By Zaihan Mohd Yusof

HOW about a tall glass of beer to quench your thirst?

Or what about that relaxing foot and back massage to soothe aching limbs?

You would expect that in a hotel but not at U-Tapao.

This quiet town, home to a former military base now playing the role of 'international airport', has come alive.

With protesters from People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) expected to leave Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports only on Wednesday, it will take a couple of days before these major airports can re-open.

So locals and businesses alike have turned to making money as they take advantage of the hordes of tourists arriving at U-Tapao to fly home.

U-Tapao is near Pattaya, about 140km from Bangkok.

Its Vietnam War-era airstrip with a single runway can handle only about 40 flights a day compared with the 700 at Suvarnabhumi.

No wonder the area was swelling with people and exuding the atmosphere of a fair when The New Paper arrived on Tuesday morning on a flight from Singapore.

Said Madam Peit, a senior nurse from the Thai Red Cross Society: 'We arrived at the deserted carpark on Sunday, when there were only tourists wanting to get out of Thailand.

'Now, you have a beer counter, a convenience store, food stalls, massage stations and cultural shows.

'This is only a fraction of the carpark that is used. We give mineral water for free, but I think you have to pay for the beer.'

'Stewardesses' - volunteers from the various organisations and hotels - handed out free mineral water while trying hard to remain cheerful under the scorching sun.

The sight of volunteers giving away sandwiches and drinks appeared to upset some foodstall operators.

And people got grumpier as the daytime temperature rose.

Smooth for SIA

Passengers crowded around outdoor check-in counters with airline ground staff scrambling to pacify the restless ones.

Some passengers complained it took an average of two hours to get their luggage checked in.

SIA passengers were more fortunate. Although its check-in counter was also makeshift, at least they did not have to queue in the sun like some other airline passengers.

They were in a shaded cargo area and staff in SIA T-shirts were well-organised, handing out identification stickers and baggage labels.

Though we saw nearly 300 passengers at SIA's makeshift counter, the process was smooth, with most cleared in an hour or so.

One British couple stuck for a night in Bangkok got a flight to Singapore.

Apparently, two others had cancelled their flights.

Said the man, who gave his name as Desmond, 39: 'It's a total mess and we're the ones paying for it. We have already paid $3,000 for our flight here and now we have to pay another $1,800, just to get out of here.

'We love Thailand and we've returned yearly. But we're working-class people and it was embarrassing when we had to borrow money just to get home.'

Mr Tun, 45, who was on a Haj with 368other passengers from Myanmar, was not so lucky.

They had been camping at the U-Tapao airport premises for the past six days.

He said: 'It's not going to be easy to find seats for our big group, but we have to be patient.'

He said they got free food from a generous compatriot in Bangkok.

'If we are stranded here any longer, we will also be stuck in Dubai,' he said.

Some passengers tried to kill time by reading books, while others dozed in theshade.

To calm nerves, a puppet troupe performed under the sun, surrounded by camera-totting passengers.

Looking after the welfare of the frustrated passengers was hard.

Two ambulances were on stand-by and medical volunteers handed out food and gave free medicine to sick passengers.

Said Madam Peit: 'You can expect tempers to flare. On Sunday, we had to 'help out', together with the tourist police, when a fight nearly broke out between two groups of passengers.

'It started when one person had jumped the queue. Luckily, nobody got hurt.'

If tourists' tempers are frayed, many locals, like taxi driver Alipak, 27, have turned the situation to their advantage.

He said: 'Almost all (taxi) operations have been shifted here from the Bangkok airports. What I normally make in a week, I did so on Saturday and Sunday.

'Then, the line to get to airport was 5km long. Now (Tuesday), we have lost out to the big tour buses who ferry tour groups on behalf of airlines and tour agencies. My profits were short-lived.'

Still, if you are a tourist with an empty stomach, you can eat on the cheap.

A meat-and-two-vegetable dish costs less than $2 and seemed popular with locals and some tourists.

Also popular were the foot massage stations. For less than $5, you could get a good rub-down under a tent.

It did not quite have the cool comfort of a spa, but given the circumstances, it was perfect for tired feet.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 3, 2008.