Belgian Club of Thailand. Discover my new face inside!!!

Belgian Club of Thailand

Discover my new face inside!!!

CONTENT OF THIS KRAMIEK UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR Kramiek is the magazine of

April

Mon

Tue

Wed

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

Mon

1 2 The Belgian Club in Thailand

6 7

For more information: Visit http://www.belgianclub-th.com/ BCT Committee:

8 10 12 13

Pierre Swartenbroekx, Chairman

16

Gillian-Alexandre Huart, Deputy Chairman

17

Dirk Heuts, Vice President Ping Yang Li, Treasurer Tom Thomas, Secretary Gee Turf, Event Manager

May

June

20 25 27

Mie Ghesquiere, Charity Events Deborah de Bleyser, Communications Manager Myriam Ramaekers, Assistant Communicatons Nathalie Troisfontaines,

July

7 14 21 28

Thu 1 8 15 22 29

Fri 2 9 16 23 30

Sat 3 10 17 24

Sun 4 11 18 25

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

Mon

Tue

Wed

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

3 10 17 24

Thu

1 8 15 22 29

4 11 18 25

Fri

2 9 16 23 30

5 12 19 26

Sat

3 10 17 24 31

2 9 16 23 30

10: Carbonade/Stoofvlees 7pm at Det- 5 23: Get2Gether, Amontre Bar & Restaurant at 7pm

15:Mussels/Fries/Belgian Beer festival, House of Beers at 6pm 21: Get2Gether, Urban Bar at 7pm

29: "Bangkok Sings" as from 7pm at Det-5

Sun

6 13 20 27

12: Bowling 3pm at JF Avenue - Thonglor

Building 323 SF Shopping Center, 4th Floor, Thonglor Soi 15, Wattana Rd, Bangkok 10110

18: Get2Gether, Urban Bar at 7pm

Sun

4 11 18 25

16: Get2Gether, Urban Bar at 7pm

Ø 20 August: Get2Gether, Urban Bar at 7pm Details will follow!

We know that some people have problems receiving our electronic newsletters, sent regularly since mid June. If you are one of them - or you know friends who encountered such problems - please let us know by sending an email to [email protected] , clearly mentioning the email address on which you would like to receive our communications. We will try to repair this as soon as possible! Kind regards, have a nice read and hope to see you at our next events, The entire BCT-Committee!

We have a lot of plans...We will communicate them to you in the next Newsletters and a third issue of Kramiek. Your suggestions are welcome!

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INTRODUCTION

Dear Belgians, members, friends and anyone interested in the BCT-activities, The second issue of Kramiek got a bit delayed vis-à-vis the initial schedule! Sorry about this! The reason for this delay is that, behind the scenes, many of us were quite busy tackling the BCT events and issues, in order to provide you with an even better service! We have indeed been quite active in trying out places where to organise Get2gethers in a different “ambiance”, as well as dinners, checking out charity projects, and more particularly the Baan Kru Noi issue, organising events and activities and planning new ones, preparing (designing) a thorough revamping of our website, etc.. You will find the results of this flurry of activities in this very issue of Kramiek. And of course, in our upcoming events! And so here it is: a new Kramiek, brimming over with information, stories, accounts and invitations to new activities! You will find a review on what has been done during the first half of the BCT year, but we are also looking ahead and we are now calling for new candidates to join the BCT committee next year. You will read about past events, but also get informed about future activities. “Discovery” tells the story about the north of Thailand and the Kwo Min Tang. This time “Very Thai” focuses on Thai symbols. There is also the story of Herman van Coile in “Belgians in Thailand”, an account of the logo contest, a paragraph on “Where to find...(beers this time)”, information on the website revamping, announcements by other organisations, etc. There is actually too much to mention here, so we just invite you to sit back and relax, open this new issue of Kramiek and have a lot of fun and awe, reading it!! And of course we are looking forward seeing even more of you at our next events! With warm regards, The BCT Committee

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WORD OF THE PRESIDENT Cher tous,   Nous voici à la veille de deux évènements importants sur le plan social, à savoir Pâques, pour nos amis et membres du BCT (Belgian Club of Thailand) et plus généralement pour nos collègues Belges et Européens et Song Kraan, qui marque le Nouvel An pour nos amis Thaïs. En ce qui concerne Pâques, le BCT aura organisé, lorsque vous lirez ces lignes dans un prochain e-mail, une “Chasse aux œufs” (de Pâques, bien entendu) au Parc Lumpini, le dimanche 28 Mars 2010. Ce fût un succès!   Je profite de l’occasion pour remercier une fois de plus toute l’équipe du BCT pour son dévouement et son efficacité et pour faire un point de la situation, en ce “milieu d’année BCT”.   Nos “évènements” ont mis un moment pour “décoller”, mais ont connu en 2009 deux points forts avec la visite de Koh Si Chang, qui a été appréciée par tous les participants et avec la St Nicolas, qui fut un succès de l’avis de tous et qui a permis à la Communauté belge de se retrouver en famille, dans la magnifique résidence de Mr et Mme Veestraeten, Ambassadeur(s) de Belgique en Thaïlande.. Qu’ils soient ici une fois encore chaudement remerciés pour avoir mis à disposition du BCT cette magnifique résidence, l’écrin parfait, qui a permis au Grand Saint et à ses Pères Fouettards de recevoir nos petits avec chaleur...et avec le cérémonial adéquat! Et nos remerciements les plus chaleureux vont à Mme Veestraeten et à son personnel, qui ont fait preuve d’un dévouement extraordinaire et d’une gentillesse immense et qui ont veillé à ce que les invités ne manquent absolument de rien. Un grand moment!   L’équipe chargée du renouvellement du Website a d’autre part fourni un (énorme) travail de fond, qui débouchera sur un nouveau Website de qualité, aisé à utiliser et qui permettra de resserrer encore les liens de la Communauté belge en Thaïlande. Les travaux relatifs à ce nouveau Website devraient être terminés début Juin 2010 et le nouveau Website devrait être disponible dès la mi-juin 2010, après une période de “debugging” normale.   La compétition relative au logo du BCT a été serrée, mais a finalement débouché sur le choix d’un nouveau logo, moins “folklorique”, mais qui traduit bien le dynamisme nouveau du BCT. Certains le regretteront, mais nous sommes en démocratie et c’est le choix de la majorité qui l’a logiquement emporté.

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  Et nos Get2gether ont désormais de plus en plus de succès et permettent à nos membres de se retrouver avec plaisir dans une ambiance chaleureuse et bon enfant.   Les bases d’un renouveau ont donc été posées avec succès, mais la fin de l’année BCT approche à grands pas et il est temps de penser dès à présent à la relève du Comité actuel. Nous faisons donc dès à présent appel aux candidatures, de façon à pouvoir continuer le travail entamé et faire du BCT l’outil à la fois social et relationnel, qu’il doit être, représentatif de la Communauté belge de Thaïlande dans toute sa diversité et qui est une de ses richesses.   Bien à vous,   Pierre Swartenbroekx Président du BCT  

Woord van de voorzitter Beste Allen, We staan vandaag op de drempel van twee belangrijke sociale activiteiten. Dat zijn Pasen voor onze vrienden en leden van de BCT (Belgian Club of Thailand), en meer in het algemeen ook voor al onze Belgische en Europese collega’s, maar ook van Song Kraan dat voor onze Thaise vrienden een nieuw jaar inluidt. Wat Pasen betreft: wanneer u deze tekst leest, in een volgende e-mail, zal de BCT al een paaseitjeszoektocht georganiseerd hebben in Lumpini Park, op zondag 28 maart 2010. En deze paaseitjeszoektocht was een succes! Ik gebruik deze gelegenheid om het hele BCT team te bedanken voor zijn toewijding en efficiëntie. Daarnaast wil ik ook de huidige BCT-situatie beoordelen nu we de kaap van een half jaar BCT overschreden hebben. Het duurde even voor onze evenementen echt volledig gelanceerd waren, maar uiteindelijk waren er twee echt grote momenten in 2009. Het eerste toppunt was de trip naar Ko Si Chang, dat door alle deelnemers geapprecieerd werd. Het tweede was het feest van Sinterklaas, dat een succes was op het vlak van aantal deelnemers, en omdat het de hele Belgische Gemeenschap de gelegenheid gaf om samen te komen op dit familiefeest, georganiseerd in de fantastische ambtswoning van de heer en mevrouw Veestraeten, Ambassadeur(s) van België in Thailand. Ik maak van deze gelegenheid gebruik om hen nogmaals te bedanken om hun magnifieke residentie open te stellen voor de BCT. Het was inderdaad de perfecte omgeving, waar de Heilige Man en zijn Zwarte Pieten onze kinderen warm – maar ook met de nodige luister – konden ontvangen!

