It took a lot of hope over experience for me to sign up for the Hua Hin Golf Festival 2007 open tournament (first 150 players, no qualifications).But I got to the Royal Hua Hin Golf Club early in anticipation and looked for my group on the posted play list.

This was to be a “shot-gun” start, and my group of five players would start from the third hole. Rather than wait around, I took the shuttle golf cart out to the tee. My caddy had already arrived even though it was almost an hour before the official start. I killed time practicing some chip shots onto the elevated tee.

Presently, two Thai women who made up a part of our group arrived and went off to talk by themselves. Just before the start my other two playing partners, Martyn a Brit and Paul from Australia, arrived to complete our party.

I approached my first tee shot with some trepidation – I’m used to playing alone with only a caddy to watch me muff my shots. The two Thai players strode off to the ladies’ tee, 50 yards down the course. More than once my off-the-tee drive has fallen short of the ladies’ tee.

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I don’t know what happens in town to celebrate Mother’s Day but here the resorts have ceremonies.

I live near Khao Ka Lok, a headland which splits the coastal area into distinct halves. One side leads to Hua Hin, the other away from it. The leading side is more built up, has many resorts and receives lots of tourists, mainly Bangkokians for their weekend break. There is a small stretch of beach on the other side of Khao Ka Lok but to reach the larger stretch, travellers have to turn up onto the Sam Roi Yod road, driving for about ten minutes before turning left down to the coast.

This side is less populated and although there are distances between the few resorts it is starting to grow. On this side is a resort called Dolphin Bay and that is where we went for dinner. The food varies from okay to good and is reasonably priced but that is subjective.

When we arrived we were given a candle protected by a clear plastic cup. A television had been set up at the entrance to the resort where the Dolphin plaque stood. People were gathering around to watch the televised ceremony.

At 7.30 the candles were lit and the crowd responded to the formal words and songs.  I cannot speak Thai so I could only participate where there was repetition that I could pick up. When that happened I attempted to sing the words and raised my candle in salute. In the pauses I could hear voices drifting on the wind from other resorts.

To end the ceremony I followed everyone across the road to the beach and made a hole in the sand with my index finger where I planted my candle. 

I found it emotional because this was the first Mother’s Day without my mother who died earlier this year.  She and I participated in a similar ceremony last year for the King and she enjoyed it so much.  

Back at our restaurant table, dinner was being served but we could see the row of flickering lights and it looked very pretty. On the other side of Khao Ka Lok, probably from the Evasons, fireworks burst into the sky. This time we raised our glasses and shouted ‘Chockdee’.

www.writeinparadise.com

More than 200 sailors will set sail in this year’s Hua Hin Regatta, which is being contested off the Hua Hin Naval Yacht Club.

A total of 99 boats in the Super Mod class - a boat designed by His Majesty the King - will also be in action.

The three-day regatta is being held to commemorate not only His Majesty the King’s great success at the South East Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games on December 16, 1966, where he won the gold medal in the OK Dinghy event, but also to celebrate the diamond jubilee of his accession to the throne.

The Yacht Racing Association of Thailand (YRAT) have put the Super Mod - a 14-feet, 11 inch dinghy designed and patented in the UK by His Majesty - on the list of boats taking part in the regatta.

On the first two days of the regatta sailors will contest the Thailand Open Sailing Championships and the Super Mod Vega Rudder Race, while the 25 nautical mile long-distance Vega Rudder Race for will be held the following day.

The Thailand Open will consist of the small Optimist class dinghies for children and the bigger Platu boats, while the long-distance contest features Lasers, 420s, 470s, Fireballs and catamarans.

Sailors from Australia, Burma, China, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States are expected to return for the annual regatta, while skippers and crews from England, Hong Kong and Japan have already entered.

“This year’s event is very special because we [YRAT] have added the Super Mod class as part of the celebrations for His Majesty the King,” said Rear Admiral Apiwat Srivardhana, the secretary-general of YRAT.

