tsunami

[mexico red]

just got this email from my mate claire who is in koh lanta

HI MUM DAD JO AND EVERYONE
 we are both ok - we are on koh lanta - our friend erin
 woke us up at about 10.30 saying come and see the
 waves there is some sort of tidal wave thing going on
 - we left the bungalow to have a look - it looked
 really wierd but noone really knew what wsa happening.

 then the waves got bigger and there was a boat that
 had washed on the beach - then we all saw this really
 big one coming and everyone just shouted RUN!! so
 thats what we did - we all just headed up the mountain
 with no shoes on. i cut my foot a bit but its ok. when
 i looked back the wave had got massive and had caught
 the boat again and was lifting it up! i have never run
 so fast.

 4 of us settled down with this really nice thai famiy
 then we were rounded up in the evening so everyone
 from our resort was together. we slept up the mountain
 and have just got back to the resort. the bar and
 restaurant has completly been destroyed - all our
 stuff was ok. there is alot of debris everywhere.

 but we are all just fine and waiting to hear about
 where to go.

 feel terrible about the people on PHI PHIas we just
 came from there. there are no mountains and stuff
 there to get up to quickly

 very strange experience. just heard all that happened
 o n the news now.

 love to you all - as soon as i know where we are going
 we shall call home.

 please dont worry its all safe here now .c xxxx

[Sussex]

Sad stuff to here it from someone who's actually there.

Glad you're friend is ok.

[kizz]

Still waiting to hear from a friend of mine... I went snowboarding with him for two months earlier this year, he had the whole year off and went to India, Australia and is currently in either Thailand or Malaisia... he is crap at staying in contact at the best of times - but we had better hear from him soon!

Sure he will be fine though - I have a feeling he isn't staying near the coast.

Glad your chum is well though Mex...

[Dazzza]

Mates uncle was out in Phuket at the time but luckily he also managed to leg it just in time and get away to the mountains.

When I was there I stayed in a beach facing bungalow only slightly elevated off the sand, which will be long gone.

The worst report I have herd is from the divers who where caught in a cave when it all happened and where just trapped.  Amazingly most of them survived and eventually managed to get out.

[mexico red]

got another one

hi guys
>
> Thanks for your emails. We are all fine hear on Koh
> Lanta. Just about got over the shock of it all but its
> so horrible seeing it all on the news. Think we will
> be ok here as far as disease is concerned as noone
> died hear its mostly just debris from the bungalows
> etc. We started to help tidy up yesterday.! fixed the
> bar a little bit and put the pool table back off its
> side.
>
> Cant leave the Island for a few days as all buses back
> to the mainland at  Krabi are full and no one knows
> the situation to Bangkok yet - so may be hear for New
> Year after all.
>
> Havnt heard anything at all about any aftershocks on
> the BBC World news as yet, but keep me up to date with
> anything you hear? We should be ok again hear if that
> does happen but will be a bit of a waste of time us
> fixing the bar!!
>
> Cant believe we were on Phi Phi just before Xmas and
> were moving on to Phuket!! going to go up north as
> soon as possible and do that bit.
>
> Certainly something to remember and ive been having a
> few nightmares but just have to think of all the other
> poor people and stop being selfish!
>
> Will keep in touch with you guys and if you lot can
> pass this on to the gang in Birmingham Kate and
> Bristol  Donna that would be cool.
>
> Lots of love and hugs Claire and Mark xxx

[Johno]

such a terrible thing, good to hear some good storys!

[Dazzza]

Phuket on it's way back to normal:

http://www.mangosteen-phuket.com/Mangosteen_Phuket_Resort_aftermath.htm

The disaster unfolding:

http://www.pbase.com/issels/phuket_tsunami&page=all

Scary, scary stuff.

Thailand looks to be off the menu for the foreseeable future.  Muslim extremists in the South look to be kicking off a terrorist campaign that is likely to hit the tourist areas, despite recent events.