Country Article / Postcards
Long Live The King
Date: 08/31/2004
"Dusk in Thailand should be sold in bottles."
Dear Reader,
The King of Thailand turned 76 last month. His birthday, December 5, is probably the most celebrated day of the year in the Kingdom. In Phuket, the celebration features an annual sailboat regatta known as "The King's Cup."
Salty dogs from all over the region come to toast the king and tear up the waves. English expatriates from Singapore and Hong Kong…hard-drinking Aussie crews…even the Royal Thai Navy enter the races that take place over an entire week of celebration.
One day, I was fortunate enough to be seated at a preferred lounge table at the famous Mom Tri's Boathouse in Kata Beach. Mom Tri runs a boutique hotel as well as the restaurant, which boasts the biggest wine cellar in the region, an award-winning chef, and a staff that lives only to please you.
On the last night--the end of the King's Cup--the awards ceremony was held at Mom Tri's (Phuket lobster was the main attraction). Boats arrived in Kata Bay, anchoring just offshore. Zodiac inflatable boats and all other manner of dinghies slowly cut through the silvery Andaman waves to reach the beach and an early pick of the fresh catch. For a few minutes, as the sun dropped below the horizon to the southwest, we got this spooky light that seemed to quiet everything down. Dusk in Thailand should be sold in bottles.
Rowdy sailors, goo-goo-eyed couples, and entire families donned shoes for the first time all week and shuffled into the beachfront seafood palace for a serious party. The wine cellar and the champagne cooler were significantly diminished. Cuban cigars were smoked and French brandy pondered.
Unfortunately, an early arrival does not always ensure an early exit, and I made sure to reserve my cigar and brandy even before picking my lobster.
Bart Walters
for International Living
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