The Pattaya International Bed Race 2012 went off without a hitch last night and there was a lot of fun in the air. By the time the beds started lining up for the parade it was overcast and threatening rain and not too long after that the skies did open up for a bit but aside from a little rain, thunder and lightning there was an incredible turnout this year and I would say there were easily a couple thousand people lining the streets and eager for the race to begin.

On the Stage the house band from the Blues Factory jammed away and were eventually joined by a Jerry Lee Lewis impersonator who did a helluva job in keeping the crowd rockin.

There were about 30 beds entered in the race again this year and some of the old favorites made their return such as Champagne agogo and Murphy’s Law. I will have to say that Champagne agogo was the winner this year when it comes to bed innovation as no other beds had a working shower head with the ladies working the water in a way that only they could . Best looking bed would have to go to the Nova Hotel Baywatch team even though it looked exactly like a speedboat I’m betting you could sleep in it and what lovelies it held. Most rowdy bed as always has to go to Murphy’s Law. Hard Rock Hotel always has the most fun and snazziest dressed bed participants.

I didn’t stick around for the end of the race but it was a great year for the Pattaya International Bed Race  and the real winners were the children that the charities will help…enough of the words on with the Pictures!

Pattaya International Bed Race 2012

A great time was had by all. For more information on upcoming Thailand Events and Festivals Please visit the Thailand Events Calender.

Related Articles of Interest:

• Pattaya International Bed Race 2012
• Pattaya International Bed Race 2011
• Pattaya International Bed Race 2010
• Pattaya Bed Race 2011 in Pictures
• Pattaya International Music Festival 2011

Golf stars Play for Thailand Flood Relief

Some of the biggest names from the world of golf have rallied round to raise nearly 2.5 million Baht to help the victims of November’s devastating floods in Thailand.

The clean-up operation following Thailand’s worst flood for half a century is still on-going a month on and the deluge is believed to have claimed the lives of more than 600 people. The knock-on effect is expected to have an impact on the country’s tourism industry, which includes luxury golf breaks.

It’s apt, then, that famous golfers such as Darren Clarke, John Daly, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel and Lee Westwood lent their support to generate money at a charity auction in the build-up to the season-ending Thailand Golf Championship.

Garcia Photo

Clarke, Daly, Garcia, Schwartzel and Westwood were among the golfing stars that donated special items to be raffled off to the highest bidder.

Among the lots auctioned off were a pin flag from the Masters and putter signed by Schwartzel that raised 1 million Baht. An autographed Clarke British Open flag also went for 300,000 Baht.

Image from BillGoff.com

Clarke, whose first major win came at the British Open in July, raised a cheer when he pledged 300,000 Baht to the relief efforts.
The 43-year-old Northern Irishman hailed the night a great success as he said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve managed to raise a lot of money towards a worthy cause.

“We’re lucky to be able to play golf for a living and it is good to help whenever we can.”

Golfing starlet Ryo Ishikawa was also present at the star-studded event. The 20-year-old hit the headlines back in March when he announced he would donate all his earnings in 2011 to the relief efforts in his native Japan following the earthquake and tsunami that occurred earlier that month.

He said of the fund-raising for the flood victims in Thailand: “We had the same problem in Japan with the earthquake and tsunami and I was really touched with the help we got.

“In return, I’m proud to be a part of this effort to help in Thailand. All the players feel the same and I hope the country recovers soon.”

Related Articles of Interest:

• Five of the best golf courses in Thailand
• Honda LPGA Thailand 2011
• Thailand in the News Week Ending 3/20/10
• All Hearts for Japan Concert
• Thailand in the News Week Ending 3/27/10

Living with the Tiger/Baan Gerda

I was really touched by how many people took part in getting the word out on Living with the Tiger and Baan Gerda. Living with the Tiger is a wondeful documentary by British Filmmaker Mike Thomas which tells the story of young Thai orphans living with HIV/AIDS as well as Baan Gerda which is run by the Childrens Rights Foundation. Baan Gerda not only gives these orphaned children a home and parents, they also give them love and hope.

