A bottle of Chang one minute, washed away the next

“Don’t you ever close” I asked the owner”. No, no, we stay here all day, all night, all year. Even at Christmas!”. I sat back and looked at the numerous postcards on the wall. Then I listened to the cheesy music that they put on, because it was western, and because they thought that we would like it. At that moment in time we were the most important people in the world to them. We were their lifeblood. They explained that the bar was the only thing they had. It wasn’t a very good bar, but it was their bar. They sleep in their bar, they drank in their bar, they did everything in their bar.


standing outside the bar with the ladyboys


As I sat down in front of the fire and sipped on my wine, I looked outside. It was cold. My thoughts went back six months, the beaches, the atmosphere, the people. As the channels were being flicked, one stuck. Sky News channel. And then I saw something that made me look. Like walking past someone in the street you think you know. The water was pouring through the streets, causing devastation. And then I saw the remains of a bar. The sign was being washed away. And then I realised it was the bar I had been sitting in six months ago in Phuket. The one that played cheesy Westen music. The one that they adored. The one that served me Chang beer into the early hours.

....and the devastation




Me standing on Phi Phi



And the next video. Phi Phi island virtually destroyed. I was standing there one minute, and the next.....




When we had been there, heavy rain for four hours had caused major flooding. The place simply could not cope with rain, let alone tidal waves. You never know when tragedy is round the corner, I just hope the people I came to know are okay.