Tsunami Tourism—Off the Beaten Path

After two relatively uninspiring weeks in Trang, we decided we needed a little adventure and Wendy found an organization, called NATR (North Andeman Tsunami Relief) that is dedicated to helping tsunami ravaged communities rebuild, in part through non impact tourism (started and run by a Cal grad—Go Bears!). We arranged the five hour car ride to a town called Kuraburi where we stayed in a motel-like place before setting out in the morning for the small fishing village called Ban Tale Nok where we met our Muslim homestay family and began our short, but enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable adventure. I must admit that I was a bit apprehensive about a homestay, particularly given the language barrier (no real progress on Thai, even if they do act ecstatically when I manage to speak the five words I know) and what I expected to be reasonably primitive facilities. I quickly realized that my apprehension was unfounded. What it lacked in creature comforts, was more than made up for with the warmth and generosity of the people and the incredibly rich experience. I also was pleased to learn that I can happily survive two days with a squat toilet and a bucket of cold water in which to shower. The former is really not so bad once you get the hang of it and you bring your own TP. The latter I actually found quite refreshing, particularly given the heat.

Our trip was organized by a woman named Kelly, who works for NATR and speaks fluent Thai. Kelly is a British ex pat who has been in Thailand for several years and was working in Bangkok in the publishing business when the tsunami hit. She immediately went to the effected area to help in any way she could and quickly became indispensable in the unenviable task of helping locals identify the remains of their loved ones since she could communicate to the foreign doctors, aid workers as well as the local Thais. This was truly a gruesome task as the bodies were quickly decomposing in the Thai heat and humidity and for the first weeks, she lacked even the most basic protective equipment. I consider myself a fairly charitable person, but as I heard her describe the work she did without even a hint of hesitation, I just don’t think I could have done what she did. She returned to Bangkok but promptly determined that she needed more fulfilling work (she had been working for a Bangkok celebrity magazine) and moved to Kuraburi and joined NATR to continue her tsunami aid work. She is a remarkable woman and we were very fortunate to have gotten to know her, and have her serve as our translator and cultural advisor.

Despite all of the detailed news reports we saw of the devastation wreaked by the tsunami in December 2004, seeing it first hand and hearing the personal stories is entirely another matter. Ban Tale Nok is a small Muslim village with a current population of 180 after they lost 47 people, including 16 children in the tsunami. Half of the village homes were literally swept into the sea along with the children who were at school practicing their New Year’s dance. What little is left in that area is a stark daily reminder of the destructive power of nature. We heard that before the Tsunami hit, the tide had receded dramatically. Indeed, the vision was so dramatic, that it drew people to the beach to see this unprecedented site. This curiosity, sadly, contributed to the death toll.

Not surprisingly, the homes that were destroyed were rebuilt on much higher ground, beyond the line the tsunami reached, and few villagers ever venture to the beach any more for anything other than business (mostly fishing, the predominant source of income and sustenance for most villagers). We learned that after the tsunami, millions of dollars flowed into the area and was spent somewhat recklessly and with very little regard to the actual needs of the community or the boundaries of local cultural and religious practices. One particularly amusing example is the big shiny bakery that Coca Cola built in the middle of the village, without considering the fact that Thais neither bake nor eat baked goods. The other less amusing example is the tsunami warning tower that was built by some well meaning but misguided westerner. Despite its impressive stature, the signal and speaker systems are not loud enough to be heard by a large portion of the village, or even by those who might be on the beach. Needless to say, both structures sit vacant and unused--monuments to the genius of Western Civilization.

Since we were a group of nine (five adults and four kids), we were quite the spectacle in the village. We stayed with one family along with one of our fellow CCS volunteers (named Maia), and the Levines stayed in another. As has been our experience with most Thais, they love to eat almost as much as they love to feed you. Each meal consists of six or seven dishes, which they seem to throw together effortlessly. Just one dish would take me an hour to prepare, and that is with the help of modern appliances and pre-chopped vegetables. We mostly ate our meals on the floor, as they normally do, which was enjoyable if a bit hard on the knees. The family was remarkably gracious and eager to share their culture and learn about ours. Maya taught the father a card game, which he seemed to thoroughly enjoy. Kelly, when she walked in and saw the card playing, was a bit concerned that we might have caused an international incident, as many Muslims consider card playing a sin. However, the father reassured us that it’s only a sin when playing for money. After dinner, we all got out our photo albums and learned about each others’ families. I can only imagine what they thought of our lives, and I am sure the pictures only added to the mystery.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was the afternoon aerobics session. Apparently, the King (who is much revered and beloved in Thailand) is encouraging physical exercise and the village women have decided to organize daily aerobics classes in their community center. I was somehow appointed guest instructor even though I have not been to an aerobics class since 1992 (right around the time the John Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis movie came out). I did my best with the few steps I happened to recall, pathetically appealing to Wendy for step suggestions when I quickly exhausted my limited knowledge. The class got quite a turnout—from the middle age moms to the little girls, and we all managed to have a blast and work up a sweat. Of course, sweating is not much of a challenge in this weather.

Traveling is fun and exciting, but being tourists can be exhausting after a while. The two days in Ban Tale Nok went very quickly and we were all thrilled to have had the opportunity, albeit brief, to get to know the people, the village and learn about their lives in a reasonably authentic way.