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Onze hartelijke dank gaat uit naar mevrouw Veestraeten en haar personeel, die ongelooflijk vriendelijk waren en enorm veel toewijding toonden om ervoor te zorgen dat de gasten niets te kort zouden komen. Inderdaad een fantastisch evenement! Het team dat verantwoordelijk is voor de ‘revamping’ van onze website is zeer grondig te werk gegaan. Daardoor wordt het mogelijk om een nieuwe website te lanceren, van hoge kwaliteit en gemakkelijk in gebruik, waardoor de contacten tussen de leden van de Belgische Gemeenschap in Thailand nog sterker kunnen worden. Deze volledige vernieuwing zou tegen begin juni 2010 rond moeten zijn, zodat de nieuwe website – na het gebruikelijke ‘de-buggen’ – vanaf midden juni beschikbaar is. De wedstrijd voor een nieuw BCT-logo was spannend, maar heeft uiteindelijk een nieuw logo opgeleverd, dat goed het vernieuwde dynamisme van de BCT weergeeft. Sommigen vinden dit misschien spijtig, maar in een democratie geldt de wet van de meerderheid! En onze Get2gethers kennen een groeiend succes bij onze leden, en zorgen ervoor dat we in een hartelijke en relaxte sfeer kunnen samenkomen! De basis voor een vernieuwde BCT is met succes gelegd! Maar het einde van het BCT jaar komt er ook snel aan, en het wordt de hoogste tijd om na te denken over vervanging van het huidige comité. We roepen daarom kandidaten op – om het gestarte werk verder te zetten, met het doel om de BCT te versterken in zijn sociale en netwerkende rol, om de Belgische Gemeenschap te vertegenwoordigen in al zijn diversiteit – de diversiteit die ook een deel is van zijn rijkdom! Vriendelijke groeten, Pierre Swartenbroekx Voorzitter van de BCT

The word of the Chairman   Dear All,   We are today on the verge of two socially important events, i.e. Easter for our friends and members of the BCT (Belgian Club of Thailand), as well as for our Belgian and European colleagues and Song Kraan, which is marking the New Year for our Thai friends. As far as Easter is concerned, the BCT will have organized, when you read these lines in a next e-mail, an Easter Egg Hunt, at the Lumpini Park, on Sunday 28 March 2010. This Easter Egg Hunt was a success!   I use this opportunity to once again thank the whole BCT team for its dedication and efficiency and to also review the situation at this “BCT middle-year” (beacon).  

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It took time for our “events” to take-off, but there were eventually two great moments in 2009, i.e. the visit of Koh Si Chang, that has been appreciated by all participants and St Nicholas, that was a success according to all participants and that has allowed the whole Belgian Community to meet at this family event, organized in the superb residence of Mr and Mrs Veestraeten, Ambassador(s) of Belgium in Thailand. We use this opportunity to thank them once again for having put this magnificent residence at the disposal of the BCT: it was indeed the perfect cradle that has allowed the Holy Man and his “Black Peter’s” to receive our kids with warmth... as well as with the adequate level of ceremony! Our warmest thanks go to Mrs Veestraeten and her personnel, who have been immensely nice and have demonstrated an extraordinary sense of service (dévouement), making sure that their guests would not miss anything. A great moment indeed!   The team in charge of the Website revamping has done an immense and thorough work, that will allow the issuance of a new high quality Website, easy to use and that will allow to further tighten the links between the members of the Belgian Community in Thailand. The revamping of the Website should be completed by early June 2010 and the new Website should be available by mid-June, after the usual debugging period.   The competition related to the new BCT logo was tight, but has eventually allowed to select a new logo, that does well translate the renewed dynamism of the BCT. Some may regret it, but we are in democracy and it is the law of the majority that applies!   And our Get2gethers are meeting an increasing success with our members and allow them to meet each other in a warm and relaxed ambiance.   The bases for a renewal of the BCT have been successfully laid, but the end of the BCT year is approaching fast and it is now time to think about the replacement of the present Committee. We are therefore issuing a call for candidatures, in order to be able to pursue the work that has been launched, with a view to confirming the BCT into its role of social and relational tool, that represents the Belgian Community into all its diversity, which is also part of its wealth.   Best regards,   Pierre Swartenbroekx Chairman of the BCT

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CONTRIBUTION BY MIREILLE SWINNEN, “AMBASSADRICE” OF BELGIUM, TO THE BELGIAN CLUB OF THAILAND” (AND THROUGH IT, TO THE BELGIAN COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE. My name is Mireille Swinnen, I am the wife of the current Belgian Ambassador, Rudi Veestraeten. For those of you with whom I have not yet met in person, or have not had a chance to be introduced, I would like to make a brief introduction about our presence here in Thailand. It is our second tour in Thailand. We lived here 15 years ago, for four years, as young diplomats, and young parents to our two daughters, Sara and Eva. Coming back here was a much-hoped-for-dream, as for many who have once had the pleasure of living here. We feel very much at home here, among the nicest people, the best food, the most beautiful landscapes and the bustle of the ever-active city Bangkok. At the time, 15 years ago, I was the local VVOB Representative. VVOB being a Belgian organisation that would send out young Belgian graduates to assist in Thai technical schools and Universities, such as Rajamongkul Institute of Technology, the Asian Institute of Technology and ABAC University, to name a few. My role was to act as go-between between the Belgian organisation, the Thai counterpart and the technical assistant himself. But for most part, it was important to be a home-away-from-home, a listening ear, a centre point where everybody could meet and be amongst their own. To enjoy a Belgian dinner, or to speak Dutch all night long with someone on the phone, are much valued moments when you are far away from home. Today, I very much still have that feeling that we need to be a home-away-from-home. The Residence is a place where people meet for National Day, drink Belgian beer and eat fries while they socialize with other Belgian couples. Belgian business people get many chances to touch base and discuss their issues with other Belgian business people and with the Embassy staff over lunches or dinners, or during drinks such as the recent Beluthai cocktail-buffet gathering. In November families get a chance to bring along their children and introduce them to Belgian cultural heritage such as Santa Claus. Chocolates and waffles are ever present as I like to promote our food tradition as much as our other Belgian produces. During two international charity Bazaars yearly (one in Paragon in February and in Central World in November) many Belgian vendors get a chance to promote and sell their articles. I will proudly add that Belgium holds second place when it comes to sales in those fairs. Belgian artists will get a chance to display and sell their work during an Open House event later this year. In the years that come, we will try to keep in touch with the Belgian community as much as possible, feel their needs, and promote the Belgian way of life and values in every event we sponsor. We hope to see you actively present and get to meet you personally! Warm regards, Mireille

