Vintage Car Parade & Art Festival Held in Bangkok and Hua Hin to Honour H.M. the KingPrepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International
The Thais have a fascination for vintage cars. Hardly a month goes by that there isn’t an old car rally somewhere in the Kingdom. For instance, when The Oriental Hotel celebrated its 125th Anniversary, it did it with a display of vintage cars in the parking lot in front of the hotel. Those who attended had to wear garb of the 1920s. The dress was well suited for the vintage cars. You almost expected F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda to come sauntering out of the Authors’ Lounge, with the Great Gatsby following behind.
And, of course, any time you see a new shopping mall opening its doors to the public in the City of Angels, you are certain to see vintage cars parked in the lobbies.
But this year, from 1st -16th December 2007, there promises to be a vintage car parade that just takes us a step beyond the norm. And certainly farther than around the block. This one is from Bangkok to Hua Hin on the coast, some 225 kilometres. That has to be some kind of record.
Called the Hua Hin Vintage Car Parade and Art Festival, it’s organized by Hua Hin Hotelier’s Club led by Sofitel Central Grand Resort & Villas Hua Hin and the Vintage Car Club of Thailand. It’s sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Hua Hin Municipality and Hua Hin Market Village, all of which will be around displaying their banners and flags.
The aim of this year’s event is to mark His Majesty the King's 80th birthday anniversary on December 5th 2007. All proceeds will go to the Chaipattana Foundation.
There will be a lot of activities happening during the 16-day event mostly taking place at the Sofitel Centara Grand Resort & Villas Hua Hin and the Hua Hin Market Village. The highlights include, for example: 80 vintage cars, with a total value at more than Baht 200 million. These will join the parade this year setting off on Friday 14th December 2007 at 8.00 a.m. from the Sofitel Centara Grand Bangkok. They will drive past Dusit Palace in Bangkok before heading off on a 225-kilometre journey to Sofitel Centara Grand in Hua Hin, an eight-hour journey with stops at several attractions along the way and lots of hoopla.
After arrival at the hotel, the parade will continue to the Seaside Court of Hua Hin Market Village. Each participant will conduct a blessing ceremony to His Majesty the King in front of the big portrait, followed by joining a welcome dinner at the longest buffet—the 80 metre-long buffet set up featuring a variety of delicious Thai dishes cooked by talented chefs from the Hua Hin Hotelier’s Club. The buffet dinner will also be open to the public at only Baht 80 per person including live music performance and a variety of stage shows until 9.30 p.m.
On Saturday 15th December, the vintage car parade will travel around Hua Hin city, starting from the Sofitel Centara Grand Resort & Villas Hua Hin. On the same day, the public can experience the rarely seen Vintage cars by riding for charity at a very special price of Baht 180 and Baht 280 per trip (maximum 2-3 persons per car). This activity will take place at the Sofitel Centara Grand Resort & Villas Hua Hin and the Hua Hin Market Village from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m.
An exclusive gala dinner will be organized in the evening for charity featuring an array of international food fares, auctions, period costume competition, lucky draws to win a number of special room packages in the Centara Hotels & Resorts, live classical music performance and a variety of stage shows. The dinner will be organized around the Colonial pool of the Sofitel Centara Grand Resort & Villas Hua Hin.
Apart from the above mentioned highlights, the public can discover and enjoy many more interesting activities that take place during 1st – 16th December 2007 including: 80 leading artists from Hua Hin and Prachuab- Khirikhan province will jointly create an artwork by taking 80 hours to draw a 5 metre x 10 metre portrait of His Majesty the King. The artists will start drawing the portrait after the event’s official opening ceremony on Friday 1st December 2007 at the Hua Hin Market Village, and the finished artwork will be displayed there until the end of the event.
And there’s more—live chorus singing of the Musical Compositions by a famous chorus singing band, classical dances with the Musical Compositions to His Majesty the King and a drawing demonstration along with the live chorus singing. The Candle lighting ceremony will pay respect to His Majesty the King on the occasion of his birthday which will be held on 5th December at the Seaside Court of the Hua Hin Market Village, followed by traditional Thai blessing dance and live Concert by the Hua Hin’s famous Jazz Band.
In addition there will be live music performance at the Music Gallery, featuring Jazz, Reggae, Classic, Thai contemporary music and mime.
Hua Hin Vintage Car Parade and Art Festival’s packages will be available for anyone who is interested in joining the event. For more about Royal Orchid packages in Hua Hin check with the nearest TG office to you.
Next week I will take readers on a safari. Not to South Africa, where THAI now flies, but to Safari World in Bangkok.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q. Dear Mr. Stephens. I just returned from a great 12-day trip to Thailand. We stayed at Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Bangkok and on a Live-aboard boat (SCUBA Diving) and I wasn't able to locate a nice collectable map that I can have framed for my Shop here in the USA. I was wondering if you had any suggestions or could offer me any help. Thanks, Ryan Weeks.
A. Dear Ryan, there are a few good mapmakers around. APA Press, the publisher that produced Insight Guides, has a good line of maps. Some of the most attractive maps I have seen are by B&B Maps of Thailand produced by David Unkovich, a photographer who lives in northern Thailand. These maps are really first class and worthy of hanging on any wall.
Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel (booking@inet.co.th)
Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited. | 