I sent out e-mails to most of the Thailand bloggers out there and you guys came through big time. The story of Living with the Tiger was tweeted and re-tweeted many times as well as shared on facebook and other platforms. Many bloggers also took the time to write about Living with the Tiger and Baan Gerda which was a wondeful thing to see.

These children deserve every chance they can get to lead normal lives and if we, as Thailand bloggers and expats, can get the word out whenever we get the chance then we can help make that difference.

Living with the Tiger will be screened in Bangkok on the following dates, so, if you live in or near Bangkok take a night and see Living with the Tiger on the big screen.

Living with the Tiger Screenings

March 14th: Foreign Correspondents Club Bangkok. 8pm-10pm

March 17th: Pratravadi Theatre, Bangkok. 8pm-10pm

Both of these screenings are open to the public and FREE. Reservations must be made at www.livingwiththetiger.com.

For much more information on Living with the Tiger please visit the official website Living with the Tiger or their Living with the Tiger Facebook page.

Living with the Tiger Contest Winners

I would like to thank everyone that helped to get the word out on Living with the Tiger and Baan Gerda as none of this would have been possible without your help. The following winners were chosen at random by a very special random picking device, okay, it was more like I asked this Thai girl I know to pick names out of a hat…but she is special.

So, with no further ado I give you the winners who will each receive a Festival Edition DVD of Living with the Tiger through a donation to be made in their names as well as a donation being made directly to Baan Gerda in the winners names. And the winners are:

Claudio Sennhauser

Paul Garrigan

Snap

Congratulations, I will be e-mailing all of you shortly to get your information so I can get the DVD’s sent out.

While this is the end of the contest, the word on Baan Gerda and Living with the Tiger still needs to be spread so I hope everyone continues to get the word out on this really great cause.

For more information on the great work being done at Baan Gerda and to learn how you can sponsor a child or make a donation please visit:

And please visit the Living with the Tiger website for more information on this incredible Documentary.

Related Articles of Interest:

• Pictures Added of Sriracha Tiger Zoo
• A Tiger and Her Cubs?
• Living with the Tiger
• Year of the Tiger
• Living Like a Thai Day 17: Red Moon Eclipse Edition

Living with the Tiger

Please read to the bottom of this article to learn how you can win a copy of this DVD before it’s release date & to see the production trailer.

Living with the Tiger is a feature length documentary by British Filmmaker Mike Thomas about a group of HIV infected orphans in the Lopburi province of Thailand that have been abandoned by society.

Instead of focusing on the destructive nature of this disease and the havoc it wreaks the filmmaker decided to focus on the impact the disease has on society by following a group of orphans as they integrate themselves back into society while still dealing with their disease. HIV in and of itself is enough to deal with but  many of these children have also endured the loss of their parents to HIV as well as having their extended families turn their backs on them, leaving them to fend for themselves.

Living with the Tiger follows two such boys lives over 3 years as they try to reintegrate back into their community and families that once left them to die in hospice care. Luckily these children were given a second chance at life in the small village of  Baan Gerda were they were loved and taken care of, and where they came to grips with the terrible disease that took much away from them in their young lives.

Living with the Tiger isn’t a story of the predictable HIV outcomes but an inspirational tale of triumph over adversity, about children who are changing peoples views of HIV and enlightening the public about the disease and those who are not only infected, but affected by it.

The children’s story is actually a tale within a tale as the film frames their story through their ambitious performance in a specially written opera,composed by Bruce Gaston, and performed to audiences in Bangkok and the countryside. It shows their early attempts at playing musical instruments and acting, through to the finale and a major concert in Khon Kaen.

Although the children are taken care of and and by all appearances are happy and healthy, Living with the Tiger highlights the secondary problem with HIV which is often as destructive and deadly as the disease itself, stigma and discrimination. Every day people affected with HIV lose their jobs, homes, friends and family due to fear and misinformation about the disease. HIV is still seen by many people as a disease that only affects gay people, drug users or those working in the sex industry when in fact HIV now affects people in every country from every walk of life.