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WE ARE RECRUITING... Job description Event Manager (EM): To organize events for the BCT on a three month basis and in agreement with the BCT committee. Events should be attractive enough to meet the needs and wishes of the BCT members and can encompass cooking classes, day trips, visits to a restaurant, etc., (on top of “musts” like the St Nicholas and the Easter egg hunt) These events should be planned in detail and then communicated to the BCT committee, via our web site and through the team in charge of communication within the BCT (Kramiek+ Newsletter). The event manager should attend as many events as possible and take membership enrollment forms with him, as membership fees are still the main source of income for the BCT. The events should be in balance financially, with the aim that there will be no loss for the BCT on a yearly basis. Job description Assistant Event Manager (AEM): The AEM will assist the EM in organizing the events and will contact members who would volunteer to help at an event, whenever needed. The AEM will be responsible to organize the monthly Get2gether and to communicate the date, time and venue of this Get2gether to the BCTC and via our web site. He/she will also be responsible for the after event communication: short summary of the event with pictures attached, how many participants, comments from the participants, etc In case the EM cannot attend an event, the AEM will attend this event and be responsible for enrollment of new members. The EM and the AEM will coordinate themselves, in order to optimize their collaboration

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LOGO CONTEST – THE CHOICE WAS YOURS All along the process of this logo contest, we have encouraged

The nominees were:

our community to play an active role in redesigning our new visual identity. Today, the committee is really proud of what has been achieved together and we can already announce that the Logo Contest has been a success. Few months ago, we did receive in total 21 new logos exploring new ways to symbolize our values, as well as the close relationship between Belgium and Thailand.

The choice was difficult and until the very last moment two logos remained in tight competition. The votes of more than 46 of our members were indeed pointing at the following logos as leaders of the competition:

At the very last moment, one of those two logos eventually won the race. The committee is in line with this choice for the following reasons: - The logo is elegant; - Belgium can easily be identified; - Thailand is identified as well and closely related; - This logos underlines the “trend” that was announced at the General Assembly, last year. You will all have guessed that we can all congratulate Gaëtan Ruyant and that we can introduce its proposed logo as the new logo of the BCT:

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Gaëtan wins bottle of Champagne, and he is welcome to collect this at one of our next activities. The following logos receive respectively the 2nd and 3rd prices. Logo 22: Luc Juvens – 6 Duvel/6 Kriek/6 Hoegarden

Logo 17: Sylvie Meunier – 6 Kriek/6 Hoegarden

3 bottles of Duvel will be given to the logo ranked 4th and 5th of our contest.

Congratulations to all of you, thank you very much for your participation and long life to the new BCT logo.

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PAST EVENTS

TTT

TO

AYUTTHAYA

27th of February 2010: a day in Ayutthaya with the orphans of Baan Kru Noi 25 kids in pink shirts – the orphans of Baan Kru Noi. Our goal: to give them an enjoyable day in the city of Ayutthaya. The sunny weather and the cheerful mood on the bus promised a fun day. Our first destination was the ‘Million Toys Museum’, where you could find rows of antique robots, but also the latest Barbie dolls, Digimon action figures and Disney characters which Pond, one of the girls from the orphanage, was very eager to identify. A collection of music instruments was waiting for the children on the second floor, and they enjoyed making lots of noise with it! Then the kindhearted curator of the museum gathered the children and told them some stories, with the help of some very creative popup books. He then provided a tour of the museum for the kids, along with some magic tricks with a handkerchief. The kids loved it! It was lunchtime and everyone was hungry for some khao pat, which we found on a boat harboured at a restaurant which had a tree growing in the middle of it. The boat went for a ride on the river and we passed nice sceneries such as the ancient ruins and Wats of Ayutthaya which the children were able to name. Everyone was crammed at the front of the boat, some children dangling their legs dangerously above the water and others making conversation with the boat driver. At the toy museum the kids were given a bag full of trinkets such as whistles, which provided a very amusing concert. We also fed the fish who were circling around the boat in the hundreds, all swimming on top of each other struggling to get the bread that was thrown to them. They were humongous – some were at least 2m long!

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Next on the list was an ancient Wat from ancient times. The kids enjoyed climbing up one of the tall towers, but some were a bit afraid of heights. The view from atop the tower was magnificent. Also, bats could be found on the ceiling. The children were very responsible; they stayed together and one girl made sure that everyone else was behaving. They definitely deserved an ice cream which was enjoyed on the bus ride to the elephant camp. Pond, Bow and Gang tried to teach me some Thai words such as tongue (lin) and teeth (fan) and I realized Thai can be very hard to pronounce sometimes! It was very surprising how good their English was compared to my poor Thai skills.

The elephant camp was amazing, especially the baby elephants that were trotting around. They repeatedly stormed towards us, in a rhino-like fashion. Fortunately they were only about a metre high so they couldn’t do much damage, but it did startle some of the kids, who found it very thrilling! We brought some baskets of food that were given around to feed the elephants, who seemed forever hungry. Then we were led by the guide to see the elephants being washed in the river, which was very amusing because one of the elephants sprayed one of the boys with water, who was then completely drenched! On the way back the driver played some pop music all the children knew the lyrics to and the bus turned into a dance floor. It seemed like they never tired! It was the end of a successful day and we all had fun. Inne Withouck * Please note that the Baan Kru Noi orphanage event has been supported by GDF SUEZ as main sponsor, the BCT and many individual donations and we thank once again all of you for having made this nice event possible.

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UPCOMING BCT EVENTS ·

Saturday 10/4 - Carbonades Flamandes in Det-5. Carbonades with Belgian fries and Belgian music (300 THB/adult; 200 THB/ child less than 12 yrs) We believe that the Det-5 configuration is ideal to organize this event and we will rely on Bob’s cooking skills to prepare us a wonderful meal from our home country. When? 10 April 2010 Where? Det-5 Sukhumvit Road Soi 8 Walking distance from BTS Nana

Register & practical details; look out for more information in the coming month. ·

Saturday 15/5 - 18.00H: 2nd Mussels/Fries/Belgian Beer festival, HOB (House of Beers)

·

Saturday 12/06 - Bowling

·

MONTHLY G ET 2 GETHERS Friday 23/4 -  19.00H: Get2Gether in Amontre Bar and Restaurant Friday 21/5 - 19.00H: Get2Gether in the Urban (Sathorn area) Friday 18/06 - 19.00H: Get2gether in the Urban Friday 16/07 - 19.00H: Get2gether in the Urban Friday  20/08 - 19.00H: Get2gether in the Urban

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CHARITY EVENTS Project that need support: Poblaki Project

Energy Assistance, the NGO set up by former Tractebel - GDF SUEZ people, aims at “supplying energy to the poor”, by developing and implementing projects that allow communities that are not yet connected to any electrical network, to enjoy the benefits of electrification, it being understood that these projects have to serve the community as a whole first, before thinking about providing electricity to private households. This means that electrification of local schools and local hospitals (“dispensaires” in French) has a definite priority! In this regard, Energy Assistance has developed few years ago, a micro hydro power plant supplying electricity to three Karen villages and their local school, located a two hours drive (by 4x4) from the small city of Omkoi, close to the Burmese border. The project received the full support of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, through the OPSP (Office of Projects of Princess Sirindhorn) and  funding from this project was obtained mainly from Tractebel - GDF SUEZ and Glow, whereas Energy Assistance did bring the technical expertise, experience and support to develop and follow up the implementation of this project.

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Today, Energy Assistance has received a request from “Partnership Developments TBCAF”, a French NGO that is supporting a project to supply electricity to the school of POBLAKI, a village located in the Karen area close to the city of Mae Sot. This school is being developed and managed by a French Missionary, Père Alain BOURDERY.

The idea is to provide electricity to the school by means of solar panels (and batteries), as there is no river or stream close by, that would allow to consider implementing a micro hydro power plant. Energy Assistance is now examining the technical feasibility of this project, but funding of this project is still an issue! And it is here that the BCT may have an important added value, by helping “Partnership Developments TBCAF” and more particularly Père Alain Bourdery to fund this project, via charity events organised by the BCT, provided of course its technical feasibility is demonstrated.

