The Force of The Wave
Posted by Clay on June 14, 2005 at 1:10 am |To give you an idea of the force of the waves that hit this area, take a look at this picture:
This police boat is somewhat of an infamous local landmark. Directions are frequently given in relation to the police boat.
What you cannot see from this picture is that this boat is about a mile from the beach, in a small town called Bang Niang (next to Khao Lak). Between it and the ocean used to be several resorts, many homes, and a few shopping centers. The water level was so high when the tsunami waves hit that this boat was lifted above all of that and brought inland without getting stuck on something along the way.
In fact, there used to be three police boats like this that were stranded inland - two have been removed. I suspect that this one will remain where it is as a reminder to what happened.
One interesting notion that is gaining ground here is the idea of ‘voluntourism.’ It’s the idea that there are people who would love to come stay at a pretty resort for a few weeks and spend a few days of that time doing volunteer work to support the local need. Ironically, for that to be a successful concept, things like the police boat and some of the rubble must remain where they are.
Since the local economy is so heavily dependent on tourism, and the spectacle of the rubble and destruction is part of what currently brings them here, then how can the cleanup truly proceed without damaging tourism? It is just one of many interesting and difficult questions that have arisen since the tsunami hit the Khao Lak area.
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dudes!!!! i miss you guys! thank you for your encouraging note, i’m sure you’re right, that i’d love coming to Thailand - but it wouldn’t work this late… and i’m still going to haiti, but not until august, and even then only for a few weeks (which means i’ll spend january there for sure, unless war breaks out again… geez). Wow, i really love reading your updates, it sounds incredible, complicated, interesting and real… big hugs from california.
Comment by May — June 14, 2005 #
Dear Alexis and Clay,
Sounds like you are having one of those life-changing experiences. The pics are awesome so I can just imagine what it must be like being there.
Things have been great here in Colombia for me, my project is finally moving forward but it has been already enough just meeting a bunch of demovilized guys–former FARC members, and listenignt to what they have to say.
It has rained here too. Not quite a downpour though.
Take care!
Ana-
Comment by Ana — June 20, 2005 #