A hard day's night
PHUKET: Working through the night while most others on the island are sleeping might not be the ideal lifestyle for some, but for tour guide Chachai Hatsut it is a way of life.
Sukunya Phoonpong
Saturday 19 May 2012, 02:17PM
Chachai, originally from Trang province, has worked as a tour guide since he moved to the island in 1999.
Chachai works from late afternoon until the evening as a tour guide, looking after tourists and taking them to various places in Phuket and nearby provinces.
From the evening until around 6am he then works his second job making hotel reservations and tour bookings.
“I spend the whole night checking and answering my guests’ emails and arranging their bookings.
“I have about five to six hours in the morning to sleep before I go to meet my guests in the afternoon, and take them to their destinations.”
Chachai studied French at university, meaning he is fluent in French, Thai and English, something that comes in very handy when working with tourists.
“I moved to Phuket to use my French language skills. This job makes me feel good because I can talk with many strangers and learn about the differences between the Thai culture and many other cultures.
“My guests are mainly French, but I also have other foreigners, including many Asian guests. This gives me a great opportunity to learn about other cultures,” he said.
“People usually work more effectively in the day time, but it is quieter working during the night. I can talk with people in the day time, but at night I only have myself for company,” Chachai says.
“Most people work during the day, but I think this is a very suitable job for me.”