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For information, Pierre Swartenbroekx, who was in charge of the development of the Omkoi project, with the help of his former Tractebel colleague Jean-Noël Laurent, is in contact with “Partnership Developments TBCAF” (Mr François-Rodolphe de Boussiers) and plans to organise a visit of the BCT committee to Poblaki, to get a better idea of the project and the issues related. In this respect, Pierre mentions the POBLAKI project, which consists in supplying solar panels to a school close to Maesot, in the Karen area. This POBLAKI project seems very interesting and the BCTC is now trying to find out how we can help funding this project. We will also organise a trip to Mae Sot and Poblaki to visualize the new project. More details will follow soon!

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WHERE TO FIND… Belgian beer Oh yes, we have collected quite some addresses where you can drink your favourite Belgian beer... Some places where we had a refreshing pint include DET-5 (where we have our traditional Get2Gether), HOB’s (where we organised our mussels & fries party), “Witch’s Oyster Bar” in Soi Ruamrudee, the Sky bars Vertigo and Sirocco, the fancy French Restaurant “Indigo”, Amontre Bar and Restaurant and the Duke of Wellington. By the way, I noticed that the chocolate coated macadamia and other nuts for sale in Starbucks are made by Gallothai! In case you fancy a beer at home (thinking about the catchphrase “My home is where my Stella is”, however, in this case, it could be Hoegaarden or Leffe too), some Belgian beers are widely available. A short overview: o Tesco Lotus, Central Gourmet Market and Carrefour all sell Stella, Hoegaarden and Leffe; o some Top’s outlets also sell Stella and Hoegaarden; o Wine Connection sells beers from traditional brewery Brasserie du Bocq, including StBenoit and La Gauloise. (also at Silom Cellar Co., LTD in Silom Complex) o Definitely, this overview is not exhaustive. If you have some nice beer addresses to share, please give us your input! We will publish this information in our next Kramiek! Many – or even most – of you don’t need an introduction to Thailand. But the overview below could help you in explaining “how is life in Thailand?” (I’m sure everyone gets this question once in a while) to those friends who stayed in Belgium and have no clue. Or, it might give you some inspiration when you’re gift shopping...

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VERY THAI!

Thailand Flag The first Thailand flag was created during the reign of King Rama II. This flag was chosen with the lucky symbol of a white elephant. The present Thailand flag, the Trai Rong or three colors was designed by King Rama VI. It was first used around 1920. The five horizontal stripes of three colors (red, white and blue) have meaning. Red is the color of blood and represents life to the Thai people. White symbolizes the purity of the national religion, Buddhism. And blue signifies the monarchy and the important role it plays in the daily lives of Thai people. The flag is raised daily at all official buildings in Thailand. Large private enterprises and schools usually raise the flag at 8 AM to the accompaniment of the Thai national anthem. The Thailand flag is also flown nationwide on national holidays.

Sawadi Sawadi, meaning hello or goodbye, is likely to be the first Thai word you pick up during your travels to Thailand. Ladies add a “ka” to the greeting, pronounced with a soft and lingering tone to express their femininity. Men add “krab”, spoken with a deep and resonant tone to emphasize their masculinity. Thai people do not say good morning, good evening or good night. They greet each other with a wai, which is a prayer-like gesture with palms raised. It is customary for the younger or lower in status to begin the greeting. There are various levels of wai: the deeper the wai the more respect is conveyed. When Thais wai to a monk they will completely prostrate themselves.

Stupa The stupa, or chedi, is an essential element of Buddhist architecture. It is a monument erected to house a Buddha relic and the golden pointed silhouettes can be seen all over Thailand.

Orchids Orchids are the beautiful floral symbol of Thailand. The wonderfully varied, colorful flowers can be seen everywhere in gardens, in the jungle and national parks.

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Triangle cushions These triangle-shaped cushions (or axe cushions), made of thick cotton and tinted with indigo, are a distinctive feature of Thai lifestyle. They are used to lean on while seated on the ground or at a low table. They are popular souvenir items. More sophisticated versions include a thin folding mattress attached to the cushion.

Tuk Tuks Three-wheeled tuk tuks buzz around Bangkok city on two stroke engines. A ubiquitous means of Thai transportation one is always around if you need one. A trip in a tuk tuk can be exhilarating but the traffic fumes in Bangkok can be overwhelming too.

Gheckos The wall ghecko (tuk ke) or house lizard (ching chok) can be found everywhere in Thailand. People from north Thailand can eat tuk ke but nobody eats ching chok. They appear at night time and make a shrill sound. If their tail is cut, it will grow again. Whatever you do, they will always find a way to enter inside the home. It is bad luck if a ching chok or tuk ke falls on you.

Thai Silk Thai silk is considered to be the best in the world and the fabric is a good buy in Thailand. The course weave and soft texture of Thai silk makes it more easily dyed than harder, smoother silks, resulting in brighter colors and a unique luster. Silk is best purchased in the north of Thailand or Bangok. Chinese silk is available at about half the cost.

Asian Elephants Elephants are an important symbol of Thailand. They have helped to develop the nation through heavy labor and protect its people, carrying Thai warriors into battle. Many Thai people may not be aware that the Asian elephant population of Thailand is approaching crisis. There are very few elephants living wild in Thailand and since the logging ban in the 1980s the elephants of Thailand have been unemployed. These huge animals are very expensive to feed. Traditionally, there would be a lifelong relationship between mahout (elephant trainer) and elephant. But now many elephants are sold to inexperienced owners. Some elephants are taken into the cities to provide entertainment. Many are overworked in the service of elephant rides at tourist venues. Fewer elephants are being born and of those that do arrive, fewer are surviving. A female elephant should ideally take six years of maternity leave! But these days not many can afford that kind of investment. If the elephants can’t breed successfully they are going to die out. It is estimated that within a decade there will no longer be elephants in Thailand.

Teak Furniture Teak is a tall, sturdy, evergreen tree indigenous to the tropical climate of Southeast Asia. Teak wood has been a favorite among shipbuilders in centuries past for its durability. It is a tight-grained hardwood with a high oil content making it

19 impervious to the salty wind and water, withering sunlight, and lashing rains of the sea (or even the wildness of your own backyard!). Teak weathers gracefully, maturing to an elegant, silvery grey over time.

National Symbol The national symbol of Thailand and royal symbol is the Garuda, a mythical half bird, half human figure (steed of the Hindu god Vishnu) that adorns HM King Aduladej Bhumibol’s sceptor and royal standard.

Thai fisherman pants Thai fisherman pants are lightweight cotton trousers made very wide in the waist. The extra material is wrapped around the waist and tied to form a belt. They are used by fishermen in Thailand, but have also become popular with backpackers, pregnant women and hippy stoners. The Thais call them kang keng ley. Kang keng is the Thai word for trousers, ley is a short form of the word for sea. Street Food Street food is available in towns and villages all over Thailand. Thai food quality is generally very high and it can all be considered safe to eat. If you see lots of Thai people enjoying the food you can be sure it’s a good buy. In every corner of the country any gathering of people such as a concert, party or football match will spark the appearance of a mobile market selling all kinds of fresh culinary delights. You never need to stay hungry, wherever you are. Remember to say “mai pet” if you can’t handle spicy !

