The serene and stylish wellness centre offers a choice of treatment rooms for singles and couples, along with an authentic Japanese onsen. With a millennial mindset, many of the treatments here can be completed in an hour or less  perfect for guests with busy lifestyles. Healthy spa cuisine and refreshments are also available for those with more time to unwind.

“Our exciting new wellness concept focuses on the lifestyle of millennial travellers. Our selection of energising express treatments will provide guests with the perfect boost before an important meeting or night out,” said general manager Charin Tuncharoen.

“We provide a range of beauty treatments that will leave you looking great and feeling fresh. Alternatively, guests can indulge their senses with a collection of sublime spa packages and signature therapies.”

This knowledge and skill will be combined with modern techniques and natural ingredients to create an extensive range of treatments, from body scrubs, facials, waxes and masks, to a wide range of massages such as traditional Thai, Swedish and Balinese techniques, aromatherapy, hot stone massages and many more.

The spa also aims to share the ancestral massage tradition throughout its variety of exceptional treatments. Guests seeking express revitalisation can enjoy a series of 45-minute massages, body scrubs and masks.

There is also a 30-minute Express Facial and half-hour waxing treatments for a quick boost, while a choice of 60 or 90-minute treatments like the X2 Vibe Signature Massage combines hot stone and coconut oil massages.

For the ultimate indulgence, the 4-hour-and-a-half X2 Vibe Royal Package features Black Sesame Honey Body Scrub, Gold Honey Body Mask, Pure Relaxation Massage, onsen and facial treatment, followed by healthy spa cuisine and refreshments.

“Thai wellness is entwined with nature, so we offer a collection of classical therapies that use native ingredients such as tamarind, coconut and honey,” said Charin.

Find out more at (02) 331 9091 or email book.suk@x2vibe.com.

“The St Regis Bangkok remains one of my favourite comfort zones anywhere. It is such a pleasure, to bring my passion and expertise in music, to this collaboration with this luxury Bangkok property. More importantly, together, we are looking forward to presenting a unique variety of music acts, from the little ones to the professionals, as we continue to prove Bangkok a cultured city,” commented Paye.

The St Regis Master Series will showcase the finest musical crafts by the best professionals in the business, from classical music to jazz and beyond and is slated to take place towards the end of every month.

In March, the St. Regis Little Artist Series Afternoon Tea Concert sees special performances by extraordinarily gifted young individuals. During Saturday afternoon tea or evenings, discover talents as young as five years old in this family-friendly highlight, for all ages. The debut performance will be held on March 31 from 2.30pm

The St. Regis Rising Talents will feature aspiring, and carefully chosen, young local professional music acts, including students from the Viemus Music School and others, The first in this series is set for April 28, from 8pm to 10pm.

Prices for the February 23 show are Bt990-plus per person with two cocktails and Bt9,900-plus per table including a bottle of spirits & mixers, or a bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne (75cl.)

During afternoon performances, the Western Afternoon Tea set at The St Regis Bar is priced at Bt1,500-plus per set for two people, including a selection of exclusive TWG tea and coffee.

Book your table at (02) 207 7777, e-mail fb.bangkok@stregis.com or visit http://www.stregisbangkok.com.

So there was Pojsawat Kang, all of eight years old, helping two of the top chefs in Thailand cook a fancy duck dish. He chopped and peeled the Chinese radish for them, but it was also his job to learn how to prepare the dish. And it was the job of Philippe Guadal of the Landmark Bangkok and Kevin Thomson of the JW Marriott Hotel to show him how it’s done.

Pojsawat is one of 11 young (some very young) “aspiring chefs” getting lessons from the masters participating in the ninth annual Bangkok Chefs Charity coming up on March 3 in the ballroom of the Mandarin Oriental.

Twenty professional chefs are participating this year, not just in preparing the 10-course feast for the gala fund-raiser – which Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Siridhorn will attend – but also in cooking dinners for underprivileged kids upcountry and training the next generation.

