The annual International Angel Challenge bicycle race for women returns to Suan Phueng in Ratchaburi on June 9 and 10 with 700 participants expected to be tackling even more challenges across hilly terrain.

Tourism Authority of Thailand deputy governor Noppadon Pakprot says sports tourism is booming and women these days “are more interested in sports”.

“This event drew 300 cyclists in its inaugural year and 500 last year, and it gives those who come from overseas a chance to learn about the province’s arts and culture, such as painting benjarong and making candles.”

Ratchaburi Vice Governor Weeras Praserttho is also looking forward to promoting the provincial capital as a “sports city”. It hosts the Chombueng Marathon and the Kao Pratubchang hiking trail.

For the cycling event, he says, the main road is being widened to four lanes and traffic safety is being improved.

The International Angel Challenge, formerly known as the Suan Phueng Angel Challenge, will take place in and around Scenery Vintage Farm in Suan Phueng and has as its concept “Be Angel, Be Gorgeous”.

There’ll be a 70-kilometre race and a 30km Lady Run Ride.

Organiser Pannasorn “Aeh Glory” Patamapinunt, who works for the Suan Phueng Tourism Business Association, says that, in her first five years cycling, she’d never heard of a cycling event just for women.

“I’d come across women’s cycling groups, such as the Lady Long Legs and the Thai Airways International team, but never a race specifically for women.

“For this event, which boasts a very beautiful route that’s also quite challenging, I invited two Japanese cyclists – Satowa Ota, who won the Doi Inthanon Challenge, and Yuiko Ohkawa, who I met while cycling at Shimanami Kaido in Japan, which is one of the world’s most incredible bike routes.

“Our route starts at Scenery Vintage Farm and crosses hills to the first checkpoint at Noen Sai Taek and the second one at Au Long Hill. We’ll have people lining both sides of the road cheering on the cyclists as they pass through their villages.”

Aeh Glory will be cycling with the Tourism Authority’s Angel Team alongside Geerachaya “Vhan” Geerawatthanakul, Oratai “Vaw” Moonkampang, Tanat “Poonimm” Watcharaapiya and Narissara “Au” Suphawanichleela. They’ll be competing against the Lady Long Legs and Kom Kom teams as well as celebrity cyclists including actress-TV host Arunnapa “Wan Wan” Panichjaaroon.

Wan Wan says she’s excited about riding up Noen Sai Taek and Noen Au Long, two relatively gentle hills. Aeh Glory has put together a great event for women, she says.

“It isn’t only for serious cyclists. Recreational cyclists will really enjoy the beautiful nature along the way and they’ll get to sample the local produce, such as the terrific melons they grow there.”

Channel 8 actress Rattanaporn “Mint” Klinkularbhirun, who’s only been cycling for six months, is ready for her next big challenge.

“Cycling is a great way to get healthier and also make more friends,” she says. “I challenged myself at Doi Inthanon and got through it, and now I’m looking for more challenges. I’m getting rather serious about it! The Angel Challenge will be hilly but not too hard. My goal is to stand on the podium as the winner.”

Model Surampha “Golf” Yokchotisakul has been cycling for a year and loves the happiness it brings her.

“I’ve biked to several tourist attractions so I could enjoy the surroundings and meet the local people,” she says. “You don’t get that when travelling by car. Any time I took a rest, people would bring me water. It was so nice! I want to cycle around all the provinces.”

Another fashion model, Yossavadee “Yo” Hassadeevichit, enters triathlons and is a spokesperson for the women’s cycling brand Liv.

“This cycling event will be a little different for me because in triathlons I mostly ride a timetrial bike. I’ve been in two Chombueng Marathons and love how the local people cheer on the runners, just like they do in the Tokyo Marathon.

“Cycling is a better form of exercise than running and less likely to cause injury. It’s a great way for women to stay healthy, lose weight and get beautiful legs.”

Wheels and scenic wonders

The International Angel Challenge 2018 will be based at Scenery Vintage Farm in Suan Phueng, Ratchaburi, on June 9 and 10.

Learn more from the Suan Phueng Tourism Business Association at (092) 371 7799 or (081) 642 5479 or visit the “suanphuengangelchallenge” page on Facebook

Specifically designed for the busy executive whose life revolves around making presentations and using business apps on the go, the new Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen is a tough and fast notebook computer. It looks sleek too, with an elegant matte black casing and a virtually unbreakable chassis thanks to its use of advanced carbon fibre composite – four layers of reinforced carbon fibre and a magnesium alloy rollcage.

