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TRICK OR TREAT? Two US Navy warships anchored off Phuket today, and it's definitely a treat to have them here for Halloween.
The traditional US holiday will be a huge happening on Phuket this Friday.
You can bet your pointy witch's hat that most of Patong's bars and restaurants will be celebrating non-stop.
That goes for nightspots in Karon and Kamala, too. Keep that candy coming. And more warships are due next week.
In readiness for the big night, sailors streamed ashore from the two warships today, with four nights and five days of R&R in mind.
Having a good time is always a part of shore leave. It's just a matter of how individuals define having a good time.
Trick or treat? Well, maybe for some, this particular visit will be a combination of both.
Who is to say what sailors on a holiday island have in mind.
Beer, or cocktail? Beach, or elephant trek? And then there's the big one: Obama, or McCain?
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Don't forget, soon after Halloween this year comes that extremely serious trick or treat that only takes place every four years.
The election for the most powerful man in the world, the US president, takes place next Tuesday.
These sailors will be making their choice via email, we were told, with Obama, the Democrat candidate, hot favorite.
But the one certainty today is that the Phuket economy will be the big beneficiary of the sailors' warm-up-for-the-vote visit.
Also set for a treat will be the National Museum of Phuket at Thalang, where the Rotary Club of Patong and US citizen-resident Brad Kenny have organised a paint-in for Friday.
About 50 worn columns at the museum will get the US Navy once-over (and in some cases a twice-over) from volunteers from the two ships, the USS Decatur and USS Chancellorsville.
Let's hope none of the volunteers thought that ''sanding detail'' had something to do with spending time on the beach . . .
The two US commanders, John ''Buzz'' Nolan of the Chancellorville and Brian K. Shipman of the Decatur, formally met deputy commander Rear Admiral Sirisak Boonyasak at the Royal Thai Navy base on Cape Panwa today.
The Decatur, now 10 years old, has 380 sailors on board, of whom 44 or 45 are women.
The Chancellorville, nearing 20 years old, has a complement of 350 sailors, with 44 women among those.
Sailors usually have two days of leave, followed by a duty day, and will come ashore in rotation.
Most sailors, the commanders told a media conference, will be looking forward to abandoning the spartan conditions on board in favor of big beds and the chance to sleep in and not have to wake with the 6am whistle.
Sleeping was the priority of both commanders, although one preferred to catch 40 winks at the beach. ''There's a deck chair calling my name,'' he said.
The ships have had five-and-a-half months on deployment without any serious incidents when the sailors have been on shore leave, or liberty, as the US Navy terms it.
Two more warships, one from Australia and one from India, are to anchor off Phuket on Monday, November 3.
Phuket is certainly popular with sailors in uniform from all over, as the number of plaques from ships on the wall in the greeting room at the Thai Navy's Cape Panwa base illustrates.
After Phuket, both US warships will be heading for Hawaii then on to their home port of San Diego, California. The sailors have been away from home since May.
Extra Reading
Plus Photo Album: Phuket always greets the US Navy with glee and the sailors usually seem to find plenty to smile about on the island. A warm embrace or two awaits hundreds of officers and ratings this week.
US Navy Will Boost Phuket Season Opening