The first Bangkok Chefs Charity was held in 2009 and the organisers had chef Norbert Kostner of the Mandarin Oriental as an adviser to the Royal Projects.

Two years earlier he’d travelled to Chiang Mai to see the Royal Projects on Doi Ang-Kang. Kostner saw more than just exceptional farm produce. There were needy children up and down the northern hills. When he got back, he suggested that the food industry in Bangkok do something to help them.

“We came up with the idea of a charity dinner prepared by famous chefs from the leading hotels,” says Patcharin Hame-ung-gull, managing director of Gourmet One Food Service, which has provided the ingredients since Day 1.

“The idea was to raise money – with no expenses deducted – and give it to Princess Sirindhorn for the Royal Patrol Police schools, for scholarships for underprivileged kids and for buying teaching and sports equipment.

“One year we raised Bt25 million,” Patcharin says. “The biggest contribution was Bt15 million, from Charoen and Khunying Wanna Sirivadhanabhakdi, and Vichai and Juthamas Bencharongkul donated Bt3 million.”

That money built the Bangkok Chefs Charity Border Patrol Police School in Ban Mae Longtai in Chiang Mai.

Chef Markus Zuck of the Grand Hyatt Erawan is participating in the project for the third time.

“It’s a fantastic concept and the chefs are passionate about raising money for the kids,” he says. “The event is full of heart – both inside and outside the kitchen. And we get to see the results when it’s all over. We put the money where it’s most needed and you can see the wonderful schools that have been built.”

The main event features a Chef’s Auction. The successful bidders get the chef of their choice cooking them a formal dinner in their home.

But it’s the Young Chefs side-project that seems to produce the biggest smiles. Flanked by a pair of professionals, each aspiring cook tackles a dish his mentors have conceived just for the occasion. It’s a fun evening and there’s a lot of inspiration and encouragement.

After eight-year-old Pojsawat had peeled his radishes and finished his duck, he got to tour the hill communities with the chefs. “I met other children and I was very happy to help cook them kai pa lo [egg and pork in sweet brown sauce] and share toys with them,” he says.

Nitipen Kraivixien, 25, got to assist chefs Antony Scholtmeyer of the Okura Prestige Bangkok and Jan Van Dyk of the Anantara Siam Bangkok in preparing the agasta soup topped with lemon marmalade and crispy ham that will be served at the gala.

With a master’s in cultural heritage studies from University College London – an archaeology course – you’d think Nitipen would be digging up bones instead of making soup stock with them, but she says she’s “a food enthusiast” and had a blast in the kitchen.

“This is a great opportunity to meet world-renowned chefs and learn useful techniques. You get to see how they use their creativity making a dish – for example the way they chose lemon marmalade as a nice contrast in the agasta soup. That’s where the magic happens. Without the marmalade, the soup is bitter from the agasta, but the marmalade completely changes the taste.”

Nitipen says she also feels “truly honoured” to be part of the project helping underprivileged children get a better education.

“And the fact that these top chefs travel to remote villages is another way of broadening the children’s horizons. The kids get to eat really great food and try something new. Who knows – those kids might be inspired to become chef themselves one day!”

PLATES AT THE READY

•  Tickets for the March 3 Bangkok Chef Charity cost Bt12,500 per seat and there are 10 seats per table.
•  Call Gourmet One at (02) 403 3388, extension 511, or (085) 152 6857 or email bcc@gourmetone.com.
•  The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, which is hosting the event, can be reached at (02) 659 0302.

Researchers examining more than 57,000 cases of early-onset dementia in France found that well over half were either alcohol-related, or accompanied by an additional diagnosis of alcohol abuse.

Overall, alcohol use disorders were associated with a three-fold higher risk of all types of dementia.

Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are said to be premature before the age of 65.

Previous research was inconclusive on the effect of alcohol on cognitive health.

