December 29, 2004
The Tsunami from Ko Lanta Thailand
We received an email from some friends of our daughter. They were at Ko Lanta, Thailand where it is estimated several hundred are dead. We were all very worried about them, and very relieved to hear from them. I want to share the email with you as it is an excellent description of what happened. (I have added the map and pictures.)
Ko Lanta is off the coast of Thailand near Phuket
This is what it looked like before the tsunami
And this after
from the Sydney Morning Herald
The Email
We were staying on a mile long stretch of white sand beach that has about 10 to 15 resorts, all with their own restaurants and bars. There are also about 4 different Thai Massage structures along the beach. Around 9 in the morning, the day after X-mas, a set of about 10 white water rollers headed to our beach. Not big at all, but stranger than any wave I had ever seen. Even the locals were in awe. After they retreated, the tide rose about 70-80 feet up the beach within a couple minutes. It rushed around people sun bathing, tables and chairs, platforms, the beached long tail boat (SS Yob Yalp) that we helped raise out of the ocean only a couple weeks before. The water rose so much that everything made of wood began floating to the sea.
We started pulling everything we could to higher ground. The locals tied the boat to a tree and still the water rose. Just when it reached the deck of the Sandy Beach Restaurant, about a hundred and twenty feet away from the normal tide line, it suddenly raced back towards the sea, further back than I have seen it in the 3 or 4 weeks I have been there. Within another few minutes the water rose back to the Sandy Beach. People were tripping out, some played in the water by the edge, others went swimming, I just watched. Suddenly it became very quiet. When I looked out to sea I saw the first wave coming in. I think everyone was in shock because we all just sat there watching as it began to grow as it closed in. Suddenly we were all running. I heard the crash behind me and looked back to see this wave rip through everything in its way. Stuff and things were just launched into the air and then swallowed up. I just made it out of range, but found myself standing in sea water about 10 bungalows back. When the water receded everybody walked back to the ocean, including myself. I looked in the restaurant and saw that all the tables and chairs were smashed against the back wall. Two of the massage places were completely gone. Some people were cut up pretty bad from all the crap in the water. The people that had been swimming were gone.
The ocean level rose, fell and rose again. The second wave came about 10 minutes later and was even bigger. Again people began to run. The second wave broke into the Sandy Beach, completely destroying it. The deck was twisted up into itself, the Long Tail Yob Yalp was thrown into a Bungalow where a German family had been staying. Luckily they were not inside. About six bungalows in our resort were thrown off their foundations, some completely collapsed. Everyone left for higher ground and spent the night where they could. The Thai people stayed extremely calm and light hearted, even those who had just lost everything. They all pulled together and brought food, water and blankets to the makeshift camps and for the most part charged no money. They are a truly kind people. When I returned to the beach the next day, a few of us walked along the entire beach. The damage was unreal. Every single restaurant was demolished and many bungalows were as well. Not one massage place remained. I saw a catamaran crumpled into what was left of the Ozone Bar and The Somewhere Else Restaurant, our favorite was completely gutted.
Some people died and others are missing. Hopefully many will be found. The locals remained in good spirits and began to immediately clean up. Many of us helped, and within two days, much has been
accomplished. It is starting to look nice again.
The resilience of the human spirit is remarkable.
Posted by: Bill Whitlatch at December 30, 2004 9:44 AMLast week when I wrote All Thai'd Up, (Soundbites from the Stillpoint #13) I was still drenched in the silky murmur of Thailand's rhythmic waves. While in that idyllic state, trying to describe the place below our stories, I wrote:
And the mind, too busy,
Unacquainted with the rhythm of the waters
Yields its insistence by swimming
In the reminder of what it grew out of.
Today, with the death count racing past 78,000 from the Tsunami off the coast of Indonesia, I am reminded that the mind did not only grow out of the depth of the water's calm, but also out of its chaos and destruction. At the last full moon on the island Ko Lanta, with our new found Thai friends we celebrated Loi Rua, a floating ceremony to cast out bad luck and worship their ancestors' spirits. Intricate palm frond boats, filled with personal affects, coins, and a lighted candle bobbed out to sea on the ebbing tide. Awash in the grandeur of a delicate people's reverence for Beauty, warm white waves lapped at our feet, cheap rum rushed our veins, and the evening breeze caressed our welcoming bodies. Today, that same beach on Ko Lanta recoils in the full moon, devastated by the same water that one month ago gently rocked us back to our soul.
