Events

Now on at the Numthong Gallery / Alliance Francaise:

TAWAN WATTHUYA: Siamese Freaks! A modern courtyard of miracles

Numthong Gallery is pleased to announce the 4th solo exhibition of acclaimed young painter Tawan Watthuya.

Comprising drawings and paintings, his last series will display icons of contemporary Thailand transformed into monstrous Siamese twins.

A fully illustrated catalog will accompany this exhibition.

Runs until 1 December 2007

It was once one of the main sights in Bangkok, but in recent years the Giant Swing at Wat Suthat had fallen on hard times. An extensive restoration was under-taken a few years ago, and is now nearly comlete. This week, it was announced that the King would preside over the re-dedication of the swing on 13 September.

No word on whether or not they would be reviving the swing ceremony, but that seems unlikely. The festival was banned in the 1930s due to the high number of deaths incurred.

This just in - for those that will be in Bali in August:

The second Sanur Village Festival (SVF) has been set for 15 – 19 August 2007 at the Inna Grand Bali Beach and Segara Beach. Carrying a new theme “The new spirit of heritage”, a variety of cultural performance and arts, sporting and culinary events will be held during this five day fun-packed event. Local and international tourist as well as visitors from all ages can participate and enjoy this festival with its mixture of activities. Just to name a few are the musical and dance performances during the opening ceremony, painting and bonsai exhibition, performances, jazz festival and the official closing ceremony will be a colorful cultural parade.

Opening the festival on August 15 will be the sacred dance Rejang Dewa will be performed, as a manifest of the theme new spirit. This dance, Puja Buana, is specifically created for the opening of Sanur Village Festival 2007. Puja buana is inspired by this sacred dance usually performed in temples. Visitors can also watch the Balinese martial arts dance, Kembang Pencak.

Concluding the opening ceremony will be renowned Balinese Artist, Bona Alit. The special contemporary musical performance from his world music album is selected because it describes the relationship between the modern Bali nuance based on strong traditional elements. Gung Alit’s unique idea has taken Bali into another world through his musical work. His continuous effort captures the whole musical phenomenon, and with his imagination and creativity, his compositions are performed using a range of different instruments. In his soft musical melody, Gung Alit presents something new and contemporary not withholding Balinese traditional elements as basis.

Daily art related events consist of cartoon, painting, and bonsai exhibition. Cartoon with beach theme will exhibit caricatures of activities during the Sanur Village Festival event. This exhibition is aimed to restore the relationship between Indonesia and Australia.

Approximately 120 international and local artists will be invited to participate and exhibit their paintings after first selected by the SVF committee in consultation with DR. Jean Couteau. The Sanur Painter Association (Himpunan Pelukis Sanur) has registered 5 galleries as exhibition venues which include Santrian Gallery, Guet Gallery, Rare Angon Gallery, 10 Art Gallery dan Darga Gallery. On the fternoon of 17th a joint painting exhibition will be held by various Balinese artists.

Another public favorite is the classic jazz festival. From August 15 to 19, the festival starts from 2pm until 11 pm daily at the SVF main stage. This years festival will feature top Balinese jazz artists including Gde Kurniawan and friends (Funk), Tropical Transit (Jazz World), Tude and friends Trio akustik (all kind), Saharadja (world Jazz), Joni Agung and Double T (reggae), with Balawan & batuan etnik (Fusion). August 19 presents jazz festival highlights with performances by Jazz Junior, Yuri and Friends, Koko Harsoe and friends, Eric and friends, and Nyanyian Dharma featuring Budjana & Trie Utami (spiritual world music). While for those who want to enjoy the beach view, a special concert will be set up featuring Joni Agung and Doublet and Sanur Potential band (youngster).

Closing this five day event is the grand cultural parade consisting of a procession of carts, consisting of elements from the hotels, community, tourism industry, and government of Denpasar. Participants of this traditional parade will involve carts from hotels in Sanur complete with tourist passengers, pepayatan, payas agung, gayotan for children, baris cina, and wayang wong (puppets). The procession will take place along Sanur area.

For more information, please contact :

Rosari Soendjoto
Travel Works Communications International
Tel : +6281.330.200.141

It seems customary, perhaps even cliché, around this time of year to look back on the year that’s just past. The year 2006 will have to go down as an “interesting” one,to say the least. In spite of some unexpected events, I still managed to get to a lot of new places and see some fascinated sights. It’s impossible to put things in any kind of ‘best of’ order, but among the more memorable moments of 2006 are the sunrise over Mount Bromo in Indonesia. I have to grudgingly admit that it was worth 3:30 a.m. to see. It was made all the more special when I found out the volcano erupted a few days after my visit. Actually, that sort of thing happens to me a lot. More about that later.

