THIS MONTH
Hua Hin Online Community
High season is in full swing both in downtown Hua Hin and on the forums. Many new members logged in to meet and greet the old hands and to find out about visiting and living in Hua Hin. Hot topics of the month included the ever present danger of traffic and driving on the roads in Hua Hin. The town has expanded at a phenomenal rate however the roads sadly haven’t. Nearly everyone who has driven in Hua Hin has at least one horror story about reckless driving and road accidents, we cannot stress it any further; stay safe, have eyes in the back of your head and drive sensible. The phrase “when in Rome” definitely does not apply to driving standards in Hua Hin if you want to stay alive!
Also on the subject of dangerous motorized menaces was a discussion on jet skis at the beach in Khao Takiab. These have really got out of control lately and are simply an accident waiting to happen, plenty of complaints were voiced on the board and we hope something will be done about them soon. There seems to be very little regard for swimmers by the people renting them and the people riding them.
Still on the beach takes us to a lengthy discussion about a boardwalk stretching from downtown to Khao Takiab along Hua Hin beach. Many opinions were voiced both for and against the concept but the majority (56%) voted “no” in the poll. There were concerns about security at night, loitering, litter and motorcycles using it, coupled with the fact that it would probably take ten years to complete. On the plus side it would be a great place to walk or cycle in Hua Hin with a number of ideas for shelters and stalls along the way.
The night owls were out in force checking out new local venues recently opened including Ye Olde Buffalo Tavern, Stonehead Tavern and Earth Bar. Many of these venues offer live music; take a look at the pages on the site for more info. A few new restaurants have also opened up and got good reviews.
Plenty of visa discussions as people wonder what regulation is going to be changed this month. The three-strike rule seems firmly in place and the 24-hour reporting seems to have faded away. There are also a number of reports from people that have been to consulates in Penang and Vientiane to obtain visas; again it’s difficult to tell what they’ll allow from month to month.
A good number of technical subjects this month with discussions on iPhones, PC games, Google Earth and of course how bad the internet connections are in Hua Hin! The expat’s section had its usual collection of bizarre requests ranging from rotary clothes lines to orphanages to locksmiths to online florists, what ever you need you’ll find it on HHAD!
HHAD forums are the definitive online message boards and discussions for the area with over 3,000 members. There are sections for finding and booking accommodation, seeking out bargains, and exploring the local area and beyond. There is also a nightlife section for the night owls, a restaurant and feeding guide along with an online meeting point for visa runners and clubs. The ever popular “Ask the expats” section is great for quickly getting the answers you need from the people that live here.
Logon and find out what is happening in Hua Hin:
There is also a blog for the Hua Hin area at:
HUA HIN JAZZ TRAIN
Hua Hin Jazz Train Hosts Open Music Jams Twice Weekly at Ray’s Place Restaurant It’s Hua Hin’s hottest music scene, and its best-kept secret. On Monday nights year round, music lovers flock to Ray’s Place Restaurant for exciting musical jam sessions. In high season, Thursday nights are also music nights at Ray’s. “In little more than a year, ‘Mondays at Rays’ went from a loose little party to a well organized event that consistently draws a crowd” says Rewat Siriwong na Ayutthaya (Mr Ray), owner of Ray’s Place and the impresario behind the hugely successful Hua Hin Jazz Train.
Monday night shows revolve around a 4-piece group of Thai musicians known as ‘The Ray Band.’ Resident and visiting musicians join in for an exciting, unpredictable event. “It was a great day when we met the Ray Band. Even in low season, our Monday event keeps going, thanks to their consistent support. These are immensely talented local musicians, with ears open to every style. We are lucky to have them here in Hua Hin.” “The charm of our shows is that you never know what is going to happen. Particularly in high season, we have a constant flow of musicians who play different kinds of music. Scarcely a week goes by that we aren’t joined by players we never met before.” Tickets for the Jazz Train overnight music excursion are also on sale at Ray’s shows. “The Hua Hin Jazz Train grew directly out of our Monday and Thursday shows.” Says Mr Ray, “It’s been a huge success. We feel we’re on the road to creating a set of music institutions in Hua Hin that, together with the annual Hua Hin Jazz Festival, will make our town Thailand’s top musical destination.” Ray’s Place Restaurant is at the corner of Sra Song and Amnuaysin Roads, one block south of the Night Market. To locate Ray’s, walk through the Night Market starting at Petchkasem Road. When you reach the ‘break’ in the market where Sra Song Road crosses, turn left. Go one block to the next intersection. Ray’s Place is on the far left-hand corner, behind the green ‘soldiers box’. Music starts at 8pm every Monday and Thursday. Early arrival is recommended. February’s Jazz Train excursions will be held Saturday-Sunday the 16th and 17th, and again on Wednesday Thursday the 27th and 28th. Tickets can be reserved by calling Mr Ray at 081-880 4211 or 089-181 6328 or by visiting the Jazz Train web site at www.huahinjazztrain.com. All
Aboard!