This Tuesday morning, through the miracles of modern internet, while searching for any news of our friends, a website announced: "Mook's alive!!! I'm really happy as I just got a call to say my friend Mook ( Ko Lanta - Thailand ) survived the Tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean basin today. I was told he was alive and is in hospital. He's devastated, as his bar, which is life has been washed away into the sea. I'm so bloody happy that he is still alive, I'm going to go down and help him build a new bar and stock it up for him." And I wept, happy he was alive, but sad and suddenly the whole tragedy moved more personal and real.
Twinkle-eyed Mook, the owner of the bar, welcomed us with open arms and constantly chortled me to drink Monkey's blood, or try his wicked concoction that had a cobra's head marinating in the used whiskey bottle. But what about Keet, Ed, Zak, or Moon? What about my favorite four-thumbed jewelry maker and his family of artists that daily walked the beach to sell to the tourists? How did they handle the 30 foot wall of nature's fury? How many of those happy soccer-playing kids, or the sweet young girls that made castles in the sand were swept to sea?
Even the idyllic has a shadow. These sweet and simple people walked deep into my heart, and my soul weeps with them for their loss. I cannot turn away from the grief. I must say yes. Yes to the grief, devastation, pain, suffering, and the anxiety as those I came to love search for a way to recover. Yes to life that allows us to love and therefore to suffer. Yes to helplessness, unknowingness and to the wounds to the human spirit and the Grace that finds its way to us through community. Yes to the courage to sit in the trauma and the resulting agony and rage without hiding behind silly theology in an attempt to make the pain go away.
Leonard Cohen in his song Hallelujah captures the paradox of life's incompletion in the last stanza of Rufus Wainwright’s version
Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who out drew you.
It's a not a cry you can hear at night
Its not somebody who has seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah.
My hallelujah is broken by the tragedy, but it is hallelujah. Hallelujah that we can be broken, that we can be broken open, and hallelujah for the courage to be in the life of the world.
I am raising money to send to the victims on our island. I am in touch with the Bungalow we stayed at on Ko Lanta, asking them to tell me what they need and how I can get money or supplies to the families we loved there. If you have any inclination to send money to help, and like me, want to feel a more personal contribution, please call 503 644 1027 or e mail me and we can figure out a way to give something of substance to them.
Thanks for the post, if you can tell me about the folks from Miami Bungalows, I would really appreciate it.
Damage on Lanta has been overstated. From what I have been able to glean, the death toll is not in the hundreds, but two foreigners and nine Thais are reported to have perished. Resorts further south along the west coast seem to have had something of a miraculous escape, and many are up and running again already.
Check out this blog from someone living on the island.
http://mythicaldude.typepad.com/
The Thais NEED people to go back. Fear-mongering is irresponsible. Khao Lak and Phi Phi may be gone, perhaps for ever, but it is wrong to suggest ALL areas on the Andaman Sea have been equally blitzed.
Posted by: Will at January 1, 2005 2:42 PMIf anyone hawe info about the people at Miami bungalows please send info to anndanne@hotmail.com We hawe stayed there a couple of times and i am mr firecracker. We hope and pray that all personal still are alive. Our special thoughts go to Boon and Lady boss. Does anyone hawe email to them please send it.
Posted by: mr firecracker at January 1, 2005 3:22 PMJust a quit note... If anyone is still there and runs into our Canadian Nephew Ryan S. who is still there helping with clean up... give him a hug from his Auntie Lisa, Uncle Peter and Cousin TJ
Posted by: Lisa at January 1, 2005 8:16 PM Can anyone help me get in touch with Jou, the owner of Where Else on Ko Lanta? I've tried phoning her from California, but the cell phone doesn't receive my voice. I left one hour before the wave came. The day before that they had just installed internet service, but I imagine that has been washed away. Please let me know how to contact them.
