Bang Tao Part 3
Trip Start
Apr 30, 2004
1
88
Trip End
Jan 28, 2005
Bang Tao, Thailand
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
At the moment we're sharing a room with a really nice English couple, which is fine if a little awkward.
Mike Cegielski set up the recovery project after escpaing the wave with his daughter by a mere 10 mintes. He's religious and from New York, a dangerous combination, but he seems to know what he's doing. The project is growing by the day, volunteers come and go, along with reporters, film crews and donators. Much of the initial money for tools and JCB hire is coming from friends of Mike in the US, and Rene is frantically putting proper procedures into place to deal with all incoming and outgoing funds.
Alongside all the demolition, burning and cleaning up, volunteers with the help of interpreters, are doing case studies of all the local families and determinning what they've lost. Many of the homes lost were on land the families don't own, so its a complicated and protracted procedure. These people had little to begin with and that little was gleaned from tourism or fishing.
I spent the morning fixing salvaged, wriggly tin (very thin corugated iron) sheets to Wandees chicken house. She didn't believe I'd put enough of a slope on the roof for the water to run off, and despite my assurances that it was fine she appeared with a big bowl of water for me to test it. On seeing that it was indeed fine, Wandee gave me slight nod of approval and shuffled back inside.
The surge of water created a large hole behind our base camp which exposed and damaged the big concrete sewer drains so after lunch I shuttered round the drain so the hole could be back filled with rubble. There was a lot of holding of breath.
Roman's Bar is on the main street, and is a small bar and restaurant run by a local Thai lady called Nuk. Roman is her Swiss boyfriend. Nuk cooks and Roman serves the drinks. That's what normally happens but the place has been severely damaged, so part of the recovery plan is to get Nuk up and running again in some form, as soon as possible. The other reconstruction project at the moment is to get the nearby Minimart cleaned out, re-glazed, re-stocked and re-oponed.
While Wes (a 55 year old business man from Stockholm) and I clear out the last of Nuk's demolished walls, Roman tells us with tears in his eyes that the Great Western Hotel that they protested long and hard against being built, ultimately saved them. roman and Nuk ran for their lives. They lost all their possessions and 2 beloved cats.
A German man called Peter lives in Bang Tao with his Thai wife and their young daughter Tina. He's 45 and been retired for 10 years on a full pension. He was a flight engineer who suffered from clinical depression. He talks extremely loudly and does so in a comic English accent. He divulges his personal history freely and openly. He also turns up daily and fillsd the cooler boxes with cans of coke and beer, so he's pretty popular.
At about 5.30pm everyone makes their way back to base and sits dirty and sweaty sipping a beer or a coke. Some people go for a swim in the sea, but Rene and I feel a little uneasy about it at the moment and wait for a hot shower. A minibus and Peter's ute ferry us to the hotel at about 6.30pm for showers and food, then at about 9pm we're ferried back to Bang Tao. Peter's a talented man, and can drive his ute while drinking a can of beer and rolling a cigarette at the same time. It's always a race to the minibus.
Day 232 - Friday 14th Jan
First thing every morning a gang of stray dogs appear at the base to scavenge through the rubbish for any scraps of food. Well that's what they did yesterday. Last night Rene and I bought a big bag of Pedigree Chum Complete, so from now on thay'll be properly fed and watered, and as long as boss dog gets his food first, there's no problems.
It was a long hot day of block laying. Persistence from Wes and I in waving, smiling, and helloing finally paid off today when one of the female Burmese brick layers opposite, smiled back. To be honest they don't have much to smile about, theirs is a tough existence. THese imported workers live in a nearby compound where a curfew is enforced. Crammed in an old wagon, they're dropped off in the morning, do a tough days work and are then taken back to the compound. For this they are paid a pittance. The girls don't appear to feel the heat, dressed as they are in white wellies, long trousers, long sleeved shirts over T-shirts and big conical hats.
Day 233 Sat 15th Jan
Three weeks ago the Tsunami wrecked KD's minimart, leaving Kodet and his family with no income, and therefore no money to repair and restock. His story must be typical of countless thousands at the moment. But donations to the recovery project has paid for new windows, doors and re-filling the shelves, and this along with volunteer labour meant KD's was able to re-open this afternoon. It's called a minimart, but is only the size of a corner shop . Everyone gets a big lift to see this vital part of the village up and running again.