Some studies have show a possible benefit of light-to-moderate drinking, while others have found that heavy drinking boosts the risk of dementia.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines “chronic heavy drinking” as more than 60 grammes of pure alcohol — six or more standard drinks — a day for men, and in excess of 40 grammes per day for women.

For the new study, researchers combed through medical records of more than one million adults in France diagnosed with dementia from 2008 to 2013.

The link with alcohol was statistically unmistakable, leading the authors to suggest screening, brief interventions for heavy drinking, and alcoholism treatment to help reduce cognitive decline.

“The link between dementia and alcohol use disorders … is likely a result of alcohol leading to permanent structural and functional brain damage,” said lead author Michael Schwarzinger, a scientist at the Translational Health Economics Network in Paris.

Alcohol use disorders are also associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and heart failure, which may in turn increase the risk of vascular dementia, he said in a statement.

– Heavy drinking a ‘major risk’ –

Previous research has likewise established a link between heavy drinking and smoking, depression, and low educational attainment — all risk factors for dementia.

The study, based on discharge records from all French hospitals over a six-year period, excluded patients with diseases linked to rare dementias, and people with early-life mental health disorders.

During the same period, there were 94,5512 people — more than 85 percent of them alcohol dependent — diagnosed with alcohol use disorders.

“Our findings suggest that the burden of dementia attributable to alcohol use disorders is much larger than previously thought,” Schwarzinger said.

“Heavy drinking should be recognised as a major risk factor for all types of dementia.”

Clive Ballard, professor at the University of Exeter Medical School in Britain, described the findings as “immensely important”.

“We should move forward with clear public health messages about the relationship between both alcohol-use disorders and alcohol consumption, respectively, and dementia,” he commented in the same journal.

Their findings, reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, challenge two long-held assumptions about the benefits of physical activity for the elderly.

To improve health and reduce the risk of dying, according to many national health authorities, workouts must be strenuous and more long-lasting.

In Britain, for example, the elderly are advised to do moderate-to-intense exercise at least 150 minutes per week, divied up into segments of no less than 10 minutes.

“UK and US physical activity guidelines don’t mention any benefits of light activity,” lead author Barbara Jefferis, an epidemiologist at University College London, told AFP.

“When those guidelines were written there wasn’t enough evidence to make a recommendation.”

The study, which tracked 1,200 men without heart disease in their early 70s and late 80s, says such guidelines should be revised.

“The results suggest that all activities — no matter how modest — are beneficial,” Jefferis said.

Encouraging older adults to engage in no-sweat exercise also appears to be more realistic.

Only 16 percent of the volunteers lived up to current British exercise guidelines in sessions of at least 10 minutes. Two-thirds, however, did hit the weekly, 150-minute quota in shorter snippets of activity.

The research drew on data from the British Regional Heart Study, which began in 1978 with nearly 8,000 participants aged 40 to 59 from a couple dozen towns scattered across Britain.

In 2012, the 3,137 men still living underwent a physical check-up, and answered questions about their lifestyle and sleeping patterns.

– Couch potatoes –

The study focused on 1,181 participants who wore an accelerometer — a device that tracks the volume and intensity of physical exercise — for seven days.

“The availability of body-worn activity monitors has enabled us to investigate whether light activity is linked to longevity,” said Jefferis.

The men, who averaged 78 years old, were monitored for five years, during which time 194 of them died.

The study showed that each additional 30 minutes-a-day of light-intensity exercise was associated with a 17 percent reduction in the risk of death.

As expected, a half-an-hour of moderate-to-vigorous activity reduced the risk by even more — 33 percent.

What counted, however, was the total time spent exercising, not how the time was divided up.

The men who engaged in brief, sporadic bouts of moderately intense activity — mowing the lawn, swimming, walking briskly — were as likely to avoid the grim reaper as men whose exercise time was parcelled into longer sessions.