The filmmakers hope Living with the Tiger provides a better future for these children living with HIV as well as raising awareness of the disease, the stigma surrounding it and the deep rooted fears that many still hold regarding HIV.

Director Mike Thomas:

When you see the vitality of the children you know that they can make a contribution to society and they have a role to play. Theyshould be given that opportunity. People need to understand that their fears are unfounded and the children pose no danger

Living with the Tiger Screenings

March 14th: Foreign Correspondents Club Bangkok. 8pm-10pm

March 17th: Pratravadi Theatre, Bangkok. 8pm-10pm

Both of these screenings are open to the public and FREE. Reservations must be made at www.livingwiththetiger.com.

For much more information on Living with the Tiger please visit the official website Living with the Tiger or their Living with the Tiger Facebook page.

For more information on the great work being done at Baan Gerda and to learn how you can sponsor a child or make a donation please visit:

Living with the Tiger Giveaway

There are quite a few good causes that I support here in Thailand but few of them pull at the heart strings like Living with the Tiger and Baan Gerda which is run by the Bangkok based Childrens Rights Foundation.

These adorable children deserve to have full rewarding lives filled with love and hope and you can help them.

Over the past 3 1/2 years I have been blogging about Thailand I’ve met, worked with and helped many Thailand bloggers in our community and now I’m asking for your help to get the word out about Living with the Tiger and Baan Gerda.

I will be giving away 3 copies of the Festival edition DVD of Living with the Tiger as well as making a donation to Baan Gerda in each of the winners names.

The winners will be chosen at random from blog comments made on this post that meet the qualifications*.

Once the winners are chosen I will make a donation of $28 in the winners name at the Living with the Tiger website and the festival edition DVD will be sent to the winners address. I will then make a donation in the winners name for the same amount at the Baan Gerda website. 3 winners will be chosen.

Qualifications to win Living with the Tiger DVD

You must do any 1 of the following activities and then come back to this blog post and post a link to what you’ve done or tell us about it.

• Retweet this article
• Share this article on Facebook
• Write a blog post about Living with the Tiger ( you don’t have to mention this site or post )
• Post on your wall at Facebook about Living with the Tiger
• Tweet about Living with the Tiger 10 separate times over 2 weeks ( throw in an @landofsmiles at the end so I can see them )
• DO anything to promote Living with the tiger and come back here and tell us about it.

That’s it…help get the word out about this remarkable film and you could win one of 3 festival edition DVD’s of Living with the Tiger with the donation going to the film project and to Baan Gerda in your name.

CONTEST ENDS: March 5th at Midnight Thailand time. The winners will be announced on Sunday March 6th.

Living with the Tiger Film trailer

Related Articles of Interest:

• Living with the Tiger Update
• Pictures Added of Sriracha Tiger Zoo
• A Tiger and Her Cubs?
• Year of the Tiger
• Living Like a Thai Day 17: Red Moon Eclipse Edition

It’s easy this time of year to think only of ourselves as we prepare for the holidays, what we need to get done, what the family needs and what we want to accomplish before the year is done. Today I’m going to ask you to set aside those thoughts for a little bit and think about others that need your help as Fr. Ray Brennan did so long ago.

Father Ray was an American Priest who found out just before his ordination that he would be sent to Thailand, an Idea he did not relish. On arriving in Thailand in 1959 his first mission was in Sri Ratcha, 10 years Later he was transferred to Pattaya. Father Ray took over the duties as pastor of St. Nikolaus Church, where a year later his life and countless thousands of others lives would be changed.

After service one Sunday morning Father Ray was approached by a woman carrying a baby. The woman told Father Ray that the baby’s father, her husband, had run away and although she had found a new husband, he wanted nothing to do with the child. She placed the baby in Father Rays arms and Father Ray said he would take care of the child. This would be the beginnings of the Father Ray Foundation.

