"Gently down the stream...back in time to old Siam" was the title of the 2008 fundraiser organized by SI Dusit Club in commemoration of the 80th birthday anniversary of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The nostalgic and entertaining event took place shortly after Chinese New Year on Saturday, February 9, 2008.
We can proudly say that we were sold out, which means that 240 guests assembled at 09.00 hrs. the Nai Lert Park Hotel. There the buses waited to take the international groups of people to the first stop, the ‘Rose Garden’. En route, the guests enjoyed Dixieland music of the era, 80 years ago, and learned more about Thailand, and the ‘going-ons’ of that exciting time.
After a generous buffet luncheon, including old style Thai dishes, the guests boarded the boats, former rice barges, which took them down the Nakorn Chaisri or Tha Chin River. We passed lush tropical flora, beautiful houses and wats like Wat Rai King, well-known for its famous image of the Lord Buddha. After one and a half hours of leisurely cruising, we reached our destination and absolute highlight of the trip: Afternoon Tea at a splendid private estate.
Students of a nearby vocational school served old-fashioned Thai deserts and gave demonstrations of the famous Thai floristry. What a wonderful sight with the guests dressed in white, strolling around with little white umbrellas, all very reminiscent of by-gone days! An additional feature was the Jazz band.
The musicians played compositions of His Royal Majesty the King that added nicely to atmosphere. In addition to the ticket sales, we received generous donations, which allow us to further support our 104 students.
