Hello friends and folks,

I read thaivisa for a couple of years now and finally tonight I signed on... It took a tsunami to do that...

I have been around in the Khao Lak area for the last 4 years. My name is Alexander Bolle, from Germany. I survived the wave at Poseidon Bunglaows. It's 6km south of Main Beaches in Khao Lak (Nang Thong, Bang Niang, Khu Kak, Lam Pakarang), at the old Ban Khao Lak village just off from the mountain side, besides Khao Lak Merlin Resort.

We are a group of 10 friends from Khao Lak who got together and try to get life going again. We have a computer pro with us, so we'll update our website frequently.

Not much Internet Time at the moment, so I'll keep myself short.

www.similantour.com

Poseidon Bungalows and Similantour

With blessings for everyone, esp. friends in India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia

I have lost friends over here, but the situation over there seems so much worse.

Alex

Hi Alex....

Sorry to hear about your problems. I've put your banner on our website and hopefully that might help you a bit in the rebuilding process by driving some traffic to you.

Marty

www.lukamar.ca

Hi Marty,

thanks a lot for the link on your page. At the moment the biggest relief is to feel the solidarity all around. We managed to get the first paying customers today again: A bigger TV Crew from Sweden (8 people), they stay here and do the coverage on Khao Lak for the coming days. Cooking will be done outdoors in our improvised kitchen and we nailed a table together.

Situation in Khao Lak is still the same, the last bodies are uncovered, some will never be found. Big International Help in the area meanwhile and also our own fundraising efforts show results, we will support local friends and families who have lost everything. Our cook for example, she lost 8 family members, the funeral alone will ruin her. There is so much suffering all around, death and fear. The kitchen crew will never come back I guess, they are totaly scared of the water now.

Thanks again,

Alex

Alex

Are you familiar with the Cousins Resort in your area on Bangniang Beach? I understand it was completely destroyed.

Do you think the Thai government going to help people and businesses this time? Historically the top officials have had trouble letting go of the money.

Hope and pray that 2005 is good for you and the Thai people in your area.

Savannah

Hi Svannah,

I don't know anybody personally at Cousins Resort. But Bang Niang Beach is gone. There are survivors, it is a big miracle that people from the beach were washed inland for 1,5km and survived, so there is still hope, but chances are slim if you haven't heard from them by now.

I hear that all employees at resorts, divecenters, etc. that are Tha,i get compensation if they were hurt: about 2000 Baht. But what does that help. If the people who have been working at all this big resorts in Khao Lak are not dead, at least they are without any job for the future. All the resorts at Khao Lak area are gone, only a couple survived the tsunami.

There is a rumor that we get proper land deeds at this side of the mountain now.....

Alex

thanks a lot for the link on your page.

We managed to get the first paying customers today again:

Our cook for example, she lost 8 family members, the funeral alone will ruin her. There is so much suffering all around, death and fear. The kitchen crew will never come back I guess, they are totaly scared of the water now.

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Hi Alex

The link is the least we could do.

It's going to be a long rebuilding project and I think that the local people will need support and help for some time to come.

It would be nice if some group stepped in and covered the cost of funerals or at least the cremation part of it to take the financial load off the locals.

Eventually I think your crew will return but there will probably be some nights they sleep with one eye open.

Hang in there.... things will return to some assemblance of normal in time.

We added news on the pages:

www.siam-interact.com

www.similantour.com

Thanks for your contribution

Alex