There is no obligation to join the club, you don’t have to be new to the area, and it’s a great way to learn more about us in a quieter, more relaxed setting than is our usual Coffee Morning or Luncheon. 

Please feel free to come and learn more:  4th Monday of each month – 11:30 am.  Hope to see you there.

Back by popular demand, Chatuchak Weekend Market has always been a big draw for expats and native Thais alike.  Celia will guide us by mini-van to the old, original section of the market, as well as the multi-storied and air-conditioned building that is the newest addition to this historic shopping extravaganza.

This is a must do for anyone who spends any time in Bangkok.  Especially if you like to shop.  They offer everything imaginable at some of the best prices anywhere. 

Contact Peggy Wragge any time to add your name to the list.

photo by annamatic3000

The “Say No to Violence Against Women” campaign will see 88 groups and 13 playing bands participating in a parade down Beach Road in an effort to bring attention to this global problem.

Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol will preside over the opening ceremony at Central Festival Pattaya Beach at 3:30 pm.  All foreigners are invited to participate in the parade that starts on Pattaya Soi 4, with the 13 symphony orchestras marching musically down to Bali Hai Pier.  The various national groups of foreigners should start to gather near Soi 4, Pattaya Beach Road at 2:00 pm.

All parade participants will receive a campaign t-shirt and a whistle that can be blown to call for help whenever they encounter violence against women.  In addition, activity booths will be set up outside the Royal Garden Plaza offering information and educational materials, along with stickers, fans and other promotional items.

This is a great opportunity for all foreigners to show community spirit, and join the local Thai people in paying respect to the Royal Family and their projects.  (Please dress respectfully.)

Hope to see you there.

Our second expat experience started at the beginning of September, 2001.  We moved into a very nice old house in a small village near Leeds, West Yorkshire, and as soon as our furniture arrived we could settle down a bit.  Of course, driving on the left side of the road is a very odd experience at first, but you adjust to that very quickly.  European televisions don’t work in the UK, and our satellite wasn’t installed yet when 9/11 arrived.  Our son called me in the afternoon asking if I knew more about it, but I knew nothing and I had absolutely no idea what was happening/had happened in New York.  This was really a weird experience, because this awful event did change the views of our world, and at that particular moment I was not “connected” to it.

Because there was no International Ladies Club in my area (to be honest, there was a ladies club, but only for Chinese women), it was not so easy to meet new people.  One of my neighbours introduced me to an art club nearby, and so I went every Friday morning to this club.  Very nice and sweet people and lovely to join, but they were all older than me and quite a lot of them much, much older than me.  I did have a very good time with them during our 5-year stay, but they weren’t people with whom I could go on a shopping spree or whatever.

More or less the same story with the local golf club, women of my age were at work during the day.

The opposite problem occurred during my English classes; almost all of them were “au pairs” and therefore had different interests.

I did some voluntary work in the hospital.  One morning per week I went with my trolley loaded with newspapers, magazines, lemonade, crisps and chocolate (nothing healthy I’m afraid) along the wards.  At the beginning, I often didn’t have a clue what the patients were asking for, a lot of sweets and expressions were totally unfamiliar to me.  Can of pop, 20 different kinds of mints (Humbugs, Imperial, Murray, Polo, etc).  Nurses were very kind to their patients and everyone was called by their first name, something totally uncommon in the Netherlands and Germany.  Some parts of the hospital were very old, and some of the wards really huge with 20 beds in one room!!

Not only in the hospital had I learnt new things: At one time, on a hot summer day, I had some workers around the house and I offered them some drinks.  I’d bought some fruit juice from the Robinson brand and poured their glasses full, only to realise when they’d left and their glasses still full that you need to dilute this “juice”.  They were too polite to complain.

Fries are chips in the UK, and chips are crisps, and in Yorkshire everyone is called “Love”.  Good morning, Love; Can I help you, Love?

In 2006 a new assignment came in sight for Hans, and we had to end our stay in the UK and to start all over again in Oman.  We were ready for it!!

Cheers, Anja

Tuesday, July 6  -  Grappa Italian Restaurant  -  10:30 am  

Casual and classy, Grappa Restaurant is a delightful venue at a hotel that always treats the PILC well, the Woodlands.  Come prepared to indulge in some delectable Italian cuisine.

If you plan on attending, reservations are required.  E-mail Connie Kwok and Jan Marek no later than Saturday, July 3rd.

