On December 26, 2004 an earthquake of magnitude 9.1 was generated off the western coast of Sumatra, creating a destructive tsunami wave that radiated outward. It is estimated that 230,000+ people were killed and missing - the 4th worst disaster in history. Many of the communities hit hard - like Khao Lak - have recovered physically but will probably never recover mentally. Others, like Aceh, Indonesia (the worst hit), still struggle.
Khao Lak - ground zero. The eerie calmness of the creamsicle colored turquoise sea
belied the fact that 5,000+ souls perished here on that fateful day. Of the 8,200+ people that perished in Thailand, a disproportionate number were claimed on this sobering beach. For weeks and months afterwards, tsunami debris and bodies continued to be regurgitated unto the beaches, a constant reminder to the survivors who managed to escape the tidal wrath.
Unlike other beaches in Thailand, Khao Lak faced directly towards the 9.1 epicenter and was not spared from the full force of the tsunami, the series of waves ultimately reaching 2 miles inland.
Talking to the locals, you hear remarkable stories: the day before the tsunami hit, all the elephants at the local park busted out and headed to higher ground - or the group of campers so persistently pecked by flocks of birds that they relocated, thus saving their lives.
Yet talking to the locals is picking at a scab that never really heals. One night we were talking to Kwan, a sweet young gal who works with her extended family at a beachside restaurant bar. She had lost relatives and started to cry when she relived that awful day and how she was away in Bangkok. Very, very sad.
As we walk the long stretches of beautiful beaches - at least 5 miles in either direction - you see subtle signs of the disaster - gray markers posted every 100 yards, evacuation signs, instructions in many languages to 'seek higher ground', a small tsunami museum. Still, I keep a wary eye on this tranquil sea and considered where this unlikely 'higher ground' is, since it's pretty much flat jungle terrain above the beach for the most part.
And finally, I'm impacted by those poor souls trapped on the
beach when it hit. Initially, the extremely low and receding water suckering people into the ocean in search of flopping fishes and curiousity. Then the first wall of muddy water 20 feet in height, cresting as it hit the shallow shoreline, followed by an even higher devastating wave.
To be caught in the open with no chance of reaching safe haven, the sense of panic and doom and horror they must have felt - to know deep down they could never escape the
deadly clutches and were just running to stand still...
Hopping on a local bus (songthaew), we caught a ride to Klong Muong, about 30 minutes north of Krabi - this is a small local village on the Andamen sea, still relatively undeveloped other than the Sheraton and a Sofitel resort.
As usual we got an upgraded executive suite - it's kind of embarrassing to get these upgrades when we're only paying $30/night. This is probably the prettiest property we've
been to so far. Because of it's location being sheltered by Phuket island, it managed to avoid much of the tsunami
damage. So for six nights we'll call this home.
One day we were sitting poolside and an elephant came up the beach. This is the famous RaRa, a female elephant adopted by the Sheraton five years ago. Quite friendly and very smart, she's a big hit with the people here especially when everyone goes swimming with her in the afternoon. Marge is very keen on feeding her cucumbers every morning.
We went over to Rai Leh beach one day - a day trip that demonstrates how we use local transport - songthaew to tuk tuk to longtail boat - maybe one hour in duration for about $4. Rai Leh beach is too popular and not large enough to support the throngs of tourists who flock there during the day. Not to mention the long tail boats - I didn't believe that in my lifetime I would come across something more obnoxious than a Harley, but I have ! These longtail boats are powered by unmuffled car engines - and there are scores of them that go back and forth
dropping people off and picking people up
- it really distracts from the tranquility of the beach.
Marge and I both bought new swimming suits and are now trying to blend in the old tan
lines so are now concentrating on expanded beach time. And did I mention that the people here are very friendly ? We're trying to pick up useful phrases, but Thai pronunciation is a little difficult to get at first - and pronunciation is everything - unless you pronounce Klong Muong exactly right, the bus driver thinks you want a ride to Mars. Difficult to understand why they cannot extrapolate what I'm trying to communicate. More on this later...
Maybe it's the endless stream of tourists littering the town or maybe it's the water, but the name of the town best describes the native population's disposition. We had exited Malaysia a few days earlier and arrived in Krabi after a 7 hour not so comfortable bus ride. Earlier in the day we took a ferry from Langkawi to the port of Satun in Thailand. Langkawi
wasn't too exciting other than the flying squirrels, and rather than waste five days there, we opted to leave after two days. Beaches were so so and there wasn't much to do - unless you consider log rides and crocodile farms 'something to do'.
So we ended up in Krabi, which is really a stopping off point for everyone going somewhere else. Every morning finds people and their packs on the corners by 10:00 AM waiting for transport to Koh Phi Phi or Koh Lanta or one of the other outlying islands. We were content to hang around town and catch up on some
housekeeping chores before heading a few miles up the
coast.