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DISCOVERY The Kwo Min Tang Story of Northern Thailand The nationalist Kwo Min Tang (KMT) troops of Chiang Kai Chek were defeated in 1949 by Mao Zedung’s communist Red Army, after a civil war that had lasted four years. The KMT leaders fled to Taiwan, together with many followers. But not all of them had the opportunity to regain their feet on the Big Island. The troops of the 39th Regiment poured from the southern Yunnan Province into Burma’s Shan State, from where they tried to harass communist China by surprise raids. But they in turn were menaced by surprise attacks launched by the Burmese troops which joined the Red Army in a strategic alliance against the Shan. In 1961, most of the KMT defenders moved their ‘home away from home’ again, and crossed the Mekong River into Northwest Laos. With the help of the US Army, more than 4,000 of them were trucked from Huay Xai (now the major department port for another displacement - the tourist boat trip on the Mekong River to Luang Prabang) to Chiang Rai, and from there airlifted to Taiwan. The ‘KMTIsland’ disclaimed any responsibility for ‘the few’ who remained. Between 2,000 and 3,000 soldiers left behind in Laos crossed the Mekong River once more in 1962, and established two new bases in the jungle-covered mountains of northern Thailand, at a bullet’s throw of the Burmese border. To finance their military operations and their daily life and, as good Chinese, to get rich, they engaged in the local opium trade. Opium growing and smoking had been outlawed by the Thai government in 1959, but many hill tribes couldn’t get rid of their traditional practice, and had few alternatives to financially survive. The opium trade had experienced a recession however, and that vacuum was instantly filled by the KMT army chiefs and illegal Chinese immigrants. In 1965, a census revealed the number of Yunnanese living in northern Thailand had tripled, and by then a caravan trade flourished. From soldiers fighting communism, the KMT troops had become ‘merchants in white powder’ across the Golden Triangle – parts of northern Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. Every harvest season, KMT parties would be seen trekking and snaking through the jungle, from village to village, like present tourist groups, but their leaders were heavily armed commanders instead of young multilingual guides and their means of transportation were mules and stocky mountain horses rather than pick-ups, rafts and showpiece elephants. These caravans put up to 400 mules and, as each pack-animal could carry 50 kilos, they transported up to 20 tons of raw opium! Several hundreds of troops guarded the dubious trade, using the extensive communication network they had set up through portable field radios, the mobile phones of that time. Upon their arrival in a village, women and children fled into the forested mountains, while the male farmers, often heavily indebted vis-à-vis the KMT leaders, had no choice but to provide

21 them with the illegal stuff they hadn’t smoked themselves, for which they got little money and had ran great risks. The 3rd KMT Army, 1,400 soldiers strong and commanded by General Ly Wen-huan, had established its base of operations at Ban Tam Ngop, while the 1,800 men of the 5th Army, whose chieftain was General Tuan Shi-wen, had settled in Mae Salong, both villages situated east of the Chiang Mai – Chiang Dao – Fang Road. The two rivaling ‘robber barons’, who could have eaten each other raw, acted as border patrol forces as well as illegal traders. In the second half of the 1960s, they controlled a one-hundredkilometer stretch of borderland with Myanmar in the Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai Provinces. The Yunnanese traders who had followed in the wake of the KMT troops set up shops in the new ‘displacement dwellings’, and started selling such tantalizing items as flashlights, canned food, salt and shoes. A ‘commercial revolution’ had started taking place in these remote areas. In the 1980s, the Thai army and the Thai government started controlling this borderland and the Golden Triangle more effectively, however. Black-clad border patrols replaced KMT troops. Opium fields were systematically destroyed. Agricultural development projects, funded by the Royal Project Foundation, created golden opportunities for hill tribe farmers to be trained in modern farming techniques and to get familiar with new, lucrative crops, and helped eradicating opium cultivation. Domestic and foreign tourists replaced illegal trekkers, while the fight against communism was more and more relegated to history books. From now, General Tuan spent most of his time in the city of Chiang Mai, enjoying his vast personal fortune amassed from his opium business, launching now and then an occasional destabilization raid into China to polish up his image, until he slowly extinguished, together with the battle against communism. The opium story was relocated to the Golden Triangle Museum near Mai Sai. After soaking out at the Bua Thong Waterfall in Mae Taeng district, taking too many pictures at the brand new and magnificent temple complex of Wat Ban Den, and taking in a deliciously spicy tom yam pla at one of the lakeside restaurants bordering the peaceful Mae Ngat Dam reservoir, I drove from Chiang Dao to Wiang Haeng. After taking a look at Wat Pra That San Hai, I started driving on what would be the most difficult and risky dirt road I ever negotiated in Thailand. The first dozens of kilometers were still alright, and a brief stop allowed me to see a one hundred-year old bus being stuffed up with local people, animals and smelly market goodies. This was visibly a Lisu village, as the young women, all carrying babies on their back, were dressed in multi-coloured patches of bright satins and cottons. They didn’t like to get shot, but were willing to change their mind if I agreed to give a 10 baht coin – per photo. A little further, the road

22 became a horribly dusty snake of creamy pebbles and spiky stones. My car changed colours, and my mood turned to worrisome. The bump-pressing and sweaty experience lasted for about two eternal hours. Only a handful of motorcycles, two pick-ups, and a rare truck were crossed, enveloping my car in clouds of white dust and sending stones towards doors and windows. I tried to delete scenes of a broken-down car from my mind. When I eventually reached asphalt, I sang with relief. Finally, I arrived at Tam Ngop. The former KMT Third Army base consisted of a few dwellings and a school. There were some genuine Chinese stickers on doors, remarkably well maintained Chinese shrine-shaped tombs on a hill-slope, and a brand new sign of a ‘Thomn Gob Inn’ on a parapet topped by a big, overhanging Chinese roof and written in three languages, hardly recognizable in the English transcription. I didn’t see any inn at all, but discovered the former house of General Ly Wen-huan. It was enclosed in a paddy-green circular wall and guarded by high, respectfully old trees. A Thai flag flapped on top of an abnormally high pole. The half-hidden quarters were locked up, seemed abandoned, and radiated a quite mysterious silence. I climbed the entrance steps and pulled the semi-rotten door, which creakingly gave way. When I raised the camera, a man came out of the blue, angrily shouting and gesturing that photography was forbidden. It must be an unwritten local rule to keep the KMT village clouded in mystery and uneasiness. Nowadays, there are no more caravans of opium-loaded mules trekking through the settlement, farmers are not debt-enslaved to armed powder barons, and children are gathered within school walls and looking at the rare car passing by, instead of fleeing to the jungle upon the sight of an arriving KMT regiment. I had seen other KMT villages before. In he provinces of Mae Hong Son and Chiang Rai, for example. In fact, they are all along the northeastern border with Myanmar. While searching for hot springs north of Mae Hong Son, I had once accidentally stumbled upon Mae Aw, a hamlet now called Ban Rak Thai, the Thai Loving Village, but inhabited by pure sang descendants of KMT Chinese. Surrounded by lazy buffaloes staying for ages in mud pools, thatched roofed adobe houses had oval, door-less doorways, red-and-gold paper lampions hanging from ceilings, and bilingual inscriptions with big Chinese and small Thai characters. In a very un-Chinese way, there was no commercial activity. It was too far off the beaten track. Ban Luang and Ban Khum are less sleepy KMT villages, at the foot of what is now one of the most splendid royal projects in the northern mountains of Thailand, the Doi Angkhang Royal Agricultural Project. Hmong, Lisu, Lahu and a few other tribes abandoned opium growing here some time ago and are now largely benefiting from the exemplary development project founded and financed by the King’s Foundation. The Chinese villagers, descendants of KMT followers or Yunnanese traders, have opened shops, guesthouses and restaurants here, as minibus-loads of Thai tourists flock in on a daily basis to visit the famous project and inhale the unfamiliar cold air. Tea-sets, bathroom products and medicinal herbs imported from southern China are stocked in the simple, open shops of Ban Khum’s sole street. A young woman fixed my room rate while counting her cash income of the day. She made