The Wine Rack
ALTHOUGH THIS MONTH’S REVIEW DOES FEATURE A SOUTH AFRICAN
WINE, WE ARE EXPANDING THE SCOPE OF IT TO INCLUDE OTHER
INTERESTING BOTTLED SPIRITS ON OCCASION, AND WE DO SO WITH A
VERY DISTINCTIVE (AND STRONG!) ONE - SAMBUCA. OUR FEATURE THIS MONTH IS AN ASSESSMENT OF THE WIDE WORLD OF WINE ON A GEAGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL BASIS, TO GIVE AN IDEA TO THE WINE NOVICE ABOUT TERMS LIKE ‘NEW WORLD’ WINES, AND TO FLESH OUT A FEW DETAILS OF THE GREAT WINE COUNTRIES AND THE YOUNG UPSTARTS WHO ARE OR WILL CHALLENGE THE ESTABLISHED NATIONS. SO SIT BACK, POP THE CORK AND LEARN WHERE YOUR NEXT BOTTLE
MIGHT COME FROM... SAMBUCA DEI CESARI LUXARDO
For those of you who have not come across this drink before sambuca is a anise based liqueur. Sambuca is sweet and strong containing essential oils, steam distilled from the
seeds of star anise. Other similar drinks would be French Pastis, Spanish Anis, Turkish Raki an Greek Ouzo. Sambuca has an intense aroma with a taste that is well balanced with the anise taste persisting in the mouth. For those of you wishing to have a little treat at hand this is ideal as it has an indefinite shelf life. Sambuca can be served in many ways, neat, frozen, on the rocks, in cocktails, flaming (very dramatic) and ‘Con la
mosca’ (three coffee beans added to the glass). You can purchase a bottle of Luxardo Sambuca for 590 Baht.
TWO OCEANS SAUVIGNON
BLANC
Two Oceans is located in South Africa in the Cape region where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet, hence the name. It is the largest selling Sauvignon Blanc in South Africa.
Grapes for Two Oceans are sourced from vineyards in cool growing areas of the cape. During the ripening season the grapes are tasted daily for ripeness and analysed to ensure they are picked when varietal (varietal describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety) flavours are most concentrated, tanins are ripe and there is a good balance between fruit and acid. The overall taste is fresh and fruity, an ideal acompanyment to many meals. And the price, approximately 510 Baht from Halex.
WINE OF THE WORLD
It’s fair to say that things rarely move fast in the world of wine. Seasons come, seasons go; the vines give up their nnual fruit then hunker down for the next year. Nevertheless, change is a constant in wine just as in any other aspect of human life. Often wines are not much to write home about, but it’s sobering to think that as recently as the 1980s the same kind of thing was being said about Australia. France being deposed from its top spot some time ago. The giants of world wine production remain France, Italy and Spain. In all these countries, wine is not just a pleasant drink but also a fundamental part of the social, cultural and economic fabric, even if its weight of tradition and history can also prove a burden. No country is more aware of this than France. The charmed life of being the default choice for most wine drinkers is no longer; fierce competition has eroded Gallic market share considerably. And yet France is far from beaten. It remains for many the nation that produces the finest, most elegant wines on the planet. Producers are starting to realise that being proactive and communicative is not a blasphemy. With an excellent 2005 vintage under its belt, areas like Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are revelling in their position as some of the most highly regarded wine regions on the planet.
Meanwhile, ever more consistent and characterful wines are emerging from the south of the country. In short, the French fightback is good news for wine drinkers the world over.
