THAILAND UPDATE FROM TONY- TSUNAMI
December 28, 2005
After a taxi, a 4 hour boat, overnight train to Bangkok and 3
hour flight, I have arrived safely in Hanoi, Vietnam a few hours ago...I have
attached some pictures below of Ko Phi Phi which I took just days before the
Tsunami completely devastated the island. A few shots from a viewpoint which
shows the hotels and beaches below which were completely submerged by the waves(where
I stayed for 10 days) and a group dinner shot with friends that I spent several
days with and am concerned for their safety as I have not gotten any response
from emails I sent to them yet...
Had
left Ko Phi Phi to check out "the full moon party" on
Dec. 26th on an island off the east coast of Thailand....without knowing the
severity of what was taking place just a hundred or so miles away in Phi Phi.
Still stunned by media shots that I am now exposed to all over...while
in Ko Phangan, I was feeling very relaxed and doing everything on island time
totally isolated from TV, newspapers, etc...Heard some second hand information
from travelers that a good size storm had hit the west side, but everyone seemed
a bit unphased by what was happening...so was I. Weather was calm, sun was
out, Jack Johnson playing in the beach bar...just people talking about how
the full moon party was gonna go off with tens of thousands of people coming
from several different islands....which it did....
On
Dec. 27th I had scheduled to head out to Bangkok to catch my flight to
Vietnam...that's
when
it hit me that this was one of the worst
disasters in history...and Ko Phi Phi was destroyed...still doesn't seem real
because I was just there a few days ago and it was paradise... I was not even
planning to go to Thailand but after dealing with freezing cold temps in Nepal...seemed
like a great way to spend the holidays...Was only planning on spending maybe
a day or two on Ko Phi Phi, but met a group of people and after a day or two,
I took on the "life of a cat"...waking up around noon, stumbling
down to the beach, having my daily 50 cent banana shake, finding my usual spot
in the shade with book in hand, and then just soaking in the island way
of life ...day after day just melted into each other....Now I sit here just
waiting to hear from some of the people that stayed behind...several of them
divers....just unbelievable what has happened...I start thinking of all the
cool locals too- travel agents, bartenders, waitresses, that I met... just
hope they survived....
Funny
how a random decision to stay or go...changes everything......hope some
you can meet up with me somewhere along the way....life is short.... Tony
Scroll Down For Some Pictures
Click on any Thumb to Enlarge Photo
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New Friends
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PHI PHI Island
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PHI PHI Island 2
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Soaking It In
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