23 some addition sums in her proto-historic school exercise-book with the help of a wooden, clicking ball-frame. When I tossed my bag up the stepped slope to my room, I not only crossed veiled women from the Songkhla and Yala Provinces packed in furred jackets and woolen gloves and shivering with cold, but I also passed by a stable-yard where four mules were staring stupidly in an icy void. I wondered if they were kinsbeasts of the former KMT pack animals which had swapped 50 kg-opium bags for 60kg Thai tourists. Mae Salong is one of the northernmost KMT villages. It is located between Chiang Rai and Mai Sai, and was reached after a long westward detour through rugged mountainscape and after passing an impressive bushfire and a couple of military checkups. Lisu and Akha women added colours and tick-ticking sounds of big coins and small metal balls to the scenery. Black pigs lay in the dust or on other black pigs, or lugged about their empty, stretched udders. Mae Salong is actually the name of a mountain top. The ex-KMT village has been re-baptised as Santi Khiri, Hill of Peace, in a Thai effort to wipe out memories of the old opium era. More than in the other Yunnanese hamlets, the Chinese character of this village was obvious. Red-and-gold lampions and paper ribbons were attached to every single door. The houses were not built in Thai traditional shape, but in southern Chinese style. Not one Thai face was in sight, not even a hill tribe one. All women seemed old and waddled about in satin, pyjama-like, deux-pièces. Tea, teapots and teahouses everywhere. Tasting fragrant tea qualities is the main local activity. Other specialties are fruit- and corn liquors and dried herbs which allow consumers to live up to two hundred years. Some of the lifeinsurance herbal aphrodisiacs swim in dubious, homemade arracks, to make them more potent. Dried geckos and centipedes seem to play the same role. Mae Salong, once the headquarters of KMT General Tuan Shi-wen’s 5th Army, recently became a new tourist spot for Thai domestic sightseeing. The warand-drug lord passed away, and the most infamous of all local opium barons, legendary Khun Sa, who used to reign his vast poppy domain from nearby Ban Hin Taek, was routed to Myanmar in the 1980s, where he set up a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ with the equally infamous local generals. The guesthouses and hotels are bigger here, and there are even two relatively luxury resorts which sprouted up against the mountain-slopes at the village entrance, facing charming terraced tea plantations. Typically, there were more TV channels from China and Hong Kong than from Thailand, and the food was accordingly. Mae Salong has Thai language classes catering to the local Chinese and hill tribe people, and is sprinkled with loudspeakers which broadcast nationalistic programmes throughout the streets. At the outskirts of the village, a mausoleum was in its last construction stage. It was still empty, apart from a few rows of Chinese characters and a gilt-framed portrait of Chiang Kai Chek.

24 Its columns, doors and casements looked like if painted with blood. Two tiers of elegantly curving, apricot-tiled roofs hung far over the corners. In front of the entrance, a giant, cemented, muscular hand pointed to the sky, its unbalanced, ultra-feminine fingers holding the bended stem of a lotus bud. There was absolutely nobody, but when I entered a guard came asking on a suspicious tone what I wanted to seek in there. Or that’s what I guessed. A few kilometers beyond the bustling village the road winded down the mountains, meandering through shining-green tea plantations. From far away, two curious structures glittered in the strong sunlight. They were teahouses in the shape of enormous concrete teapots, with circular doors and windows framed with geometrical patterns, like doorways in Chinese parks. The finishing touch was laid on the two buildings. Tables - round - and chairs were dragged in. The teahouse spaces were so cavernous that complete Kwo Min Tang regiments could have been hidden in them, mules included, if they still had existed.

Pierre Ryckmans ([email protected])

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BELGIANS IN THAILAND Whereas the previous issue of Kramiek covered the story of long time expatriates Herman and Danielle Termote, this Kramiek brings you the story of another Herman. Herman Van Coile – in Thailand since October 2008 – presents himself and his hobby that got a new boost here in Thailand...

Mijn hobby en Thailand. Mijn naam is Herman Van Coile. Voor diegenen die de stad Gent kennen: ik zag het levenslicht in de kraamafdeling van de Bijloke, op 15.09.1948. Als jonge snaak was ik al bezeten van alles wat met paarden te maken had. Ik trad toe tot de plaatselijke manege te Evergem, waar ik al spoedig lesgever werd. Toen ik op 30.09.2008 de kans kreeg om vervroegd met pensioen te gaan, besloot ik om te emigreren. Ik was ondertussen weduwnaar geworden en niets hield me nog in België. Voor mijn familie was het ook niet echt een verrassing: zij wisten al langer van mijn dromen. Het land van bestemming werd Thailand; het was een wel overdachte beslissing. Op 23.10.2008 vertrok ik definitief naar mijn nieuwe thuisland. Gelukkig had ik vrienden hier in Thailand. Zo werd me een hoop over en weer geloop bespaard om alle papieren en documenten bijeen te brengen die nodig zijn om mijn verblijf hier zo aangenaam mogelijk te maken. Ondertussen heb ik hier ook de liefde terug gevonden in de persoon van Malee Amatanon, een lieve en goede vrouw. We huwden en zijn meer dan gelukkig met elkaar. Door haar toedoen heb ik hier een manege gevonden waar ik nu les geef en me kan uitleven in mijn hobby. Zeker weten dat Thailand meer dan goed voor me is. Ja, les geven zit me in het bloed, maar om alles hier neer te pennen zou me te ver leiden. Het beste is om het met eigen ogen te komen bekijken! De school waar ik lesgeef, bevindt zich aan de Chaeng Wattana road te Nonthaburi. Als je interesse hebt, kan je me steeds bereiken op mijn gsm nr. 0816273060 voor een afspraak. Als ik zeg dat iedereen kan leren paardrijden, dan overdrijf ik niet. Zowel jong als oud kan het leren; er staat geen leeftijdgrens op. Het is een goede manier om je eigen lichaam te ontdekken en te voelen waar je spieren zitten. Dit kan ik al wel verklappen, dat na een uurtje rijden (hotsen voor sommigen), je wel zal voelen wat je hebt gedaan! Ja dames, het is bovendien nog goed voor de lijn ook! Een

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speciale uitrusting is niet echt nodig om te leren paardrijden, alleen een lange,wat elastische broek, makkelijke schoenen en een dosis lef en gevoel voor humor volstaan. Ik kan je garanderen, dat wanneer je op de rug van een paard zit, je de wereld met andere ogen bekijkt. Je krijgt er gewoon een kick van, dus waarom het niet eens proberen? Er zijn in onze manege 12grote paarden en 14 pony’s beschikbaar. Alle dieren zijn rustig en goed afgetraind en de lesgevers zijn meer dan goed (hahaha ik moet mijn collega’s een beetje promoten nietwaar?) Je kan reeds rijden voor de prijs van 800 bth per uur. In elk geval, de paarden en ik verwachten jullie in een gemoedelijke sfeer. Hopelijk tot spoedig, Van Coile Herman.

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OTHER NEWS CONTRIBUTIONS

FROM OUR MEMBERS

Magische tatoeages Diegenen onder ons die op een doordeweekse avond al eens Angelina Jolie bespied hebben terwijl ze onder de douche staat, zullen er zeker niet hebben kunnen naast kijken : de 5 verticale lijnen die op haar linkerschouder getatoeëerd staan, zijn zowat het visitekaartje van Noo Kanpai, één van de vele meesters in het aanbrengen van magische tatoeages in Thailand. Hoewel Meester Noo Kanpai reeds bekendheid genoot, betekende een “klant” als Angelina wel een opsteek voor zijn persoonlijke carrière enerzijds, en voor de bekendheid en acceptatie van magische tatoeages in het algemeen anderzijds. Wie reeds enige tijd in Thailand leeft, zal zeker de “5 rijen” tatoeage al opgemerkt hebben. Het aanbrengen van magische tatoeages, of sak-yan(t) in het Thais, is geen zuiver boeddhistisch ritueel. Het is eerder een samenraapsel waarbij er ook Hindu, animistische en andere elementen geleend werden. Volgens een strikte interpretatie van Boeddha’s leer zouden monniken zelfs geen sak-yan mogen zetten. Het is ook geen gebruik dat typisch of enkel “Thai” is. Als je bijvoorbeeld in Cambodja rondloopt, zul je daar ook sak-yan opmerken. Voor wie een beetje Thai kan lezen, is het eerste dat opvalt aan een sakyan dat het geschrift dat gebruikt wordt absoluut geen Thai is. Angelina’s 5 rijen, de letters die te vinden zijn in de geometrische figuren en het geschrift rond de tekeningen van de verschillende al dan niet mythische figuren worden geschreven in het Khom, een klassiek Khmer schrift dat gebruikt wordt voor het Pali, de literaire voertaal van de oude teksten van het Theravada Boeddhisme. Het onderscheid dat gemaakt wordt tussen het Khom en Khmer is voer voor hoogoplaaiende discussies tussen Thai en Cambodjanen, maar dit even terzijde. Wel nog even opmerken dat de Khom letters als een soort steno gebruikt worden. En een groep van verschillende Khom letters kunnen soms op hun beurt weer vervangen worden door een cijfer, om de mantra verder in te korten. Een hele klus om een sak-yan te ontcijferen dus. De magische ‘tattoos’ kunnen ondergebracht worden in verschillende categorieën. De 5 rijen ter ondersteuning van geluk (5 taew nun duan), zoals voluit genoemd, is een soort breed-

