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Published: November 8th 2005
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Getting a haircut near Khao Lak
A young boy gets a haircut in an open-air barber shop south of Khao Lak Well, I finally made it to my final destination: Khao Lak. This small community just meters from the turquoise Andaman Sea is struggling to get back on its feet after the tsunami. My original visit here just a few weeks following the devastating wave (and subsequent trip in September) has given me a chance to rate their progress.
Most of what you see from the main highway (country road to you Westerners) is still in a bit of disarray. It’s quite apparent that the work continues, as roads are repaired, storefronts cleaned up and filled with new merchandise and the hustle and bustle of local laborers zipping past on their scooters to the heavy tasks of rebuilding the local hotels.
The tourism is now nearly non-existent, but so are the high prices (by contrast, a high price for a luxury room on the sea is about $50USD). You can get a nice room now for around $10USD with air conditioning; something I'm having a hard time living without. The home I was hoping to rent near the beach in Nam Khem is not finished. I may have to seek out new digs. I've put the word out. I've already
Khao Lak Sunset
The sunsets are beautiful here. This photo (from January 2005) is riveting. received some leads as they are all to welcome to find renters as many of the inhabitants did not want to stay after the tsunami. Hence, empty houses.
My first visit here when I arrived was to see my future landlord. He invited me onto his terrace and we spoke and was introduced to a retired German couple that has been living here for quite some time. True humanitarians, they are. The German man (I forgot his name, but I remember that he was a world-class mountaineer in Nepal and other places globally) told me his and his wife's story as they were there when the tsunami struck. I'll paraphrase below as best I can, given his broken English:
"My wife and I were at our bungalow on the beach. She was inside cooking and I was outside walking the dog along the shore. I realized that something was wrong when I noticed the sea was receding and that there were no birds to be seen, something that was always there in the morning. Looking out to the sea, I could see a wall of white in the distance. I knew right away that something was wrong and
Ko Kho Khao Island
Palm along the coast of Ko Kho Khao, an island just off of Baan Nam Khem. I ran back to the bungalow yelling to my wife to get out of the house. There were others in the nearby bungalows and I yelled for them to run inland, shouting to the top of my lungs. My wife and I jumped onto our motorbike (only transport they had) and began to ride parallel to the beach until we could head away from the shore. The wave had by then hit the beaches and was rushing towards us. Yelling to all to flee the entire time as I passed nearby houses, the wave was behind us just 20 meters (60 feet) and was chasing us. We made it to higher ground just a half kilometer away, but it had taken all of the houses and many of those that could not get out in time. People along the main highway could see people running and driving away from the beach, but could not see what the commotion was about, as they could not see the wave. We lost one of our dogs. And many friends. And now we are here to help them rebuild while we rebuild our own lives."
I was glued to his every broken word as he told his story. It was amazing. And to think I am considering renting a house that is being built on the same land. The resorts are gone, the original houses are gone. Debris still lines the beach, though most has been buried in the surge of sand. It is likely that many are still buried there. They have had monks bless the land and give prayer to those they may never find.
So...back to Khao Lak.
Today I am out looking for wood to build the second of two playgrounds. I have to see what they can get me before I design the playground, as their unit of measurement is different that our Imperial measurements in the West. Once I get the numbers, then I can design it.
I also stopped by an appliance store to look at some things I may need for the new digs. I found a hot water pitcher for coffee. It cost me a whopping $10 and then he painstakingly dusted it off for me and put it in its original box. Then he continued to painstakingly dust off the box to be sure it was clean before handing it over to me. Never...I mean NEVER, would anyone do that in the States. They are proud of their businesses and grateful for what they have. It often gives you a sense of guilt, but I have to remember that this is the way things are here. If anything, it should (and has to some great degrees) prompt me to re-evaluate my lifestyle and priorities.
Now..Khao Lak is beginning to boom back to life. In time, the people will return to see the overgrown resorts, spas, restaurants and activities. Until then, it’s a construction site. But don't let that keep you from here. The bargains are incredible, the people are even more incredible...and the food is absolutely delicious. I had a shrimp dinner that would kill for $4USD. I thought I would lose weight here!
Until my next blog!
Johnny
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John Thompson
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Thanks for the update!!
Thanks for the update on conditions there. You may remember me as we communicated a while back after you reviewed my website (www.sonomacountylaw.com/tsunami) which details my experience in Khao Lak during the tsunami. I actually yesterday just looked at Lonely Planet's updated Thailand book section on Khao Lak and was thinking how sad it is that their section on hotels there is so small compared to the last edition. So many were wiped out... The landlord of my work building just got back from Khao Lak. He was volunteering there helping with water quality issues. So it is good to see they are still getting help and attention they need. Any updated photos or more information you post will be great to see. I hope to make it back there sometime in the next few years. John jmt@pon.net