For both groups, the chance of dying was 40 percent lower compared to full-time couch potatoes who hardly moved at all.

The authors cautioned that the structure of the study — the fact that it was observational, and not a clinical trial — made it impossible to describe the results in terms of cause-and-effect.

And in the comparison between older men who exercise — sporadically or regularly — and those who don’t, the fact that the participants who volunteers to wear accelerometers were in better health to begin with may have somewhat skewed the results.

It was also not clear whether the findings would apply to older women, though Jefferis said there was little reason to think they don’t.

“We didn’t have the necessary data for women,” she said.

Over the years, this much-loved shopping event has attracted hundreds of bargain hunters on the lookout for treasures sold by members of the public, the expat community, socialites and celebrities, some of whom volunteer their time and clutter to help raise funds for cancer research.

This year’s proceeds will go to Chulalongkorn Hospital’s Genetic Cancer Research Centre under the auspices of the Thai Red Cross. Shoppers can enjoy bargaining over donated branded goods, vintage clothes, fashion accessories, jewellery, collectibles and small appliances.

Visitors get a chance to win air tickets, five-star meal vouchers, wines, personal care products, and more for a donation of Bt50 each. Interested prospective vendors are requested to book their tables early, as booking is on a first come, first served basis. Vendors with personal clutter are required to make a donation of Bt2,500 per table while the semi-business vendors’ donation per table is Bt3,000.

Find out more by emailing annabellesdaokaew@gmail.com.

A TRANQUIL oasis at the very heart of the chaotic Thai capital, Panpuri Organic Spa at Park Hyatt Bangkok is the perfect place for a spot of unadulterated pampering.

In operation for just under a year on the 11th floor of the five-star hotel atop Central Embassy, the spa is spread over 472 square metres and boasts eight treatment rooms, including two double suites, in a sophisticated and minimal decor of cream and brown to promote wellbeing and relaxation. Natural wood and marble blend for further elegance with individually hand-sculpted lotus flowers taking centre stage in the treatment rooms, symbolising purity.

Panpuri’s state-of-the-art relaxation massage brings a sense of peace to both body and mind. 

In an added bonus, guests coming to the spa can avail themselves of the hotel’s other luxury wellness facilities crystal-steam rooms, laconium dry-heat rooms and whirlpools plus female and male only lockers,

Service is, as one would expect, impeccable, with guests welcomed to the organic foot ritual with a refreshing rice tea, and warm lotus tea and fresh organic seasonal fruit served after the treatment.

True to its motto, “Everything that touches you is organic”, the range of bathrobes, towels, sheets, fresh fruits and refreshments are carefully selected for their organic properties, as are the products used in the treatment, all of them made with hypo-allergenic, natural plant-based ingredients.

The soothing treatment room

Working at a desk all day causes stiffness and even pain in different parts of the body and these respond well to the 90-minute personalised massage (Bt4,200). Guests can choose between three types of massage –relaxing, deep tissue, or Thai aromatic oil – as well as select the organic massage oil that appeals the most. More importantly, though, they can specify a focus on the body areas they feel most requires treatment. That helps the therapist get to grips with the muscle tension, meaning that every minute of the massage truly counts.

Just as at other Panpuri spas, the therapists are highly trained and have a good knowledge of anatomy.

The personalised facilities

Unlike other branches though, the spa here offers a Signature Equilibrium Therapy with Hot Oil and Thai Herbal Compress (Bt4,500) massage.

Panpuri recently launched a new facial skincare line called Lotus Defence, a certified organic collection made from natural ingredients. The facial oil, which is billed as deeply nourishing and lightweight, is derived from precious flowers and botanicals, suits all skin types and is particularly beneficial to dry, sensitive skin. The 75-minute “Lotus Defence Signature Rejuvenating Facial” (Bt3,500) promises a radiant complexion.

All Panpuri’s products are created from natural ingredients.

