The Island

Why is it that the only time I ever visit Phuket it’s for work? I woke up early to make my flight out of Don Muang. I arrived at the airport an hour early which gave me time to eat breakfast and hang out in the VIP lounge. Though the latter may sound exclusive, I assure you it wasn’t. It’s just a large room with sofas. They laid out refreshments and snacks as well, but I quickly noticed that the food was exactly the same as you get on the airplane… just not in the individual paper boxes.

It was a short flight to Phuket with minor only turbulence. The TG staff did a great job directing us from place to place. Once we arrived we were quickly debarked and funneled to waiting tour buses. Within five minutes of sitting down on the bus it started to rain. The rain would continue off and on for the rest of the day and into the night.

In total there were 6 tour buses full of conference participants. Half of us stayed at the Allamanda while the others got rooms at the Dusit. The two resorts are only five minutes apart so traveling between them wasn’t an issue. When we arrived at our hotel we immediately had lunch. It was a buffet of mediocre quality. I was just glad to be off the bus. Following lunch we had about an hour and a half before needing to regroup. The room my cameraman and I got was huge. In fact, it was a suite with two bedrooms with private bathrooms, living room, and kitchen. It was really too much for our needs… but I didn’t complain.

After resting we headed over to the Dusit. There was a brief cocktail session before the conference began. Around the same time the rain changed from the intermittent drizzle to what can only be described as hurricane like forces. Though I guess typhoon is the more accurate term for this region. Wind and heavy rain came down with a vengeance. Strangely enough, it would stop suddenly for a few minutes and then begin anew. We were lucky enough to get all the interviews done quickly though. The Thai Airways PR staff, whom I’ve worked with before, did a great job finding guests for us.

We left the Dusit and returned to the Allamanda for a brief rest and to drop off some of our equipment. This trip it was just myself and the cameraman… no producer. I think we did a good job on our own though. Back at the Dusit, the Gala dinner had begun. It was held under a huge tent and included a stage for performances. The emcee was a singer and graced us with his Elvis-based repertoire. He was a big hit with the older crowd though not so much with myself. They had a buffet again. It had a large assortment of food but it wasn’t anything special. I ran into a few travel industry people I’ve interviewed before. Always nice to see familiar faces and reinforce my position in the media.

I got tired quickly though and headed back tot he hotel while my cameraman enjoyed the free beer and wine. Back in my room I notice the maids had turned down the sheets for the night… and also laid out my shirt perfectly flat on my bed. Must have taken ten minutes extra to do that. It’s the little things that impress me…

Phuket: Day 3

First order of the day is to drive over to Phuket Town for an interview at an elementary school. The teachers and students have started a program to pick up garbage on the beaches. No wonder they looked so impeccably clean. We did the interview on the beach. Lots of wind and sun… and children. We had to write out the script but it made things go smoothly if not entirely natural looking. After the school we headed for Provincial Hall and the mayor’s office.
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Phuket: Day 2

Rise and shine! After eating a thoroughly greased filled American breakfast we headed off to Phang Nga, the province north of Phuket. There we revisited some of the most devastated areas including Khao Lak and Ban Nam Yen. Lucky for us it rained almost the entire time. That’s sarcasm by the way. Two and a half hours in the car brought us to a new housing development for victims of the tsunami. The construction was sponsored in part by our sponsor, CP Cement. One amusing site was a pair of young girls, no more than 8 or 9, learning to drive a motorcycle by themselves. I wish I had taken a picture. The expression on the youngest was of pure joy and exhilaration.
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