Mr. Per Kastrup , one of the most colourful of the long-time Danish residents in Thailand, passed away on January 16, 2003 at the age of 62 at General Hospital in Pattaya. He was cremated on Sunday, January 19 and on the following Sunday his ashes were strewn in the sea off Koh Lan outside Pattaya where many of his friends have likewise been laid to rest.
Before the cremation ceremony, many of his friends gathered for a get-together at Cafe Kronborg, owned by one of his closest friends Mr. Bjarne “Nyhavn” Nielsen, for a few glasses of snaps and after the cremation they returned here again for more snaps, beer and food, sponsored by Bjarne Nielsen, in the true life-style of the memorable Dane.
Mr. Kastrup came to Thailand almost forty years ago. He and his Copenhagen Bar in Klong Toey soon became the centre of the many Danish seamen who at that time sailed with Maersk Line for eight months and lived in Bangkok for the remaining months of the year. It was here in Per Kastrup’s Copenhagen Bar that the first Balut tournament was held in 1972 and for the next 31 years the whole Balut movement became an important part of his life.
By the end of the 70’s, Mr. Kastrup opened one more Copenhagen Bar in Pattaya and eventually closed down his first bar in Klong Toey to live permanently in the seaside resort where also Mr. Bjarne Nielsen had at that time just opened Cafe Kronborg.
Eight years ago, Mr. Kastrup’s wife passed away. During his last years, Mr. Bjarne Nielsen looked after him both in and out of hospitals where he was frequently treated for in particular an increasingly debilitating psoriasis. Shortly after his arrival to Thailand and several times during his many years here, changing doctors predicted that Per Kastrup would have only few months left to live but eventually he survived not only their predictions – but also three of his personal physicians including the late Dr. Einar Ammundsen.
Mr. Kastrup became a living legend in his time, not least among baluteers around the world. Fittingly, it was in connection with a Pattaya Open Balut Tournament that his ashes were strewn in the sea off Koh Lan. His picture now joins other long time Scandinavian residents on the walls of the restaurant on Koh Lan.
