Thailand: The Bad Stuff

Many of you have already read the details of my tsunami experience, so I will keep this entry brief. The basic facts.

We went on a day trip to the Phi Phi Islands. We left our hotel at 8 am and were on the bus when the earthquake happened. Didn't feel a thing. At 11 we arrived to our first lagoon and hopped in for a swim. Not 5 minutes later our captain was waving at us to get back on the boat. We were then told to put life jackets on. I looked behind me and saw the tsunami, which merely looked like a white water rapid. Our boat got stuck in it but we were able to get out. We weren't too worried. We sat in the middle of the ocean between the 2 Phi Phi Islands for about an hour. We were then taken back to Phuket Island.

They herded us all to the center of Phuket in order to be safe. We were taken to the mall and told to wait 2 hours then we would be able to go back to the hotel. 2 hours turned into about 4 hours and then were taken to the town hall. This is where we learned what happened and saw the severity of things. Injured, scared, lost and confused people were everywhere. We were really confused what would happen next. After that we were taken to a Chinese temple and told we were going to spend the night there. When we arrived it was a white room with a dirty tile floor. They gave us food and water which was wonderfully generous. We met people who lost family members and many injured people. It was extremely sad and depressing. Then we were taken to a Christian home where we ended up spending the night. They had twin size beds that 2-3 people were supposed to share. Didn't get much sleep that night. The following day was full of waiting and wondering. We watched CNN and got the details of what happened. It was there that I was able to email my family and tell them I was OK. At about 2:00 the next day we were able to return to our hotel. Everything was fine. We had our money and passports.

The following 3 days were a blur of depression. We went and saw the damage. We spent the days at the pool at our hotel or laying in our beds. I know we should have left. We should have continued on with our trip. But it is really difficult. We couldn't bring ourselves to go anywhere or do anything. The airport was a mess. It just wasn't happening.

Now about 2 weeks after the tragedy things are starting to settle down. I have heard all the shocking stories from home (how my parents reacted is the most disturbing aspect) and gotten emails from tons of people, some whom I have never met. I am truly grateful for my life and all the thoughts and prayers people have devoted to me and other victims of the tsunami.