iCON 2004 BANGKOK... A PERSONAL RECOLLECTION  by Billy Wong

(For Billy's Report on iCON 2003 Paris, please click here.)

As our plane hovered over Bangkok preparing to land, I could feel the excitement in my bones. "Soon, we'll be attending iCON 2004 - that's great!"

My partner David and I had previously attended several iCONs - the annual Long Yang Club International Convention - including those in London, Paris, Seattle and Montreal, we looked forward to meeting with old friends as well as new making ones from different parts of the world.

iCON is not really a like a normal business convention (which can be quite hard work for delegates!). It is more a program of parties, tours, elegant meals, entertainment and other social events, with a limited amount of time allocated to optional workshops and holding annual general meeting of Long Yang Club International, the umbrella body for the LYC global network of groups. It takes place every year in a different city around the world where the host is a local LYC chapter. In 2004, our wonderful hosts were LYC Thailand.

David and I stayed at the Tawana Ramada Hotel, one of the three hotels appointed by iCON2004. The rates offered were incredibly reasonable for such a luxurious four star hotel - less than a quarter of what one might have expected to pay in the West. All the appointed hotels were within walking distance to most of the iCON events.

We did a little bit of exploring Bangkok, and discovered that many of the gay clubs, bars and other establishments, had hung up banners welcoming Long Yang Club attendees to iCON2004. Some even offered special discounts to LYC members.

TUESDAY - NOVEMBER 16, 2004

We arrived one day early and attended the pre-conference dinner party . This was held at the elegant Sphinx Restaurant. The Sphinx is a gay establishment with style. All the waiters are very well trained and professional. We were offered a four course menu with a choice of starters, entrees, main course and dessert. We had ordered "prawns" for our main course, and to our surprise these "prawns" turned out to be the size of lobsters! We were informed that these were Thai fresh river prawns, and they were absolutely delicious.

WEDNESDAY - NOVEMBER 17, 2004

At about 10.30am, we went to a hospitality suite on the 36th Floor of the Sofitel Silom Hotel where the iCON 2004 "base" was located. On entering the suite, iCON attendees were greeted by a superb panoramic view of Bangkok. We did not realise the city had so many skyscrapers!

The registration desks, which were manned by LYC Thailand volunteers were laid with registration lists and iCON stationery. Each of the attendees was presented with the iCON 2004 name tag along with a useful "sling" bag, containing the iCON 2004 magazine and program, maps, plus locally produced souvenirs. We met people from all over the world - Europe, Asia, Australasia and North America - and there was an atmosphere of excited anticipation. We were introduced to new friends, as well as meeting old ones from different countries.

The iCON 2004 organizers provided a wonderful buffet brunch. We were informed that all the meals provided at iCON 2004 would include wine and drinks - and since (as we discovered later) that all the iCON meals were of a very high standard, we felt our registration fee was excellent value for money.

Above: iCON 2004 Registration and Brunch on the 38th floor of the

Sofitel Silom Hote - you get a great view of Bangkok l)

We went back to our hotel to rest for the afternoon before the evening Opening Dinner which would be held on the 21st floor of the equally grand Pan Pacific Hotel. As came off the lift, we were greeted by Long Yang Club Thailand officials and were shown the cocktail room which had a lovely buffet of cold meats, fish, and canapés. There was also a magnificent giant ice-carving with the letters "LYC", standing for for Long Yang Club. Free drinks were offered by smartly dressed waiters.

Above: People at the Cocktail Lounge for the Opening Dinner of iCON 2004

Take note of the lovely iced carving with the letters "LYC"

The room soon became crowded with about 150 guests. I met some friends from LYC London whom I had not seen since we had been colleagues on the committee of LYC London many years ago. Some had moved to Bangkok to stay. "What are you doing here?" I asked Bryan, an ex-Secretary of LYC London, "I thought you were still in London!". He told me he had quit his good management position in the National Health Service in order to settle in Thailand.

The atmosphere was warm and friendly, and soon people were talking to each other.

Opening Dinner of iCON 2004

At 8.00pm, we were invited to go to the next-door dining room to take our seats. There were about 20 tables laid with beautiful table cloths and napkins and a grand buffet with over 70 dishes - Thai, Chinese, and Western styles. At one side of the room was the stage with the letters, "iCON 2004- Long Yang Club" . Richard and Kovit, two of the key organizers of iCON 2004 and officers of LYC Thailand, made the official welcome speeches. These were done in English, French and Thai.

Above: Xtreme Dancers entertain iCON 2004 attendees

at the Opening Dinner

After a delicious dinner, music started and we were entertained by the Xtreme Dancers, a group of gay Thai guys who started with a quick Thai dance routine danced to the disco beat of "One Night in Bangkok". There were several other performances and they were all good - and very sexy!

Above: Buffet Spread at the iCON 2004 Opening Dinner Evening

From the dining room , through the picture windows, we had a fantastic view of the twinkling lights and silhouette of the skyline at night of the Thai capital city.

THURSDAY - NOVEMBER 18, 2004

 
At 9.00am, three double deck air-conditioned coaches were waiting for us outside the Sofitel Silom Hotel. Two of the coaches had English speaking guides and one had a French guide.

Above: Tour to visit the Golden Buddha Temple and the Grand Palace,

where we took the official group photo

The tour went to the Temple of the Golden Buddha which houses a huge figure of the Buddha made of solid gold. Then, we visited the lavishly decorated Grand Palace located by the side of the Chao Phraya River, and saw the magnificent throne room and the Emerald Buddha which is Thailand's most sacred image. We had our group photos taken in the grounds of the palace in sweltering hot sunshine.