Like all ThinkPads, the X1 Carbon is tested against 12 military-grade requirements and more than 200 quality checks to ensure it runs in extreme conditions. It passes MILSTED 810G tests including operating temperatures up to 43 degrees C and down to 21 degrees C. The keyboard spill tray is designed to cope with up to 500ml of liquid.

And the X1 Carbon is still the world’s lightest 14-inch business-class laptop, weighing in at just 1.13kg and a mere 15.95mm thick.

Better still, the battery can last up to 15 hours and the notebook comes with RapidCharge technology that provides 80 per cent of capacity or 12 hours of battery life in just an hour of recharging.

The 6th-gen X1 Carbon is powered by 8th Generation Intel Core i78550U quadcore processor running at 1.8 GHz and has 8 gigabytes of working memory or RAM. It has 250 GB SSD drive and uses integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 as graphic adapter. The notebook runs on Windows 10 Pro operating system.

The screen as bright and clear thanks to a 14-inch HDR WQHD (2560×1440 pixels) IPS glossy display. This supports Dolby Vision HDR and has a brightness of 500 nits. Lenova says the new X1 Carbon is one of first laptops to support Dolby Vision HDR but cautions that Windows 10 has yet to release support for Dolby Vision HDR to make the most of the display.

That lack notwithstanding, I watched 4K HDR YouTube clips and found the quality was impressive with vivid colours and stunning details.

The test found that the new X1 Carbon started up and shut down very fast. It ran business applications like Microsoft Office at breakneck speed and played HD video clips smoothly.

Office road warriors should be happy that the new X1 Carbon has a nano SIM slot, located on top near the left hinge, for providing an LTE 4G connection so that they could remain working while travelling without the need to depend on Wi-Fi hotspots. Do note though that you must first buy an optional LTE module and install it.

The new X1 Carbon could also be a dream device for your IT admin because it offers robust security features, including matchonchip fingerprint readers with anti-spoofing technology to safeguard company data and provide more secure authentication and login.

You can quickly log in with Windows’ “Hello of Windows 10” with just a touch of the finger or the view of your face if you opt for the IR camera. Your fingerprint image is saved on the chip and your data is protected with the discrete Trusted Platform Module that encrypts your information.

The new X1 Carbon also supports Fido – it stands for Fast Identity Online – to protect your online credentials when you sign in to websites like Facebook or Google or make payments via PayPal.

The new X1 Carbon has all necessary ports of expansion and enhancements. It has two USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports and one of them supports Always On technology, allowing you to use it to recharge your mobile phone even when the notebook is turned off.

The notebook also has two USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C that conform to Intel Thunderbolt 3—the technology that brings lightning-fast data transfer, up to 40Gbs to USBC. If you wish, you can connect a cable from your USBC port to a Thunderbolt 3-enabled device, and get four times the data and twice the video bandwidth of any other port type, while also supplying power. In summary, that gives you Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 data transfer, and DisplayPort all rolled into one.

The computer comes with a 4-in-1 MicroSD card reader (SD, MMC, SDHC, SDXC), right by the Sim slot and an HDMI port for you to stream 4K video to your TV.

Moreover, the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon integrates with the ThinkPad Pro Dock (sold separately), which is a whole new docking system that’s shared across most of the 2018 ThinkPad models. The new USBC side mechanical dock easily connects with two male Type-C ports that snap into and automatically level your device. Once docked, your ThinkPad stays securely in place and sits at a slightly tilted angle for comfort.

The new X1 Carbon also supports handfree audio commands. With Cortana Premium, you can speak commands to your ThinkPad X1 Carbon from four metres away. The integrated 360-degree far field microphones ensure your voice is heard across the room. It also allows you to wake your device or quickly and easily find files and calendar events.

And it also supports Amazon Alexa that allows you to play music, get news, control your smart home, or shop.

ThinkPad X1 Carbon 6th Gen from Lenovo has a starting price of Bt63,900.