Thank you
Cindy Strannard
phone: 916-736-0449
e-mail: cstrannard@hotmail
trying to find out any info about good days resort please can anyone let me know stayed there and want to here about those lovely people that made it so great x
Posted by: lisadobbs at January 2, 2005 3:25 AMIt is terrible to here that also Ko lanta is hit by the tsunami .
We stayed there for a week in new huts on to beach , we were there first costumer and this is only a month ago .
So if anyone can give us some more information about them I would be very happy . We stayed at Addy's place between the miami bar and a very expensive 5-star hotel , where I don't remember the name of any more .
Addy was I very great guy and with his own place ,his dream had just came true. But these were the only huts that we have seen immediately on the beach. So I know almost for sure that they will have a lot of damage . Can anyone help us to get more info
Many thanx
If anyone hears anything about Lanta marine beach resort on kantiang and George, Lek and all the staff. Also Jonny and Biw and Oliver the French photographer at the Why NOt? bar could they let me know. I and my husband Nick and Barty and Olivia spent a very happy Christmas and New Year there last year and feel desperatly worried about all the wonderful Thai friends we made there - thank you - Claire
Posted by: Claire Mee at January 2, 2005 6:12 AMDoes anyone know what's happened to the Bliss Bar and Deep Forest Bungalows? Our friend, A, may have closed the bar some time ago and opened another or be working somewhere else. any info would be greatly appreciated.
special thoughts to everyone there, helen
helen.hooper@email.com
I would also like to know if anyone knows about the owners of Where Else and Somewhere Else. Jaul, Keat, Dang Tom and all the family. I am very worried, I just hope they are allright. I have stayed with them many times, they are the nicest people.
James
Posted by: James Beynon at January 2, 2005 9:02 AMDoes anyone knao something about my dearest Thai friends James and Suza from Suzahut at long beach. I'm so worried about these guys and I hope they survived this terrible Tsunami.
Please tell me if you know something about them and their famiy!
I always wanted to go back there and see them again - but know ...?
I saw some website quite useful about Ko Lanta Tsunami
http://www.lantainfo.com
It may help all of you.
George
Posted by: George at January 2, 2005 11:20 AMHi,
Does anyone know how the people at Waterfall Bay Beach resort,Ko Lanta, are doing? I met some locals while visiting there last year, wonderful people, Thai and Burmese friends I am very concerned about. Any information would be appreciated, thanks.
can anyone tell me if the Sea gypsy village on the quiet side of the island was affected.
I met a guy called Shadow and his girlfriend at the sea gypsy home and i want to know of they are OK and all the gypsies in the village are OK ???
Posted by: Becky Gee at January 3, 2005 2:19 AMMessage for JAMES BEYNON: I had contact with someone staying at somewhere else when this terrible disaster happened,and they all survived (dang, tom, lanta-boy). I'm sorry i dont have information about the people at where else.
Posted by: karin at January 3, 2005 5:45 AMHello,
I am looking for some news from the great Thai family who where at the Where Else on Kho Lanta. My girl friend and I spend abour 3 month with this fammily at their bungalows and we are no trying to get in tounch wiht them...but can not contact them!
If any one has any news please let me know.
I greatly apreciate.
Vincent
Posted by: Vincent Mercier at January 3, 2005 8:46 AM
Hello,
Does anyone know if Nice Beach Bungalows were affected by the Tsunami. I stayed there a few weeks ago and would really like to know that Pat, Ake and the other guys working there are ok,
Thanks.
if you need update information of ko lanta
i just saw www.lantainfo.com i thought they are people who live there it much helpful
dear guest and web master
We searched where people need to know about kolanta information during this disaster if we can help we will cos we live in ko lanta
I 've just checked all resort in kolanta today and visited at where else
some of beach front bungalow restaurant and beach bar was destroyed
but everyone still allright the owners keat is fine but his wife jaew got minor injured on her leg . no one got any serious injured
contact number 66 1 5364870
admin www.lantainfo.com
Posted by: admin at January 3, 2005 1:26 PMlanta miami all staff is allright noone got injured their resort got little damages right now back to full operate
Posted by: admin at January 3, 2005 1:45 PMCan anyone tell me whether the crew at Cook Kai Restaurant (just up the road from Miami Bungalows) are alright? I ave no way of finding out...
