Pool of Life News 2009
Chaophraya & Dotting of the Eye
The big day finally arrived, the opening of the new Thai Restaurant in Liverpool 1 by our new sponsors, Chaophraya. I think we were all excited to be included in such a prestigious event. All the team had been invited along with our guests, except Joan and Wendy decided to be each other’s guests and even decided to make a full night of it by booking a hotel room at Albert Dock!!
All dressed in our very best, including new hair-do’s, we all met at the Watersports Centre so we could all go in as few cars as possible. John (Ali’s husband) kindly waited for me to park up, after several journeys up and down the dock road and we left his car at Police Headquarters, much to the amusement of the security men!
Once inside the restaurant, which was absolutely amazing, we were greeted with champagne and canapés. Next we were given a guided tour, including a private eating area where you took off your shoes, and sat at floor height with feet suspended below! Upstairs there was an amazing room with lovely chandeliers overlooking the bar, Palm Sugar. On we went and found the most unusual feature of Chaophraya . . . . the fish! They started in the bar, swam through to the restaurant and ended up in the toilets! Not literally, but the women on our team had a lot of fun going to the ladies where a glass wall, filled with fish, separated the ladies from the gents. I remember Marion saying “Aw do we have to go, I wanted to see which man comes in next!!”
Another main occupation of the evening was celebrity spotting, and I think Karen wins this hands down. She chatted for quite some time to Herbert the Hairdresser and even managed to get us mentioned on Radio Merseyside. I think I spotted an Everton footballer, but those strawberry cocktails may have blurred my vision!! There were many more celebs, but in an exclusive area of Palm Sugar, and a few of us tried very hard to blag our way to join them, but didn’t succeed!
Other highlights of the evening include Ali and John’s realisation that both had been drinking the lovely, but very strong cocktails, and neither could drive home. They spent ages wondering how they were to get home, when Carolyn and Brenda came to the rescue and offered them a lift. I bet that was a sight, all four squashed into a tiny Micra.
Most of us left around midnight having had a fantastic night, (well somebody had to go early for being a naughty girl and caught smoking in the toilets, but we wont say who!!) vowing to return to sample the menu!
EYE DOTTING CEREMONY
Chinese Emperors of old called themselves 'Dragons'. Dragon boats have good spirits dedicated to providing enjoyment for the racers. The priest makes offerings to the Water Gods, these offerings appease the spirits of the water and calm them in preparation for the racing ahead. If that was not done, legend has it that the Water Gods would clash with the Dragon spirits of the boat, with disastrous consequences.
Kim and Tae performing the dotting of the eye ceremony at the Queens Dock Liverpool