For those with only a brief time to spare, the 30-minute express treatment is ideal. The menu includes Back De-stress (Bt1,500), Mini Facial (Bt2,000), and Skin Polish (Bt4,200), the latter taking slightly longer at 45 minutes.

After their treatment, the guests are escorted to the private relaxation lounge, which offers a view of the hotel’s lush landscaped garden and the Pool Deck.

GENTLE STROKES

Panpuri Organic Spa at Park Hyatt Bangkok (is opens daily from 10 to 10.

To book a session, call (02) 012 1234 extension 1150 and (096) 818 8870 or email: panpuri.parkhyatt@panpuri.com.

Follow Panpuri on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Line@ and Weibo through @Panpuriofficial.

THAILAND’S ORIGINAL Note Printing Facility, sitting alongside the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, used to be a highly restricted facility enclosed within walls, its windows reinforced with thick iron bars.

Now it’s welcoming visitors as the Learning Centre, with glass walls and open spaces, housing the Bank of Thailand Museum, a hi-tech library, and one of those new-fashioned “co-working spaces”.

Opposite Bank of Thailand headquarters on Samsen Road next to Rama VIII Bridge, the 49-year-old building, designed by ML Santhaya Israsena and Dr Ratchata Kanjanavit, ceded its 12,900 square metres to the Learning Centre, which opened earlier this year to commemorate the central bank’s 75th anniversary.

The Bank of Thailand has transformed its former, high-security Note Printing Facility into an open-plan Learning Centre for the public.

This was the national Note Printing Facility from 1969 to 2007. Banknotes have since then been produced at a bigger facility in Nakhon Pathom.

“The renovations took about two years, retaining much of the structural foundation because of its historical value,” says Sumit Glumsiri, the bank’s assistant director of financial literacy.

“Despite its location on the riverside and the fact it contained massive printing machines, the structure remains strong, with solid grid columns that showed no sign of damage. Most of the oppressive outer facade has been removed and replaced with glazing and steel mesh to reveal the interior and offer a picturesque view of the river.”

The Learning Centre combines the Bank of Thailand Museum, a hi-tech library and a co-working space.

The museum at the centre traces the history of Thai currency and economics. It includes the high-ceiling hall where the printing presses used to roar as they churned out banknotes. You can see the metal struts on the ceiling that held them in place, but there are also three presses on exhibit. Multimedia displays show how they operated.

“The presses used to run almost all the time and were very loud,” says Sumit. “The convex, ‘beehive’ roof was cleverly designed to absorb the noise, and we’ve replicated it in the pattern of the mesh facade and the centre’s logo.”

The Note Printing Hall displays three presses that were churned out banknotes starting in 1969. 

Series 1 – the first Siamese banknotes, issued in 1902 during the reign of King Rama V – was printed in England by Thomas De La Rue & Co. The same firm handled the job until World War II, when Thailand’s alliance with Japan barred any dealings with Britain.

Instead, Japan printed Thailand’s money, but again, the war intervened, preventing the bills from being transported, resulting in a scarcity of notes that affected all sectors of the economy. That, says Sumit, is when Thailand realised it needed a printing facility of its own.

Also on view in the old building are five hong munkhong (security vaults), one atop the other. Only top officials got near these because of the amount of money stored there as well as the master printing plates and papers.

The vaults now hold wonderful illustrations on the history of Thai currency, from the lydijunan – which Sumit says is the oldest currency in history – to pieces used in the Dvaravati, Lanna and Ayutthaya eras. There are also the first paper money, mai, introduced by King Rama IV, and gold-bond bars issued during World War II.

Sumit Glumsiri of the BOT points out the steel door of the former vaults – now the gateway to the museum’s exhibition area.

“This area had maximum security, and the great steel door was electronically controlled and secured with pass-codes given to three security officials,” says Sumit. “Each one had his own pass-code, and the door only opened when all three codes were used.”

