Has anyone seen my ankles?

I swear they were here a few weeks ago. I have been poking and pulling at my mosquito-bitten skin, and I can't seem to find those two little bones on either foot! IT IS SOOOOO HOT! They have gone into hiding.


Here I sit in Ranong town, a much more Thai town than we have been in. I have only seen two other farang. Here, we pay Thai prices for the internet- 15 baht an hour. That is about 42 cents. Of course, you pay for what you get, and it has taken me an hour to send two emails, but, like they say around here, mai ben rai. We head out for the village tomorrow, and I wanted to take a little time to write about what has been settiling in my brain, and my heart, and what I have been seeing.

Phi Phi seems like weeks ago. WIth the date change, we only ended up being there three full days, and only volunteered one, as Friday is a 'day off' for all volunteers. As tourists, we experienced massages every day, fabulous food (though I think I need to bring in a picture of a plum and a picture of a pig and tell them that plums don;t have teeth) beautiful water, a strenuous hike, monkeys, snorkeling. We hired a longtail to take us out to Phi Phi Leh again after a hard trip the first day that led us to stick around the island due to waves. It was more beautiful than I remembered, and snorkeling felt ok over there, as the island is uninhabited. later the same day, we hiked to the viewpoint where you can see Ao Dalam bay and Ton Sai bay meet in a narrow isthmus, and could see where, exactly, the wave came and left. From here you could see that Ton Sai was full of anchored boats- diving boats, a couple of fishing boats, a few speedboats (annoying), and about twenty longtail boats. A lot, but less than I remember. On the other side, absolutely nothing. This is not how it used to be.

There was a man at the top restaurant who told us all about that day, and since he spoke so much English we were able to ask him a lot more. My memory was fresh fish outside every restaurant, and on this trip, it was non-existent in most. It was on the menu, but never available. I thought maybe the fishermen were scared, or there weren't enough tourists to warrant to many fish. But it turns out that our little war in the middle east has driven up gas prices everywhere, and the fisherman cannot AFFORD to fish as they used to. Probably not news to a lot of you- I am sure on some level I knew that. But at home, it is always so easy to just get caught up in the effects at home.
Anyway, he was a wealth of information about trees, places, the tsunami, it was interesting. All of this was discussed over the most amazing view that I am not going to even try to put into words, because there is no way, absolutely no way to explain it.

So what do I think now about Phi Phi after my first memory of it? A little differently. The people have touched me in a way that the ending of your favorite book sticks with you somewhere in your mind. In the same was I can still recite Stay Gold, by Robert Frost, twenty years after I learned it, I think I will remember Lek, Mr. Lee, and many of the places and things I saw for the rest of my life. Amidst the war zone, hope prevailed. Yes, it is still full of vodka and red bull buckets, fire dancing, and 22 year olds. Yes, there is still the untz untz that drowns out the sound of the waves gently lapping against the shore. But I can overlook all of that, knowing that they are all there helping the THAI people who love Phi Phi and call it home. I know I will come again, to check up on the people of the island, to see what will happen when the government makes up its mind on what to do about building. HOPE will stick with me, as I will remember the one day that I helped scrape paint off cement poles, avoiding, but drawn to, the little shrine for the 4 year old that will never be forgotten. And you better believe the SF Chron is going to get a letter to the editor about their story, as it completely overlooked the work of the volunteers, and didn't mention that the island is not only acccessible to day-trippers, but to people who want to stay as well. Thailand does not end with the "one German tourist having lunch with a bored looking Thai woman". Hello? People who have been here before could tell you exactly why she was looking bored, and it had little to do with the lack of tourist. SHe was working. Interesting they chose to puclish that in such an undertone. Sorry- I digress. Would I recommend Phi Phi to someone over 30 wanting to travel to Thailand? Yes, if they were interested in helping, but the things that I didn't like about it before still exist. Yes, if they avoided going out at night other than a leisurely dinner during low season. I am sure there will be more to process about that later.

We spent last night in a fancy western-style hotel (22 US including breakfast) in Karon beach, Phuket. I think I already blogged about getting stuck in the middle of the ocean with a funnel cloud. Still have sea legs.Mai ben rai. We met a really nice couple from Salinas/Santa Cruz in the taxi to Karon. Teachers, of course, and an easy connection for the obvious reasons. Phuket was empty. We could have counted the people in town. Restaurants were open, but there was rarely more than three people in them. Very sad. It made it hard to be happy about a good deal. We went to Patong briefly to shop, and I didn't have the ill-feeling I thought I would after my last horrible experience there (which seems to be quite common with the non-partying thirty something crowd. Yay! I am not alone). We also tried to book our flight from Ranong to Bangkok, and no one seemed to know if that was possible. Thought of a ten hour bus ride to Bangkok loomed heavy, and I got a bit anxious to leave for Ranong and get that all worked out.

