US author and restaurateur, Su-Mei Yu.

Banana, orange, yogurt and honey may sound like a tasty snack, but in the hands of author and restaurateur, Su-Mei Yu, they also make for a refreshing face scrub.

Yu – who runs a pair of award-winning restaurants in San Diego – is on Phuket to demonstrate century-old healing techniques at Mom Tri’s Villa Royale on 21 June.

The acclaimed restaurateur and author returns to Thailand often to gather new recipes and in the process she has also learned how many of the great Thai ingredients can be as beneficial to skin as they are tasty.

The free afternoon seminar at Villa Royale will give Yu an opportunity to show off some of the healing methods she has collected for her new book, The Elements of Life, A Contemporary Guide to Thai Recipes and Traditions for Healthier Living.

Born in Bangkok, Su-Mei Yu moved to America when she was still a teenager. It was not until many years later that she would discover a passion for cooking and open her first restaurant, Saffron Thai Grilled Chicken in San Diego’s India Street. The speciality of the house is a dish that Yu recreated from her memories of the grilled chicken that vendors near her childhood home in Bangkok would sell.

Such was the popularity of the Thai restaurant among San Diegans that Yu was soon encouraged to put together a cookbook. Cracking the Coconut: Classic Thai Home Cooking came out to rave reviews in 2000 – the same year that she opened her second restaurant on India Street, Saffron Noodles and Saté.

Cracking the Coconut was a huge hit, named one of the “10 Best Cookbooks of the Year.” by both The Chicago Tribune and The Los Angeles Times. Yu also received The Julia Child Award for Best First Time Author from The International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Su-Mei Yu's new book, The Elements of Life.

For her latest book, The Elements of Life, Yu again dug into her childhood memories of life in Bangkok and supplemented those recollections with recipes picked up during her many return visits to Thailand. This time the set out to create a collection of recipes that did more than sate the appetite.

As I child, she remembers neighbours cooking yah nang greens to cure the fever. Her mother’s remedy for fever was a rich soup made with chicken, ginger, scallions, and sesame oil. Coconut milk with cassia leaves stewed together relieved insomnia and a potion brewed from red beans and Chinese dates calmed the nerves.

During her visits Yu has also learned how the flavour and taste of different ingredients can influence well-being: the bitter taste in bitter melon, for example, reduces fever and sugar palm increases the body’s heat with its sweetness. Spicy chillies enhance the appetite, while the pungent flavours in ginger and shallots reduce bloating.

For her demonstration at Mom Tri’s Villa Royale, Su-Mei Yu will be focusing on the revitalizing effects of different ingredients. She will show how lime can cure dandruff, lemongrass restore lustre and how coconut can eradicate split-ends. She will also reveal how to use tomato to relieve acne and papaya, honey and the radish-like daikon can take years off your face.

Su-Mei Yu’s Beauty-Spa Kitchen, a demonstration of alternative uses for ingredients easily found in the kitchen or garden to make natural beauty and health treatments, will take place at Mom Tri’s Villa Royale, Kata, on 21 June, 2.30pm. Admission is free. Call 076 333 569 for details.

A facial feast at Mom Tri’s Villa Royale is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

A hanging sculpture at Brush Restaurant and Lounge

Phuket’s art scene is often described as vibrant, but the exhibits at Brush Restaurant & Lounge in Kalim this month actually do vibrate… they also twist, twirl, roll and rotate.

The Kalim Kinetic Art Fair is the brainchild of Brush’s owners, the family Underwood, and has the aim of drawing together young local artists and designers to create art that moves – both emotionally and literally.

A month in the making, the father-son team of John and Zac Underwood opened up the doors of the Underwood Art Factory to help aspiring “Kineticians” create their mobile masterpieces. All the best entries to the project will be on show at the closing party at Brush Restaurant on 25 June, including two pieces by the Underwoods; a wave sculpture John worked on with Zac, and a perpetual motion machine.

“Kinetic art is interactive, not-so-mainstream, alternative art,” Zac explains. “It doesn’t have a definition, which is why it’s so flexible. But it excites the imagination, incites curiosity.”

Bringing new artists to this dynamic medium was only the first part of the plan, John hopes that the Art Fair will become an annual attraction for Kalim – the quiet beach just to the north of big, bright, brash Patong.

