Jay Stein

Jay Stein of Stuart Kingston Inc. of Lewes said he was pleased with the price of the desk, which was believed to be made by Wright and Mansfield -- a pair of 19th-century English furniture makers famous for their "revival" satinwood pieces -- for the 1863 Exhibition in London.

Buyers and sellers requested anonymity, Stein said.

"I think it's ridiculous, and I'm right here by the ocean," said Stuart Kingston Gallery owner Jay Stein on Tuesday, Sept. 16, as some of his neighboring businesses on the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk began boarding up for the supposedly onslaught of Hurricane Isabel."I've been here 63 years, and 95-percent of the times they call for a hurricane, it ends up being nothing but a whimper."

Luckily for downtown Rehoboth, Stein was right.

,My wife and I were sickened and crying inside when we heard,, Stein said, noting that he and wife Dian have made many friends on Phuket after years of visiting the island.

He said attempts to contact some of those people by e-mail since the disaster have not been successful.

,I,ve been going there for more than 20 years and a lot of the roads that are there now were dirt roads in those days.It,s come a long way and is a lot like Rehoboth Beach in the way that it has developed,, Stein said.

Stein, a world traveler and Rehoboth Beach resident, is the owner of Stuart Kingston Inc., importer and seller of fine art objects from around the world. While much of his travel is work-related, Stein says when he,s in Phuket its purely for rest and relaxation.

Of all of the places in the world he has visited, Stein says Phuket is first on his list as a vacation destination, unsurpassed by none.

Apparently that,s a view shared by many, including the movie industry.
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Stein said he was on the island during the time that film was being shot.

In thinking about what has happened most recently, Stein says he can visualize being with his wife on the beach in the morning, just as many were when the tsunami hit.

,Around 9 o,clock, after a run, we,d head into the Andaman Sea to cool off,, he said thinking about time spent on Phuket.

Stein said he,s not sure that the loss of life on Phuket will be of the same magnitude as that of other areas hit by the tsunami.

,Phang Nga and Phi Phi got hit hard.This was where the damage was, and here is where the damage was,, Stein says as he points to locations on a map in a tourist,s guide to Phuket and the region.

Stein said the J.W. Marriot Hotel, a multi-million dollar recently completed project in northern Phuket, was completely wiped out by the tsunami.

,It,s like in 1962 here.Some places were spared, other places were destroyed,, Stein said remembering a storm that devastated Rehoboth Beach that year.

Unofficial reports estimate the Thai death toll to be 1,500 to 1,800, but Stein said there are indications that as few as 500 deaths will be recorded in Phuket.Still a large number, he says, but nothing like other places in the region.

Stein said he plans to donate money to the Phuket relief effort, but he wants to make sure the funds go where they,re needed most and not get tied up in post-disaster, bureaucratic red tape.

He said the Thai people are resilient and the nation,s government has a ,taking care of business, attitude that will help Phuket and the region recover quickly.Stein says he still plans to visit Phuket in March for his annual month-long stay on one of the island,s exceptional beaches.