This morning we woke up and took a taxi to the bus station for the 10:00 bus (5 hours) to Ranong. Well, typical of Thailand, nobody really has the answer, but they don;t want to loose face and tell you, and there was no bus at 10:00. It was at noon, which would put us in Ranong at night. So we hired a taxi for 75 bucks to drive us 4 hours, rather than waiting 2 for a 5 hour bus. Around 11"00, we passed the 8:00 bus!!! Driving up here wqas beautiful, green verdant valleys with huge mountains. It reminded me a bit of Costa Rica. About an hour into the trip, we got to Khao Lak. Somehow I had pictured this a bit off the main highway, but no. The destruction was massive, all the way to and somewhat beyond the highway. In some places, concrete slabs were standing, some with a pipe or a wall still intact. In other places, it looked like someone took a huge rake and just sifted everything over two inches high into a heap on the side of the road. We stopped for a picture of the poilce boat that you may have seen in pics on the news and internet, that is far away from the ocean. I had read 2 km, the driver said 5 km from the sea. My guess? Somewhere in the middle. Mai ben rai. It was hard not to feel like a disaster tourist, but I am here because of the disaster, and there is nothing I can do to avoid seeing what I see.

We are now in Ranong, a provincial town, funny smells, cracked concrete, very little English. Gone are the milky green and blue waves, replaced by street noise and Thai television in every shop where we really have to investigate packages and make a good guess of what is inside. Tomorrow morning we will be picked up by United Planet and taken to the fishing village. It is quite Muslim- people are covered head to toe (not in the city, but on the way). I look forward to reading your comments and emails when I return on the 18th. Oh yeah- and we have a flight from Ranong to Bangkok on the 18th where we will meet Shana.

The kid-friendly blog is www.rebecca2005.blogspot.com

Miss you all
Love Rebecca

quick check-in

Hi all, just wanted to let you know we are safe here in Phuket, getting ready for the bus to Ranong tomorrow. We took a ferry from Phi Phi and it was pretty choppy. The people sitting out front (helm??) of the boat got thrashed! three of them came inside the cabin after a few waves, completely soaked through to the bone. It wasn't raining, or anything, but I did see my first funnel cloud to the left of us. It scared me for a sec, as it actually went all the way to the water, and water was spraying upwards. But I took a deep breath and reminded myself that the Thais do this trip several times daily all year long. About half way to Phuket (an hour?), the engine just shut off. COmpletely. Everyone kind of looked at each other, and the drivers tried to turn over the engine a couple of times unsuccessfully. Without the sea breeze, it got really hot!! Jamie and I looked at each other and started cracking up hysterically.

We all kind of moved up to the deck of the ship and made funny jokes about being stuck in the middle of the ocean (with lots of boats going past us, so we weren't too worried), and looked for the next funnel cloud. There was one, but very small. It took about twenty minutes, but we got to phuket safe and sound. Now we are in Karon beach, and it is almost devoid of tourists. Nice for us, but sucks for them. Got a GREAT place for 22 dollars- really nice restaurant and pool.


Trying to plan how we areoging to get to bangkok from Phuket, as there seems to be no more flights or something. I can't really tell, and all they keep saying is "yes" without ever showing me anything. So, mai ben rai (no problem), we will figure it out as we need to. Otherwise, just another squelcher in paradise. If you don;t hear from me for a couple of weeks,. I will get on the internet again on the 19th at the lastest.
Much love...

SPread the Word

"If you are wondering where the Red Cross, donations, or other aid organizations are, they are not here," said one of the HiPhiPhi volunteers currently taking a leadership roll.
They are not here.
Those millions of dollars we donated?
Not here.
Boats came from Krabi and Phuket on the 27th of December to take live bodies off the island
The government came to take the dead ones.
Trash was left piled on the road.
In broken ENglish, I think I understand that an organization from Australia and Miami came for about a week to look for more bodies.
About a month later (again, broken English-not sure of exact info), the government dropped off a couple f bulldozers and a barge to get rid of some trash.
What has been done, which is A LOT, has been all volunteer, and by hand.

Yesterday, we worked on Chilli House Bar,
a 4 month old place owned by a Thai-Aussie couple. The Aussie had a friend and his wife visiting during the tsunami. The owners lost their four year old girl, the friend lost his wife. As we scrape and clean, to get it ready at least somewhat ready for paint and the return of the couple in a week's time, we are instructed not to touch the back wall. Bud, the director of this project, is not sure what will happen with this wall, but for now it is a dedicated shrine to the yound girl, with a little shelf full of candles and a picture of the child.