Our hotel was conveniently located across from the night market with easy bus connections to neighboring beaches. But the people here just weren't very friendly - perhaps tired of the same stupid tourist questions, maybe pissed off that outsiders have taken over their town - who knows, but there was definitely an impatient air about them.
Krabi itself will vacuum your resources for all sorts of activities - kayaking, snorkeling, diving, mangrove hikes - every
other storefront seems to be a tourist office, yet it's easy enough to get around using local transport including tut tuts and bemos.
The area outside of Krabi is gorgeous - pinnacles of limestone pop out everywhere, something quite unique to this
area. Our next stop is 30 minutes north of Krabi - time to cash in some more Sheraton points...
Even at maximum volume, my ipod could not overcome the engine noise as I sat up deck with a group of German travelers. We were leaving Georgetown after five days and moving on to the island of Langkawi just off the coast of Malaysia for a week. I expected to see a large car ferry - instead we were herded onto an oversized metal speedboat - oversized in that it held over 200 passengers.
Georgetown (Penang) has the deserved reputation of the best food in Malaysia - hawker
A day trip to Batu Feringhi - a coastal resort about 45 minutes outside of Georgetown - is recommended for their night bazaar and seafood food stalls. Never in my life have I gone to bed eagerly anticipating the next day of eating. I spent a few hours one morning trying to
I picked up a book on 'Introduction to Buddhism' so that I have a better understanding of this religion, so pervasive throughout Southeast Asia. When you go into a Buddhist temple, they have many Buddhas which they worship, something very contrary to the tenants of Christianity which is belief in one God. Islam is easier to comprehend with their simple message of - one God - all men are created equal - your actions on earth determine your status in heaven.
In one of the pictures I posted, there is a very old monk sitting in a lotus position - for the life of me, I could not determine if this person was in a trance or was a wax figure - people continued to arrive and worship this person. When no one was around I tried to get as close as possible to observe any breathing or blinking - of course I asked a few people, who didn't speak english - not sure what they answered. Finally someone told me it was a wax figure made in China - now I've been to Madame whatever in Fisherman's Wharf, but this was the best.
Malaysia is very conservative. In the newspaper one day they even censored (digitally blurred) the nipples of a male soccer player who had his shirt off. Yet other things I don't get. The wife will be dressed in black head to foot, with a veil covering her face, yet her husband walks besides her in a tank top, shorts and flip flops.
I digress - on to Langkawi, our last stop in Malaysia before heading into Thailand for two months. Things are going great, we do have our moments of frustration, but we continue to wake up each day to new adventures and people and cultures. Ultimately, we can only be enriched by the world that few have the opportunity to experience...
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We stayed in KL through the New Year's to enjoy the holiday spirit & to assure we had accommodations. Great city to be in for the holidays - here are some of the sights we've
seen.
Batu Caves are just outside of KL & easy to get to via bus. This Hindu Shrine was built in the vast open space know as Temple Cave. There are 272 steps to climb & it is very spiritual. We were blessed by the Hindu priest. Over a million Hindus come here during
Thaipusam in January, which is a cleansing/body piercing ceremony for Hindus.
We had to see a doctor for the first time - boy is their health care efficient! Bill had a bad cold & cough so to the clinic at the mall we went. Took about 30 minutes & $65 for the visit & antibiotics, cough syrup, throat lozenges, & 2 other types of cold remedies. Bill is fine & his Indian Dr. Saboo was great.
The Islamic Arts Museum was well worth a visit. It is located in the park across from our hotel, which has been a great area for walking. They had copies of the Koran, which we couldn't read, but they did have an audio translation. Models of the world's famous mosques were on display including Mecca. Many artifacts on Muslim religion, history, & lifestyle. Traveling in this part of the world gives you a different
perspective on other cultures. They are not so scary. From a fashion statement all the Muslim women wear the jhilbab (head scarf) & they must have many of them, since they match whatever color outfit they have on. Many patterns - some have embroidery & stones on them. I find this most interesting.
We made it to the sky bridge between the Petronas Towers, which are on the 41st floor - I didn't look down, only straight out! They have a great video on the building of the towers, only took 2 years, which is quite amazing! We were also there on New Year's eve for the
fireworks at midnight!
We have really enjoyed our stay - got pool time, our visas for China & Vietnam - great food - great shopping - met a wonderful family form Melboure - Alain & his wife Ethel & their daughter Nadia who gave us some great tips on future travel.
In case you're wondering here are some of the Western influences:
Dunkin Donuts, KC Fried Chicken (very popular), McDonald's, Subway, Starbucks, Chillies, California Pizza Kitchen, Burger King, Outback, just to name a few!
Heading to northern Malaysia.
Happy New Year Everyone,
Marge
btw - there are more pictures under PHOTOS at the top - I only post a subset of them to the posting...