There’s a mobile-phone app, of course. “BOT Museum” features an audio guide and can be used in scanning QR codes for videos.

Chiang coins were once used in Lanna Kingdom.

“In 1893 the government printed paper Ngoen Kradat Luang – Treasury Notes,” Sumit says. “There were eight denominations in various colours and sizes. Unfortunately they never went into circulation due to inefficient management. They were eventually destroyed, except for 10 sets, and our collection has more than anyone else.”

The gold-bond bars and coins issued during World War II amid severe inflation matured after eight years, when the owner could redeem them for gold or cash. There were four denominations – Bt10,000 in the form of 1.7-kilogram of bullion, and Bt1,000, Bt100 and Bt50 in the form of coins.

Gold-bond bullion and coins were issued during World War II, when the country was coping with severe inflation. 

Another room is devoted to the Bank of Thailand’s mission to safeguard the country’s financial stability and promote sustainable economic wellbeing. The bank’s governors are depicted in miniatures, from the first, His Highness Prince Vivadhanajaya, to the present, Veerathai Santiprabhob. Several governors appear in video interviews talking about conditions during their tenures.

A room promotes the key roles of the Bank of Thailand.

The glass-wrapped, 150-seat Prince Vivadhanajaya Library has a superb view of the river and Rama VIII Bridge. It has 30,000 books, mainly about economics and banking, that can be searched with a hi-tech touch-screen. All the reading tables have sockets ready for laptops and the Wi-Fi is free for an hour.

Prince Vivadhanajaya Library has a superb view of the river and Rama VIII Bridge.

“We also have journals from financial organisations like the International Monetary Fund, Bank for International Settlements and the central banks of many countries, and books by Nobel Prize economics laureates from 1969 to the present,” says Nantana Krodtem, also an assistant director of financial literacy at the bank.

“These resources were previously only available to bank staff, but this place is meant to be a knowledge-sharing centre.”

Access to certain resources requires membership, which costs Bt1,500 per year. The centre is affiliated with the Online Computer Learning Centre, a global knowledge-sharing network, so members get access to digital resources at more than 7,000 libraries. They can also borrow books, get free Wi-Fi and museum access, and pay half the usual price of using a co-working space.

The co-working space has rooms for individuals and groups of eight or more.

The co-working space is called the “Idea Box”. There are four rooms suitable for individuals, rented at Bt300 an hour, and three big enough for groups of eight or more for Bt500. All have multimedia equipment.

There are two auditoriums – one fitting 90 people and the other 300 – for seminars or other events related to economics and finance. There’s even a riverside cafe, Pacamara, that serves a good cup of coffee and baked items.

BANK ON LEARNING

The Bank of Thailand Learning Centre on Samsen Road of Bangkok is open daily except Monday from 9.30am. The museum closes at 4.30pm and the library and co-working space at 8pm.

Admission to the museum is free until June. Guided tours are conducted six times a day, at 9.30, 10, 10.30, 1.30, 2 and 2.30. The tour lasts an hour and 45 minutes.

Find out more at (02) 356 7766 or visit http://www.Botlc.or.th.

Surface Laptop is a balance of portability, performance and elegance. Powered by Windows 10 S, it is engineered to start fast and stay fast with a 7th generation Intel Core processor and up to 14.5 hours of battery life to last through the day. At just 1.25 kilograms and less than 14.5mm thin, the Surface Laptop can fit nicely into your bag, and is lightweight enough to tote around.

“We are excited to be bringing Surface Laptop to Thailand for customers who are seeking a different laptop experience,” said Tatiana Marushevskaya, marketing & operations director, Microsoft Thailand.

“Meticulously crafted to deliver a portable and performance packed experience, Surface Laptop empowers our customers to unleash their creative potential by bringing the best of Windows and Office together, while redefining its category.”