A home for art in Kalim at Brush Restaurant & Lounge

“My family is very attached to Kalim,” John says. “We think Kalim needs something that sets it apart – an ideal that allows people to come here and enjoy it year after year. So I’m hoping [the Kinetic Art Fair] is something we can do in June every year”

Brush was once, in fact, the Underwoods’ home. After the 2004 tsunami, John rebuilt it as a restaurant, incorporating some of the visual wildness that has become his trademark.

Underwood’s signature style incorporates materials at their most elemental level. Rust is relished and the abandoned is brought back to serve an active role in the imagination.

“I work as much as I can with recycled materials,” he explains. “To me, this century is about how we do things with fewer resources. It’s the simple end, not the technical end of the environmental side. Every time we do a project we try to incorporate recycling into it. I know now that’s becoming more and more popular.”

He is possibly best known locally for his work on the stunning Indigo Pearl Resort at Nai Yang Beach, where the tin mining theme gave John the opportunity to delve deep into the junk pile to create stunning visuals all around the resort.

The Underwood factory, on the bypass road, could easily be described as a giant kinetic art exhibit. Grinders send arcs of sparks leaping into the air, lathes and lasers dance a flickering jig and dedicated workers busy themselves, heads down, amidst the shifting piles of strange and often scary inventions, art in progress and ongoing projects for hotels and resorts around the world.

It is here that the ideas of the young artists have been brought to life for the Kinetic Art Fair; from on-paper proposals to perpetual motions.

“We think Phuket really needs a platform for kids, for everyone, to express their creative identity, so basically it’s just about getting people involved,” Zac says. “It’s going to be wicked!”

The best of the kinetic artworks exhibited during the Fair will be auctioned off at Brush Restaurant and Lounge during the closing party on 25 June, with proceeds going to local charity. Call 076 340 348 or email info@awpr-phuket.com or info@underwood-phuket.com for details.

Brush Restaurant is out to create a Kinetic Kalim is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Come on in, the aquarium's fine

Phuket will get a second aquarium, plus a marine zoo with performing seals and other animals, if a bid by an enterprising Canadian and long time Phuket resident gets approval, which seems likely.

The B900-million complex would be in the southern area of Rawai. Seeking to build the attraction on 60 rai of land in Patak Road, between Chalong Circle and Karon Hill, Rawai is Canadian businessman Daniel McDaniel.

It would cover two phases, the first part an aquarium and marine zoo where visitors could feed marine animals, including sea lions, dolphins and seals. The second phase would include a resort and would begin in about two years. Mr McDaniel thinks the first phase could be up and running in up to 160 days from approval date.

Phuket already has an aquarium at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre on the east coast but this is more committed to preserving the local marine environment.

Mr McDaniel says there would be a “Jurassic Park” aspect to the venue. It would have dual pricing to make it affordable to Thais.

The idea has met with some resistance from local but Phuket’s governor has said he would assist Mr McDaniel wherever he could.

New Aquarium and Marine Zoo Planned for Rawai is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Each design is unique

Venera Tabakin has run her Sashiko clothes label on Phuket since 2007 through her Mona Shop near Surin Beach and various other stores that stock the designs.

Ms Tabakin is well recognised on Phuket for the flair and modern designs.

Originally from Uzbekistan, Ms Tabakin moved to Russia to study at a top fashion college, spent time as a dressmaker in Turkey and, finally, moved to London College of Fashion.

She now brings her signature style to Phuket, an island full of beautiful women and where fashion shows–particularly to raise funds for charity–are common.

She says to be a good designer you need to be able to draw patterns, cut fabric accurately and understand the process of dressmaking. “When I see fabric, I see in my mind the dress that will match that type of fabric. And when I see a woman, I imagine which style of dress is going to match her look and her figure. Ms Tabakin’s Sashiko designs are each unique.

Unique Sashiko Women’s Clothing Designs on Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Want a lift? Hop aboard.

“Hogs,” [Harley Davidson], Hondas, hot women, hot weather and a whole lot of revved to the maximum fun–that’s Phuket Bike Week 8-10 April on Phuket.

Some 6000 big bikes and 30,000 motorcycle fans make this South East Asia’s largest motorcycle event.

Now in its 17th year and held just before the traditional Songkran festival on 13-15 April, Phuket Bike Week has a “Miss Bike Week” competition, kicks off with a grand dinner, has a motorbike exhibition, a “Miss Songkan Fun Fest” contest, fire dancing, Thai dancing, a custom bike and tatoo contest, a ride for peace and global warming, beach party and music festival at the football field, Loma Park, Patong Beach.

