I
had to go to the Phuket area on business and this
was my first trip there since the devastation of
the Tsunami. I went some five weeks after the destruction
occurred and the first differences I began to notice
started on the plane trip from Bangkok. The 8.00
am flight, a mammoth 747 from Bangkok, was packed,
but not with relaxed-looking tourists wearing aloha
shirts and flip flops.
The
people on the flight basically fit into two categories:
the first being military and firefighter types with
crew cuts and broad shoulders; the second being
UN and other NGO types mixed in with government
dignitaries. The second group looked hypertensive,
wore business clothes and barked instructions into
mobile phones.
The firefighter military group looked a bit more
relaxed. The satisfied look of the business folks
caused a cynical thought to cross my mind. The flight
from Bangkok to Phuket is only one hour and, getting
off the plane, I noticed a VIP lounge section set
up and various dignitaries headed off into that
direction. I had the feeling that I was intruding
on some type of business convention. In the lobby
area of the airport, there was a bulletin board
with photos and pleas for help to locate lost relatives.
It was so sad. The Swedish and British embassies
had set up special sections directly at the airport.
Our
friend, Somchai, picked us up at the airport. He
is Thai, and from Krabi, a local boy. Driving along
the road to Phangna, he pointed out the special
camp that had been set up about four kilometers
from the airport. A sign read, "Body Identification
Unit".
Somchai
related his experience in Phuket on the fateful
morning of the Tsunami. It was a beautiful morning,
sun shining and the sea seemed as peaceful as it
ever had been as Somchai drove his truck over a
bridge from the mainland to Phuket island. The truck
started shaking. He thought the engine was malfunctioning
and not operating smoothly and he slowed down to
consider looking at the engine. However, the feeling
passed and he arrived home. Several kilometers away
from the beach and several hours later, a friend
he called told him about the flooding in Patong.
Somchai asked how it could be flooding when it wasn't
even raining and his friend explained that there
was a big wave. Then slowly the truth of what had
happened began to unfold.
Somchai
lost his cousin and uncle who had been working on
Ko Phi Phi and knew others who had been lost as
well. One of his relatives was a fisherman who was
at sea at the time. The fisherman was far enough
out at sea to escape the brunt of the wave, but
was close enough to watch the destruction as it
happened. The most cruel aspect of watching from
the sea was that his family was in a house near
the beach and he had to watch his house and family
be destroyed with the knowledge that he could do
absolutely nothing to save them.
As
we drove through to Phangna, there were other small
signs of the Tsumani on the various beaches, mainly
litter and debris, and was impinging way past the
street and roads. But not all places were affected
equally. Khao Lak got hit hard. I had previously
stayed there and recommended it to friend. I had
a beautiful bungalow just overlooking the beach.
It was idyllic. The Andaman sea (West) is about
10 degrees warmer and normally calmer than the Gulf
(East) coast. The Andaman water is a beautiful rich
turquoise. How ironic it is that people go to the
Andaman coast during the Monsoon season, from November
to February, where the water is supposedly more
peaceful than the Gulf of Thailand (East) coast.
Now there is nothing left of the beachfront Khao
Lak, except sand and memories.
I
then went to Patong, the former bustling tourist
area of Phuket, which was also hit hard, but not
as bad as Khao Lak. It is one thing to watch TV
news, but when you actually see the destruction
in front of you, you really feel it a lot more.
It was more shocking. It seemed like all the businesses
on the beach road were completely wiped out. The
buildings had no front windows or doors, they were
just empty shells. No people and no merchandise.
The destruction continued about 50 meters past the
beach road. Heaps of scraps piled up in various
places and the place was empty. The various people
you did see wandering around seemed desperate or
were suspecting, why were they here?