Italian wine remains, to a large extent, a law unto itself. At times brilliant, at others dire, its inconsistency is an inherent part of its charm. Its one commercial success story of late has been Pinot Grigio – there’s even talk of a shortage – which seems to have taken over from Chardonnay as the new in-thing. Catch it on a good day, though, and Italy is one of the most exciting wine countries around. In this sense, it is rewarding to look beyond the big names – the south of the country is currently offering some of the best value wines on the market, with varieties like Fiano, Grechetto, Primitivo and Nero d’Avola providing plenty of personality for the price. Spain offers the wine drinker immense diversity, from cava to Rioja to sherry. While the first two of these categories are buoyant, sherry’s decline remains ongoing despite the quality and value being better than ever. By contrast, it’s heartening to see some superb value reds being offered at the lower end of the spectrum from up-and-coming region like Calatayud, Jumilla and La Mancha. Another proud European wine producer, Germany, seems to be starting to claw its way back into wine drinkers’ good books. Demand for its greatest wine grape, Riesling, is on the up (perhaps fuelled by those looking for wines low in alcohol but without scrimping on flavour), though its image still needs improving. It is the New World, however, that has been providing much of the wine world’s dynamism and excitement over the last 20 years. Australia has come from nowhere to be a real player on the world wine scene, the result of hard work, careful planning and a real desire to democratise wine. However,
its momentum is currently faltering, the result of natural setbacks (frosts, severe drought) which could put an end to the discounts that have been a major factor behind its phenomenal growth. At the top end, however, its wines are better than ever – its finest Tasmanian fizz, Hunter Valley Semillon, or Coonawarra Cabernet are all joys to drink and discover.Two countries that could be well placed to take advantage of this are Chile and Argentina. Chile has massive potential, currently doing an excellent job of extending its value-formoney reputation into more pricey territory by providing ever more diverse, complex and food-friendly styles of wine. Argentina is a sizeable producer – sixth in world stakes – but is starting to shift its focus from a thirsty domestic market to sell its often-gutsy reds and aromatic whites further afield. Try one of the new wave of cool-climate Chilean Syrahs, or some high-altitude Argentine Malbec, to get an idea of
the exciting quality emerging from these South American nations. South Africa appears to be going through growing pains though the quality of its top reds and whites (think Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc) is consistently impressive. New Zealand continues to be one of the wine world’s success stories, churning out a style of Sauvignon Blanc that
drinkers can’t seem to get enough of, whilst also starting to do great things with Pinot Noir. It is a small country with big ambitions, and definitely one to watch. The USA remains the source of some top quality reds and whites akin to those that knocked the French off their pedestal at the famous Judgement of Paris tasting in the 1970s. However, it would be good to see more mid-range wines broadening the country’s repertoire. As for the future of wine, it’s highly likely that countries like China, India, Brazil, Georgia Israel, Mexico and the UK may have something to add to this overview in the year
EARTH BAR’S GRAND OPENING
There was a festive vibe at Earth Bar on 30 December as they had their official grand opening. Kicking off with a great reggae set from the DJ, followed by a local band that played English pop music. Then came the ska band who got everyone off their seats,
and finally peaking with the famous ‘Teddy Ska’ from Bangkok, playing tunes that got Earth shakin’. The atmoshpere was euphoric! They have a large drinks menu, where
you can order beer (70 baht), spirits, and delicious cocktails from their full cocktail
list (120 baht). The mouth-watering food menu consits of bar snacks ranging from
springrolls, salad, beef, pork and cocktai sausages wrapped in smoked bacon. There
are also some delicious vegetarian options. The bar is open from Monday to Sunday, 6pm-3am. You can expect outstanding live bands, playing music for all tastes, from
reggae, pop, jazz and ska. This is a trendy bar with wooden interior, funky lights, excellent sound and a great atmosphere. It can be found on Chom Sin Road just up from Hua Hin fishing pier. So come down to Earth, and experience it for yourself, you are guaranteed a great night that will send you home buzzing.
Hotel News
CHINESE NEW YEAR AT WHITE LOTUS
Welcome and celebrate the year of the rat with a special dinner by candlelight while
overlooking the amazing view from the top of Hua Hin at Hilton Hua Hin’s award
winning Chinese restaurant. Starting from Monday, 4th February until Wednesday, 6th February 2008, White Lotus offers special traditional Chinese New Yearmenu prepared by our experienced Chef. This auspicious menu and specialties are available for dinner with traditional Chinese tea and wine from our exclusive wine cellar.
CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR BY THE POOL
Welcome the year of the rat with an amazing Chinese celebration by the pool. Enjoy the ancient traditional Chinatown food market where you will find yourself lost in the real rituals and cultures of China. Experience an authentic taste of Chinese cuisine and be inspired by Live cooking station of festive dishes such as Suckling Pig, Beijing Duck, Shanghai Dumplings and many more… Thursday, 7th February 2008 7.30pm. onward. Baht 1,888++ per person. Baht 944++ per person for children under 12 year-old. (Free of charge for children under 2 yearold). For more information or reservations, 8429, email: hua-hin@hilton.com
VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER
Make someone feel extra special this Valentine’s Day with the most romantic
dinner and breathtaking view of the Gulf of Siam. Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa presents
an unforgettable Valentine’s experience this February 14th, with a selection of menus for
all lovers. Moonlight Dinner @ Chay Had Enjoy a romantic candlelit evening by stunning Hua Hin’s oceanfront with a special five-course Western set menu at Baht
1,250++ per person. Dinner @ The Market Terrace Over looking the pool and beautiful Hua Hin beach while enjoying an extensive Valentine’s theme buffet featuring
international and Italian cuisine as well as free flow local draft beer, Mont Clair wine and soft drinks at Baht 1,250++ per person (Baht 475++ per child under 12 year-old).
Dining Among The Stars @ White Lotus The award winning White Lotus restaurant
with unparalleled views from the top of Hua Hin is the perfect place for this special evening! With the finest Schezhuan cuisine under the glittering stars, our 17th floor
terrace dining will make your night even more romantic. Baht 1,250++ per person.
A Private Sala Just For Two... Be inspired by our 5 beautiful beachfront Thai pavilions, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water and Air. With the most exclusive and personal Valentine’s dining in truly Thai traditional style and personal butler, you will find this evening very special and memorable. Baht 2,500++per person.
**Reservations are required before 14th
February 2008** For more information or reservations, please contact Tel: 032-538 999 ext. 8429, email: hua-hin@hilton.com
“A LICENCE TO THRILL”
At Dusit Resort, Hua Hin. on Monday, 31st December, 2007, you could have been
forgiven asking for a dry Martini, shaken not stirred, as guests dressed as their favourite
James Bond character celebrated New Year’s Eve and welcomed the year 2008, starting with champagne cocktails on the Lagoon Lawn, followed by a sumptuous Gala Dinner, featuring every gastronomic delight you could possibly wish for. Add the magical settin under the stars beside the lagoon and you had a glittering night to remember for eternity. A variety of entertainment was on offer, including The Resonance Chorus, Casino Royale Dance Band, and a galaxy of pop stars performing alongside the Royal Symphony Orchestra. Lucky draw prizes were also part of the celebration. The countdown to the end of the year 2007 was with the bells of Big Ben and the New Year was welcomed with a magnificent finale on water to the background of a spectacular fireworks display.
Health Issues
A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF MILITARY THINKING IS THAT IN ORDER TO DEFEAT AN ENEMY YOU MUST BE ABLE TO PUT YOURSELF IN HIS PLACE,
SHARE HIS ATTITUDES, HIS GOALS, HIS LIKES AND DISLIKES; IN ORDER TO
DEFEAT HIM YOU MUST BE ABLE TO THINK LIKE HIM. MICROBES, THEIR SIDE OF THE STORY.......
It is interesting to look at infectious diseases from the microbe’s point of view. We tend to think of microbes, bacteria and viruses, as being evil little devils out there with the sole mission of making our life uncomfortable and in some cases bringing it to an untimely conclusion. Not so, the microbe has essentially the same attitude to life as any other creature, the distress that they cause is just an unfortunate side effect of their fight for survival. What the microbe wants is the same as everybody else, a warm comfortable place to live, an abundance of food and drink and a suitable environment to raise a family, children and grandchildren who hopefully will move out and find a place of their own. A healthy human body looks just ideal to them; to a microbe, your body is a condominium on the beach. Their challenge is to take possession of this choice piece of real estate and then acquire other property in the neighborhood. Microbes are as much a product of natural selection as we are. Evolution selects those most effective at producing babies and finding suitable places to live. Microbes have developed different ways to spread from one human host to another and in a few cases from an animal host to a human. Many of the symptoms that we suffer are actually mechanisms that the microbe has devised to enlist us in spreading the microbe to our friends and acquaintances. Some bacteria infect a host and then just sit there waiting for the new home to be taken over by another host. These include Salmonella, which we acquire from eating infected eggs or meat or trichinosis that we get by eating from the meat of the pig, its primary host.
