Living in Phuket, we’re all constantly surrounded by delicious food to eat, and the need to take on vast amounts of liquid i.e. beer. This is all well and good, providing we work it off later. Our medical correspondent has been researching the options.

My mind recently has been on my ever-expanding stomach, and fitness and sports in Phuket. But what is available as staying fit and healthy in Phuket can be a chore, as the availability of facilities is seen as limited, and the prevailing heat when exercising outdoors, restrictive to some. With a little planning and awareness, it’s possible to get the most out of life here without damaging your health in the process.
There are a number of places and groups on the island that are committed to helping people keep fit, as well as having a great time often with a few beers to polish off the exercise afterwards.

If doing exercise solo is your thing, lately there’s been a large increase, all over the island, of health and fitness gyms. Gym work is an excellent way of maintaining fitness, particularly for those who wish to exercise and work out in air-conditioned comfort, whilst watching TV. There are too many gyms to mention here in this article, so ask around in your area for what’s available. Most offer day, monthly or yearly membership and many have a Thai, resident or tourist pricing policy. Some include spa, sauna/steam baths, personal trainers and aerobics classes whilst some of the major hotel chains offer packages which include swimming pool, tennis and squash court access. Some of the housing estates around Phuket such as Land and House on Chao Fa Road and the Phuket Villa developments also allow outside members to join and use their facilities.

At Saphan Hin, where many facilities have seen better days, there are extensive ranges of facilities on offer including tennis, basketball and badminton courts, football pitches, a gym, as well as daily classes of tae kwon do. Membership is available; as are casual visits. It’s a challenge to find out what is open and when, and how much things cost, so I suggest you have a native speaker call or, better still, go with you to inspect facilities and discuss options. There are also some good jogging trails around the area.

For running, and you need to keep away from the traffic or off the beach, try Suan Luang Park which also has t’ai chi, or the Hash House Harriers (HHH) – dubbed ‘the drinking club with a running problem’. HHH organizes weekly runs and meets every Saturday at the Expat Hotel, Patong. See www.phuket-hhh.com.
For some beach exercise and those wanting to try beach volleyball, an informal group has played on Karon Beach just north of the circle, for several years. Drop in on a game on Friday afternoons at around 5pm. For rugby there’s the local club, Phuket Vagabonds, which organizes regular matches and tournaments. www.phuketvagabondsrfc.com.

Upping the excitement level, and for those looking for an adrenaline rush, kite surfing is available for all ages at Nai Yang Beach during low season, and Chalong Bay during the high season. See www.kitesurfingphuket.com for more information. There’s also cricket with regular matches played at the school near the entrance to Laguna each Sunday, and the occasional touring side visiting to play. Check www.phuketcricket.com for details.

Muay Thai is also popular and there are about four or five Thai boxing centres in Phuket, mostly in the Chalong Kata area and one near Phuket Zoo. They not only provide instruction in this art, which is rapidly increasing in popularity with clients from overseas, but also offer fitness programs.

Surprisingly, getting a game of soccer is easy, with the game being played all over Phuket on some good, and some not-so-good pitches. Mostly played by friendly Thais, the actual games can be competitive and most will welcome a foreigner to join in for a kick-around.

Aerobics, the exercise of choice for many Thai ladies, appears to change homes frequently, although you can usually get a good workout during the evenings at the main Tesco superstore car park and at Suan Luang Park.

There’s also golf, and with an increasing number of courses on the island, it can be expensive; much cheaper if you leave the buggy in the shed and walk the course. The Phuket Expat Golf Society has regular tournaments and can offer discounted green fees for residents. There are also regular tournaments, some serious, some more fun and Loch Palm has a discount yearly membership program for Phuket residents.
Taking part in the mini- or full triathlons is another option, and I see the interest in bike-riding expanding on the island.

Finally, there are the pubs which organize a range of sports more suited to lounge lizards and couch potatoes. Whilst darts and pool may not get you fit, it can take you away from watching the TV.

Peter Davison is the Manager International Services at Phuket International Hospital.
Tel: +66 (0)76 249400. Email: info@phuketinternationalhospital.com.