Source : The Nation

More images from the event can be found here: Hua Hin Regatta 2007 images

Wikipedia tells me that tipping in Asia is frowned upon although there are regional variations. It seems to me that Hua Hin is one of those regions because I am told by Thai friends that it is as easy to remember a poor tipper as it is a large one. And easier to remember both than someone who does not tip at all.

It does seem to be specific to certain trades and specific to farangs. The Tuk Tuk driver, the girl in the massage parlour or waiting staff to name three. I don’t think these groups expect to be tipped because they aim to please without one.

Once it has been determined that a tip is due then comes the thorny problem of how much. Twenty baht, ten percent? I don’t have an answer but I do know that a woman spending two hours giving a massage deserves more than twenty baht. Was the man who gave that tip insulting the woman? Was it his way of telling her she was rubbish?

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My favorite tourist spot in Bangkok is the Jim Thompson House, a collection of traditional teakwood Thai houses set in a garden that the silk magnate assembled before his mysterious disappearance in 1967. The Grand Palace is, well, grand, but also a little overpowering. The Jim Thompson House is on a more human scale. You can see how everything in it reflects his exquisite tastes.

For the past year I’ve lived in my own Jim Thompson house, here in Hua Hin, except that my little bungalow has only one room, while the Thompson House has a dozen. But it is a genuine traditional Thai house, constructed with teak and set in its own garden, an oasis in the middle of town. There are three of them located in a quiet soi just behind the post office. Technically they are a part of the Phueng Hotel, an otherwise conventional Hua Hin guest house

I stumbled across them a year ago looking for a cheaper place to live. My room, in fact, was not cheaper, but I fell in love with it anyway and have stayed there ever since. In the early mornings I sit out on my balcony, feeling the breezes wafting in from the Gulf of Thailand, which is only about two blocks away. And I like the convenience. Walk two blocks to the east and you hit the beach, two blocks west and you hit the golf course.

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The event started on Sunday 29th and continues today with off road time trials and racing. It is located along the canal road on the “48 rai” market land near Karat Village. Offroaders from all across the Kingdom turned out to compete by driving modified “Mad Max” type dune buggies and pickup trucks around the course which had been created to resemble a battlefield with some serious peaks and troughs! It was a great day for all, gearheads and regulars alike, and you could get close to the action but with the risk of getting covered in dust everytime one of these beasts roared past!

More images from the event can be found here: Hua Hin Off Road Images

In the nineteen fifties and early sixties, I went to the pictures (yeah, that’s what we called it in those far off days) three times a week. You see, new films (not movies) ran Monday to Wednesday, Thursday to Saturday and a complete new, one-off, showing on Sunday. There was an A picture and a B picture with the Pathe news and lots of adverts. You could stay through all the showings for the one price. We got a lot of screentime for our money. When we viewed a film in 3d we held cardboard glasses with coloured cellophane eye patches, one in red and one in green.

There used to be an interval when you could buy a Kia Ora or a Mivvi from a woman in a pink gingham skirt and blouse with a tray slung over her shoulders. I was saturated with films until all the picture houses closed and were turned into Bingo halls.

Much later than that, I saw Jaws and it is only recently I have felt able to walk through puddles instead of going around them. It was the last film I saw at a cinema until the weekend just gone that is, when, not to be outdone by friends who booked to see Harry Potter while I was in Bangkok, I went to the Imax cinema at the Paragon Centre.

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The Hua Hin Municipality have kindly sent us their list of up and coming events for the rest of this year.
JULY
Hua Hin Candle Celebration
Starting Day – 27 July 07
Place – “19 Rai” Near Majestic Hotel
Activities – ceremony of candle melting for the temple.
For more information – Hua Hin municipality education Tel 032 532480

AUGUST
Hua Hin Lilawadee & Orchid Exhibition Show
Starting Day – 1st to 14th August 07
Place – Hua Hin Market Village
Activities – Orchid & Lilawadee Exhibition show Contest Lilawadee Seedling self
For more information – Hua Hin Market Village Tel 032 618850 and 089 2545182

