Behind the Scene:
Traveller’s Dream

For a lot of people, Ray Macdonald comes to mind if we talk about travelling. He is somewhat a travellers’ role model of whom people want to follow in his footsteps. It came as no surprise that his name came off the top of our head when we knew that we were going to make a travel issue of Power Magazine. The minute we saw Ray, he pleaded us that this was his first fashion shoot for the past 17 years.

“Twenty years ago, I did a fashion shoot almost every single week. Now that I’ve been away from all this, it’s quite nostalgic. Today I’m very happy to all of your familiar faces. You could say that we’ve all grown up together. It makes me feel like I’m back in the fashion circle again. All I could say is that my look today is totally a killer. Every piece of costume here fits me like a glove. I think Power Magazine has made the right choice to pick me. (smile) I could hardly believe it that ten years has passed but I could still nail it when it comes to posing in front of the camera. Looks like I have to revive my fitness regime and make a comeback on the cat walk in style again.” A father of one boy joked around with a laughter.

Apart from Ray’s sassy poses, we must give credit to Sanchai’s dedication in conjuring up a spectacular backdrop of dream destination which was Grand Canyon in this case. His efforts also included his styling – costumes, makeup and hair. Everything flattered our model boy as much as the photography expertise of George – Tada Varich. They all led to a slew of great photos which gave us a hard time to select which ones should make the cut for the magazine. What you saw on the magazine would surely make you want to go all the way to the Grand Canyon and pose there.

Our backdrop may be the Grand Canyon – one of the main tourist attractions of the US in Arizona, but when asked about the impressive trip and the trip of a lifetime for him, Ray told us this. “I have so many impressive trips. My Top 10 or Top 5 trips keep changes depending on when you ask me. For now I can tell you that some of my favourite destinations are Mongolia, Nepal, Vanuatu and the likes. But if you ask me next week, my list could change. Lately, I like to go somewhere near home and keep going back to the same places. A lot of places I’ve been to in my 20’s, 30’s or 40’s which is right about now, I saw different things all the time. It could be that our points of view changes all the time. We may go to the same place but we look at things in a different perspective so my preferences also change. My dream trip is Iceland where I’ve never been to or Cuba. I also wanna take a trip in Thailand; Pichit, Ubon Ratchatani and Nong Bua Lam Phu. I’ve never been to these places too and I believe that every place has its own unique goodie.” A veteran traveller reveals his dream destinations.

Pod – Thanachai Ujjin, who has enjoyed perennial popularity among fans of pop music, is one distinctive traveller. With his penchant for drawing and arts, his travel stories always have something to do with arts. That was why Sanchai filled this fashion set of Pod – the Art Lover – with the pop arts and graffiti which drew an inspiration from renowned American artist – Keith Haring.

“Actually I’ve been an avid fan of Keith Haring since my university days. As a fanboy, I even painted a ceramic vase in his style when I was in my third or fourth year. I followed his work and his life story. When I go to museums, I often got to see them feature his works. It feels great to have a chance to pose on a backdrop with his drawing. It really gets me going in the mood.” A singer with an art obsession shared what he felt working on a fashion set with Power Mag for the first time. He also added that he was really glad to collaborate with a professional team of stylist, photographer, makeup artist and hair stylist.

When talking about travelling, Pod told us that he often travelled. The first half of this year alone, he travelled to 5-6 countries. Each time he took to travel, he never failed to visit a museum to appreciate some arts. Museums in every destination country have always been on his bucket list. “If I plan a trip on my own, museum is a must-go for me because arts are high on my agenda. Strolling in museums or galleries are interesting for me. Mori Art Museum in Roppongi Hills is where I often go. For the past 5-6 years, I’ve been to almost every show there.” Pod told us about his style of travelling as an art lover. If you ask him to recommend other like-minded travellers, he said Tokyo, New York and London are 3 cities that art lovers cannot afford to miss because there are massive tons of arts to marvel.

Before wrapping up these two enjoyable fashion sets, our true travelling models also left some food for thoughts for other travellers. Just open up your heart to embrace and appreciate any kind of any difference and everything that you encounter to enrich each of your journeys beyond your perception.