Key Specs

– OS: Windows 10 Pro 64

– CPU:  8th Generation Intel Core i78550U 1.8 GHz

– Memory: 8 GB LPDDR3 2133 MHz

– Storage: 250 SSD

– Graphics: Integrated Intel  UHD Graphics 620

– Display: 14-inch HDR WQHD (2560 x 1440) IPS glossy with Dolby Vision, 500 nits

– Camera: HD 720p with IR camera for face recognition

– Connectivity: WLAN: Intel DualBand Wireless AC (2 x 2) 8265 + Bluetooth 4.1 with vPro

I/O ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 (one Always On),

2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 TypeC / Intel Thunderbolt 3 (Power Delivery, DisplayPort, Data transfer), HDMI, Headphone / microphone combo jack, 4in1 MicroSD card reader (SD, MMC, SDHC, SDXC), Ethernet Extension Connector (Dongle for Native Ethernet sold separately)

– Battery: Up to 15 hours, integrated Liion 57 Whr with RapidCharge technology

– Dimensions (W x D x H): 323.5 x 217.1 x 15.95 (mm)

– Weight: 1.13kg

Known for its modern and functional garments inspired by the worlds of art and design, the Cos x Pitti Uomo collection celebrates creativity, craftsmanship and forward-thinking menswear. Soma encapsulate the core Cos aesthetic and values, using traditional methods and new techniques to form an understated collection of timeless everyday pieces. Every detail has been designed with the movement of the wearer in mind.

No loss of face

Lancome comes up with the perfect answer to those long days that continue into the night with the launch of new foundation “Teint Idole Ultra Wear Foundation SPF15”, which gives the full coverage, comfortable, long wear that you need. Not thick or greasy, the foundation’s innovative formula gives all skin tones flawless, complexion-perfecting coverage and protection from harmful rays with a broad spectrum SPF 15 sunscreen. Redness, pores, and imperfections visibly disappear, evening the skin tone and leaving a mattified-yet-natural result. The new make-up comes in 24 shades and is now available at Lancome counters.

Where East meets West

Hello Kitty, the Japanese symbol that has won the hearts of many generations, makes a new friend in Italian luxury fashion bag, Furla. In an original creative collaboration that connects the East and the West, Furla uses the iconic Metropolis crossbody bag as a palette for three digital prints starring Hello Kitty on a pink, red, and blue background. The much-loved character is surrounded by flowers – white petals, hibiscus flowers, cherry blossoms, and lotus flowers – linking the culture and creativity of the two worlds. There is also a calfskin strap with face of the character as well as cute accessories including micro bags, key rings, credit card cases, Saffiano beauty cases and pouches.

Bags with a Northern touch

Inspired by traditional Lanna scenes and the lush forests of Northern Thailand, high-end fashion brand Pellevah introduces its new collection of signature bags. The totes include the “Bianca” series featuring a twisted leather band in gold and the “Alessandra” series with leather bands in a unique pattern complementing the simple clutch design. Both are easy to mix and match and designed with the independent modern woman in mind.

This year’s Test of Will challenge saw he introduction of age categories to level the playing field (18-34 years, 35-44 years, and 45+ years). Another significant change was that the minimum age to qualify was lowered to 18 years, extending the opportunity to younger fitness enthusiasts who wanted to put their will to the test. Thailand’s Test of Will 2018 overall winners are Ryan Fryer with a score of 224 and Phannapa Nichapa, two-time Test of Will champion, with a score of 218.

The top three male and female athletes in each category also received a limited-edition Test of Will 2018 medal, a new BMW Cruise bike as well as a one-week test drive of the new BMW X3, courtesy of BMW, one of the event’s main sponsors.

Read more about the challenge and the winners at http://www.UnderArmour.co.th or UnderArmourThailand Facebook or @UnderArmourTH Instagram.

Krabi was chosen as host venue for the marathon event due to its experience as a tourist destination and its capacity to handle large events with many participants. Accommodation-wise, Krabi offers more than 10,000 hotel rooms. The destination also boasts plenty of beautiful scenery along the race route for runners, including its gorgeous beaches, as well as unique Thai local experiences in the way of arts and culture for the runners and spectators to enjoy.

“Sundown Marathon Krabi 2018” will feature 12km and 21km race distances for 4,000 runners. Various fun and entertaining activities are being held on the sidelines, among them a festival and concert.

The marathon is a perfect fit with the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Amazing Thailand “Open to the New Shades” communication concept, in which visitors to the kingdom are encouraged to see new attractions and also existing attractions from a new perspective.

Runners and spectators will get to experience Krabi from an entirely new viewpoint, as they will in each new destination in Thailand that the race comes to.

There are plans to hold the races in other provinces across Thailand in the coming years, to showcase more of the kingdom’s scenery, charm and culture to Asia’s running community and support Thailand’s sports tourism policy.

Sundown Marathon was first held in Singapore in 2008 and since then races have been added in Malaysia, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Hong Kong and this year, Thailand. As the largest night running event in Asia, the Sundown Marathon Series attracts more runners each year, with a combined 200,000 plus runners currently participating.

