A few relaxed day in the village of Tonsai on Koh Phi Phi Don. This place is filled with young backpackers from around the world, most crashing in hostels. The real party scene here doesn’t kick off until after 10:00 pm—long after I’ve turned in for the night. Safe to say, I missed out on the late-night antics, and honestly, my beer pong skills just aren’t what they used to be. One of the bars invited me to join a two-hour all-you-can-drink event, but I passed. Ah, to be young (and occasionally reckless) again.
While I’ve been here, I’ve had some incredible food and a growing appreciation for Thai flavors.
Next month marks the 20th anniversary of the devastating 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. A massive earthquake off Jakarta triggered the disaster, and Koh Phi Phi Don was one of the hardest-hit areas. Waves slammed into both sides of the island’s narrow isthmus, causing widespread destruction and tragedy. Around 5,400 people lost their lives, nearly half of whom were foreign tourists from 37 different countries, and another 8,500 were injured. It took years for this island to rebuild.
Today, there are early tsunami detection systems in place, alarms will now sound alerting people to head to higher ground. When the 2004 tsunami happened, I remember it well as my ex-wife’s cousin was traveling in Thailand at the time. Thankfully, he was safe in Bangkok.
I wonder if many of the younger crowd here even know about that dark chapter in this island’s history.