Thailand Extravaganza

Take your love of the Thai to a whole new level with this exotic event "Thailand Extravaganza". The event was held on December 5th, 2012 at the NV Penthouse Lounge in downtown Chicago. Shari Duffy of Ladies Night Chicago and Celebrity Photographer Amie Hana presented this event along with Hosts Marisa Buchheit, Miss Chicago 2012, and Benjamin Cottrell.

The event was a tremendous success in reaching out and to promote Thai culture awareness among non-Thais. We are overwhelmed with multiple thank you notes sending to us in the past week. NV said we have set an ALL TIME record for car valeted for the Thailand Extravaganza on a Wednesday night. They reported our amount of guests on this event beats many other events hosted on regular weekends.


No matter how you were involved in this year’s Thailand Extravaganza. We are thankful that you helped make this one-of-a-kind event such a wonderful experience. The venue was filled to capacity, with almost 300 guests in attendance (double the amount we expected). We feel that this says a great deal about the appreciation for the rich Thai culture and community in Chicago.


We’d like to first and foremost thank our event sponsors. This event attributes much of its success to your generosity and involvement. Thank you to Dharma Garden, Jitlada Thai House, TAC Quick, and Lovely Thai for the delicious Thai food contributions.


Spoon and a Fork Please! Thais eat most dishes with a spoon in their dominant hand and forks easily leverage food onto the spoon. 


This comes in handy because Thai food is so tasty and when I’m using a spoon it’s a lot easier to shovel food into my mouth! Of note is the fact that chopsticks are really only used for eating soups, otherwise you can mostly expect your dish served with a spoon and/or fork.

Special contribution from Arun's Thai with Larb (Spicy ground chicken with Thai herbs)


Thank you to the hair team, headed by Joe Paciorek. Thank you to the makeup team, F.O.G. Cosmetics. Thank you for the beautiful garments from Charisma Designer Studio. You made the models, performers, and hosts for the evening look stunning! Thank you to Singha Beer, the official liquor sponsor of Thailand Extravaganza.


Thanks to our lovely models for making the evening truly magical. Thank you Anny Dhamavasi for your great job with the model makeovers. Thailand Extravaganza models were Shannon Ihrke, Dan Hahn, Bella Ventresca, Sesamir Yearby, Laura Silva, Aya Jackson and Gloria Santiago.


Thanks to our wonderful performers and celebrity guests, including Miss Chicago Marisa Buchheit,  Jovie Calma of VIA Times and Chicago Philippine Reports TV 25, and Kanya & Moshi from PopRockJazz Band.



Thank you to photographers in attendance at Thailand Extravaganza, in addition to event coordinator and Celebrity Photographer Amie Hana. These included David Stephens, Dwayne Kuan, AScene Chicago, Kevin Korveil James, Garbero Photography,  and Photos by A Taste of Chicago.


Thank you Shari Duffy and our VIP guest, Chef Arun Sampanthavivat. It was such an honor to have Khun Arun to attend our event. Arun's Thai Restaurant was voted the best Thai restaurant in United States. Dining at his restaurant has been listed in a book as "One of 1000 Places to See Before You Die".


Cooking demonstration of Pad Thai by Burt Boonma


Thank you to Thai friends who came to support us at the event.



In Thailand, we greet each other by gracefully raising both hands near the head or chest and pressing our palms together like as in prayer and say “Sawadee Krub” if you’re a male or “Sawadee Ka”, if you are a female. This gesture is called a “Wai” and it’s our traditional and current way of greeting and showing respect to each other.

Fun Fact about Thailand: How do we call the people in Thailand ? Thai or Taiwanese ?
Answer: "Thai" ** Taiwanese are people from Taiwan, which is an island, a part of China.

Fun Fact about Thailand: What do you call the people in Thailand? Thai or Thailander?
Answer: "Thai". The correct pronunciation is "Tai"


Outdoor patio at the NV Penthouse Lounge with model Dan Hahn


VIP room at the NV Penthouse with model Sesamir Yearby


Fun Facts about Thailand: Thailand was known as Siam until 1939.


Fun Facts about Thailand: The name Thailand means Lands of the Freedom.

Fun Facts about Thailand: Thailand borders Burman, Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia.

Social Customs in Thailand: Thais DO NOT normally shake hands when they greet one another, but instead press the palms together. in a prayer-like gesture called a wai. Generally, a younger person wais an older, who returns it. Watch how the Thais do it, and you will soon learn.


Fun Facts about Thailand: Phuket is Thailand’s largest island.


Fun Facts about Thailand: BANGKOK FULL NAME: Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit

Fun Facts about Thailand: Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that was never colonized by a European power…quite a feat since Europeans colonized seemingly everywhere for a good while.
 

