Tidal Wave Photo Journal

This fateful day fell almost midway in my vacation in south-east Asia. Since the second day I had been at odds with most of the group I was travelling with. Ben, Dan and, to a lesser extent, Mike (not Mike Dobkin - other Mike) had established a kind of power triumvirate and had ceased listening to outside input. Unfortunately I had already bought tickets to Ao Nang and reserved a room at the guest house. I should have gone my own way after Chiang Mai. On December 26th we decided to go on a snorkelling trip. I was tempted to do something else, just to have time away from them, but the thought of snorkelling compelled me to come along.

Remember, you can click on the picture to enlarge it.


We went out in a longtail boat, trying to ignore the tension in our group.


The coastline is rugged and beautiful. Many strange rock formations dot the coast.


This was our captain, who went by the curious name of Mr. Yes. After the tidal wave hit he walked several kilometres over mountainous terrain back to civilization.


A peaceful Phra Nang beach and our longtail boat. Twenty minutes later as we were climbing in the boat to take off Mr. Yes spotted the tidal wave.


The wave begins sucking in boats. In the background you can see the mast of a small sailboat whose fate I don't know.


The wave overpowers the captains and they have to give up their boats.


The boats abandoned, we retreat from the wave.


We ran up a mountain, a shaken band of sunbathers and Thai resort workers. In the chaos, Ben, Dan and Mike went their own way. I made sure to stay close to Richelle. She didn't have any shoes and the mountain was rough.


Confusion on the mountain. Information was unreliable and there were at least six different languages among us.


We had to sit on the lava rocks or a sliding dirt hill. Many people had no shoes. This couple is Czech and their 16 year old daughter was in tears a couple of feet away.


The Thai's took the highest ground, clambering nimbly up lava rock.


Richelle and I emerge from the jungle after rappelling down the mountainside along with children, injured people and all others. It was very dangerous.


A map of where we were. We started out on Phra Nang beach but crossed the mountain after 6 hours crouching and waiting for news.


Fish in the sidewalk, about 200 metres from the beach on the other side of the mountain from Phra Nang (where we started).


The resort at Railay beach. The pool is unnaturally full and has a deck chair in it. It felt strange that the evening sky was clear and beautiful.


Everything loose was picked up and thrown back somewhere else.


Boats were piled everywhere on their sides, upside down, and some where smashed. None were seaworthy to get us out of there.


We trekked up a hill to a safe resort between the mountains that evening. This is a view of the refugees from the Good View bar and hotel in the hills. They were still serving beer and overcharging for food when the refugees settled in.


The lawn in front of the hotel was filled with people who spent the night out there. Richelle and I slept on a wooden deck due to her grass allergy, and I had a concrete beam jutting beneath my back.


The next morning, hundreds gathered on a boat-strewn beach to await evacuation.


Richelle waiting for the rescue boat. She really didn't want me to take this picture but it was too late. It had been taken. Now she's glad.


I'm waiting for rescue boats on Railay beach. In the end we crossed to another beach because the waves were too fierce here. Really? Fierce?