reality check

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Yesterday after all the excitement of the crooks that roam Bangkok and Thailand in general, we got a real awaking from the aftermath of the big wave.
As we were walking down Khao San road, at the end there was a huge donation box for the Red Cross to support the victims and the clean up, but there behind the box was a 30 foot wall of pictures of people.
There are over 5000 people in Thailand dead and as of yesterday nearly 4800 were not even identified. So there they were, pictures of the people sent from their families and loved ones, posted, hoping someone somewhere would recognize there face.
It was so weird to see the dead bodies washed up on the beach, quite stomach turning to see how they laid, unaware that anything was going on and not knowing that was it.
The mood around there was paralyzing, very quiet and almost surreal. as we scanned the letters and pictures praying we never saw anyone we knew, or saw a name of a missing person who we knew, you could not help but feel really sick to your stomach.
When we were looking at the wall of people, we were actually stand beside one of the people from Canada who was reported missing, because she was supposed to be in that area. This Mary Lou chick who lives in Vancouver, we hooked up with for the last 2 weeks, and spent some good times with had to report to the embassy that she was fine and still alive.
Eerie to say the least. The night was capped off with some hugs and goodbyes to her, for she is going home now, she will be missed, but the reailty of the situation really comes to terms when you are standing beside someone, who now we know, and thank God she was not on that wall we just viewed.
Have a safe trip back Mary Lou, the night life will not be the same without you.
We are safe and sound and again thank you to all the people who have emailed to make sure we are ok.

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