While Grappa is part of the Woodlands Resort, it cannot be reached through the main entrance.  Off of Pattaya-Naklua Road, turn down Soi 22, and watch for the sign on the right side.  The sign also says Woodland Suites.  For more detailed instructions, call them direct at 038-723660.

Tuesday, July 20  -  10:30 am  

This month’s Coffee Morning takes us back, quite appropriately, to the Coffee Club at Royal Garden Plaza.  This venue is perfect for our Coffees as it is comfortable, easy to find, easy to get to, and with easy parking.

Located on the Second Road side of Royal Garden, the Coffee Club is just to the right as you enter the main doors (under the Ripley’s crashed airplane).

As always, reservations are required so that the restaurant can provide accordingly.  E-mail Jan Marek and Connie Kwok no later than Saturday, July 17 to reserve your seat.  They’ll send you a confirming e-mail.  Don’t forget while there, to pick up your newsletter, and those of your absent friends and neighbors as well.

Come and catch up with everyone’s summer escapades.  See you there!

photo by JcOlivera.com

Wednesday, July 7  -  Jim Thompson Tour   

This 1st Wednesday Bangkok Tour will be our first into the downtown area since the political unrest and, for some, might be the first glimpse of what the rioters were doing while we were canceling trips.

But, all’s quiet now, so Celia will try again to guide us to the Jim Thompson Factory Outlet (five floors of fabric), and on to the Jim Thompson House, which he assembled and furnished before his mysterious disappearance.  After a tour of the lovely house and some lunch at the popular restaurant there, it will be on to one of the malls for a little light shopping before heading back to Pattaya.

photo by snowriderguy

                    July 12 – 18

Combine the natural wonders of Borneo with a luxurious resort for a super-relaxing adventure!  Discover Kinabalu National Park and Poring Hot Springs and go in search of elusive proboscis monkeys and pygmy elephants.  Visit Turtle Island – home to giant green turtles that come ashore each night to lay their eggs – and discover the ‘man of the forest’ at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.  With flora and fauna galore, this is a wild Borneo Journey, but a nice combination of luxury and roughing it with various classes of accommodation, types of cuisine, and modes of transportation. 

Sign up deadline has been extended to June 17.  Please contact Peggy Wragge no later than the 17th to sign up.

photo by matley0

Wednesday, June 16   

Another of our Celia guided tours, this one just south of Bangkok, takes us to the Erawan (Elephant) Museum and the Ancient City.

The Erawan Museum features a 29 meter tall, three headed elephant of copper panels, portraying the elephant god, Erawan.  We’ll take the lift inside the elephant’s leg to the exhibition hall and explore this truly unique museum.  Then it will be on to the Ancient City, an outdoor museum where golf buggies and open buses will take us on a tour of full-size and larg-scale replicas of the country’s most famous monuments and temples.  There’s even a floating market!

To sign up for this, or any of our trips, watch for the sign-up sheets at Lunches and Coffee Mornings.

photo by Binder.donedat

Everybody was happy to see each other after a month or even so due to holidays or home leaves.  Some members from Europe had to cope with the ash cloud and ‘enjoyed’ an extended holiday.  Another ‘hot’ item to speak about was the political situation in Thailand and all the side effects.

Anja introduced our speaker of today Mr. Paul Crouch from the Regent’s School Pattaya.  Mr. Paul gave a presentation about the International Round Square Conference 2010 hosted by the Regent’s School from 9 until 15 October 2010, named “We Walk Together”.  The involved schools in the Round Square association send teams of representatives to this five-day conference every year.  The conferences are hosted by one of the involved schools.  We got details about the program and he showed us the keynote speakers.  It was a very informative presentation.  For those who would like to know some more or weren’t able to join us, the website is: www.rs-wewalktogether.org.

Anja welcomed two new members:  Sally Lindsay from Australia and Gabrielle Kirschner from Germany.

Sadly she also had to announce that Lynne Richards joined us for the last time because she’s going back to Australia.

Two points of special attention were today:

*On Saturday 5th June there’ll be the annual Monster Garage Sale.  If you have stuff to sell or if you would want to volunteer please contact Gillian Thom.
*Currently an advertisement on Pattaya People Television is running for new members.

The Quiz Night last Saturday was nice and successful with some fanatic teams.

Peggy went through the upcoming trips with special attention for the trip to Borneo from 12 until 16 July.

In the end, we enjoyed a lovely lunch with a variety of choices from the menu and a nice service of the staff of Casa Pascal.  This lunch was even more special for me because I won a prize for the first time in my life!

Marja Hofman