Posted under Health, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Airline alliances, in which companies share routes and facilities, have become a significant aspect of the aviation world. Are these pacts quasi-monopolistic cartels or ‘customer friendly’ rationalisations?

The world of airline alliances is changing rapidly, adding a new competitive edge to the companies which serve Phuket.

Air Berlin, which flies directly to the island, is set to become the first low-cost carrier to become a full alliance member. It will join the Oneworld alliance in 2012. In another development, the flamboyant British billionaire Richard Branson is looking to form a fourth global alliance, building on his Virgin Group which services Phuket with its carriers, Pacific Blue and V Australia.

Other alliances whose members operate services to Phuket include Oneworld with Aeroflot and Finnair; Star Alliance with Thai Airways International and Asiana Airlines; and SkyTeam with China Southern Airlines and Korean Air. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. With the code-sharing system, which is a cornerstone of the airline alliance model, there are many cross linkages.

The three established alliances, Star Alliance, Oneworld and SkyTeam account for 73% of the world’s airline capacity and this is growing. S7 of Russia and Kingfisher Airlines of India are due to join Oneworld. Russia and India are two emerging markets for Phuket’s tourism industry. The 28-member Star Alliance will soon acquire Air India and Ethiopian Airlines. Next year, the 13-member SkyTeam alliance is expected to take in China Eastern, the country’s largest airline. To give you an idea of the size of these groupings, Star Alliance carry around 627 million passengers a year and SkyTeam and Oneworld together, account for a further 720 million. The non-aligned carriers, by comparison, can only manage 489 million passengers between them.
However, the non-aligned group still includes some impressive carriers such as Virgin Atlantic; Virgin America; Southwest in the United States (the most successful low-cost carrier in history); Transaero (a large Russian carrier that flies directly to Phuket); and China Airlines of Taiwan. An interesting fact is that the Middle Eastern airlines sector which includes Emirates, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways, and Saudi Arabian Airways, only has two members in an alliance, Turkish Airlines and Egypt Air, both in the Star Alliance stable.

In Asia there are also still many major airlines which aren’t aligned. The independent group includes Hainan Airlines, Jet Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Pakistan International and Philippine Airlines.

But how does the customer benefit from all of this alliance activity? Probably the most important for many is the ability to accrue common ‘frequent flyer miles’ from each alliance carrier. Alliances also have sufficient critical mass to negotiate lower prices for items such as advertising, and even fuel in certain circumstances. This helps to keep fares low. Code-sharing means that they can offer more departure times on any given route and put more destinations within easy reach. Their round-the-world packages and regional fare concessions can be great value for money.

Other benefits include priority access to alliance branded lounges with silver and gold frequent-flyer cards, and priority check-in. With all alliance airlines under one roof in the same part of a terminal, access and transfers is simplified. Seamless software means that member airlines can readily track each other’s schedules and adjust them to eliminate conflicts and bottlenecks.

The reason for the growth of alliances was the advent of ‘open skies’ agreements, which made it easier for airlines to gain unrestricted landing rights within de-regulated zones. Anti-trust protocols still make joining an alliance difficult, particularly for American carriers, but major advances have been made to enable mega-carriers like British Airways and American Airlines of Oneworld, and United Airlines and Lufthansa of Star Alliance, to form trans-Atlantic linkages.

It is not all ‘plain sailing’ (should that read ‘flying?) for the alliances, however: more like swings and roundabouts. They‘ve all gained and then lost members. Star Alliance acquired Ansett Airlines of Australia in 1999 and then it folded in 2001. It also lost Mexican of Mexico and Varig of Brazil to Oneworld. SkyTeam lost Continental to Star Alliance and ejected Northwest Airlines. Oneworld had to relinquish Canadian Airlines when it was acquired by Air Canada: a Star Alliance founding member. Aer Lingus of Ireland lost eligibility when it became a low-cost carrier.

Mix and match.

Alastair Carthew is a journalist, broadcaster, public relations counsellor and writer, living on Phuket.

Posted under Health, Investments & Financial Opportunities, Uncategorized