreal perspective on South East Asian Culture,” it may be interesting to dip into the various articles in this book, particularly if you admire the author's persistence in pursuing his new career path.

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