How a Thai village is prospering after the tsunami
Not a soul is visible. An eerie quiet cloaks the area. A faded sign warns, “Tsunami hazard zone: In case of earthquake, go to high ground or inland.”
This place used to be Ban Talae Nok village. But more than six years after the tsunami of 2004, its former inhabitants are still afraid to return.
Ban Talae Nok was a tiny community whose name translates as “Far from the sea.” Many here would have wished that had been true, before the December 26 tsunami drowned thousands in this part of Thailand.
“We are visiting what was the school,” says Chittri Phetcharat, also known as Tok, as we walk along the deserted beach.
Only the school’s foundation remains, a small square surrounded by rubble.
The tsunami destroyed entire sections of this village. Forty-seven of the village’s population of 228 perished.
Tok spent four hours adrift in the ocean in 2004, having been dragged out by the tsunami. She only survived because she found a cushion to cling to.
“I was not good at swimming,” she says. “I just held onto that cushion, held it with me all the time. I wanted to live my life in that cushion.”
She vividly recalls the moment the tsunami hit. “I saw a big wave in the distance. I kept looking. Ten or 20 minutes later the water emerged from the ocean.
“I climbed up a tree. But it wasn’t strong enough because the wave was very big and ended up pushing me towards the ocean.”
After long hours adrift, and meeting a British couple clinging to their own lifesaver -- a sofa -- Tok found the beach again, spent a night on nearby Monkey Island and was eventually rescued by helicopter.
This police cruiser was anchored one kilometer offshore, until the tsunami swept it two kilometers inland where it remains. Rebuilding from scratch
Today, Tok works for Andaman Discoveries, a travel company and grassroots development organisation that arose in the wake of the tsunami to help rebuild the community.
Through the company's work, and the communal effort of the villagers, Ban Talae Nok has been transformed from an obscure fishing village into a feature on the tourist trail.
It has been rebuilt two kilometers inland. Many of the local people are now afraid of the sea. Some have only just started to return to their fishing boats.
Small raised family dwellings have cropped up on either side of newly poured concrete roads.
Many houses are fronted by small cages with brightly colored exotic birds.
And most importantly, tourists and volunteers are encouraged to visit this once little-known place.
Tok’s husband Bodhi Garrett, a Nepali-raised American, founded Andaman Discoveries. He lost his home, his job and many friends in the tsunami and felt compelled to help the local community rebuild.
“Once initial needs were met people had to go through a process of recovery, and that started with empowerment, starting to make them feel good about themselves and helping them regain their sense of place,” says Garrett, who was working for a local resort when the tsunami hit.
His relationship with Tok was one positive thing to emerge from the tsunami fallout.
“With a borrowed computer and a couple of cell phones and some volunteers that showed up, we started working on the tsunami relief.”
Tapping tourism
Andaman Discoveries has since developed into a tour operator that works with the community to develop local tours. It invites international volunteers to work alongside the local people.
I spend a day learning how to make soap, cooking meals and throwing a vast fishing net on the beach.
The community has even opened itself to tourists who want to stay in villagers’ homes. Tourism has become an organic means to allow the villagers to continue to live traditionally, despite the devastation caused by the tsunami.
“We really see community tourism from two perspectives,” Garrett says. “One is a tool to help the community to develop, to appreciate their own way of life and to conserve the resources around them.
“The other is a business with longevity that can continue to provide real financial support.”
But the memories of that day cannot be concealed.
“On the day of the tsunami the students were practicing Thai dancing. They were going to have a show on New Year’s day,” says Tok.
“As the tsunami hit some kids could run away from the sea. Others could not. They were in the school. They drowned. Sixteen in all, and one teacher also died.”
The symbolism of that small shoe on the beach cannot be lost on anyone.
For details on how to visit or help the villagers of Ban Talae Nok, please visit www.andamandiscoveries.com.