Through the years the Father Ray Foundation has worked tirelessly in Thailand to help the poor, the disabled and any needy soul that needed looking after. In 1981 Father Ray founded a school for the deaf. He also started programs such as The Redemption Vocational School for People with Disabilities, The Pattaya Redemptorist School for the Blind Under the Royal Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, The Father Ray Outreach Work and Drop-In Center and, of course, the Father Ray Children’s home.

Through the years Father Ray gave selflessly of himself to the people of Pattaya and he has done so much to champion the causes of orphaned children, people with disabilities and the homeless.

Sadly, Father Ray passed away in 2003 but his work lives on and is his legacy to us. The Father Ray Foundation continues to do great work in and around Pattaya and they are always in need of donations.

So, during this holiday season I am asking my readers for a gift, not for me, for Father Ray. I know times are hard, the economy is still a mess and you already have enough on your plate, I’m not asking for anymore than you can give. I am donating 3000 baht to the Father Ray Foundation today and I’m asking you, my readers, if you will join me and part with a little money to help change lives. It doesn’t have to be much, the minimum donation amount is 200 baht ( $6.60 ) and every little bit will help.

Most of us are on budget these days but we have the security of a roof over our heads, food in the pantry and good friends and family to comfort us. The holidays are about so much more than us, it’s about the people around us and what we can do together to make the world a little better for everyone.

Please click the picture below to donate.

To read more about this incredible man and his life’s work please visit the Fr. Ray Foundation website.

Related Articles of Interest:

• A Season for Giving Back to Thailand & a Challenge to You
• Elephant Nature Foundation & Park
• Snow in Thailand
• 2010 Phuket Film Festival
• Living with the Tiger Update

From being hit by speeding vehicles to being electrocuted by low hanging electrical wires these gentle giants have to persevere rough city streets and sometimes less than friendly mahouts to help earn their masters money. It’s a sad life and not one any animal should have to endure. Not long ago a baby elephant was being led out into the Bangkok streets to begin his long night of work when he fell through a large storm grate and became trapped. The poor beast remained trapped for over 12 hours while many men worked to free it. The psychological harm done to these animals can be just as severe as the physical harm done to them.

Aside from the elephants that walk the streets of the major tourist cities you will also find elephants at most of the major attractions in Thailand such as animal parks, Zoo’s and gardens. Elephant rides are a huge tourist draw but again these elephants endure the same unnatural working conditions and sometimes cruelty to perform as they do. Most elephants in the tourism industry begin their life in small cages as babies where they are prodded with sharp sticks and metal hooks to train them to perform correctly. These Elephants once trained make it into the tourism industry from street begging to the higher ranks of playing soccer or painting pictures for you.

Fortunately there are people like Sangduen “Lek” Chailert and the Elephant Nature Foundation who have devoted their lives to this cause and are doing wonderful work that you, the tourist or expat, can take part in and feel good about. Lek’s love for the Asian elephant began as a child when her grandfather,  a traditional healer, saved a mans life and was given a baby elephant as payment. That baby elephant, named Tongkum, would change her life. She found that the human relationship with the elephants could easily be forged through love, kindness and rewards rather than cruel training procedures.

After going to college in Chiang Mai and earning her bachelors degree she went to work in the elephant tourism industry helping elephant trekking companies locate and secure available elephants. It was then that she discovered the darker side of the domestic elephant trade through the abuse and neglect she witnessed.  Lek then began her new career as an advocate for the domestic and wild elephants of Thailand to change the traditional ways and help to educate not only the tourists but the elephant owners as well.

Through this passion the Elephant nature Foundation, a non profit charity,  was born. Lek had sold everything she owned and used the profits from her travel agency to rescue elephants and and start the Elephant Nature Park in 1996. In 2003 an American wildlife charity bought and donated a 16 hectare site to the foundation where over 30 elephants live and roam today. The elephant park is a place where you can not only see the Asian elephant in their natural habitat but you can also learn more about these gentle giants and volunteer your time to help preserve this way of life for them.