Every detail is crafted to bring new form and function to the classic laptop design. The vibrant 13.5-inch PixelSense Display is optimised for touch and inking for an immersive experience, and the optically bonded Corning Gorilla Glass 3 makes it as durable as it is beautiful. The product will also support the new Surface Pen, which will unlock new creative scenarios for users.

The keyboard is covered in luxurious Alcantara material and features a quiet and responsive keyset, large precision trackpad, and soft palm rest for a new level of typing comfort.

Shipping with Windows 10 S, a new Windows experience streamlined for security and superior performance, it starts up and runs faster with InstantOn and an OS optimised for sustained performance.

With Windows 10 S, applications that are downloaded from the Windows Store are first verified for security, and then locally run in a safe “container” to ensure that Windows 10 S offers the power of full-featured applications, including experiences such as the full version of Office 365, among others. In addition, the laptop is fully integrated with OneDrive to keep your content safe in the cloud and comes with one TB of storage for a year.

Another product, Surface Book 2, is a portable powerhouse with up to 17 hours of battery life. Featuring the latest 8th Gen Intel Core Processors and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 and 1060 discrete graphics, it runs the demanding applications customers rely on, the PC games people love, and even Windows Mixed Reality experiences.

Surface Book 2 also supports Surface Pen with tilt and 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity for a great inking experience, and like its predecessor, the ability to instantly transform from a laptop to a digital canvas to a sleek tablet.

They are available at the authorised retailers including Banana IT, IT City and PowerBuy and at www.Microsoft.com/th-th/store.

For more information, visit http://www.Microsoft.com/surface.

This year, the concept is “Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Thai Red Cross Society and the Elegance of Giving”.

The event, which takes place on February 24-25 at Royal Paragon Hall, Siam Paragon, presents famous products of various countries, sold to raise funds to support the Red Cross Society.

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, the society’s executive vice president, will preside at the opening ceremony and visit the booths and activities on February 24 at 8.30am.

“The bazaar this year has great support from diplomats and their spouses, as well as officers from various embassies,” says Janprapa Vichitcholchai, deputy director of the society’s fund-raising bureau.

“A total of 53 booths will be presented, offering high-quality products from their respective countries at a special price. Additionally, we have designed special trolley bags to reflect the society’s four pillars – Heal, Relieve, Give and Prevent.

“We also have designed other items for the 125th anniversary, such as bags with a tag, caps, shirts, umbrellas and key chains, and they will be available at this event. I would like to invite everyone to come and shop. The proceeds will be presented to Princess Sirindhorn to support the Thai Red Cross Society in helping the underprivileged.”

Olga Barskaya, chairperson of the organising committee and wife of the Russian ambassador, lists the items on sale at this year’s event.

“There are many interesting products, such as Russian nesting dolls – Matryoshka dolls – lacquered boxes, Russian Gzhel ceramics, Belgian crystal accessories, chocolates and cocoa powder, Norwegian salmon, Australian vitamins, bedding and duvet pillows, Moroccan argan oil, Mongolian cashmere shirts, scarves and shawls and leatherwear, Bhutanese jam, honey, mineral water and natural products, Brazilian sandals, gems and stones, Canadian frozen seafood and maple syrup, Portuguese egg tarts, Czech glassware and crystals, Myanmar tanaka, tea, coffee, rubies, jade, jewelry and cashew nuts, Swiss chocolates, cheese, ice cream and kitchenware, and Israeli dates and apricots.

“This year Turkey, a culture-rich country, will present ‘evil eye’ nazar ornaments made of glass. It is typically used to make necklaces and key chains. The eye-shaped blue amulet is believed to protect against the evil eye. Delicate Turkish rugs, ceramics, drawings, dried fruit, nuts and silverware will also be available again after three-year absence.”

One of the main attractions every year is the raffle draw. Tickets cost Bt50, available at the venue, and the prizes will be drawn on March 15 at the fund-raising bureau.

Learn more from the Thai Red Cross Society at (02) 251 1218, (02) 251 6994 or (02) 256 4289.