Vikrom Kromadit is a dexterous juggernaut. Businessman, philanthropist and writer, he has successfully accomplished every task in these roles no matter how diverse and demanding they are. Amata Industrial Estate in Chon Buri province _ a location he specifically chose given its higher ground and flood safety _ was unaffected by last year's massive flood; his Amata Foundation has been a patronage of the arts and other social charities; and his books have all been very successful, including Phom Ja Pen Kon Dee. While Be A Better Man has sold over 1.6 million copies and has been turned into a television series (Fai Amata), in which heart-throb Charkrit Yamnarm plays the lead role.
Vikrom Kromadit takes the high road.
Now, Vikrom's new role is "journeyman".
"I usually travel by plane, but you cannot see much of anything this way. Travelling by car offers you more of a chance to see and experience new things," said Vikrom. Known to live life to the fullest, it is hard to imagine that Vikrom would consider buying a package tour to exotic and exclusive destinations. At the very least, you would expect that an adventurous guy like himself would be ballooning or sailing.
Last year Vikrom travelled to Laos, Cambodia and China by car, or _ to be more precise _ by caravan. He spent three months (12,000km) on the road to travel through these three countries in a caravan or mobile home, accompanied by a video production team from Panorama. And the material from this trip has been put to good use; earlier this month Vikrom launched his new book, Cheevit Mai (New Life). The book features every aspect of the journey and, as usual, it will be sold at 7-Eleven stores at an affordable price since Vikrom wants the public to be able to easily afford them.
In June, Channel 3 (Thailand) will run the television documentary of his journey last year, as well.
Vikrom's books and TV documentaries are not your ordinary travelling content. "I want people to learn more about the Asean Economic Community [AEC]. So the content will be about these places, in terms of their regional economic bloc, according to the 'Vikrom perspective', presented in the form of books and TV documentaries," explained Vikrom, who has also been helping the Asean Association (Thailand) to promote the AEC.
"I think a lot of Thais still don't know much about the AEC, which will be in place in a few years [2015]. The AEC will change the way people in this region work, travel and live," said Vikrom, adding that readers of his new book will learn about the AEC in an easy-to-digest way.
This Saturday _ on his 59th birthday _ Vikrom will begin a new trip. This time, though, he will spend almost seven months travelling from Bangkok to Mongolia via Cambodia, Vietnam and China.
The caravans he uses for his expeditions are not your typical four-wheel vehicles or buses. His fleet of motor vehicles comprises two 10-wheel trucks and two six-wheel trucks, all of which have been converted into mobile homes equipped with toilets, a kitchenette, office space and internet access, as well as a chef who cooks for the whole team, including the video production crew from Panorama.
Even though Vikrom has mapped out a five-year plan to travel in his caravan to remote countries, including Tibet and Siberia, don't expect him to disappear off the grid. "The caravan is like my mobile home and office ... I will be working as usual."
This means fans of Vikrom will still be able to read his columns, and his business counterparts will still be able to contact him throughout the lengthy trip.
What's next after his "journeyman" role ends in the next few years? Politics, perhaps?
Indeed, many people see him as a future prime minister of Thailand. One former prime minister even encouraged him to run for Bangkok Governor. National artist Prapassron Sevikul, the editor of Vikrom's books, publicly said at a recent party that Vikrom should enter politics and become Thailand's next prime minister. There are many who believe Vikrom will in fact enter politics, like former telecom tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra did.
"Let me repeat, I will not enter politics," he told Life.
"But don't you want to help your nation?" he was asked.
"Do you think I never help the country? With my Amata Foundation, charity work and books which inspire many people to do good and improve their lives, I have been helping the country all along," he explained.
Vikrom also revealed that Thai politics, especially the role of prime minister, is not suited to his work style and goes against his philosophy in life.
"The role of a prime minister is not like a knight riding a white horse. The nature of Thai politics and corruption will make this work too hard ... impossible even. There will be no knight riding a white horse _ we will only have a wild grey horse."
_ Anchalee Kongrut
Set for stardom
Natalia Sukosol Briones, set for stardom.
Natalia Sukosol Briones was born to be a star. The eldest granddaughter of the inimitable Kamala Sukosol has been performing on stage since she was a small girl. Now 14, Natalia is a straight-A student in Grade 9 at Bangkok Patana School. Natalia is such a well-rounded student that she was awarded a spot in the prestigious Summer Session at Phillips Academy Andover, Massachusetts, in the US. And for what it's worth, the school's notable alumni include Humphrey Bogart, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
Natalia is also a dedicated and skilled artiste who is blessed with a dancer's physique, musical sensibilities and good singing genes, which she no doubt inherited from her grandmother. Natalia enjoys dancing jazz, flamenco, and ballet, for which she has been studying with Aree Sahavejjabhand at the prestigious Aree School of Dance Arts since five, as well as earning top honours in her annual exams with the Royal Academy of Dance in the UK.
Having just passed her intermediate exams, she will soon embark on her advanced ballet studies. And although Natalia often finds her dance schedule to be an arduous one, she also understands that ballet is "the key to all dance" and heeds her grandmother's advice, which is to work hard and persevere. In her remaining free time, Natalia is devoted to her singing lessons with Pantip Punjamawat, one of Kamala's own back-up singers and a performer in her own right, not to mention guitar lessons with Woratep Rattana-umpawan, one of Thailand's award-winning classical guitarists and founder of the Thailand Guitar Society.
Natalia is an avid fan of the hit TV series Glee and So You Think You Can Dance, from which she gleans inspiration for her own performances. She hopes to one day follow her dream all the way to Hollywood or Broadway. Certainly, Grandma already believes that she will make a great addition to the Mickey Mouse Club (if it was resurrected, that is!)
For now, Natalia is the mainstay of the Sukosol troupe and she enjoys scripting her own performances alongside her grandmother. This year, at the family's upcoming "Hollywood Stars and Divas" charity concert (Thursday to Saturday), Natalia will perform three numbers. But I Am a Good Girl, a solo song and dance piece from the film Burlesque. Then, with her mother Daranee Sukosol-Clapp, a mash-up of I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor and Survivor by Destiny's Child. And finally, I Love You Just the Way You Are, together with the entire Sukosol family.
