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From his earliest boyhood, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has shown himself to be resourceful, self-motivated, and independent. An early black and white film taken when he was around six years old shows him on the beach at Hua Hin. Children cavort in the low surf. To one side is a pensive boy completely absorbed in constructing an elaborate sand castle, oblivious to the flurry of activity surrounding him. |
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When still a boy, he constructed his own electric train, even winding the copper wire for motors by himself. Together with his elder brother His Majesty King Ananda, he built his own radio to listen to the music he loved. From constructing model gliders and boats as a boy, His Majesty progressed to designing and building, with his own hands, a number of sailboats in the OK Class, the Vega I, Vega II, and Vega III. In 1966-67, he built three innovative Moth Class boats of varying lengths, each displaying improvements over its predecessor: the "Mod" (Ant), "Super Mod", and "Micro Mod" (a mere seven feet nine inches long) are still sailed today. An accomplished sailor, he put them through their paces, refining them from the results obtained in racing trials in the Gulf of Thailand.
As an adult, he has shown himself to be a talented painter, photographer, musician (and composer) on a number of instruments, linguist, and sportsman.
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