Tsunami

Karen and I visited the Andaman Coast from November 3 - 13, 2004. The places we visited were directly in the path of the tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004.

The above map shows the part of Thailand we visited. The epicenter of the Sumatra earthquake was about 600 kilometers to the south of Phuket. We spent 3 days on Railay Beach which is on the coast just outside of Krabi Town. The Railay Bay Resort, where we stayed, suffered damage to the areas facing the beach but still remains open for business.

After Railay, we spent 5 days on Ko Phi Phi, which is pretty much equidistant between Krabi and Phuket. The heart of the tourist business on Ko Phi Phi is concentrated on the thin sandbar in the center of the island. Below are two pictures of that area, before and after the tsunami hit:

The photo on the left is an aerial shot probably taken about 5 years ago. The photo on the right shows the same area after the tsunami hit. The blue circle marks the spot where the most popular beach resorts were located (Phi Phi Charlies and Phi Phi Princess). All the bungalows were washed away by the wave. The red circle marks the hotel (the Banyan Villa) where Karen and I stayed. As of the second week in January, almost all the lodging in the pictured area, including our hotel, had significant damage and was closed for business.