Other microbes are more pro-active causing the new host to change their normal habits so as to help the microbe spread. The influenza virus makes home in our respiratory tract and then irritates 
our throat causing us to cough and sneeze so that we expel millions of viruses into the air and infect other people. Skin lesions such as the ulcers caused by syphilis, herpes or small pox are there not to make us uncomfortable but to provide a route by which the microbe can spread by touch to other humans. Cholera causes the host to have overwhelming diarrhea so that the cholera bacteria is dumped into the local water and hopefully find a new human to entertain them. Others are more ingenious the rabies virus attacks dogs and then drives them psychotic so that they want to bite everything and everybody and thus spread the virus. Hookworms and schistosomes are even more clever: they are expelled in the feces from their host onto the ground or better still onto soil, then they attach themselves to a human leg or foot and burrow through the new host’s skin to get into the body. Sometimes the microbe has to find an intermediate to take them to a new residence; we might take a taxi, they prefer insect transportation. The mosquito bites a host suffering from Malaria or Dengue fever, the mosquito then bites another human, and the malaria organism hitchhikes a ride in the mosquito saliva and is transferred to a new host. Fleas and lice act in the same way to spread plague and typhus. These insects do not bite you just to be mean, but to obtain a little blood that they enjoy for dinner, they too are merely looking after themselves. Others take an easier but from our point of view a really despicable way of spread, passing through the placenta from a mother to her unborn fetus, Syphilis, Rubella, Cytomegalus virus and AIDS use this method. The other methods by which AIDS spread are quite complicated. Body fluids from the host, containing the AIDS virus, have to mingle with body fluids of the new host in order to transmit the virus. This usually occurs either by the sharing of needles used for intra-venous injections or from sex. Occasionally an infection can kill the human in whom the microbe has made a home. This is a tragedy for the human but is also an incredibly stupid action on the part of the microbe. Why kill your host? Why blow up the apartment building when you have made a home there? It makes no sense to kill your host; these microbes are basically suicide bombers. To follow up on this thought there is a phenomenon that occurs during an epidemic. The bug can get less vicious, less virulent, as the epidemic progresses. This makes good sense. If the microbe is very powerful it will make the host very ill, the victim will take to their beds, not see as many people and may in fact die. They may not infect many other people. On the other hand the less
vicious microbes will infect a human, who may not feel that sick, will stagger into work, infect dozens of people and continue to do so for some time. Thus the less virulent bug, rather than the more virulent one, will predominate in the later stages of the epidemic. We saw this happen in the SARS epidemic in 2003. I am urging you to understand the microbes ambitions, but fortunately our bodies are not so understanding and tend to react like any property owner will do so if their property is invaded. The body’s first defense is usually fever, this alerts the host that there has been an invasion but also the raised temperature may be a defense mechanism; some microbes do not do well at this raised temperature. The main defense however is the immune system. This recognizes that some foreign protein or antigen is present and makes an antibody to counteract the antigen of the invader. This inactivates the microbe and the white cells then move in to kill the microbe. The antibodies then remain in our bodies after the microbes have gone and in some cases provide life-long protection against that microbe. Measles, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella and small pox are examples of this. This is the principle behind vaccination. You are given a small dose of an inactivated form of the microbe; it cannot make you ill but will stimulate the production of antibodies. Other bugs have become very smart; one of the smartest is the influenza virus. Every year the virus mutates and changes; it’s the same old bug but it comes back wearing a different overcoat and the immune system is fooled into thinking that it hasn’t seen this nasty before. Malaria and now AIDS are also capable of these deceptive practices. An area of concern is that several relatively new diseases have appeared in the last few years among them, Avian or Chicken flu, SARS and AIDS. All of these microbes were estricted to animals and have now decided to move their attention to humans. AIDS was originally restricted to monkeys in Africa but has now made the species-jump to humans. The Avian or Chicken flu has been killing chickens for centuries but has only recently started to infect humans. It is tempting to believe that we have conquered the threat from the microbes, that the Antibiotics that have been developed to kill bacteria are the answer to every infection. Unfortunately this is not the case. Antibiotics do not kill viruses and our anti-viral agents are not very effective. Resistant strains of bacteria are developing as fast as we develop new antibiotics and the new super-bugs are a real problem in many hospitals.
Many diseases have been eliminated by good public health measures rather than by the use of drugs. Cholera, by the provision of safe drinking water, tuberculosis by the elimination of the substandard slum housing, others by effective vaccination programs. An essential part of any hospitals ability diagnose infections s the bacteriological laboratory. Here samples of infections are taken and the bacteria grown and identified; the lab can then determine which antibiotics will be the most effective. The bacteriology lab does not get much publicity but the work of its dedicated doctors and technicians is invaluable. At the Bangkok Hospital Medical Center the lab is first class and its careful work enables infections to be identified and treated effectively. Patients are brought to
BHMC from all over Southeast Asia and beyond for the treatment of infectious diseases.
We cannot let our interest in the microbial world diminish. Many of these microbes were here before man and their ability to change tactics means that we must always remain vigilant. Microbes have a strong sense of survival and are a formidable enemy.
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