Meet the Sellers: First arrival in the Phuket Sandbox
Darren and Supattra Sellers may not have been part of the Siamese revolution that changed Thailand to a constitutional monarchy, or the coup that overthrew the government 7 years ago, but they will forever be a part of Thailand’s modern history now. You see, the Sellers and their 2 children were the first family off of Etihad flight 430 on the historic morning of July 1, making them the first international travellers to arrive in the Phuket Sandbox reopening.
The Sellers and their young daughter and son live in Abu Dhabi and jumped at the chance to get back to Thailand as soon as Phuket reopened. The Phuket Sandbox plan made it much easier to travel without having to quarantine and expressed their pleasure at having arrived on the island.
“We feel very privileged to be the first family to arrive and feel lucky to be here. We are very happy to be back in Phuket again after two years of being unable to travel.”
The family eagerly booked their Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi, scheduled to land at 10:20 am into Phuket International Airport. (It actually landed a bit late, but let’s not ruin the fairy tale.) There were 44 travellers on the flight, but 21 of them were only laying over in Phuket and then travelling on to stay in Bangkok. And by deboarding the plane quickly, the Sellers family made history as they stepped off of the flight and into the airport, onto Thai soil and becoming the first guests of the Phuket Sandbox.
Darren Sellers brushed off the complexities of getting registered and approved for Thailand reentry, saying that once you understand the process it’s actually pretty easy and straightforward. The Sellers family were lucky to receive support and guidance from the embassy and the Angsana Laguna Phuket resort where they are staying in order to get their documents submitted correctly and receive their Certificate of Entry.
Now the family is settled in and enjoying all the activities at their resort and nearby. Darren says that the Thai hospitality has been phenomenal in making them feel welcomed in Thailand, and Supattra added that the local Thai cuisine was a big draw as well.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