The beach party and music festival will feature top local and some overseas artists.

Motorbiking can be such fun!

The Phuket population will be able to view the awesome sight of dozens–maybe hundreds–of dedicated bikers on their gleaming, lovingly cared for “hogs,” Hondas and every other type of bike imaginable, rumbling around the island to plant banana trees on their way. That’s one way of reducing the carbon footprint of all those bikes.

Phuket Bike Week started in 1995 with a group of enthusiasts and attracted around 150 motorcycles. Riders from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States and many other coutnries come to Phuket for the event. It attracts television coverage in Thailand and overseas. It is supported by companies like Harley Davidson, who have more than 300 community members in Thailand alone.

Bike Week is organised by the Patong Municipality, Phuket Big Bike Lovers’ Club, Phuket Riders’ Club, the Heroine Club, Ride Thailand Magazine and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Second photo by Phuket Photo PROjects

Phuket Bike Week Revs Up in April is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

More traditional Songkran.

Bangla Road in the middle of Patong will again be the centre of attention for the 2011 Songkran festival from 13-15 April.

Prepare yourself by dressing down to the bare essentials, arming yourself with colourful water pistols/guns and be prepared to get covered in talcum powder plus getting very, very wet.

Songkran is Thailand’s traditional New Year and is generally celebrated by visitors and Thais alike by throwing and squirting water at each other. For many Thais Songkran also has a more traditional feel by paying respect to elders, including family members, friends and neighbours.

Don't wear your Sunday best for this.

But for many visitors it is basically a time for a gigantic water fight–and Bangla Road in Patong will be the centre of activity for this on Wednesday, 13 April.

The water is meant as a symbol of washing away all that is bad. As April is Thailand’s hottest month, with temperatures often exceeding 40 Degrees Centigrade or 100F, throwing water at each other in the heat of the day is not a bad idea!

For traditional Thais it is also a time for cleaning and renewal. besides washing household Buddha images, many Thais also take this opportunity to give home a thorough cleaning.

Songkran on Phuket: Head for Famous Bangla Road is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Avoid! Early tin cutting machine in action

The B180 million Phuket Tin Mining Museum on Kathu-Koh Kaew Road in the Phuket countryside was officially opened in early March after almost five years of building and installation of attractions. (see our previous story about the Tin Mining Museum)

It should be a must see for visitors and locals alike to the island as it substantially showcases, for the first time in one venue, Phuket’s colourful tin mining past.

Indoor and outdoor exhibits in both English and Thai languages, outdoor displays including an abandoned mine with rail cars transporting and other machinery used in tin mining will carry visitors back to the early days when Chinese settlers began the tin mining industry that still survives to this day on a much smaller scale in the south of the island.

The building is designed in the Sino-Portuguese style of early Phuket Town when the Portuguese were early settlers and which gives the old Phuket Town such a distinctive flair. It is built in a square around a large open courtyard and features numerous explanations of the tin mining methods and pictures of early mining.

Step back into Phuket history

The museum is part of an ongoing strategy by the Phuket administration to promote cultural, as well as natural, attractions on Phuket.

The facility covers 400 rai and was completed in mid-2008.

Tin mining well precedes tourism as Phuket’s major income earner. One interesting aspect of the Phuket tin is that it was not associated with arsenic, as many types of tin are, thus making it less dangerous to mine.

The museum is open daily from 9am to 4pm. Entry costs B100 per foreign adult; B50 per foreign child [under 15] B50 per Thai adult and B20 per Thai child. Free entry for students in uniform, Thais over 60 years old and disabled people.

Tin Mining Museum Finally Opens: Get in Touch With Phuket’s Colourful History is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Curtis Salgado is cool. See him on Phuket in February.

Curtis Salgado is one cool cat–and he will be in Phuket for the Phuket International Blues Rock Festival from 25-26 February, 2011 at the Hilton Hotel, Kata Beach.

Salgado, who will headline the festival, is credited as being the man who inspired and mentored John Belushi for his role in The Blues Brothers mega hit movie.

Salgado won the coveted Male Artist of the year 2010 at the Blues Foundation Awards in Memphis, Tennessee. Charlie Musselwhite, who headlined the festival last year, has also been nominated for an award at the 2011 awards, known as the Oscars of the blues industry.

