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By Hari Bedi

To know the real Phuket you must first know Ritthiruth Chienpairoj

Unlike many other resorts, Phuket is not about trying to read a menu in a dimly lit restaurant claiming to be a romantic rendezvous. Nor is it about waiting at a beach bar for the sun to emerge from the clouds.

The real Phuket lies miles away from such sophistication. It's found on a jungle trek, seated on a hard-back howdah on top of an elephant guided skillfully along narrow paths by a master mahout. It's discovered in a canoe trip down the River Sok through Khao Sok National Park. Phuket can also be about staying overnight in a jungle river lodge and fishing for your dinner.

But to know the real Phuket you must first know Ritthiruth Chienpairoj, who founded the Phuket Trekking Club in 1993. Though Khun Ritthiruth hails from Bangkok, he was the first man to introduce the idea of conducting elephant treks in the southern part of Thailand and promoting Khao Sok among travel and tour agents on Phuket. In addition to owning elephants and canoes, Khun Ritthiruth was a pioneer in building bungalows in the middle of the rain forest.

Observed in one of his natural habitats, an air-conditioned office in Nanai Road, he may seem as far away from the jungle's flora and fauna as an affluent tourist at a five-star hotel. But when he is with his elephants and canoes, he's a different man - someone who, many years ago, answered the call of the wild. Now the messages on his calling card, corporate brochure, canoes and cars invite visitors to the island to do the same.

The call came one day merely by accident. Born in Bangkok, Khun Ritthiruth had always been a city boy. He graduated in business administration and management from Ramkhamhaeng University, and worked hard to save enough money to go to England for further studies. During his three years at the Hastings College of Art and Technology, he would visit London often just to soak up the city atmosphere.

Upon his return, he worked for three years for a big construction material company in Bangkok. Then his brother invited him to come to Phuket to work at his Patong Villa Hotel, where Ritthiruth spent four years. One day as he was driving back to Bangkok, he passed Khao Sok National Park. "I decided to look around and talk with some local people," he says. "I was amazed that such a beautiful place was virtually unknown to tourists. I knew from my hotel experience that visitors spent their week or so here on excursions and water-connected activities. I suddenly realized the jungle's potential as an attraction."

Thus began an adventure that has enabled thousands of tourists to experience something far different from the standard beaches and sea. He now has 15 elephants and canoes plus a dedicated group of employees, most of whom have stayed with him from the early days.

As the business grew, Ritthiruth moved his family from Bangkok to Phuket, marking his complete conversion to a more natural and congenial environment than the city offered. His wife and young son and daughter look healthier and happier in Phuket. Though he's 41, he himself looks at least five years younger.

Though it all started as an adventure, he has to look at it as a business to survive. "Because prices are high due to high costs, the growth of the business is limited," he says. "We can take only about 30 to 40 people a day. Like most other tourist attractions, the prices are lower in the low season."

But Ritthiruth is quick to point out that it should really be the reverse in his business. "During the so-called low season, everywhere is green," he says. "It's the best time to visit the rain forest. The high season is dry. You don't experience the thrill of the waterfalls and the richness of the tropical jungle."

Ritthiruth started with jungle walks, but it was difficult to build the business only on that basis. An intriguing idea began to develop in his mind - what if instead of walks he offered elephant-back trekking? Like any other child in Thailand, he had learnt about the chang used in battles in the olden days and to transport kings out of the city. A key feature of many royal ceremonies, the elephant was the most respected animal in the kingdom. He even knew about some of the myths and rituals evolved by the ethnic Kui, who have kept elephants from ancient times.

He soon tracked an elephant keeper, hopped on the howdah, and was taken on the most memorable jungle trek of his life. He became obsessed with elephant trekking as a pioneering business proposition, undeterred by the high cost of buying the animals, with prices ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 baht per animal. "Of course," he says with a smile, "I knew that if I looked after them properly they could live to be 100 years old."

So he decided to take a gamble, marshalling every bit of memory of the tough life he had led and the challenges he had overcome. His father was a teacher and his brother owned a construction business where young Ritthiruth spent most of his time working. "I had very little time left for my studies," he says, "as I had to work every day. I had to learn to be tough and to survive because I knew I had to go out one day on my own and make my life a success.

"My life in England was even tougher," he says, reflecting on his days in Hastings. "After college I worked for four hours every evening at Tesco stocking the shelves. Every weekend and holidays I worked at Dawn and Dorset Laundry as a machine operator. I had no where to go in the evenings for entertainment. And the wet weather and food always got me down."

Looking back on his enormous gamble, he feels he can take satisfaction in his achievement. "'Eco-friendly' has become a popular term. Many companies simply use it to promote business," he says. "But few really put it into practice. I am happy that I am able to provide the elephants a better job than pulling logs all day. The people we employ from Khao Sok like working with us. They have been taught to preserve the environment in their area. I tell them they must look after the jungle because it is their living. But still I don't advertise myself as eco- friendly!"

His customers come from all over the world. But, since he has been working closely with Scandinavian agents, he is better known in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. "Scandinavian tourists really like the rain forest," he explains. Future plans for business growth include canoeing in the mangroves of Phang Nga.

His real aim is to make Phuket an year-round tourist attraction. "Jungle is no less mysterious than the ocean," he stresses. "We should try to get away from Phuket's dependence on the sea," he says with a big grin, "and give the tourists a chance to answer the call of the wild. Why should the tourists only think of the sea? Why should they not be made interested in the jungle? You can go to the beaches in many other places, but how many places can you go jungle trekking on an elephant?"

Among the many letters that he receives from satisfied customers, there is one that goes right to the heart of the matter. It is a moving testimony to the realization of Khun Ritthiruth's dream. "Thank you for a wonderful ride on the elephant", says an 11-year-old Swedish boy. "I am sorry I forget her Thai name. But I think you know the one I mean. Please look after her because she is my best friend in Thailand. Give her a big bunch of bananas from me. I will come back to see her again when I grow up."