Tsunami Levels Thai Island Paradise
Asia Media, Commentary, Leonard Novarro, Posted: Jan 10, 2005
SAN DIEGO –– Almost from the time we heard about the Asian tsunami and its wake of destruction, my thoughts kept returning to Methanont, a wonderfully jovial and kind man known in the south of Thailand for his colorful pants – yellows, blues and whites unfurling in a baggy bell-bottom straight out of the late 1970s.
Methanont's island of Koh Kradan, in the middle of the Andaman Sea off the west coast of the country, is literally his. He bought it 20 years ago for $45,000 and developed it into a rustic getaway attracting Thais from the mainland and a few non-Thais who were lucky enough to find out about it.
Methanont's specialties: the hottest curry anywhere in Thailand and a wonderfully isolated collection of thatched huts and bungalows straight out of "South Pacific," accompanied by the most pristine beach imaginable. It takes an hour and a half by ferry to get there from Pak Meng Beach in the heart of Trang Province, in the south of Thailand, one of several coastal areas devastated by the tsunami. In all probability, Methanont's island, a mere one-by-four-mile swatch of verdant jungle surrounded by the crispiest of sugar-coated beaches, is gone. "When people come to this island and they are happy, I am happy," Methanont told me during that visit. "This is not a business. When you're here, it's like a friend visiting a friend," he said, showing me around the island.
Some 200 islands, many of them uninhabited, dot the region, offering glimpses of paradise. Libong Island, the largest in the archipelago, is covered with mountains and the assembly point for hundreds of rare species of birds; Koh Hai is known for its splendor and unspoiled nature; Krabi, spectacular in its appeal to the senses, is like an untouched porcelain doll and gateway for daylong excursions to the nearby Phi Phi islands and Maya Bay, the spellbinding location for "The Beach," starring Leonard DiCaprio – all engulfed by an unexpected catastrophe. It's as if paradise, struck by an original sin of natural calamity, has been overturned and uprooted.
For years, on Valentine's Day, Methanont played host to dozens of couples in Thai dress who were married in longtail boats off shore. At the conclusion, they donned scuba gear and disappeared into the ocean.
"When I was young, instead of fooling around and spending my money foolishly, I thought I should buy something beautiful, so I bought this place," I remember Methanont telling me, his eyes crinkling in laughter.
The beauty, for now, is gone. I just hope that crinkled face and colorful baggy pants somehow survived.
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