Phuket Personality Interviews
Want to get to know the movers and shakers on Phuket? Every
month we get to talk with the island’s happening personalities;
the players on Phuket, as it were. Discover who is who and
what’s happening with our personality profiles.
Latest Phuket Personality Interview:
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For some people, Phuket is no more than another holiday
resort. But for some people, the island is a very a
special place. Phuket.com talked to two couples who
keep a special place in their hearts for the island.
Read more... |
Past month's Phuket Personality Interwiews:
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Sindy Huyer is no ordinary visitor to Phuket. She's
on a mission. Back home in Milan she is a professional
kick boxer. But Thai boxing had fascinated her for years,
so she headed for Phuket to get some authentic training.
Phuket.com talked to her a day after “The Thorn
of the Rose” – her fight name – had won
a match. We learned why this 20-year-old dumped her
dream of becoming a clothes stylist to pursue her new
dream of becoming a professional Thai boxer.
Read more... |
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The Phi Phi Islands form a magical place with its own
unique charm. People who visit Phi Phi come from all
over the world, young and old, singles and families,
from all different walks of life. The people who live
and work on the biggest island, Phi Phi Don, are of
a similar variety. Some are local islanders while others
are long-term expatriates who, after arriving a decade
or more ago, simply never left. Phuket.com talked to
three of these residents...
Read more... |
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There are fascinating scenes in the streets of Phuket
in late October or early November every year when local
people, mainly Thais of Chinese blood, dress in white
for the nine days of the Vegetarian Festival. Streets
are festooned with yellow flags, a symbol of the festival.
Food stalls are set up along the sidewalks and this
is a great time to try out a huge variety of Phuket-style
vegetarian dishes. Phuket.com talked with a mah song,
Uten Tengkan, about what it is like being a vessel for
a god. Read
more... |
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We don't know what it is exactly, but in general it
seems that people who live or work by the beach seem
to have such a cool outlook on life. They are friendly,
quite open and very easy to talk to. Most of all, their
stories can be very interesting. Phuket.com went to
Patong beach and it didn’t take us much time to
find four personalities to talk to.
Read more... |
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This month Phuket.com goes shopping for pearls –
and not just any pearls, but pearls from a Phuket pearl
farm. We talk with Amorn Intarrajaroen, a local pearl
farmer and owner of the Phuket Pearl Factory in Sapam
about this classic staple of jewellery.
Read more... |
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Maitree Narukatpichai is a man with many hats. He is
president of the Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) and
a director of the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort &
Spa, which is owned by his family. Somehow that’s
just not keeping him busy enough, so he is in a process
of launching his latest project, Villa Solitude resort,
next to Chalong Bay, which is schedule to open before
the end of this year.
Read more... |
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We at Phuket.com have never grown blasé about
the tropical beauty of this island. We discover something
new about Phuket every single day and this is what keeps
us here. It’s such a blessing to be able to live
and work here and we love to share it with you. But
enough from us: it’s time to hear what the island’s
visitors say about Phuket. We went to talk to the tourists
in the streets and asked them: ‘What are the things
you like most about Phuket?’ Here are the answers.
Read more... |
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There are not too many people in the world who would
choose to call themselves “Ling Yai” - Thai
for Big Monkey - or have their employees refer to them
by that name. But John Gray is proud of the nickname.
He signs off his emails with it, even adding another
nickname, “Caveman”, which was given to him
by fellow runners in the Hash House Harriers. So John
Gray is an unusual man. He’s also fascinating to
talk with - a passionate, 24/7 environmental activist
with a sense of humor to match his sense of mission.
Read more... |
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Every society has problems with neglected, abused or
impoverished children, and Phuket is no exception. But
help for these kids comes from two remarkable women
who have been working steadily for years to improve
children’s lives. Cindy Ratcliffe, President of
the Phuket International Women’s Club, and Dr Supaluck
Kanchanamethakul, President of Child Watch Phuket, are
providing hope to the island’s residents who need
it most.
Read more... |
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One way to make your mark anywhere in the world is to
have the right car. In Thailand, the way to pick the
right car is, first and foremost, to pick an imported
model. Import duties in Thailand pile to around 100%,
so your imported car is going to cost perhaps 50% more
than a similar car made in Thailand, making imports
more desirable as a status symbol. Phuket.Com met Phuket's
king of luxury cars is Piriya Tantipiriyakij, Managing
Director of Life Style Auto, specialising in imported
cars. Read more... |
Ask people in Phuket if they know Poonsak Sanchan and
the chances are that you’ll get blank looks. But
ask them if they’ve heard of Daeng of The Boat
Bar Disco & Cabaret in Patong, and most will know
who you mean – Khun Daeng is one of the pioneer
of Patong’s gay community.
Now 48, the Bangkok-born economics graduate of Thammasat
University abandoned a high-profile international business
life to move to Phuket and open a gay bar. Phuket.Com
went to find out why. Read
more... |
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Suwalai Pinpradab, Director of the local office of the
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is representative
of the new generation of Thai woman working at senior
levels in government agencies; not long ago, it was
very rare to find women working at such levels, even
in the private sector. Selling Phuket, Phang-Nga and
Krabi to the world is a tough job, and Khun Suwalai
is also a wife, and the mother of two teenage sons.
Read more... |
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Amelia Jacobs is good-looking, with a fresh smile, but
she is not just your average Phuket teen. She is the
new Miss Teen Thailand. "I didn't think I would
win the contest. I was so nervous when the MC asked
me questions up on stage. I was so nervous that, at
one point, I had to ask him to repeat the question.
But I tried very hard to pull myself together and answer
as best I could. I guess in the end they liked my answer,"
says the teen queen, whom everyone calls Amy. Read
more... |
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On November 13, 2006, Niran Kalayanamit became Governor
of Phuket. Gov Niran is no stranger to local people
and some of the island's frequent visitors; before his
promotion he was one of Phuket's vice-governors for
five years. He is not a tall man and he is soft-spoken.
He has a way of making people feel that he is listening
with care to what they have to say. He gives you time
to talk. A new kind of leader, perhaps. Read
more... |
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