* Images from below were taken by participated photographers *
 
Top Eight Reasons to Retire in Thailand

If you are over 50 and looking for an alternative retirement haven unlike traditional people from the West, it would be a good idea to start considering what Thailand has to offer. There are many reasons to consider retirement in Thailand; however, I feel the following ten reasons are most impelling:

 
1. Extremely Friendly People:

Thai people are some of the most friendly and helpful people in the world. Known as residents of the Land of Smiles, most Thais genuinely like foreigners and will do all they can to assist the expat or weary traveler, whether he be at the airport or trying to take a bus around Bangkok. I experienced this hospitality on my second trip to Thailand 13 years ago. Having just spent a night at the Bangkok Airport hotel, it was early in the morning and I had no idea how to get to the domestic airline terminal from the hotel. After noticing my disoriented manner, a young Thai man led me about 200 yards to the terminal, instead of ignoring me or just pointing in the general direction of the terminal.

 
 2. English Is An Unofficial Second Language:

Although many travelers have learned some Thai before coming to Thailand, the majority of tourists  have studied none and can't even say "hello" or "thank you" in the local language. This doesn't really matter, because all young people have learned many years of English in school, and all people in the tourist industry including policemen, public servants, hotel and restaurant workers, and persons in the entertainment industries can speak passable survival English. It isn't even necessary to know how to read Thai, because all signs are in both Thai and English.  

3. Ease In Getting A Retirement Visa:

To be eligible for a retirement visa, a foreigner must be at least 50 years of age. The major requirement is that a person show evidence of income as a means of financial support while living in Thailand. This is because a non-Thai citizen is prohibited from working while holding a retirement visa. The proof of income can be in the form of showing a deposit of 800,000 Thai baht (about $27,000 U.S. dollars) in a Thai bank which has been sitting in the bank for at least three months. If one does not have all of this money to deposit into a Thai bank, the retiree must show evidence that a combination of his or her savings and monthly pension of approximately $2,000 U.S. dollars equal $27,000. Other requirements include a medical check for AIDS, police clearance from ones home country, and a passport which is still valid for one year.

4. Good, Affordable Health Care:

Thailand has some of the best affordable international hospitals in the world. Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok is well-known in Southeast Asia, and every year people come to this hospital for various surgeries and medical procedures. As a matter of fact, Bumrungrad with most of its physicians and surgeons trained in foreign countries, was named one of the top 10 medical destinations by Newsweek Magazine. There are other excellent hospitals of international stature in the provinces which provide medical care at a fraction of what you would pay in America. I have used the services of Bumrungrad, and my bills were paid by my Blue Cross - Blue Shield medical insurance carrier.

5. Good Weather:

It's true that Thailand has a rainy season for five to six months of the year, but this does not mean it is raining continuously every day. On many of the days there will usually only be one shower a day late in the afternoon which lasts for about an hour. Although there can occasionally be flooding, there is never any danger from typhoons or any kind of wind storm. The temperature in Bangkok will never fall below 60 degrees in the winter, and in the countryside it will never get below 50 although temperatures close to 32 have been recorded in the northern mountains.

6. Affordable Food and Housing:

An abundance of reasonably priced pork, chicken, fruit, and vegetables can be found in outdoor markets and also in many supermarkets throughout Thailand. Rents are reasonable, and $300-400 U.S. dollars per month can get you a fairly good 1-2 bedroom unfurnished apartment in Bangkok. Westerners can purchase condos running from 33K and up depending on location; however, they may not purchase land in their name.

7. Inexpensive Convenient Transportation:

It is not really necessary to own a personal vehicle in Thailand, because transportation is quite inexpensive and convenient. There is an abundance of taxis which can be hailed down on the street. Another nice thing about taxis is that the meter starts out at less than $1.20 for the first two kilometers and then increases $0.16 for each kilometer after. Bangkok has a subway and expanding elevated light rail as well as air-conditioned buses which will whisk you to any place in the city or country.

8. Recreation and Travel:

Finally, in Thailand there are numerous venues of recreation such as parks, historical sites, temples, floating markets, beaches, mountains, and golf courses to satisfy most interests. Due to its key location in Southeast Asia, travel to China, Japan, Indonesia, and Australia is convenient, fast, and reasonably priced. A flight from Bangkok to Tokyo will take 5-6 hours while the quickest flight to Sydney will take 9 hours.

May Your Holiday Be Filled With Magic!

Sincerely,

Amie Hana, Celebrity Photographer, Event Founder

Shari Duffy, Ladies Night Chicago, Event Coordinator

Marisa Buchheit, Miss Chicago 2012, Event Host and Emcee

Benjamin Cottrell, Benjamin Cottrell Designs, Event Host