28 spectrum tatoeage : het bevordert je geluk op persoonlijk en beroepsmatig vlak. Het kan je helpen in de liefde, in de zaken, om je te beschermen en noem maar op. Het is een zeer populaire ‘tattoo’ geworden. Niet alleen bij het gewone volk, maar ook bij filmsterren, modellen en succesvolle zakenmensen. Andere ‘tattoos’ kunnen meer specifieke functies hebben : een ‘tattoo’ uit de klaew klaad groep zal je helpen om allerlei gevaren te ontwijken, de mahasaneh tatoeages zullen ervoor zorgen dat je gegeerd wordt in de liefde, deze uit de mettamahaniyom groep bevorderen je populariteit zodat je meer vriendschap krijgt. De kongkrapan zullen je onkwetsbaar maken voor steek-, snij- en hakwonden of kogels. Dit kan gebeuren doordat je tegenstander je mist met zijn mes, zijn pistool hapert als hij schiet of dat de kogel je huid gewoonweg niet kan penetreren, en er hoogstens een rode plek te zien is waar de kogel tegen de huid afgeketst is. Dergelijke verhalen duiken nu en dan op in de media. En zo groot is het vertrouwen in deze magie dat sommige ‘tattoo’-meesters na het zetten van de kongkrapan het bewijs leveren door met een mes te hakken of snijden zonder dat het door je huid gaat. De beschermende werking van magische tatoeages kan zelfs na je dood effect hebben, waardoor er problemen ontstaan bij de crematie en het lijk niet kan verbrand worden. Toen een jaar geleden een junkie twee keer naar me uithaalde met een mes en me telkens op een haar na miste, was de verklaring duidelijk voor mijn Thaise vriendin : dit was de bescherming van een ‘kongkrapan tattoo’ die ik had.

En als iemand ondanks zijn onkwetsbaarheid tatoeage toch neergeschoten of neergestoken wordt, kan de verklaring zijn dat de magie verdwenen was omdat je je niet aan de regels gehouden hebt die bij magische tatoeages horen. Een beetje een goed mens zijn helpt je al een heel eind op de weg, maar één van de bizarste regels - welke kunnen verschillen van meester tot meester - is dat je bij het drinken voor je eerste glas alcohol een eigen glas moet gebruiken waar nog niemand van gedronken heeft. Als een groepje mannen je een glas aanbieden waar ze van drinken moet je dus weigeren. Enkel nadat je zelf eerst je eigen glas uitgedronken heb, mag je verder meedrinken van andere glazen. Of je kan met een soort kort innerlijk gebedje vergiffenis vragen omdat je gaat zondigen tegen de regel, maar het eigenlijk niet kwaad bedoelt. Gezondheid!

Niet dat ik toendertijd voor die beschermingstattoo gekozen had. Als je een magische tatoeage wil, kun je wel vragen voor een specifieke ‘tattoo’, maar je moet het zien als een verzoekje voor een bepaalde song bij een optreden : misschien wordt je verzoek ingewilligd, of wordt er totaal geen rekening mee gehouden. Uiteindelijk is het de ‘tattoo’-meester die beslist. Bij verschillende meesters, zoals in de beroemdste ‘tattoo’ tempel Wad Bang Phra in Nakhon Chaisri, is de “9 toppen” de eerste die je krijgt. Deze staat voor de 9 toppen van de mythologische berg Meru. Je ziet deze soms op de nek vanonder een T-shirt uitsteken. Of misschien sta je te kijken naar de blote rug van een vrouw, en merk je de tattoo niet. Een sak-yan is immers niet altijd met inkt getatoeëerd. Wie de krachten van de magie wil, zonder het stigma of de opvallendheid van de tatoeage zelf kan immers gewoon met olie laten tatoeëren. Meisjes of zakenvrouwen laten op deze manier een 9 topper op de rug zetten, of andere ontwerpen op het voorhoofd of zelfs de tong, zoals de “Narika vogel met de gouden tong”,

29 welke dient om vlot te kunnen praten. Goed voor verkoopsters, vertegenwoordigsters of gewoon om een partner te versieren. Maar monniken mogen toch geen vrouwen aanraken? Inderdaad, maar met gewoon een doekje te gebruiken zodat er geen rechtstreeks contact is met de hand van de monnik die de naald begeleid is dat probleem al opgelost. Verder zijn er ook de “phraam”. Dit zijn leken, zoals meester Noo Kanpai, gekenmerkt door hun witte kledij die ze dragen tijdens ceremonies. Zij mogen wel vrouwen aanraken. Toen ik Angelina een beroemde “klant” noemde, was dit eigenlijk niet correct. Iemand die een sakyan laat zetten wordt beschouwd als een discipel van de meester. Dit betekent niet dat je exclusief verbonden moet zijn aan één meester, het staat je vrij om van verschillende meesters sak-yan te laten zetten. Verschillende meesters betekent ook verschillende stijlen, of betere magie voor bepaalde soorten tatoeages. Zo was er in Kanchanaburi een monnik die een drankprobleem had, die zijn sakyan helemaal niet fijn zette, maar dan wel een heel krachtige magie had. Aangezien hij veel mannen van een bepaald dorp getatoeëerd had, werd er daar vermoed dat daar wel eens de oorzaak van de drankproblemen in het dorp zou kunnen liggen. Voor er een tatoeage gezet wordt, zul je met een ceremonie je respect moeten betuigen aan de meester. Met deze ceremonie zal de meester je dan ook aanvaarden als volgeling. Je offert dan een set van bloemen, kaarsen, wierook, sigaretten en 12 THB - kan variëren natuurlijk - aan de monnik. Daarbuiten wordt er ook een vrijwillige gift gegeven, of bij sommige meesters een groot bedrag gerekend : het kan een heel mooie verdienste zijn voor sommigen. Krachten komen en krachten gaan. Een magische ‘tattoo’ is natuurlijk heel handig om je te waarschuwen voor mogelijk gevaar : indien het licht begint te zwellen en tintelen of jeuken, weet je dat er iets op til is. Je prevelt dan een gebedje aan de meester om bescherming te vragen, zodat je het gevaar ontwijkt. Maar al die krachten van waarschuwingen, geluk in zaken en liefde, populariteit, onkwetsbaarheid en weet ik veel kunnen verloren gaan door te zondigen tegen de regels. Sta je daar dan met een tatoeage die overblijft zonder inhoud. Maar een sak-yan is als een batterij die je weer kan opladen. Ga je een nieuwe gaan halen, ben je meteen goed voor het opladen. Meest spectaculaire manier om de krachten op te laden is wel de jaarlijkse Wai khru ceremonie bij de verschillende tempels of phraam meesters. Wai khru zou je kunnen vertalen als “respect betuigen aan de meester”. Wai khru is een essentieel onderdeel bij allerlei vormen van discipel-meester relaties : van bv. leerlingen op school tegenover de leraars tot thai boksers tegenover hun trainers. Tijdens de jaarlijkse Wai khru om respect te betuigen tegenover de meesters, krijgen we onder andere te maken met “khong khuen”, een fenomeen dat ook op andere momenten kan opkomen. Maar aangezien bij de jaarlijkse ceremonie er het meeste volgelingen aanwezig zijn, is het “khong khuen” gebeuren dan ook wel het meest impressionant. Bij dit fenomeen neemt één van de figuren van de sak-yan bij een volgeling bezit van zijn lichaam. Een vertoon van bezetenheid zoals in veel andere culturen wel bestaat in één of andere vorm. Het begint meestal met luide kreten, onwillekeurig schudden van het lichaam, rollen met de ogen en het naar voor stormen door de menigte. Aan de