Bud introduced me to Lek, a woman who, like everyone on the island, has her own story. I have been reluctant to ask for these stories. But she takes Jamie and I to her room, where she was asleep when the tsunami hit. She woke up underwater. SHe tells us what happened that day very matter-of-factly. She hurt her leg very badly. I can't tell by looking if she had stitiches, or what happened for healing, but her leg is very infected. 6 months later, and she may have to have it amputated. Her guesthouse was condemned by the government, and although these are the people the HiPhiPHi is designed to help, their hands are tied. If they help, they anger the government. SO they spread the story instead, and other volunteer tourists do what they can. Jamie and I sat with her for while, and when I handed her 6,000 baht (roughly 150 US, thanks to your donations), her initial response was "ahh...too much!"But I insisted, and she wai'd me (like a bow).


As I sit here, itching mosquito bites, listening to the motors of longboats, and some horrible music playing in the cafe, I want to break down and cry. Please spread the word- our money never came here. Please check out www.hiphiphi.com. Read it all. look at the photo journals. Look at what the children have accomplished, how the people are bouncing back. Read about the Thai government's plan. ANd most of all, DONATE. Every dollar counts. And our dollars translate to much much more in Thailand than at home. They are doing good things here. Even if the government's plan to build high end resorts here go through, the money we send now helps all of the locals rebuild their lives. Everybody here lost many people. So many, that they can list them very matter-of-factly. Spread the word, please!

-Rebecca

Wow!

I know I just posted last night, but today was so intense. I tried to start writing but I couldn't. I am still unsure of how I am going to paste this onto the kids' blog.

We started out the morning with a tsunami walk given by HiPhiPhi. Our bilingual Thai guide took us first to the medical center, which was a brand new 5 star (truly 5 star, not the ones you laugh about when you get there) that had opened up on the 24th of December. 2 days and it was gone, so the Thai owner donated the land for the clinic.
We also viewed footage of what happened that day, as well as photos documenting what volunteers and locals have accomplished. It wasn't unlike any of the news reels we all saw 6 months ago, except that we were standing where it had happened, saw photos of the hotel we are currently staying at (newly re-built of course). I had to look away a couple of times, and let my eyes wander around the room to a white board with a list of things to do. On this list were the normal things of any remote clinic- order new supplies, things of that nature. At the very bottom of the list, however, was a note to call someone about how to get the bones off the island. It really put it home.

Off we went to tour some of the damage, which was immense. So much has been done, and that HOPE made me want to cry. Several hotels, and a staff housing apartment was left exactly as it was the day the tsunami hit (sans human remains). We learned about what is going on with the Thai gov't- which seems a little convoluted, and reeks of injustice. And then, some of it makes sense to me. SOme of it. Apparantly, Thailand refused any donation. In some ways, I suppose, that is good- they could 'handle it themselves' , or something, and they are relatively better off than the other counties hit by this tragedy. But aside from flying and boating out people, they didn't come help with the rebuilding efforts. Help International Phi Phi started when a Dutch man who owned some cabanas out here, came out to assess his losses. He saw what happened and got this 100 percent donation-run organization off the ground. Volunteers help with rebuilding, yes, but the organization does so much more. They hire Thai workers to do some of the work (they have about 80 Thais employed right now- FYI, it is estimated that 294,000 Thais lost their jobs due to this tragedy), they sponsor the children's soccer team- and they are playing in tournaments in Bangkok!, and they also have a place where locals can go and log in a book what they need to get by day to day or to rebuild, and HiPhiPhi does what they can to provide this.

The main beach of Ton Sai is recovering rapidly, and all BY HAND, which is overwhelming. There is still a lot to be done, but smiles abound, and tourists are here (there were abuot 60 people at the meeting tonight, all new, and all volunteering tomorrow). The exceptions to this are some of the hotels we saw, which are less than 30km to the water. New Thai law is that hotels have to be at least that far away. So these hotels and staff housing are being used now more as an informational purpose, and apparantly, this translates to volunteers, many of them who planned to be here on a two week holiday, and have now been here for months.

