M-whY

Hi Phi Phi, the volunteer organization trying to make a difference, runs a free tour for new arrivals, showing us the devastation caused by the tsunami. We were shown a video shot by a tourist from his balcony window, which I've seen several times already, as TV stations replayed it over and over again in their news coverage. This time though, it seemed to have a lot more meaning, since where it was shot from was just a short walk away. We were taken to a building that has been left untouched since December 26th, 2004, for an idea of the destructive power of the waters on that day. Palm trees were swept away, and of the ones that still stood, many were as dead as driftwood.

The only medical clinic on the island is run out of a donated building. Two nurses, both volunteers, provide services free of charge to locals and travellers alike. With all the broken glass and debris, they are often overworked, sewing up cuts and treating infections. Volunteers and locals have also taken the responsibility of clearing the bays and beaches. There is no government presence or international aid organization to speak of.

Although Hi Phi Phi has permission from the authorities to be there, they are also restricted in what they can do. They're allowed to clean up and repair existing buildings, but not construct new ones. The ban includes not only commercial, but residential projects. With 400 Ko Phi Phi families still waiting in Krabi for something to return to, it's easy to see where the conspiracy theories come from.

Rather than join the reservoir dogs again, I opted to head to the beach and assist the divers in pulling wreckage from the sea. I was part of the surface team, meaning after the divers and longboat operators had brought the wreckage ashore, we'd unload the nets and throw its contents onto the pile. Over 120 tons of junk has been brought up in four months, and the cleanup is likely to continue for a long time.

I chose the beach work because I thought it'd be cleaner than the reservoir. I was right, but beach work turned out to have its own unpleasantries. The stuff brought up had an incredibly foul stench. Worse than what my dorm room smelled like junior year in college, when my roommate and I both refused to take out the garbage for months.

Wearing gloves, we unloaded corrugated metal, driftwood, tires, and motorbike handles. DVDs, CDs, swimwear, and a wooly rug also came up out of the sea. The divers even managed to bring a huge palm tree to the surface. It took a strong rope and about 25 people to pull it out of the water.

At the end of the day, we were all given a meal ticket worth 60 baht. 60 baht comes out to about a dollar and a half. I used to make a dollar and a half getting a cup of coffee in the morning. But no complaints here. I'm sure no one here was working for the money. We were all just doing our part in helping out.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!