Cha-am Hua Hin Golf Festival
Starting Day – 1st to 14th August 07
Place - Hua Hin golf courses
Activities – Special prices and competitions for golfing in Hua Hin
For more information – O ffice 2 Tel. 032 471005-6

Hua Hin Regatta
Starting Day – 1st to 5th August 07
Place – Infront of Navepirom building, Hua Hin beach
Activities – Annual sailboat competition
For more information – Ship Royal Palace Fleet secretary Office Tel. 02 4661811

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Travelling on Petchkasem road, and it’s a long road, you might be following a truck full of building material. You might see several of them that turn off and head towards the mountains.

You will also see many places where there is new build. Go onto the coast road and head towards Khao Ko Lok or continue toward Pranburi then turn  left at the traffic lights and you will see more new build - homes, shops, condos, roads. 

Take in the view. If you’re a frequent traveller then you might realise that something is missing. Ah, yes! The mountain that used to be there is now no bigger than a builder’s spare tyre. The lush green vegetation has given way to raw red rock with trucks perched on it, gouging a trail that circles the mountain, stealing the earth and reducing the ancient land to nothing.  

The Western World has been levelling the earth for years and when I arrived in Thailand it was a pleasure to recover some of those lost landscapes.  My eye gloried in the rise of land that sometime looked like jagged teeth biting at the air: sprigs of trees, tangled foliage and broad leaves that alleviated the sameness of the horizon; land that was alive with insect, bird and beast.  

Paradise is disappearing fast and I feel a great sadness. 

www.writeinparadise.com

Low season is upon us and the streets of Hua Hin are a little quieter this time of year, fortunately that seasonal lull does not transfer to the internet as the forums have been as busy as ever. We usually find that many people start researching for their approaching holiday online when we in Hua Hin are going through a quiet spell. With more people using the internet, they find HHAD the best place to search for accommodation, recommendations, and things to do in advance of their approaching holiday. For the expats it provides a good place to share their knowledge and meet up with like minded people.

This month discussions have revolved around all number of topics including the advantages and disadvantages of all the recent development and an interesting list of things that the town could do without. Most residents are in agreement about many of them with traffic topping the list of annoyances, we think a spell in Bangkok is due to regain some perspective!

Lots more discussion in the property section, most of which now centered on condominiums as foreigners can legally own the freehold to them resulting in a possible increase in demand. A number of new condominium developments have been started this year as their popularity grows, we will have more news on them with the launch of a new website next month.

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Finally got round to taking the boat trip out to Singto (Lion) Island last weekend. We stocked up with essential supplies which didn’t include sunscreen (but should have) and did involve emptying the local minimart’s fridges of beer.

The weather was pretty overcast and the sea a murky brown colour so little chance of any snorkeling out there, not that there would be much marine life anyway. We chugged out towards the sleeping lion which gave us some great views of the coastline around Takiab.

Due to very low tides we were unable to disembark at the islands so motored on towards Khao Tao and were rewarded with a great view of the temple complex there. Jumped off and swam for Sai Noi beach where we anchored up, had a good feed at the restaurant right at the far end.

It seems the army were doing some kind of initiation ceremonies on the beach there as groups of half naked men in speedos where subjected to hurls of abuse and forced to drink whiskey and do pushups, we were hoping the Burmese didn’t decide to invade just then!

A pleasant cruise back along the coastline past Suan Son where more bizarre military maneuvers were taking place. All in all a very agreeable day and worthy trip for those seeking to have a different view of the surrounding area.

More info and bookings for the trip can be found here:
www.khaotakiab.com/island-trip.htm

A blockade commenced yesterday morning at around 9 a.m. at the mouth of the Pran Buri River in front of the Lawana resort.

Since then, no boats whatever have been permitted to enter or leave Pak Nam Pran. Located 25 km south of Hua Hin, Pak Nam Pran is the biggest and most important fishing port in the area, with over 300 seagoing fishing boats based there.