Posted by: Fiona at January 3, 2005 3:43 PMdearest everybodies, does anyone know news about the places I mentioned above?
I do really care about A, Eed and dom, all the guys from hippiebar, I am a very good friend and have been there quiet a while, last time in 2003.
please give me a sign!
love
gabi
long beach lanta: deep forest bungalows, bliss bar, former hippie bar, A's place next to deep forest, ozone bar...
dearest everybodies, does anyone know news about the places I mentioned above?
I do really care about A, Eed and dom from deep forest, all the guys from hippiebar, I am a very good friend and have been there quiet a while, last time in 2003.
please give me a sign! write to: honey_hup_salup@yahoo.de
love
gabi
I'm so relieved that everyone at Miami Lanta is okay! Does anyone know what happened to the crews of the longtailed boats that travel between Ko Lanta and the Emerald Cave?
Posted by: Niki at January 5, 2005 9:21 AMMy wife is from Bangkok, and before marrying two years ago, we vacationed at a small resort in or near Koh Lanta, called Waterfall Bay. Maybe not the greatest of resorts, but being an American on his first trip to Thailand, I had a wonderful time there. Do you know if that resort survived this horrible ordeal?
Posted by: Gordon at January 5, 2005 10:06 AMIt would appear that contrary to some messages, there has been a greater loss of life on Kho Lanta than is being reported . An American woman is travelling out there to help with the relief effort and taking donations. ( she arrives on Friday) There is a report from a local person, on her site, about the situation at Klong Dow beach which does not sound good and is contrary to a reply to a post which I made to try to get information about Kaw Kwang Resort. Although I understand that tourism is so important to Thailand, playing down the loss of life and the need for outside help is counter productive and will not encourage much needed donations to help them to rebuild their lives and livelyhoods.
The site is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hwthailand
Does anyone have any information about Palm Beach Bungalows, on Long Beach, Ko Lanta? I am very worried about Thai friends of mine who work there - namely Bong and Sita Kokyai, and the rest of their family. If anyone knows them, has seen them, or has information on the amount of damage on this area of the beach, I would be really gratelful. Please email me on thetravellingpixie@hotmail.com
Posted by: Jo Peters at January 7, 2005 6:55 AMHi! everybody, I was in ko Lanta to...
Posted by: JM at January 7, 2005 4:53 PMI don't know many things about what hapened on this island. We arrived two days before it happened so... I did not see so much "problems" (sorry but I'm fench and this is not the word i'd like to use). We staied in south of long beach. Our resort called and still call "Lanta city beach". But Ihave e-mails of people who are staying in ko lanta since the tsunami. One is french, and the otherone is Thai.
By by
We stayed at Kantiang bayview resort last May and it was our fav place ever. The people made it so special, does anyone know about the boys at Kantiang bay? Johnny and Co...
We hope that everything is ok, we are thinking of you all during this time...
The Canadians x
I am trying to find out about Full Moon Bay View Resort! I would like to know if the owners and their families are okay (Yo, Mr. Bear, Boo)as well as a man named Si (English) who lived on Ko Lanta. If you have any info I would appreciate it. I tried emailing lanta info website, but have never heard back.
Angela
Hi! Just let you know, were in Ko Lanta-now 6months after tsunami. It seems like it has been forgotten and all bungalows are being built again. Some places survived and didnt get too much damage. were at Kantiang Bay, which is full people, even now in low season! the boys in the resort are all OK&making everyone laugh a lot and whynot bar is running as normal. Its beautiful and peaceful and i think it must be the coolest island in Thailand, they need tourist to come back so if u thinking of coming U should do it-KoLanta is beautiful:)
Posted by: katia at July 3, 2005 11:53 PMplease can u let me no if james, suza, pok, tim and all of the other members of the suzahut family are ok. perhaps after so long, people have more information.
Posted by: laura at January 26, 2006 4:49 AM