Phuket Thailand
Peregrina's Journey
Peter and Margie Benziger
Sun 4 Mar 2012 01:39
07:53.0N 98:24.0E
Where in the
World are Margie and Peter? Phuket,
Thailand!
After
more than 2 months back in the USA, Peter and I recently returned to our
beloved, Peregrina, now in Phuket, Thailand. We had left her “on the hard” at the Royal
Phuket Marina just three days after arriving here from Langkawi, Malaysia. Since then, a crew of Thai workers has sanded
down the hull and put on four coats of anti-fouling bottom paint and stripped
off all the varnish on the teak rails, cockpit and topside hatch covers. This week, they are beginning to put on
several new coats of varnish and we hope to be back in the water soon.
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Before we update you on our adventures, a
little background information on Thailand would seem to be in order…
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The country was initially known as Siam. On May 11, 1949, an official
proclamation declared that the country would henceforth be known as Thailand.
The word "Thai" means free so Thailand means "Land of the
Free."
For public relations purposes, the current
slogan is “Land of Smiles” which really is true. These are the happiest, friendliest people
you could ever meet! The picture below is of our friend Allan and his Thai
wife Noi who is about half his height. Her smile, however, is a typical Thai
smile….as big as the sky.
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Climate: Thailand is a warm and VERY humid
tropical country. The climate is monsoonal, marked by a pronounced rainy
season lasting from about May to September and a relatively dry season for
the remainder of the year. Temperatures are highest in March and April and
lowest in December and January. According to our guidebook, the average
temperature is 81o F but we’ve experienced nothing less than 90⁰ since we got back here in
February.
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Population:
The population of Thailand, approximately
65 million.
Buddhism:
Buddhism is practiced of 95 percent of the
population. Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, and other beliefs are embraced by
the rest of the population. There is absolute religious freedom. The King of
Thailand, under the constitution and in practice, is a patron of all major
religions.
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The
Monarchy:
The system
of absolute monarchy ended in 1932 and, ever since, Thai Kings have ruled
under a constitution; their powers theoretically no greater than those of
European monarchs. However, you’d never guess this if you look around
Thailand today. Man, do they love this
King! His picture is EVERYWHERE
including all the money.
 Ever
since he was officially crowned in 1946, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej
has worked tirelessly on behalf of his people, gaining a measure of devotion
that is probably more intense than that felt for any of his all-powerful
ancestors, or any other modern day monarch, for that matter. It has been said
that Their Majesties King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit are the hardest working
royal couple in the world with at least one function every day of the year.
Of the several institutions that form the foundation of modern Thai life, the
one His Majesty represents is not only the most visible but also the most
revered.
His Majesty has devoted himself to public
service and made enduring contributions to Thailand's development, initiating
vital "royally-suggested" projects such as crop rotation, fish
breeding, irrigation, natural watershed programs, dairy farming,
reforestation, road building, and the establishment of self-help
villages.
He’s also a world class sailor which makes
him A-OK in our book! However, the
truth is, you cannot utter one WORD of criticism against the King in public
without risking an angry mob stomping you to death!
King Bhumibol was born on December 5, 1927,
ascended the throne on June 9, 1946, and married Her Majesty Queen Sirikit on
April 28, 1950.
 Their Majesties have four children; Their
Royal Highnesses Princess Ubol Ratana, (presently residing in the United
States); Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn,
and Princess Chulabhorn.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting and,
I’m taking my life in my hands by saying this, but, rumor has it that there
is a HUGE internal crisis going on at the royal palace in terms of a
succession plan for when the King passes away – which could be anytime now as
he is approaching 86 years old.
Normally, the Crown Prince would automatically inherit the throne but
Maha Vajiralongkorn is, supposedly a womanizer with a personality many people
feel inappropriate for the monarchy.
Princess Ubol Ratana, supposedly next in
line, IF they can figure out a way to bypass #1 son, has been banished from
the Kingdom for all intents and purposes for the UNTHINKABLE transgression of
marrying an AMERICAN (!!!) of all people!
Moving on down the bottom of the line, the
youngest princess, Chulabhorm, has some physical and mental challenges which
make her unsuitable to take over her father’s position and that leaves
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, who has all the best qualities of her mother
and father and has seemingly been groomed for the monarchy all her life. Everybody LOVES Princess Maha Chakri
Sirindhorn but, apparently, they don’t know how the King is going to change
the rules of succession which hands the crown over to the first son, Maha
Vajiralongkorn.
It’s a controversy that everyone whispers
about but you can’t get a Thai to discuss the subject in public so that’s all
the gossip I have at the moment.
However, rest assured, when the time comes, this will be a transition
that will rock the foundation of Thailand – not unlike the English drama of
Edward and Wallis Simpson! Anyway,
enough of Thailand! Let’s talk about
Peter and Margie…
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After
four days in CA, we flew to Miami where we had a great time catching up with
family and friends. Amy came home for
Christmas and then Margie went back to work for Cheryl Andrews Marketing for a
few weeks and Peter spent many, many hours working on fixing up our house to
rent out for the coming year.
Everything
fell into place as we approached our departure date on February 6th. We found new tenants, had a successful yard
sale, spent four lovely days in Costa Mesa, CA with BOTH girls, and flew off to
Thailand from LAX.
We spent
a week back on the boat at Royal Phuket Marina but, when the sanding got too
much to bear, we escaped the heat and all that teakwood dust with a trip to
Chaing Mai and the small town of Prae, four hours north of Chaing Mai. Two cruising friends that we met during Sail
Indonesia live in Prae and they invited us to stay with them in their home way
up in the mountains. Alan, a Scotsman,
who makes a living as a professional diver aboard oil rigs and his Thai wife,
Noi, have been traveling the world for 30 years alternating between his
far-flung oil explorations, cruising aboard Rogue, their Trintella 44 and
maintaining homes in Thailand and Scotland.
We were joined by our good friends, Barbara and Jim from Contrails (USA) and Trish and Steve from
Curious (UK).
It was a wonderful change from the hustle and
bustle of Phuket and a chance to see what life is really like in a small town
in northern Thailand far from the typical tourist centers. We’ll talk more about our visit to Prae
later…
Back in
Phuket after our six day getaway, we realized that it will probably be another
two or three weeks before we will be ready to leave. We still have to install solar panels and a
wind generator and we are waiting for our anchor chain to return from Bangkok
where we are having it re-galvanized. Climbing
up and down a ten foot ladder several times a day/night to get in/out of the
boat was getting old fast so we decided to move into one of the marina’s
hotel/efficiency apartments to make life easier. Clean sheets and towels every day, hot water
showers, AIR-CONDITIONING, swimming pool, spa and gym, restaurants galore and
CNN. What more could you ask for at a cost of 10,500 bhat per month which is
about US$340 of $12 per day. This is a picture of our pool.
So, we’re
living large here in Phuket and will fill you in on all our adventures in the
next installment of “Where in the World are Margie and Peter?”