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...
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