Article Category - Community in Phuket

JOHN Gray is a man on a mission. He wants to clean up Phuket’s waterways. For the past 20 years, the self-styled eco-warrior and his team of tour guides have been taking tourists out on their SeaCanoes to paddle through Phang Nga Bay, while he tells them about the geological history and about the wildlife on the bay’s 42 islands. And every time he goes out in his kayak, Mr Gray collects any rubbish and litter he sees along the way.

HUSBAND and wife painters Jay-da and Watcharin Rodnit have taken their art into Phuket’s youth prison where they are helping to make life a little easier for the young prisoners. They run regular art classes for the kids and are helping them to turn their lives around. When they are not ‘behind bars’, Jay-da and Watcharin run an art studio in Yaowarat Road in Phuket Town. Wacharin says he was born to be an artist and holds a masters degree in Fine Arts from Silpakorn University. As a boy, he spent many weeks meditating in the forests around Surat Thani where he grew up.

In Chinese numerology, the number 8 is lucky for a number of reasons, and a day with so many on the calendar comes around only a couple dozen times per millennium. That makes 8 August 2008 a very auspicious occasion. Even better, this year’s lucky day has a sequence that’s satisfyingly symmetrical: 08/08/08. The shape of the Chinese character for contentment or happiness brings the number 8 to mind. Side-by-side, two of the characters comprise a popular image in Chinese culture: a representation of “double happiness” that frequently turns up among the Western world as well — at least on the menus of Chinese restaurants.

Australian performer Colin Hill decided nearly a year ago to make Phuket his home. After a 35-year career, the gifted, internationally-acclaimed guitar player left his homeland because he found it more and more difficult to perform regularly. Government regulation, red tape and the encroachment of karaoke and DJs convinced him look elsewhere. It was in Phuket where he decided to seek his dream of playing in a predominantly Thai band and setting up a venue of his own where he could make the rules. That’s when Phuket Post first profiled Hill (issue no. 73, 9-22 Feb. 2008). Six months after relocating to Phuket, he had lined up gigs playing five nights a week, as well as occasional private tuition sessions. I checked back with Hill recently to see how close he had come to his dream after nearly a year in Phuket.

Somewhere within the quiet Muslim community of Koh Yao Noi, a towering blonde figure stands out from the crowd. If you're fresh off the boat , he appears as just another tourist passing through town. Wait a moment or two, and you'll see locals greeting him with smiles, and he exchanges Thai greetings with the fluidity of the waves that lap this tranquil island's shores. He's known among locals as Ajarn Tim. The Thai word ajarn means "teacher", but Tim Markin's more than just a teacher. He serves as director of Koh Yao Noi Childern's Centre. Don't let the terribly literal name deceive you. The centre serves as the island's easel of creativity.

Gordon Ramsay OBE is a household name in the western world. A best-selling author, he has created three successful TV shows, The F-Word, Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen, and has nine highly acclaimed international restaurants. He has just published his second autobiography, Playing with Fire. Ramsay's hectic work schedule means that he has to spend large amounts of time away from his family. His ever-growing success means he now works very hard indeed, so any chance he has to be alone with his family is a time to cherish. He is adamant that he and the family should get away completely from the bustle and spend quality time together at least once a year.

Early March saw two young swimmers from the British International School (BIS) Flying Fish Swimming Club of Phuket participate in the Singapore National Age Group championships with some very impressive results. Bianca Goetz, 12, a Singapore national at the school, consolidated three silver medals for second place in the 12-year-old category for the 100m (with a time of 1:03.18), 200m (2:17.40) and 400m (4:49.10) freestyle events and one bronze medal for 50m (30.00) freestyle. With these results, Goetz will now be a part of the Singapore Youth National Team to participate in the Southeast Asian Age Group Championships, held in Bangkok June 6-8.

D Gallery, a contemporary art gallery, has now opened in Phuket, Thailand. Over 220 sqm of contemporary works and between six to eight exhibitions by leading and emerging artists throughout the year is what D Gallery is promising. Located in the Royal Phuket Marina on Thepkrasattri Road, D Gallery was established in 2007 to promote upcoming as well as established Southeast Asian artists principally from Thailand and Vietnam.

You’ve toured the world, played guitar in almost every continent and find it's become increasingly difficult to continue making a living in your own country. So, where do you go?

Famous around Asia as a travel show host, television presenter Raine Grady is best known as the face of Asia & Beyond, Destination Thailand and local shows Phuket Plus and Pattaya Plus.

The young swimmers at the BIS Flying Fish club may be spending a lot of time in the water, but it's definitely the skies they're aiming for. With commendable performances and success in several recent national and international swimming competitions, confidence is high, and training is...rigorous. The dedicated team of competitive swimmers is at the school's swimming pool at 6: 15 in the morning, every weekday, for an hour and half's worth of practice uttil they're off to school. They're back in the pool at 4: 30 pm, for another couple of hours' training.

Greeting guests at the porch tables, Noi breezes about like a bird. Taking orders, delivering food, making espressos, she’s as busy as a bee. Dressed in crisp, white-silk cheongsam, lips tinted red, she looks like a porcelain doll. Enthusiastically, she empties her bag during a quiet spell. Noi’s partner John, a hearty Welshman, hovers nearby keen to catch a glimpse of the contents.

With 18 years of experience in the nature tourism industry Siam Safari has been running their successful tours to Khao Sok, just a two-hour drive from Phuket, for a number of years now. They have along the way, snapped up many different tourism and environmental awards for their tours and activities.

Julie is sitting at the dining table with Mona, her ten year old step daughter. It’s a school day and Mona is doing her lessons. A month or so ago, the family packed up in Paris and moved to Phuket. Today, they are doing a home-school evaluation to post back to France.

We meet in her airy parlour at Fisherman’s Way. It was fate that drew me here. Stuck in traffic at Chalong, a small sign had caught my eye. I had to know what was in the bag. Fascinated by the accuracy of past fortunes told, Wan studied with the nation’s grand masters to learn the ancient craft. Under Royal Patronage of Her Majesty the Queen, the Astrological Association of Thailand trains devotees to read into the future.

“One of the most wonderful parts of living in Phuket, is that we live in a community where people still care and support each other,” says Chantal Fernandes, long-term resident on the island. And a group of caring individuals have gotten together to do just that; support Graham Frost, a fellow Phuket resident for many years, pictured here with his nurse.

A passion for waves keeps James “Jimbo” Welch on the move. Originally from Maui in the islands of Hawaii, he landed on Phuket a few years ago and is happy to call this isle home when not roving with a camera and surfboard. Aside from surfing, he captures the beauty of waves on film. Recently returned from a trek to Indonesia, his unquenchable wanderlust and fascination for the cultures of south-east Asia produced a few thousand more images to add to his growing collection.

This is a column that features a range of interesting tidbits from around the Island, with information on up-coming leisure and entertainment events and the people and businesses that make Phuket the exciting place it is

It’s the Green Season, we’ve been told. Certainly, Phuket never looks more lush and verdant than during the few months it receives its quota of annual lashings from the raingods.