Salgado’s story has a Lance Armstrong ring about it. Just as the great cyclist beat cancer, so Salgado was diagnosed with liver cancer and told he had eight months to live unless he had a liver transplant. No money, no life.

Enter the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, the Phantom Blues Band and many more legends of blues, friends of Salgado’s who raised the money through benefits, auctions and private donations. Two years after the diagnosis Salgado was declared “clean.”

Other leading acts at the Festival include Mason Ruffner who will bring his band from new Orleans. Ruffner has performed with Bob Dylan and toured with U2, Jimmy Page, Ringo Starr, Crosby, Stills and Nash and many others.  He wrote “Angel Love,” a song made famous by Santana.

Blues Brothers John Belushi’s Inspiration To Play Phuket Jazz Festival is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

Ballistic RIB at speed: the Tawan version has a canopy over the rear, to keep the sun off the more delicate members of the expedition, and six jockey seats in the bow, rather than the two shown here.

There are dozens of tours that take people out and around Phang Nga Bay, from slow boats piled high with kayaks to speedboats that flit from island to island.

But one thing they all have in common is that the destination is the thing. Get on boat. Thrash across the bay to an island. Take in the sights. Get on boat. Thrash across the bay to another island, and so on.

Tawan Sea Adventures, which already runs a couple of very high end speed boats, has added a new dimension. Yes, you get to visit islands and take in the sights, swim or snorkel. But the boat trip itself is also high-octane entertainment. Instead of “getting on the bus”, passengers get the ride of their lives.

Getting a new angle on adventure; the RIB goes into a 360.

Tawan have imported a Ballistic RIB (rigid inflatable boat) from South Africa. It’s probably the fastest boat on the bay, with a top speed just short of 40 knots (74 kmh), and incredibly manoeuvrable. It’s also so light that, even with the skipper and 10 passengers aboard, it’ll take off when you hit the wake of another boat at speed.

This boat flies.

The Observer got to experience this recently, on a trip from Ao Por Grand Marina, where the boat is based, to Koh Kai Nork – the tiny island famed for fish that feed out of one’s hand.

Passengers sit in pairs on the boat, life preservers on and perched on “jockey seats”, so that both feet can be planted firmly on the deck for balance. One fellow-traveller described the seats as Sybianesque, a jaded but not inaccurate description.

Skipper Lek plainly enjoys the job, describing tight S curves or doing complete 360s, all the while hunting the horizon for that perfect wave for take-off. Squeals and screams all round, as the boat tilts 45 degrees, first one way then the other.

This is the closest thing to a roller coaster that you’ll find on the water. Everyone arrives back at the mooring with eyes glittering with adrenaline.

Tawan currently runs three routes using the Ballistic: James Bond Island and Koh Hong; Koh Hong Krabi and Koh Yao; and Koh Kai Nork and Koh Naka Yai. Each takes three to four hours and the price of B3,900 includes a packed lunch. The website is a work in progress, so call +66 76 617 106 for up-to-date information.

Flying boat lands in Phuket is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.

There were plenty of boats on the water - 3 billion baht worth.

The eighth Phuket International Boat Show, still known by its origional initials, PIMEX, opened this morning at the Royal Phuket Marina with 86 exhibitors on the water and in the exhibition hall, a record number for the eight-year-old show. The total value of the boats on display exceeded 3 billion baht, said organisers Informa Yacht Group.

For the first time, the iconic Riva boat company, whose speedboats have appeared in countless movies and have been bought by the likes of George Clooney, Claudia Schiffer, Brigitte Bardot and Elizabeth Taylor, were at the show.

The new Jaguar XJ, the XFR and XKR cars were also on display. No, they don’t float, but they are very sexy and very fast. The XJ was mounted on a pontoon in the middle of the yacht basin, so test drives were out for the time being.

“We’re very happy to see so many exhibitors, marine and lifestyle, taking part in this year’s PIMEX. It’s a good sign for the Show, for Phuket and for the regional economy at large, and expectations are high for a good visitor turnout,” said Show Director, Andy Dowden. He added at the end of the day that 1,500 visitors had been counted through the gates, also a record for the show.

Sorry, no test drives today. Jag XJ on the water.

Sunseeker boats were well represented.

The locally made Andaman Cabriolet catamarans come well equipped.

A final bit of polishing before the show doors open.

Movenpick ice cream for anyone overheated by the weather.

Everything a deck-hand needs.

Pimex boat show breaks records is an article from: Phuket Observer - Phuket lifestyle magazine.