After the tour, we decided we needed to do some more tourist things, so we could get an early start Thursday with volunteering, so we hired a long tail boat to Kho Phi Phi Leh. But as we left the harbor, the waves got really big, and Jamie got a little scared. ABout three waves later, I was, too, and the boat driver turned us around and took us to a secluded beach on our island instead. We had intended on snorkeling at Phi Phi Leh, so just adjusted, and jumped in the water closer to home. Jamie went first and, and I jumped in witout even hesitating, which is a little strange for me. It usually takes a little counting or coaxing. Once I am in, I am usually fine floating around checking out the fish and coral. I ducked down to see- no fish. Lots of coral, and then a piece of metal. I shot up rapidly out of the water, and my heart was pounding. There was nothing there, I am sure, but the thought that there might be something- even as small as a pair of reading glasses that hadn't been retrieved by the volunteer divers yet, was emotionally too much. I thought I was going to start crying, or perhaps get sick, but it was momentary. Jamie noticed my change, and cleared the way of the ladder so I could get back into the boat. So, ok. I guess I am just not ready for that....yet?

All of the volunteers meet at Carlito's Bar each night at 7:00 to find out what jobs are available the following day. The amount of people here to do just that is unreal. Mr. Lee, who is the Thai component of HiPhiPhi's leadership, spoke to us with sincere gratitude, sharing with us that just by being here, we were giving the Thai's hope. "A lot has happened behind us, " he said,"and this makes it possible to see what is in front of us. We thank you, thank you." This all makes me want to stay longer, or to come back for a longer period of time. It will be interesting to compare this to Ranong.

I think that is it for now.
Thinking of you all,
-rebecca

Relieved!!

Sawasdee from Ko Phi Phi, Thailand.

So, and, um.....how many days has it been? 10 hour flight to Japan, 5 hour layover (including a foot massage and a shower), 6 hours to Bangkok, overnight in a hotel, 1 hour flight to Phuket, 40 minute taxi to the pier, 2 hour boat ride to Phi Phi- and somehow neither Jamie nor I have jet lag. At all.

Coming into the pier at Phi Phi was exactly what I had read- you can see the devastation right away. Yes, it is masked a bit by new buildings, and friendly faces, of course. But as we were walking through those narrow passageways to check out hotels, it became more and more apparant, with cement mixers right on the beach, sandbags everywhere, people painting, cleaning, and of course touting. We didn't arrive until almost 5:00 pm Tuesday (left SF 9:00 am SUNDAY-Yikes), so we haven't checked out the relief efforts yet. Although not jet-lagged, we are definitely tired, and going to spend a day being tourists and getting things organized before we do. It is definitely more clear to me now, what it means to spend money here.

Jamie and I sat inside the boat for most of the boat ride from Phuket, until I could see we were coming close to Phi Phi. Even inside, we could see islands all the way to the horizon. Approaching Phi Phi, we decided to go up to the top of the boat with the suntanners to get a better view. Jamie was in absloute shock- probably much like I looked when I saw it for the first time. HUGE cliffs seem to vanish into the sea, here. The tops of them are covered in palms, the sides, several different shades of beige and white that contrasts both the sea and the jungle in a way that is somewhat indescribeable. Being limestone, there are also stalagtites that look as if they are wax dripping down the cliffs, creating just enough texture to convince you that, no, this is not a photo- you are here, right now.






Relieved- that is how I feel right now. I was so worried about being here, and I think I figured out why. I think I associated my night here with my nights in Phuket (esp the horrible one in Patong last time, that I am sure I have shared with many of you. With those I haven't, ask me later). Yes, it is touristy, yes it is full of very young travelers. But it still remains an amazing sight, and we found a relatively inexpensive, but very clean place right off the beach (600 Baht, which is about 15 dollars). Last time, it was high season, and very difficult to find a place. This time, along with general tsunami slowdown, it is also low season, so there are far far fewer people here. Besides, this is a great way to sort of get accustomed to the pace of Thailand, and chill a little before we have the more cultural experience in Ranong.



And so we are, enjoying the here and now. We had a great Thai meal (Jamie's first), and originally had plans to go watch some firedancers (I know- no comments), or Thai kickboxing, and as we finished dinner and walked across the path to our hotel, recognized how exhausted we are. So internet and bed it is for us, with plans to go on a tsunami walk if we get up early enough, sit around, get ANOTHER 6 dollar, hour-long massage, and eat some good food, until we go to the HIPhiPhi meeting at 7:00.

WIll this all make sense after a full night's sleep after so much travel- I don;t know. But I do know that sleep is the goal right now, so I say, "goodnight!".
-Rebecca

36 hours and counting

June 24, 2005

Flashback…February 26th (?), 2003. I arrived in Bangkok after a week alone in Beijing, China. My good friend, Emily, just happened to be spending a year in Thailand when I decided to travel there. Emily and her mom met me at the hotel, and the next morning, her mom went back to the states at the same time Em and I boarded a short flight to Phuket. I really wanted to see Koh Phi Phi. Before heading out to Thailand, I rented every movie I could find to see what it looked like. I had rented The Beach (not one of Hollywood’s finest) and desperately wanted to see the island it was filmed on. I knew it would be overrun with tourists. I knew that there would be things there that would make me cringe, but the beauty of what I saw on film had to be seen.