Online registration opens on Friday (June 1) at 9am at http://www.SundownThailand.com.

On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day Thursday, the UN health agency hailed that smoking had declined significantly since year 2000, but warned that there were still far too many people indulging in the dangerous habit.

And it cautioned that research showed there was “a serious lack of knowledge” about the different health risks associated with tobacco.

Tobacco use has been linked to more than seven million deaths worldwide each year, including some 890,000 from breathing in second-hand smoke.

But many people are unaware that nearly half of those deaths, around three million, are due to cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and stroke, WHO warned.

“Most people know that using tobacco causes cancer and lung disease, but many people aren’t aware that tobacco also causes heart disease and stroke – the world’s leading killers,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

“Tobacco doesn’t just cause cancer. It quite literally breaks hearts,” he said.

Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, including tar and others that can narrow arteries and damage blood vessels, and nicotine, which is associated with increases in heart rate and blood pressure.

At the same time, smoking unleashes poisonous gases like carbon monoxide, which replaces oxygen in the blood, thereby reducing the availability of oxygen for the heart muscle, WHO said.

The agency pointed out that tobacco use is responsible for around 17 percent of the nearly 18 million deaths from cardiovascular disease around the globe each year.

Yet in many countries, there is very low awareness that smoking significantly increases your chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

In China for instance, a large WHO survey showed that more than 60 percent of the population is unaware that smoking can cause heart attacks, while in India and Indonesia, more than half of adults are unaware that smoking can cause stroke.

“Governments have the power in their hands to protect their citizens from suffering needlessly from heart disease,” said Douglas Bettcher, who heads WHO’s non-communicable disease prevention unit.

According to a new WHO report on smoking trends and prevalence, the percentage of people worldwide who indulge in the habit has dropped from 27 percent in 2000 to 20 percent in 2016.

But it warned that the pace of reduction was too slow.

Due to population growth, the number of smokers in the world has remained relatively stable at around 1.1 billion, Bettcher told reporters.

THE EXPERTS are formal: four hours and 30 minutes is the critical timeframe if the life of a stroke patient is to be saved. Obviously, the sooner a stroke victim receives professional help, the better his or her chances of survival, as immediate treatment minimises the long-term effects of the stroke and helps reduce the risk of death.

Hospitals in Thailand like elsewhere in the world are constantly improving the critical time for stroke victims by providing a fast-track system once when they arrive at the medical centre. Today, life-saving treatment is usually started with an hour of arrival or, in the case of a medical school hospital like Siriraj, just 40 minutes.

But they can do better, which is why Siriraj Hospital has now introduced a mobile stroke unit –a specially designed ambulance that can provide immediate treatment to stroke victims before they even reach the hospital.

The mobile stroke unit is a custom-built vehicle modified from a six-wheeled truck and equipped with a computed tomography (CT) scanner, medical equipment, generator, standby battery for the scanner, water and a telecommunication system that allows the MSU team to receive instructions from a stroke specialist at the hospital. Staffed by a four-man team –specially trained doctor, nurse, radiologist and driver – it allow for rapid diagnosis and treatment of an ischemic stroke, thus reducing the time between the event and receiving appropriate help.

“In a way, it’s like we are taking the emergency unit close to your home,” says Assoc Prof Dr Yongchai Nilanont, the director of Siriraj Stroke unit, who initiated the MSU project.

The Siriraj MSU service is the first to be launched by a public hospital though private facility Phyathai 1 Hospital also operates a unit. As a medical school and public hospital, the MSU will provide the service at a lower cost and free to patients who are part of the universal coverage scheme.

Strokes caused by blood clots (ischemic) or brain bleeds (haemorrhagic) deprive the brain of oxygen-rich blood. Ischemic is the most common stroke type and makes up about 80 per cent of all cases. The 4.5 hour-critical time refers to the period between the stroke and the administering of a clot-busting medication.

The longer the brain goes without oxygen and other nutrients, the more likely it is that a stroke will result in permanent damage to the brain. When a person has an ischemic stroke, restoring blood flow as quickly as possible is key. Immediate treatment is needed to dissolve the clot and improve the blood flow and is given through a thrombolytic drug that helps recanalisation of the occluded artery and reperfusion. Without this, the salvageable brain tissue will stop working and lead to death. If reperfusion is begun early enough and blood supply is renewed to the brain, the salvaged tissue can be healed and the patient can recover, slowly getting back to normal.

