Now a new head office in Banglamung

TAEKWONDO means literally foot (tae), fist (kwon) and do (way) from the Korean and is literally translated as “the way of the foot and the fist” or, less formally, “the art of kicking and punching”. Although it is taught as a martial art by the South Korean military, Taekwondo is in reality a many sided activity and combines the techniques of selfdefence, sport, exercise, meditation and philosophy. It’s now truly international in scale and scope and first appeared as an official Olympic sport at the Sydney Games in 2000.

     Jean Pierre Berrie, aged just 40, first took up an interest in martial arts as a teenager when he went to the gym for judo. Visiting Thailand first in 1994, and based here long term since 1997, Jean Pierre is both managing director and principal teacher of Universal Hansoo Taekwondo Company Limited. The recently opened new head office is on Sukhumvit Road, opposite Banglamung police station, with a second location, also on Sukhumvit, by South Pattaya’s Duck Square.
     “We have students of all ages from under fives to the decidedly middle aged,” says Jean Pierre, “and a good mix of both males and females. I think what appeals to them mostly is the discipline of the sport and the self control that it teaches.” He adds that its history goes back 2,000 years and that an international federation was established in 1973. Jean Pierre’s company is the only one in Thailand formally and officially part of the federation.
     ”Taekwondo requires considerable commitment from the start. Beginners need to practise and to learn two or three times a week, whilst those aspiring to do really well need up to five sessions,” Jean Pierre explains, adding that there are formal exams to progress to the next level. The master himself is a family man with three sons, so he doesn’t get much time for other sports or pastimes. “Taekwondo today is practised in 188 countries with over 70 million practitioners worldwide. And there are four million in dividuals with the much cherished black belt,” he enthuses.
     For further details, look up the two web sites www.universalhansoo-tkd.com and www.hansoo.org The former gives international information and the latter specific address details here in Pattaya. Phone contacts are 081 383 0075 (French and English) and 086 553 5067 (Thai).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                          Afghan holiday spot has some surprises

AFGHANISTAN’S Bamiyan Valley is famous for the former landmarks – the largest standing statues of Buddha in the world – which were blown up in 2001 by the Taliban who considered them to be un-Islamic. Yet these days the Valley, deep in the Hindu Kush mountains, has become a relatively safe enclave in an otherwise violent land.
     It’s certainly a surprise to find that there’s an hotel, Hotel Silk Road Bamiyan, which has no trouble filling its ten rooms on a regular basis with aid workers, contractors, journalists and the occasional intrepid traveller. Each room offers comfortable beds, panoramic views of the valley and the cliffs which are honeycombed with caves for those inclined to explore. Owner Ms. Hiromi Yasui, from Japan originally, said “I first came here in 1993 as a freelance photographer, fell in love with both the country and an Afghan who became my husband.” Thus it was that she fulfilled her lifetime ambition to open an hotel, though hardly in a location you’d expect.
     After four years of construction and shipping every item from mirrors to chairs and pillows over the 110 mile (180 km) unpaved road from Kabul, Yasui opened the doors of her dream hotel in May 2007 and hasn’t really looked back since. Convivial by nature, she spends a lot of time in the kitchen, whipping up her favourite recipes from across Asia. “This has been a tourist area since the 5th century and I think it always will be.” If interested in a side trip (although you can’t renew your Thai visa there) look up the hotel’s website www.silkroadbamiyan.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                       There’s lots more than casinos in Koh Kong

                                    Cambodia lessens dependence on Angkor Wat

WHILST Cambodia’s Koh Kong has a sleepy reputation, howbeit with casinos, there’s
a lot of development going on as regards tourist attractions. Tourism expert Mayuda Mang says, “Koh Kong is home to the country’s largest mangrove areas and we still have several small, pristine islands eligible for eco-tourism development. She added that, although there have been political tensions between Thailand and Cambodia of late, the relationship between Koh Kong and its Thai equivalent province of Trat remain cordial.
     Indeed, Trat’s authorities have sent experts to help Koh Kong villagers to preserve the mango forests as part of an environmental protection programme. But now that there’s a linking bridge to Thailand as well as a new road linking Phnom Penh, there are inevitably investors, businessmen and gamblers turning up on a regular basis. Not everybody is an ecotourist. It takes about one hour to drive to Koh Kong from Trat itself and another three hours onwards to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh.
     Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has reportedly done a lot of spade work in the province, so to speak, and took 10 interested parties to meet Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen last April. However, nobody has yet confirmed that any deals have been signed. Thaksin is said to have shown some interest in leasing Koh Kong Khrao, an 80 square meter island off Koh Kong, to develop an entertainment complex. What is known for sure is that a South Korean company has been given a 99 year lease to develop hotel, entertainment and eco-tourism businesses in Koh Yo, another small island near the mainland.
     Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti investor has pledged US$15 million to develop Cambodia into an agrobusiness hub. Koh Kong’s efforts to attract different kinds of tourists is part of Cambodia’s wider strategy to develop the industry nationwide so that the impoverished country will not continue to be over dependent on its main drawing card of Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. Anyway there are no casinos in Siem Reap.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                 Brits are glued to their TV sets

IT HAS emerged that Britons spend 14 years of their life in front of the TV and don’t care much what they are watching, according to research from Virgin Media which discovered that 29% of Brits spend 20 hours a week watching TV with three quarters saying they find themselves viewing programmes for the sake of it. The survey also found out that 13% of people could not bear to miss their favourite show.
     Moreover, if people aren’t actually watching television, then they are talking about it. Half the respondents of a total of 2,052 people said that what was on TV last night formed the basis of conversation with family and friends. No wonder there’s said to be a drop in British visitors to Thailand. They’re too busy gawping at the box.