Khao Lak - A Town in Recovery

Beach with Tsunami Warning Tower

My Bungalow with Tsunami Warning Tower

Cafe at Seaweed Hostel

Happy Greetings from Khao Lak!  I like it here.  The ride from Phuket airport was interesting with water buffalo tethered in front yards and plentiful rubber plantations of all sizes and ages, some with canopies so thick, no sun got through.   The terrain started changing to thick forest and hills, eventually becoming jungle.  The town of Khao Lak has one main street which is where my place, Seaweed Hostel is located.  The beach is beautiful and about a ten minute walk from my room.  The hostel is laid out in a strange fashion with a covered driveway right through the middle and nice but basic rooms lining each side, each with a chair in front.  I was having issues with flickering lights and had seen the air conditioned bungalows in back and asked if I could upgrade.  The very sweet young woman who runs things gave me the bungalow for the same price as my room ($16) because there is termite damage on the door frame.  Did you know that termite is 'pluok' in Thai?  When I first went to speak with her, she was shaving a star into a young man's head!  This is a cool place and my bungalow is awesome and the strange sounding frog/gecko who seems to be living here too agrees!  The town, like I said, is one main and very busy street.  It has probably thirty diving  shops but what is surprising is that there is about the same number of tailor shops featuring silk and, in some cases, cashmere clothing.  There are also about ten optical stores.  Odd for a town this size and I wonder if anyone actually shops in them.
Today I walked to the tsunami memorial which is 2.5 km North of here.  Between the heat and the lack of sidewalks, it was a bit harrowing, but nothing in comparison to the site.  I have attached some pictures: one of the newly completed memorial and the other of a police boat that sits where the tsunami deposited it, 2.2 kilometers from its location in the sea it was patrolling.  I did not include the boards with stories and photos as it is just too heartbreaking.  That the people of this town have recovered and rebuilt is an amazing example of the resiliency of the human spirit.  I met an Irish woman who moved to Khao Lak 7 years ago for a man.  They're not together any longer but she now is the proud owner of Pirate Diving.  Can't believe that no one used that name before.  Tonight I walked to the beach for the sunset and had another massage.  This was more expensive than the one in Bangkok - 300 thb which is about ten dollars.   I could get used to this!