The prevalence of stroke in Thailand is estimated at 1.88 per cent among adults aged 45-80 years and most cases are found in central and southern region. The mortality rate for hyper-acute stroke is five per cent and 70 per cent of victims suffer some level of disability.

There are three important points in a stroke case, says Dr Yongchai –the onset, the hospital arrival time and administering the drug to open the artery.

“The most serious delay is when the event occurs as this is not something hospitals can control. As there are many factors that cause delayed treatment, the mobile stroke unit is our way of reaching out to the patient –a progressive procedure that will significantly reduce the time wasted,” he says.

And even through there is a fast track channel at the hospital, it is useless if people are not aware of the critical time period or if the patient is only found hours after the stroke manifests itself. Another obstacle to timely treatment is the city’s notorious traffic.

“It’s not a symptom about which you can say ‘we’ll wait until morning and then go to the hospital’. Giving knowledge about stroke is important. If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 1669 and inform them of the symptoms and the Mobile Stroke Unit will be deployed,” says Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, dean of Siriraj Medical School.

In the USA, the acronym “FAST” is used to help people quickly recognise the warning signs and symptoms of stroke and the American Stroke Association has added a FAST app to help people remember these signs.

The F refers to drooping on one side of the face, which may also be numb. “A” means arm weakness, which can be checked by asking the person to raise both arms. If a stroke has occurred, one arm will drift downwards. “S” stands for speech difficulty and shows if the victim has trouble speaking, or is incomprehensible. And “T” means it’s time to make an emergency call, which in Thailand means dialling 1669.

Siriraj’s mobile stroke unit isn’t working alone. The hospital has joined with emergency medical services, Ministry of Public Health and private companies to complete the process when the mobile unit goes out to help people.

The MSU service is now in a pilot phase and is operational in the general area of Siriraj on the Thon Buri side of the river from Borommaratchachonnani Road to the Buddha Monthon Sai 4 Road and to Phetchkasem Road and the Mahai Sawan intersection in Bukkhalo sub-district of Thon Buri district.

People in the MSU working zone can call 1669 and give details of the situation and the responders of the hotline will judge whether it fits the symptoms of stroke. The emergency service then calls Siriraj to release the MSU to the nearest meeting point while sending an ambulance from partner organisations such as Narenthorn hotline (1669), Erawan hotline, Por Tek Tung or Ruamkatanyu foundation to pick up patients and take them to the meeting point.

A “buddy” ambulance travels with the MSU to the meeting point and provides trained paramedic teams who will bridge the communication gap between medical specialists on the MSU and the foundation’s ambulance team, who are volunteers and sometimes have problems with technical communication. The buddy ambulance also has experience of the area so will clear they the way for the MSU to the meeting point.

When the three ambulances meet up, the patient will be loaded to the MSU for a CT scan. The MSU doctor then uses telemedicine to enable a specialist at Siriraj’s stroke centre to remotely assess and diagnose the patient, as well as recommend treatment, which includes the administration of thrombolytic drugs while on route to the hospital thus reducing the critical window for treatment.

“When they receive treatment in the mobile stroke unit while the vehicle is heading back to Siriraj, the follow-up medication can be given immediately on their arrival,” says Dr Yongchai.

But while this procedure applies to cases of ischemic stroke, victims of haemorrhagic stroke will receive a different treatment, one that focuses on controlling bleeding by reducing blood pressure in the brain. In these cases, the MSU will prescribe medication to reduce the pressure and then dispatch patients to the nearest hospital or the medical facility that holds their records.

“We need three months to see the outcome and evaluate the whole project. Our MSU will serve as a model for similar vehicles to be introduced in remote areas such as on islands and in the jungle,” Dr Yongchai says.

An online petition by the activist group Change.org urging the game distributor not to launch the game has drawn more than 100,000 signatures.

The game, “Active Shooter,” is to be released by Valve Corp. of Bellevue, Washington, on June 6 for between $5 and $10.

A trailer on the website of Valve’s digital distributor Steam opens with the player’s character as a SWAT team member entering a school to tackle a shooter, before switching over to the perspective of the attacker, with the action set to a pounding heavy metal score.

It ends with a trail of students’ bodies littering an auditorium room as a stats box keeps count of the numbers of police and civilians killed.

In addition to allowing players to pick sides, the game boasts a multiplayer mode and the ability to play as an unarmed student trying to survive.