We boarded the ferry, and found a spot at the front of the boat, feet dangling over the side. It had been snowing in Beijing, and 12 hours later, I was slathered in sunscreen, hotter than ever. The ocean was more beautiful than I had imagined, with monolithic limestone karsts jutting straight out of the azure water, tempting fantasy. As we approached the harbor of the island, I was dumbfounded with the beauty that was in front of us. It seemed unreal. So did the amount of tourists! There were no cars on the island, so the ‘streets’ were narrow. One souvenir shop was followed by another selling the same goods, then a restaurant, and another, and another. It was amazing how many businesses were operating in the same breathing space. Apparantly, these narrow walkways caused quite a problem during the tsunami.

It was also high season, so a bit of a challenge to find a place. Eventually, we ended up following a friendly Thai man, carrying our luggage, across a narrow footpath to our little oasis- a bit of a hike from the main area, but that’s about my style. The brochures we had looked at pictured our hotel, cabanas standing alone, decks facing the bay.
Aesthetically, I was pleased. . I took a deep, wet breath, and could smell the plumeria caught in the dense heat, the salt in the air.I stood out on the rickety deck for a while, listening for the gentle sound of the ocean, the wind whistling through the palms, birds chirping amidst the hibiscus and bouganvillea. We were on a hill, and could see the flat stretch of land that met the bay. The water was so clear, it started out white at the shore, and gradually became green, then turquoise, and finally blue as it reached the coral reef. Decorated longtail boats bounced around ever so slightly, anchored several yards off the shore.

I really could hear all of those things if I concentrated hard enough, but many of those sounds were somewhat trumped by the motors of the boats, and an inconsistent “fwap fwap fwap” of the ceiling fan in our room. It was hung at a rather odd angle, giving us respite from the oppressive heat, yes, but I couldn’t quite figure out where on the bed I would have to lay to make sure it wouldn’t land on me if it chose to be airborne. There was no mosquito netting over the bed, yet I could see the ground below the cabana through the slats in the wooden floor. Now, I am a ‘when in Rome’ kind of girl, and giggled at these oddities. That is, until Emily went to take a shower. I heard a grown, and figured it a response to a cold shower, which I was anticipating indifferently. “Is it cold?” I asked her.
“Hardly. It’s quite warm….and salty.” Hmmmm….ocean water. Sounds refreshing.

We checked out the nightlife-firedancers, and a slue of twenty-somethings drinking mixed drinks out of buckets. If I didn’t look at the menus and restaurant names, I could have been in Mexico, Greece, anywhere touristy that draws college-aged kids. It was absolutely gorgeous, but one night was enough, so we left the next day.

So why am I compelled to go back to this island? I saw the news, and the pictures. My jaw dropped. I cried. I became fixated on the TV for a little longer than I would call healthy. And it wasn’t long before it was clear to me that this island was absolutely, positively WRECKED.

I am not interested in vodka and red bull buckets. I am not interested in firedancers. I am not interested in partying with 22 year-olds looking to find themselves in another country with 32 people from their hometown. But, I am compelled to join them, in all of their heartfelt intentions, in rebuilding a once-beautiful island for the locals, who have been all but overlooked by the Thai government. I am nervous about it, really, on some very deep, and also completely superficial levels. I have been desperately searching for adjectives that feel right about my apprehension, but it just isn’t worth the time. Four days. That’s it. When all is said and done, I will be in Thailand for about 40 days, and I am dwelling in about the first four. Hmmm….I think that is a reality check that it is time to go to bed and let it go. But I wanted to make sure there was something to compare and contrast once I actually get there.

Less than two days to go, and counting…..
-Rebecca

P.S. I caught a glimpse of the front page of SUnday's Chron- I think Phi Phi is on the front page. I am going to have to get one to bring over there.

Less than a week to go!

I am almost embarassed at how long it has been since I have written. I got the kids' blog up and running and kind of neglected all of this.
School is finished, and my youngest cousin, Jamie, and I leave San Francisco this week. It is unbelieveable how time has flown, and equally as unbelieveable that we were able to make it happen. Everyone has been so supportive!

I just got back from a beautiful wedding in Eureka. It rained and rained, but the ceremony (and the bride and groom) was absolutely stunning. A terrific way to start the summer.

See you all soon, with much more to say.
-Rebecca