As spectacular as Bromo was, I won’t easily forget the cliff tombs at Tana Toraja either. The graves are but one aspect of a distinctive culture and people found high in the mountains of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Adventures weren’t the only thing on the agenda in 2006. I also visited several new cities this year. On my third visit to Vietnam, I finally made it to the country’s capital, Hanoi, a city of cool sophistication in sharp contrast to the brash Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). As pleasant as Hanoi was, the prize for most under-rated city of the year has to go to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. I had to make a quick trip here in July. Business didn’t leave much time to see the city, but I saw enough to want to come back for a closer look, which I did in September. Granted, there aren’t many sights to see in Phom Penh, but there are some very interesting ones, and the city has a great atmosphere that makes it a great place to simply chill out for a few days.

Of course, as someone who spends around 25% of his time traveling, the degree to which I enjoy a trip depends a lot on my “home away from home” - the hotel where I stay. Among the most memorable hotel stays of 2006 were the Majapahit Mandarin Oriental in Surabaya, Indonesia, the Amanjaya Pancam in Phnom Penh and the Ramayana Resort in Kuta on Bali, Indonesia.

Among the big events of 2006 were the celebrations surrounding the 60^th anniversary of the coronation of Thailand’s King Bumiphol. The highlight of the year-long celebrations came on the actual date of the coronation in June, when heads of state from around the world gathered to pay homage to the world’s longest serving monarch. They were treated to a rare display of the royal barge procession as well as all the pomp and circumstance that the kingdom could muster.

Among the many commemorative events of this year of celebrations was the Ratchapreuk Royal Flora Expo in Chiang Mai, which continues until the end of January 2007. If you didn’t get a chance to visit, don’t worry. For the most part, all you’ve missed is the huge crowds that have flocked to see the exhibition. The royal pavilion and many of the country exhibits will continue on indefinitely.

Another significant even here in Thailand in 2006 was the opening, after nearly 30 years of planning, of Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhummi International Airport at the end of September. Opinions on the new airport seem to be sharply divided between those who love it and those who hate it. While the gleaming new terminal, like most ‘mega structures’, has a few minor problems that need to be worked out, after using the airport several times since its opening, I have to come down on the favorable side. The airport is quite easy to get in and out of, easy to use with quick check-ins and passport controls, and overall has a much more light and airy feel than the dim old Don Muang Airport.

No discussion of 2006 would be complete without mention of the 19 September coup that overthrew the elected government of Thailand. Western governments were quick to condemn the action, as perhaps they should have. Many Thais, as well as those of us who have been here for a long time, had thought the need for them had passed. But it’s important to understand that Thailand is a very young democracy. The country only became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, and for nearly 60 years afterwards, Thailand was ruled by a succession of military dictators. It wasn’t until the late 1980s that democratic values began to take hold. Unfortunately, the system of checks and balances necessary in a democracy to ensure that those elected do not abuse their power were not strong enough to withstand the onslaught of a leadership determined to use their high offices to further line their already over-stuffed pockets. Things had gotten to the point where a coup was about the only way out. It went off without a drop of blood being spilled, as Thai coups usually do, and most people were relieved something had finally been done. We’ll have to wait and see how things turn out in the long run.

Looking Forward to 2007

That’s enough of looking at the past. I generally prefer to look to the future. There are several things in 2007 to look forward to. Without a doubt, the most important event of the year will be the fifth anniversary of my on-line guide to Southeast Asia, AsiaForVisitors.com, in February. There are several things in the pipeline to commemorate the event, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise. You’ll have to stay tuned for more information.

Around the region, 2007 has been designated “Visit Malaysia Year.” Here in Thailand, they’ll be celebrating His Majesty the King’s 80^th birthday. After the huge out-pouring towards the king in 2006, the celebrations in 2007 will be more sedate, but there are still many events planned.

Finally, in April I’ll have lived in Thailand for 15 years. I was living in Orange County, just outside of Los Angeles, California, before moving to Thailand. I flew out of Los Angeles for Bangkok three days after the Rodney King riots started. I had just settled into my new home when the May 1992 democracy riots erupted in Bangkok. How’s that for timing? I’ve noticed that “things” tend to happen when I’m around, or just after I leave. I am like the eye of a storm. Chaos and destruction swirl around me but do not come near.

Where-ever 2007 takes you, here’s hoping you whether whatever storms life throws at you.

I’ve just received word that Phuket will be holding its first film festival. The event is scheduled for 29 September to 7 October 2007. That’s a bit ‘early’ for Phuket - September is the wettest month on average - but apparently that’s part of the idea. Seeing a movie is certainly good way to pass a rainy afternoon in Thailand, especially considering the relatively plush theaters on offer all around the kingdom.

The venue for the event will be the SF Cinema theaters at the new JungCeylon shopping center on Patong Beach. After years of delays due to legal and financial problems, the huge complex is scheduled to open in time for the Chinese New Year in early 2007.

Unlike other film festivals in Thailand, the Phuket festival will be privately funded in hopes of avoiding some of the political interference that has plagued other festivals. Plans call for showcases of Vietnamese, Malaysian, Singaporean, German and Scandinavian films. They also plan to have free screenings of Thai films on the beach.

Mark your calendars.