“I have seen and heard many horrific things over the past few months since my daughter was the victim of a school shooting and is now dead in real life,” said Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter, Jaime, 14, was killed in the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

“This company should face the wrath of everyone who cares about school and public safety and it should start immediately,” Guttenberg said on Twitter. “Do not buy this game for your kids or any other game made by this company.”

“This is inexcusable,” said Florida Senator Bill Nelson. “Any company that develops a game like this in (the) wake of such a horrific tragedy should be ashamed of itself.”

Ryan Petty, whose 14-year-old daughter Alaina died in Parkland, also criticized the game.

“It’s disgusting that Valve Corp. is trying to profit from the glamorization of tragedies affecting our schools across the country,” Petty said on Facebook. “Keeping our kids safe is a real issue affecting our communities and is in no way a ‘game.'”

Parkland students launched a grassroots campaign for tighter gun control following the shooting at their school which left 14 students and three adults dead.

A disclaimer by the game developer, Revived Games, said the game “is meant solely for entertainment purposes and simulation.”

“Revived Games believes violence and inappropriate actions belong in video games and not real world, and insists that in no event should anyone attempt to recreate or mimic any of the actions, events or situations occurring in the game,” it says.

“If you feel like hurting someone or people around you, please seek help from local psychiatrists or dial 911 (or applicable).”

Ten people were killed in a school shooting in Texas on May 18 by a heavily armed 17-year-old classmate.

Starting from 8pm, this year’s pyrotechnics come courtesy of teams from China, the Philippines and Japan.

Visitors can climb to the picturesque vantage point on Pratumnak Hill for the show, which will be followed by a live concert or simply while away the hours munching on snacks from the food market, which opens at 5.

Find out more by calling Thailand Tourism Pattaya Office (038) 427 667 or browsing http://www.TatNews.org.

And Fido came too

Vacationers travelling with a dog can save up to 10-per-cent when booking a luxury villa or a suite at Centara Chaan Talay Resort & Villas Trat.

Valid through June 30, room rates start at Bt1,620 and guests get to enjoy complimentary wireless Internet access, fruit plate upon arrival and one Doggie Dinner Set when spending a minimum of Bt500 at the restaurant.

Your canine companion meanwhile will be delighted by the complimentary welcome packages from Pedigree, Cesar, and Greenies.

Make a reservation at (02) 101 1234 or email reservations@chr.co.th.

Getting lost in the Land of Ooo

Cartoon Network’s much-loved characters come to life in the Animate Your Life Festival that is turning Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay into a magical world until June 10.

The 16-day fun festival leads visitors on a new adventure to the Land of Ooo and gives the little ones a chance to get creative by Powerpuff-ing in Townsville! Young explorers can also test their skills at the Ben 10 boot camp and go chill with their favourite bears – Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear in their cosy cave.

Check out the programme at Animate.CartoonNetworkAsia.com.

Sleeping with the Great Masters

Amsterdam’s five-star Conservation hotel joins with the Van Gogh Museum in offering the Van Gogh Suite Package through June 24.

The package, which starts at euros 920 (Bt34,850), includes a one-night stay in the Van Gogh Suite, breakfast for two, Van Gogh & Japan-inspired Afternoon Tea in the Brasserie for two, direct and complimentary access to the Van Gogh & Japan exhibition for two and welcome letter from Willem Van Gogh, nephew of Vincent Van Gogh.

Online booking can be made via email reservations@conservatoriumhotel.com.

Flower power

Poppies burst into bloom just in time to bid farewell to Japan’s winter, with a red carpet of 15 million poppies stretching across the nearly nine acres of Chichibu Kogen Bokujo until early next month.

Meanwhile the sacred Josenji and Kannonji temples on the summit of Minoyama Park in Minano are hemmed in by colourful fields of 3,200 hydrangeas in pale blue, purple and crimson to mark the advent of summer. It’s a perfect spot for sightseeing from early June to late July.

Find out more details at http://www.Chichibu-Omotenashi.com.

IN WHAT for many will come as a welcome escape from the fast-paced digital age where images are captured and enhanced in a matter of seconds, the National Gallery travels back in time to the era when glass-plate negatives first found their way to Siam. Introduced in the mid-nineteenth century, they quickly became popular with royal family members and noblemen.

The exhibition, which is spread across eight rooms, offers a unique opportunity to admire 150 reprinted images from 1855 to 1935. Their subjects include rare portraits of Thai Kings and members of the royal court, royal ceremonies, goods transported by raft and barge along the country’s waterways, elephant parades, buildings that no longer exist and life lived at a slow pace. The images were documented through laborious, light-sensitive photographic emulsion on glass plates before the invention of cellulose film in the early 20th century and the digital memory cards that are so much part of our present and future.