Above: Lunch at the tree-shaded riverside restaurant

At midday, we were led to the jetty by the river to take a boat which crossed over to the other side. There, we were surprised to find a delightful tree-shaded restaurant . It seemed like an idyllic sanctuary a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Bangkok traffic. Not surprisingly, this five-star restaurant has been patronised by famous celebrities and foreign dignitaries.

We could choose whether to have lunch inside the air conditioned restaurant or outside around tables under the trees. The Thai buffet was laid outside

Above: Another group photo at Wat Arun

After lunch, we were taken to visit the fantastic Wat Arun (the Temple of the Dawn) with its intricate spires and pinnacles decorated with thousands of little pieces of porcelain.

Above : Wat Arun as seen from the Chao Phraya River

and Dinner at the Silom Village

In the evening, the iCON 2004 function was held at the Silom Village which included Thai Classical Dinner.

FRIDAY -  NOVEMBER 19, 2004

This morning , there was a choice of optional workshops sessions to attend. These included an excellent gay film on inter-racial relationships presented by the film-maker Asian-Australian Pak Kin Ho. LYC Toronto also sent their representative to do a presentation on iCONIFW2005 the following year. (iCONIFW 2005 will be a joint event between Long Yang Club's iCON and IFW, International Friendship Weekend).

Lunch was at 1.00pm at the elegant V9 restaurant on the 37th Floor of the Sofitel with another excellent buffet lunch, after which my partner David was prevailed upon to play the piano for us.

At 2.30pm the Annual General Meeting of Long Yang Club International (LYCI) was held on the 36th Floor meeting room of the Sofitel. These was attended by LYC representatives around the world, and office bearers for the LYCI Executive Committee were elected for the coming year.

Above: Receiving the Utopia Award

In the evening, I attended the Utopia Awards Ceremony to receive an award for my part in helping to develop Long Yang Club into what is now the world's largest network of gay associations supporting Asian/non-Asian lifestyles. I have to admit I was rather nervous, but it turned out well, thanks to the many friends from iCON 2004 and LYC Thailand who came to give moral support!

SATURDAY - NOVEMBER 20, 2004

We had to wake up early as the coach trip to Ayuthaya was due to leave the Sofitel Hotel at 8.30 am sharp. Ayuthaya is the ancient Capital of Siam, as Thailand was formerly known. We visited ancient buildings including magnificent temples and also the splendid Royal Palace. Lunch, yet another tasty meal, was served at a riverside restaurant.

Above: Visiting the Ancient Buildings and Temples of Ayuthaya,

Lunch at Riverside Restaurant, and visit to the Royal Palace gardens

In the evening, we enjoyed what was probably the highlight of iCON 2004 - the magnificent gala Riverboat Cruise. iCON 2004 had reserved the whole top deck of a large luxurious river boat and there were tables laid out for 150 people. A live band was playing for us as we boarded , making us feel very much like VIPs. The buffet table was sumptuous - probably the best ever . It included Japanese, Western, Thai , Chinese and Korean starters on one table; a selection of Thai, Chinese and Western entrees and main courses on a long table, plus a separate table for desserts.

Above: The luxurious cruise boat at iCON 2004,

with a sumptuous international buffet . People dance the

night away. The last picture is one of the iCON 2004 organizers.

The Chao Phraya river looked quite magical at night. I felt wonderfully romantic as we glided past beautiful floodlit buildings , temples and bridges, all reflected in the dark waters of the river. The music from the band in the background made the ambiance complete.

After dinner, we danced to the music from the band and some of us went out to the front deck to watch a fireworks display, as this was the weekend before Loy Kratong, the Thai festival of Light.

As we came to the end of an unforgettable evening, there was an announcement by iCON 2004 organizers to thank people for attending, and to pass on the "torch" for iCON2005 to a representative from LYC Toronto., who will be hosting the next iCON in September of this year (2005).

SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 21, 2004

Our farewell brunch was at the famous gay venue, the Telephone Pub. As it was Thanksgiving weekend, the buffet laid out reflected that theme. It included roast turkey.

To commemorate a wonderful and successful iCON 2004 and to thank the organizers, those attending signed two books, and they were presented to the organizers. We were all given, free of charge , with copies of the group photo and a CD containing many excellent photos taken throughout the event.

Although iCON 2004 was officially over, as the event took place around the time of Bangkok Pride, many of the attendees stayed on for the Pride Parade. LYC Thailand had a banner and some of us marched along with it, and they seemed to really enjoy it!

Above: The final brunch for iCON 2004,

was followed with the Pride March with LYC Thailand taking part

What has amazed me at iCON events here in Bangkok and in other cities is the excellent value for money in return for the relatively modest registration fee. At iCON 2004, apart from the high standard of catering, the wine and drinks were included in the meals (and there was no need to pay for drinks at "cash bars"), all tours were included (no "optional" tours), there were free souvenirs with sling bag and even the group photos were included in the fee. This is only made possible by a huge amount of work, planning and generosity on the part of the organizers and the host club, LYC Thailand.

........................................................................................................

"This (iCON 2004) was one of the most fun filled conventions that we've attended. It is doubtful that individually, someone could have arranged all these events at such a reasonable price. The success was due to the hard work and planning of Long Yang Club..." - An Tieu wrote in the newsletter of APGF.

Photos reproduced with kind permission from Charles sweetmouth@hotmail.com and David edscot@blueyonder.co.uk

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