Up to 4 rows of local small squid boats have cordoned of the estuary to protest at the action of larger boats dredging for shellfish off the coast.

According to the locals, the shellfish boats are not from Pak Nam Pran; rather they come from Cha-am, Petchaburi, Samut Sakhorn, etc.

The locals argue that the shellfish boats tear up the seabed, thus leaving precious little for the squid to feed on and that, for this reason, squid have started to become scarce in the area.

The locals on this side of the river, in particular, live almost exclusively from small-scale squid fishing – hence the banks of green light out at sea at night.

It is said that the shellfish boats are allowed to operate and moor in Pak Nam Pran only because they pay off the local harbour police.

The locals have formed a solidarity committee and have said that they will not lift the blockade until the head of the provincial government in Prachuabkirikhan comes to hear their grievances.

They have two demands:
1. that the shellfish boats may only fish outside a certain limit
2. that the head of the harbour police is transferred out of the area.

The locals, with wives and children, are holding a day and night vigil at the blockade and appear to have the full support of the local community, most of whom are linked in some to the squid-fishing industry.

Meetings are apparently being held this afternoon in an attempt to resolve the dispute.

Reported by Barry Stone, Mermaid Cruises.

Over on the HHAD forum they have launched a couple of photo competitions, one for Hua Hin related images and one for general photographs. Voting is open to all though you must be registered on the forum and it is likely there will be more competitions held if there is enough demand so all the camera buffs out there get snapping:

Hua Hin photo competition

General photo competition

Hua Hin…………, what where when why who whom? in Hua Hin …following me.…

Almost all the people in Thailand are interested in Ong Jatukarm Ramadhep”, this name comes from the south and is a very famous name. In Hua Hin District at the famous “Huay Mongkol temple” an Abbot named “Pra-Kru Phairoch” has made Ong Jatukarm Ramadhep (as a Magical Buddhism) so it made the holy Jatukarm a reality, at the present time there are many monasteries required to make “Ong Jatukarm” for sale, they are good for making money.

Wondering of making sacred by some magic, the Ong Jatukarm, I have been in formal procedure all the people just looking at the sky who saw the sun was encircled by a halo, and another day the sun was a Jatukarm as a picture of reality, not only this all the television shown a Jatukarm surprise.

Jatukarm made by the magic soil & some magic praying & banana & flower, this is similar to making the magic Buddha rather strong informed sources, so the price changed very fast and is very expensive, starting from 299 baht to 3,500 baht. This is because the people are taking a lot of interest Jatukarm at the moment.

May I introduce to Dr Chainan Thayawiwacha (pictured), managing director of Hua Hin Hospital. He was worried about the medical equipment, especially since the hospital has no budget, his mission was to try to find someone to donate. Finally he went to meet Pra Kru Phairoch Prapasro, Abbot of Huay Mongkol temple, he needed to have around three hundred thousand Ong Jatukarm Ramdhep images. Out of his kindness the abbot donated 3 million baht to the hospital.

Today Dr Chainan Thayawiwat said …now our hospital has funds of about 90 million baht, we can buy the medical equipment already, he said the committee decides how to take care how to use then money and at the present time we have 25 doctors at Hua Hin Hospital.

Reported by …Tuck Dechapanya……………….

You might have noticed that a lot of people in Hua Hin are wearing what appear to be Olympic bronze medals suspended by a chain around their necks. There is nothing athletic about them. They are Buddhist amulets, called Jatukam, believed to have magical powers. The whole country has been swept up in Jatukam mania.

It all started in the southern city of Nakhon Si Thammarat, located at about the same latitude as the much more famous Phuket, although on the Gulf of Thailand side of the Malay Peninsula rather than the Andaman Sea. From there is spread throughout the country.

This historic city (it traces its origins to the 13^th Century and beyond) is still the epicenter of the phenomenon. Of the city’s 560 Buddhist temples more than 200 are producing the special amulets. Along the main street whole stores are given over to displays of the amulets in their plastic containers, selling for 2,000-5,000 baht.

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