This collection of century-old negatives is not only a national treasure. Last October, it was designated as a “Memory of the World” by Unesco thanks to its significant role in documenting many cultural and social perspectives of Siam as the nation moved through the West’s colonisation of Asia to the dawn of a constitutional monarchy.

The show, titled “Celebrating the National Glass Plate Negatives Registered as a Unesco Memory of the World”, continues until July 28 and is being supported by Thai Beverage. The plates captured during the reigns of King Mongkut (Rama IV) to King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) have been reprinted and blown up, with some images as tall as 1.5 metres.

A group of carts and barges along the bank of Nan River at Muang  Phichai where is currently the  Phichai district in Utradit province.

“From the 35,427 glass-plate negatives and 50,000 prints in the Unesco-recognised collection, we carefully selected 150 images that represent the country’s diverse perspectives. We have chosen to arrange them in eight main themes, among them prominent personalities in Thai history, the grace and splendour of royal ceremonies, Thai arts and culture, and international relations,” says Anandha Chuchoti, the director of Fine Arts Department.

Chao Chom Erb captures a portrait of her father, Chao Phraya Surabandh Bisudhi (Thet Bunnag).

Glass plate negatives were most popular during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) but faded in the early years of the 20th century. Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, a younger half-brother of King Chulalongkorn, who was in charge of the Hor Phra Samut Vajirayan (Royal Vajirayana Library) in the compound of the Grand Palace at that time, set up a chronicle division whose one task was to accumulate these historical glass plate negatives and their original prints.

The Royal Ploughing Ceremony at Thung Phaya Thai field, south of Phya Thai Palace, now home to Phra Mongkut Hospital.

The Hor Phra Samut Vajirayan collection features several private assemblages of negatives that belonged to King Chulalongkorn and King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), Prince Damrong himself and other members of the royal court. Some pieces emanated from Chaya Norasingha, the studio that was appointed to photograph the royal events in the reign of King Vajiravudh.

In 1977, the collection was given over to the care of the National Archives. To date, more than 10,000 plates have been copied to contact print format and also scanned for digital use. Many of these have already been uploaded to the institute’s database and made accessible to the public through its website Nat.go.th.

One of the wooden boxes used to store the century-old glass plate negatives that are carefully preserved by the National Archives. 

“The original plates, which range in size from 1 x 2 inches up to 11 x 15 inches are carefully stored vertically in their original teak boxes. Each box has a slot for each glass plate in order to prevent two plates touching each other over extended periods of time. They are kept at a constant temperature of 18 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity level of 40 per cent,” Nanthaka Pollachai, director of the National Archives, explains.

A portrait of Chao Uparat Bunthawong taken by Francis Chit in 1863

One of the oldest images in the collection on show, Nanthaka says, is a portrait of Chao Uparat Bunthawong, a nephew of Phraya Khamfan, the third ruler of Chiang Mai. The portrait was captured in 1863 by Siam’s first commercial photographer Chit Chitrakani, who later became known as Francis Chit and was appointed as a court photographer at the end of King Mongkut’s reign. Many images of King Mongkut and King Chulalongkorn that are widely seen today and presented as gifts to foreign monarchs and diplomats came from his camera.

This 1906 picture depicts Italian artist Cesare Ferro painting the portrait of King Chulalongkorn in front of the Aphisekdusit Throne Hall while Thai court painter Phra Soralaklikhit records the pair at work. 

One impressive picture depicted Cesare Ferro, an Italian artist who was hired by King Chulalongkorn to decorate the Ambara Villa and the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall, painting the portrait of the King sitting in front of the Aphisekdusit Throne Hall in 1906. The photo also illustrated a court Thai painter Phra Soralaklikhit (Mui Chanthralak) painting a portrait of the King and Ferro at work while some young royal members and courtiers observed from the steps.

King Chulalongkorn is seen kneeling on the ground while taking a picture of young Kanang.

King Chulalongkorn was very interested in photography and took a lot of pictures. In one picture, visitor can see the King kneeling on the floor while trying to capture the young boy Kanang riding a four-wheeled bike. Kanang was a child of Mani ethnicity, better known in Thailand as Sakai, who was adopted by the King and appointed a royal page. He was also inspired the King to pen the play “Ngo Pa”.

