Post-Tsunami Khao Lak, Thailand

On Friday I set out for Krabbi with Steve (former Sharks' rhythm guitarist), Orh and new 5 week-old baby, Nachai. We arrived mid-afternoon and hooked up with Gus, an old friend, who owns the Lai Thai Resort and the Encore Cafe there. Like Phuket, Krabbi was hit with the tsunami but all seemed up and running. The beachfront has been converted from a series of bamboo beach bungalows to an upmarket shopping mall. It has lost all its charm by getting so modern. Went to the Encore cafe which is Gus' rock-and-roll place. The club was sparsely attended and the singer of the band was pretty bad in my opinion, but the club itself is cool and Gus has a great pad above it. Gus is working with the various tsunami foundations and has set up a school for children orphaned by the tsunami. He said he'll never forget all the death and destruction...as all the bodies from Phi Phi island were unloaded at the beach there in Krabi and Gus was in the thick of things. On Sunday, after going for an extended swim in Lai Thai's refreshing pool we bid our farwells to Gus and headed to Khao Lak, the area hit hardest by the title wave. I didn't know what to expect after seeing areas hit by the waves in Phuket open and fully operational but Kho Lak is a different story, indeed. Our first view of Khao Lak was from the road above, and the best way to describe the scene is that it appears as if a bulldoser leveled the beach for 10 miles long and 600 yards deep. Alsolute destruction as far as the eye could see. There was even a Police boat stranded inland a good 600 yards from the beach. We drove down a few roads near the beach and all we could find was rubble. I doubt anyone who was in that area survived and as far as I know there are no pictures or videos of the massive wave that hit the area. Most areas had absolutely nothing left, just huge open areas with a cement slab or two. Everything gone. We were all filled with grief and could hardly speak. We went down yet another road that once led to the posh Mukdara Resort. Although it was made of cement all that remained was a pile of rubble. What power that wave must have had. I'll publish some pictures later. Here's what it used to look like: http://ash-hotel.com/mukdara.htm We also checked out where the Tropicana Resort used to be. Steve had given a demonstration in the swimming pool there a year ago. We located the same pool, now half filled with brown seawater and all types of debris about. He couldn't believe it was the same place. We spoke with a number of locals and horror stories abounded. Everyone lost a relative or two if not their whole family and businesses. Farther on down the road there were heaps of salvage sights with rubble from the resorts. Then there were the refugee camps. Way too much to take in for one day.