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manier waarop gelopen wordt, houding van het lichaam en de kreten kan men opmaken welke sakyan figuur het lichaam overgenomen heeft. Vrijwilligers vangen de aanstormende discipels op - in vele gevallen letterlijk - en blazen in de oren om hun weer tot hun zinnen te laten komen. De volgeling keert dan - na een respectvolle wai aan de vrijwilligers - terug naar zijn plaats. Welke verklaring je er ook aan geeft (sommige jongeren die zich eens willen laten gaan, zelfhypnose, massahysterie of de krachten van de sak-yan zelf), het blijft een onwezenlijke ervaring om tussen een plein waar duizenden Thai zitten een golf van schreeuwende bezeten volgelingen te zien aanstormen, botsend en vallend over iedereen die zich op hun weg bevindt. En mocht je ondertussen een onweerstaanbare drang gekregen hebben om een sak-yan te laten zetten maar geen risico willen nemen met eventuele communicatieproblemen, dan kun je in Chumpon naar de eerste en enige Westerse monnik gaan die sak-yan meester is, en naar mijn weten DE Westerse autoriteit wat sak-yan betreft, opgeleid in de traditie van de legendarische monnik Luang Pho Peun van Wad Bang Phra. (Dominiek)

31

A REQUEST

TO

BELGIANS

IN

THAILAND…

Dear, We are two Belgians, looking for an international experience. We would like to volunteer in Thailand for three to nine months, starting in January 2011. We are full of energy and looking for a project that could use our help. Can you help us find such project? We are willing to accomplish a large variety of activities. This could be: take care of children, teach English, teach computer skills, garden, guide sports, entertainment, support building projects, musical projects, design a playground ... If we find an interesting project, we will submit our application for the Youth in Action Programme, managed by the European Commission. The programme promotes mobility within and beyond the EU borders, non-formal learning and intercultural dialogue, and encourages the inclusion of all young people. Once our application is submitted, it will go through a selection process to make sure that it fulfils the Programme criteria. If successful, the guest organization (where we would volunteer) will receive funding to foresee a mentor, board and lodging. Our profile: Machteld Vandecandelaere •

23 years old

•

Education: o Master educational sciences o Bachelor applied psychology o Academic teacher degree

•

Hobby’s: Singing, musical activities, animator on youth camps

Mathijs Verstraete •

24 years old

•

Education:

o Master Industrial Engineer Industrial Design o Postgraduate usability/ user centered design •

Hobby’s: Mountainbiking, horseback riding, animater on youth camps

If you know anything that we could do in Thailand, it would be wonderfull. Kind regards, Mathijs and Machteld Email : Machteld Vandecandelaere [[email protected]]

32

COMING SOON! ·

Saturday 22/5 - 19.00H - Bangkok Sings in Det-5

·

Nouveau site internet

Nous avons le plaisir de vous annoncer que le nouveau site (Website) du BCT est dès à présent en cours de développement “physique” et qu’il sera mis à votre disposition d’ici quelques semaines (en principe dès la mi-juin 2010)!   Outre son nouveau look, vous pourrez profiter de nouveaux outils de communication, de recherches de personnes, de réservation en ligne, etc.   En quelques mots, vous pourrez échanger vos idées et conseils via des forums de discussion, rechercher et trouver des partenaires pratiquant les mêmes sports et hobbies que vous, réserver le nombre de places nécessaires, tant pour votre famille que pour vos amis de passage, pour les évènements organisés par le BCT, consulter et garnir la galerie photos des évènements, etc. Nous vous avertirons bien entendu dès sa mise en ligne, pour que vous ayez le plaisir de le découvrir par vous même ! ·

Nieuwe website

Met veel genoegen kondigen wij u de nieuwe website van de BCT aan die momenteel in “fysieke” ontwikkeling is en die binnen enkele weken tot uwer beschikking zal gesteld worden (in principe vanaf midden juni 2010). Behalve van de nieuwe “look” zal u ook kunnen genieten van nieuwe communicatiemogelijkheden, opzoeken van personen, online boeken, enz. Met andere woorden, het zal dan mogelijk zijn om ideeën uit te wisselen via de forums, om personen te vinden die dezelfde hobby’s en sporten uitoefenen zoals u, om plaatsen te boeken voor de evenementen georganiseerd door de BCT, zowel voor uzelf en uw familie als voor uw vrienden op doorreis, om de fotogalerij van de activiteiten te raadplegen en aan te vullen enz. Uiteraard zullen we u op de hoogte brengen van zodra de website online is, zodat u voor uzelf met genoegen de nieuwe mogelijkheden kunt ontdekken!

CONTENT OF THIS KRAMIEK UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR Kramiek is the magazine of

April

Mon

Tue

Wed

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

Mon

1 2 The Belgian Club in Thailand

6 7

For more information: Visit http://www.belgianclub-th.com/ BCT Committee:

8 10 12 13

Pierre Swartenbroekx, Chairman

16

Gillian-Alexandre Huart, Deputy Chairman

17

Dirk Heuts, Vice President Ping Yang Li, Treasurer Tom Thomas, Secretary Gee Turf, Event Manager

May

June

20 25 27

Mie Ghesquiere, Charity Events Deborah de Bleyser, Communications Manager Myriam Ramaekers, Assistant Communicatons Nathalie Troisfontaines,

July

7 14 21 28

Thu 1 8 15 22 29

Fri 2 9 16 23 30

Sat 3 10 17 24

Sun 4 11 18 25

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

7 14 21 28

1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

Mon

Tue

Wed

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

3 10 17 24

Thu

1 8 15 22 29

4 11 18 25

Fri

2 9 16 23 30

5 12 19 26

Sat

3 10 17 24 31

2 9 16 23 30

10: Carbonade/Stoofvlees 7pm at Det- 5 23: Get2Gether, Amontre Bar & Restaurant at 7pm

15:Mussels/Fries/Belgian Beer festival, House of Beers at 6pm 21: Get2Gether, Urban Bar at 7pm

29: "Bangkok Sings" as from 7pm at Det-5

Sun

6 13 20 27

12: Bowling 3pm at JF Avenue - Thonglor

Building 323 SF Shopping Center, 4th Floor, Thonglor Soi 15, Wattana Rd, Bangkok 10110

18: Get2Gether, Urban Bar at 7pm

Sun

4 11 18 25

16: Get2Gether, Urban Bar at 7pm

Ø 20 August: Get2Gether, Urban Bar at 7pm Details will follow!

We know that some people have problems receiving our electronic newsletters, sent regularly since mid June. If you are one of them - or you know friends who encountered such problems - please let us know by sending an email to [email protected] , clearly mentioning the email address on which you would like to receive our communications. We will try to repair this as soon as possible! Kind regards, have a nice read and hope to see you at our next events, The entire BCT-Committee!

We have a lot of plans...We will communicate them to you in the next Newsletters and a third issue of Kramiek. Your suggestions are welcome!

Belgian Club of Thailand

Discover my new face inside!!!