King Vajiravudh and Queen Suvadhana in Selangor, in 1924

“Siam’s international relationships were part of the criteria for application as a Unesco Memory of the World,” Anandha explains. Pictures in the collection also depicted King Chulalongkorn’s state visits to Europe in 1897 and 1907 to strengthen Siam’s ties to European countries during the Western colonisation of Asia, as well as the visit to the Malay Peninsula in 1924 made by King Vajiravudh and King Prajadhipok’s visit to Saigon in 1930.

A picture depicted Mr Rousseau, a French governor of Trat during the occupation, presents written evidence of returning the province to Siam’s representative Phraya Sisahathep in 1907.

“Another significant historical event was when Trat province was returned to Siam after being under French occupation for nearly three years. One pictured depicted Mr Rousseau, a French governor of Trat during the occupation, presenting written evidence of returning the province to Siam’s representative Phraya Sisahathep in 1907,” adds Nanthaka.

When colonisation threatened Indochina in 1893, French troops landed and occupied the western part of Chanthaburi province. In 1904, in order to wrest back control of Chantaburi, Siam was forced to give Trat and Koh Kong to the French. The province was returned to Siam three years later, in exchange for larger areas along the east of the Mekong, including Battambang, Siem Reap and Sisophon, today part of Cambodia.

The front of the Royal Private Library Building of King Vajiravudh inside the Chitralada Villa

The collection also shows several old buildings that no longer exist today. The front view of the Royal Private Library Building of King Vajiravudh inside the Chitralada Villa is among the subjects. A bookworm and a talented writer, the King collected thousands of books and after his death, his successor King Prajadhipok ordered that his book collection be relocated to the Royal Library of Phra Nakhon. Later named Vajiravudh Library, it is today located in front of Wat Mahatat, adjacent to Sanam Luang.

This building in the Sam Sen Park complex was demolished and the land is now occupied by the Vajira Hospital.

The grandeur of a Colonial-style building in the Sam Sen Park complex is also reflected through the lens. Built by Phra Sapphakan Hiranyakit –a manager of Siam Kammajon Bank (the previous name of Siam Commercial Bank), the complex was completed in 1908 and comprised a cluster of buildings and a park designed to become a recreation venue for the public.

King Vajiravudh later used his private funds to purchase the premises for the Department of Sanitation of the Metropolitan Ministry for use as a sanatorium. Today, the land is occupied by the Vajira Hospital, though the building in the picture has long gone.

Members of the Phranakorn Photo Club demonstrate how to take pictures with the wet plate collodion method.

Various programmes will be held throughout the exhibition period. Every Saturday, the Chayanitikorn Photo Studio will organise a photo shoot for visitors in Thai traditional costumes – limited to 200 persons a day – while a workshop on how the glass plate negatives functioned will be conducted by the Phranakorn Photo Club every Sunday for a maximum of 30 individuals.

Capturing an image on glass is done using either a wet or dry collodion method. The Phranakorn Photo Club will use the wet plate collodion method in its demonstration and show how to prepare the glass plate and coat it with collodion before immersing the plate in a silver nitrate bath in a dark room. After draining, it is placed in a plate holder with a dark slide to protect it from the light.

“The plate holder will later be loaded into a camera that can be a large-format camera or a box camera depending on the size wanted. The dark slide is then withdrawn to allow exposure to light. The wet plate collodion has a film speed (ISO) of approximately 1 or 2, so it takes quite a bit of light to affect the plate. The photographs must thus be taken outdoors or with several lights if indoors. The subjects must also sit or stand still to get a sharp picture,” says club member Chaianun Boonsungnoen.

Developing the picture, fixing the image and drying the plate will also be explained.

“In Thailand, I think there are less than 50 people who are still passionate about this method and take pictures with glass plates,” Chaianun adds. “One factor is the high cost of the chemical agents. The silver nitrate alone can cost Bt5,000 for 100 grams.”

The Hor Phra Samut Vajirayan glass plate negative collection is the fifth heritage archive from Thailand recognised by Unesco. The earlier historical documents are King Ramkhamhaeng’s inscription stone, King Chulalongkorn’s archival documents on the transformation of Siam, epigraphic archives of Wat Pho, and the Minute Books of the Council of the Siam Society.

PORTRAITS ON GLASS

The “Celebrating the National Glass Plate Negatives Registered as Unesco Memory of the World” exhibition continues until July 28 at the National Gallery.

The gallery on Chao Fah Road in Bangkok is open Wednesday to Sunday, from 9am to 7pm.

Call (02) 281 1599 extension 222 or keep updated at http://www.ThaiGlassNegative.com.