A visit to the park can be a full day excursion, an over night stay and even a three week stay if you wish, you will not only learn about the Asian elephant but will also be actively helping the park to maintain and promote awareness to the plight of the Asian elephant. The cost of every visit to Elephant Nature Park directly supports the elephants and makes it possible to continue running the park.

Sangduen “Lek” Chailert is an amazing woman and she is helping to change the mindset of the tourism industry one elephant at a time. Please take the time to visit the Elephant Nature Foundation to read more about Lek and her incredible work with Thailand’s elephants and how you can help.

Related Articles of Interest:

• Thailand’s Newest Pandas are Elephants
• A Season for Giving Back to Thailand & a Challenge to You
• Thailand’s New Nursing Home for Elephants
• Chang Yim-Smiling Elephant Project
• The Eyes of Thailand

Mark your calenders,  the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival will be happening at the end of this month on February 26th and 27th at the Hilton Acadia Resort and Spa on Karon beach in Phuket.

As usual there will be a great line up of blues/rock artists this year and all the proceeds from the event will be going to local children education charities, namely the Rotary Club of Patong and the Phuket Has Been Good to Us Foundation.

This year there has been a change in ticket prices and that’s an awesome thing because the tickets will actually be cheaper. If you buy your tickets in advance of the festival they will only cost you 1000 baht for both days but if you wait to buy your tickets at the gate they will cost you 1500 baht for both days. There will also be a VIP ticket available for 3000 baht that will get you into both days of the festival and into a special VIP area where the wine and beer are free, That’s a damn good price. The VIP price is for advance ticket sales only.

Tickets can be purchased at the following locations in advance of the festival:

SFX Cinema, Central Festival
Holiday Inn (Patong)
The Sandwich Shoppe (Patong)
The Sandwich Shoppe (Chalong)
The Sandwich Shoppe (Laguna)
The Phuket Gazette Offices
DaVinci Restaurant (Nai Harn)
Don’s Café (Nai Harn)
Kata Beach Resort (Kata)
The Boat House (Kata)
The Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa

The Hilton Acadia is also offering ticket packages with accommodation at the resort:

Standard Package: THB 10,000 per room (2 persons):
- 2 nights’ accommodation (Friday+Saturday) in Garden View room w/breakfast for 2
- Blues Rock Tickets for 2 persons for both nights

DeLuxe Package:  THB 15,000 per room (2 persons):
- 2 nights’ accommodation (Friday+Saturday) in DeLuxe Garden View room w/breakfast for 2

- Blues Rock  V.I.P. tickets for 2 persons for both nights

Bookings can be made by calling the hotel reservations department at 076-396-433 (International +66 76-396-433) or by email to

reservations.phuket@hilton.com

The festival will unofficially open on Thursday the 25th with a performance by Robert One-Man Johnson at the Hilton Arcadia hotel lobby Crossroads beginning at  3pm and will continue later in the night at the Tai Pan Night Club in Patong where there will be a festival warm up session beginning at 10pm.

The full Schedule for the 2010 Phuket International Blues Rock Festival will be as follows:

Friday February 26th:

15:00: AkashA (Malaysia) Acoustic World Music at hotel lobby

17:00: Main Gates open – darts, other games, plenty of food and drink
18:00:
Robert One-Man Johnson (USA)
Retrovision (Bangkok)
Andy Gonzales (USA) & The Rockin’ Angels
Rich Harper (USA)
Richard Clapton(Australia)

Saturday February 27th:

15:00: Robert One-Man Johnson (USA) at hotel lobby Crossroads

17:00: Main Gates open – darts, other games, plenty of food and drink

17:30:
AkashA World Music (Malaysia)
George Cordeiro (USA) & The Fai Jang Blues Gang
The Prodigal Sons (Norway)
The Groove Doctors & Friends (Phuket)
KNiKi (Australia)
Charlie Musselwhite (USA)

Related Articles of Interest:

• Phuket International Blues Festival 2009
• Phuket International Blues Rock Festival 2011
• Phuket International Blues Rock Festival 2012
• Pattaya International Music Festival 2010
• RoyFest – Phuket Music Festival 2010: Full Moon Version

If you are in or around Pattaya later today you won’t want to miss one of the best events of the season, the second annual International Bed Races. It’s expected that over 20,000 people will be in attendance to watch over 100 bed racing teams compete for the coveted title of Bed Racing Champions.

