Dear Fellow Skalleagues,
I am writing and sending greeting to you from Koh Samui in Thailand and must tell you that having just spent two weeks in this beautiful part of the world has been wonderful experience. The people are wonderful, the culture is fascinating and I was blessed to be able to meet some of our fellow Skalleagues while staying at the Four Seasons in Chiang Mai with the host being Ms. Annette Kunigagon, Skal President, Skal Chiang Mai and North Thailand and Skal Member Ms Khun Titiya Chooto, General Manager of the Four Seasons. My bride, Barbara and I were also joined by Ineke Martens, Treasurer and Secretary, Khun Naphat Nutsati. What a delightful and informative breakfast meeting this was and I can tell you that the hospitality and sharing of information that was done over breakfast reaffirms to the me a great deal of what Skal as an organization is all about. To have such strong friendships and ties around the world at any moment is extremely comforting and I encourage all of you to take advantage of the Skal Clubs that may fall as part of your travel itineraries when traveling anywhere in the world. Also do try and see when they have their regularly scheduled meetings and participate should the timing work for you.
Below is the press release that was distributed shortly after my visit by Annette Kunigagon – I now have new lifelong friends in Thailand!!! ::
SKAL PRESIDENT SAN FRANCISCO, MR. THOMAS KLEIN, IS WELCOMED TO CHIANG MAI
BY REPRESENTATIVES OF SKAL CHIANG MAI AND NORTH THAILAND.
On the 13th January, Friday, Skal Chiang Mai and North Thailand were honoured by a visit from the Skal President of San Francisco, Mr. Tom Klein. Tom was accompanied by his very charming wife Barbara.
President Annette, on behalf of the members of Skal Chiang Mai and North Thailand, presented Tom with a Skal Chiang Mai and North Thailand Club Flag, as well as a very nice bottle of wine, sponsored by Italasia.
Tom and Barbara have been really enjoying Chiang Mai, so much so, that they may even consider retiring to our beautiful city! One of the things that they find so beneficial about Skal International, is that wherever they travel they can have ready-made local friends and business contacts.
Tom is the General Manager of the well known and very luxurious Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. The Fairmont Hotel is a landmark hotel which has been in existence since 1907, it boasts panoramic views of San Francisco.
Many famous people have stayed at, and visited, the Fairmont Hotel including presidents, vice presidents, statesmen, musicians, royal families. Guests such as Bill Clinton, Thomas R. Marshall, Yehudi Menuhin, the Japanese Royal family, Pierre Monteux, Harry S. Truman, Jawaharlal Nehru, Ella Fitzgerald, John F. Kennedy, Nat King Cole, Ted Kennedy, Yitzhak Rabin, Mikhail Gorbachev, The Dalai Lama, Jiang Zemin, Elton John amongst others. The Fairmont even had its own television show, Hotel, as well being the backdrop for many films, such as Dirty Harry and Junior. Have a look at the website and feel tempted to visit http://www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco.
San Francisco Skal boasts a membership of 95 and a committee of 15. They meet on the first Thursday of every month, if you are in the San Francisco area, President Tom Klein warmly welcomes you to join them. They have recently changed their meetings to include a speaker, of not more than 20 minutes, each time. http://skalsanfrancisco.org/default.aspx
A note to our Skal Chiang Mai & North Thailand members, if you are planning international holidays or business trips, don’t forget to look up the nearest Skal Club, check when their meetings are. If you are not there at the ‘right’ time, introduce yourselves anyway, there is usually someone with whom you can catch up with.
The breakfast meeting at the Four Seasons with President Tom and Mrs Barbara Klein was kindly hosted by our Skal Member Khun Titiya Chooto, we are most grateful. In attendance from Chiang Mai were Annette Kunigagon, President, Ineke Martens, Treasurer and Secretary, Khun Naphat Nutsati, Events Director, Khun Titiya Chooto, Skal Member.
Written by Annette Kunigagon, Skal President, Skal Chiang Mai & North Thailand
I am truly sorry to note that I will not be able to attend the February meeting as I will be in our head office in Toronto for one of our quarterly meetings. I do my best to block our dinner dates out where possible, but this one is out of my control and I hope and trust that you will once again have an enjoyable evening. I am always available on e-mail and should anyone have any questions or issues that they would like me to address or have comments.
Warm regards and Skal!!
Tom