This event will be an all day affair starting with a family fair at noon and also including a bed parade and lots of games and fun. After the actual bed race there will be a huge party that will go until the event ends at 6pm. The location is Pattaya Second Road in front of The Avenue a Pattaya shopping mall which is one of this years major sponsors.

Organized by the Rotary Club of Pattaya in partnership with Pattaya City Hall, the Bed Race will provide a great social activity for everyone in the Pattaya community to participate and enjoy! Hopefully, it will bring all the clubs, community groups and businesses together and attract sponsors for this unique, not to be missed, event in Thailand. The main sponsors this year are: The Avenue Pattaya, Global i-care (Pattaya GIC Card), BarterCard, CTLS Language School, Mercure Hotel and Pattaya People Media Group.

The idea of a Bed Race is a very popular fundraising and family activity in many countries around the world including the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand. It is a tried and tested successful way of raising money for local charities and community projects. It involves teams of up to 6 members dressed as outrageous and funny as possible, pushing their spectacularly decorated beds from a designated starting point to the finishing line. The object is to not only get to the line in the shortest time but also to keep the designated passenger to remain on the bed at all times.

This second Bed Push Race in Pattaya will be a major undertaking by the Rotary Club of Pattaya and will undoubtedly help promote Pattaya as a fun, family resort. It will provide good wholesome family entertainment in a safe environment, whilst bringing together the multi faceted groups working for a better community, and will become an annual event on the Pattaya Calendar.

Not only will this be a great day of family fun for all but all the proceeds will benefit local charities. So, stop by and have some fun and help the Rotary club of Pattaya and Pattaya City Hall make this an event to remember while supporting the community.

For more information on today’s event you can check out the official Pattaya International Bed Race web site.

Pictures courtesy Pattaya Daily Mail

Related Articles of Interest:

• Pattaya International Bed Race 2012
• Pattaya International Bed Race 2011
• Pattaya International Bed Race 2012 in Pictures
• 2010 Koh Samui International Jazz Festival
• Pattaya International Music Festival 2010

Catherine Wentworth over at Women Learn Thai wrote an excellent article today on The Set Foundation and the important work they do, The Set Foundation: A Season for Giving Back. This is not only a worthwhile cause but a way for us to give back to the country we love so dearly. Please take a few minutes out of your busy day to visit Women Learn Thai and read about this wonderful charity.

From the Set Foundation website:

The SET Foundation has a very specific aim: to make a difference. That difference is between a youngster being able to study at a vocational college or university, or instead having to labor in the rice paddies, on a Bangkok building site, or in some other mundane, dead-end job.

Now, I know the economy has been bad and many people are still struggling to get by, especially during the holiday season. I am also among the struggling but I am committing to donating the adsense earnings that Thailand Land of Smiles has earned for the month of December to the cause.

My adsense earnings for the month have been down but as it stands I will be able to donate 5000 baht and now I want to challenge you, my readers, to contribute to the cause as well. If you can find it in your hearts to donate even as little as 500  baht ( $15.00 ) that would be awesome and if you don’t have the money,  but have a website or blog, if you could spread the word that would be awesome too. If you could do both that would be even more than awesome.

If you have a blog or website and want to spread the word make sure to throw some love Catherine’s way and link to her article on the Set Foundation. If you do make a donation or use your time to spread the word please come back here and let me know in the comments and I will  be sure to add your name to this post as well as a link to your blog or website.

A small gift during the holidays will be remembered for a little while but this small donation will be remembered for a lifetime.

Those that have contributed:

Mike of My Thai Friend

Steve of Thailand Musings

Related Articles of Interest:

• Thailand Tourism Bargains
• Merry Christmas from Thailand
• Buddhist Lent Begins in Thailand
• Living Like a Thai
• Wishing You all a Very Happy Holidays