But none of all this could prepare me for for the colossal devastation I saw yesterday in the outskirts of Suratthani, a city in south Thailand which is now completely isolated by high levels of water and is considered by Thai officials as the center of a large disaster zone which includes 11 provinces in Southern Thailand and much of the Malaysian peninsula, including the popular tourist islands and beaches on both sides of the Thai mainland.
In an attempt to renew my Visa after 3 months in Thailand with a simple border crossing to Malaysia, I was told by a few travel agents on the island that Malayasia has been cut off and the roads and bridges have been swept away by the floods. The only closest border is that of Laos in the north, and it's north of Bangkok, where the weather is dry and hot. Booking my flight from Surat to Bangkok, the travel agent told me the road from the pier to the city was clear as is the road leading to the airport. The Thais are pretty efficient in handling natural disasters, as they were in the 2005 tsunami, so I felt safe. When I arrived in the city of Surat, we were put into a waiting room with a bunch of other frustrated tourists who have been waiting for a few days to get out of the city, only to find out that we have arrived in a city that was completely cut off in all directions. No Bangkok, no west coast, and - no airport. Trying not to get into the frenzy that started sweeping over the enraged tourists, I went to the bathroom, and as I squated, prayed for divine assistance and for a smooth outcome of all this, reaching my destination peacefully.
As I got out, abdominally relieved, a little fat Thai guy comes out and starts putting everyone's luggage onto a van shouting proudly "we take you airport on big truck of soldiers"! So we were in for a military evacuation, fun! He drove us to the nearby military base and we all got on to 5 big trucks reminding me of my days in the army, except this time it wasn't in the desert and I was wearing civilian clothes and surrounded by Thai people and blonde European girls. We started the bumpy ride to the airport which is situated 15km outside of Suratthani. Judging by the modest levels of water on the sides of the road, I figured they are just taking precautionary measures by using these massive trucks to salavage the tourists. Little did I know how severe this natural disaster really was.
Only a couple of km into the main highway that connects the city with the airport and other towns, everything was completely covered in water. Our convoy was followed by more trucks leaving the city but mostly there were trucks and buses trying to come into the city in the opposite direction bringing supplies, food and people into the disaster area. The road itself was invisible, under a wide gushing river. The fields on both sides of the road which usualy has crops and villages were completely under water. The occasional long-tail boat was seen speeding beside us. Our truck was a mix of tourists and Thais, everyone shocked from what we are seeing and filming it with cameras and cellphones. I was praying for protection seeing the buses and trucks the tipped over the side of the road. This was a true disaster, like nothing I have ever seen in my life. And we were just passing through, people actually used to lives in these water and now they have nothing.
But you have to hand it to the Thai people. First of all for the efficiency of the military and the extent they go to save people, walking waist deep in the gushing waters to direct the very slow traffic and salvage people out of buses and trucks that have tipped over the invisible side of the road into the deeper waters, and driving through this dangerous battlefield with nature. But also to the feeling of togetherness and ease in the midst of all this, so evident among the Thais. The villagers erected makeshift kitchens along the roads to cook food for the stranded people and were giving out boxes of rice and snacks to the people on the trucks and to the soldiers. I think any other people in the world would be frustrated from the situation while the thais, standing chest deep in the waters that once used to be their house, holding a fishing net to try to catch something, are smiling and waving and the truckloads of strange white people. They have a very pleasant and calm nature about them and I bow down to their modesty and equanimity while dealing with this horrible disaster. For me this is a lesson. How to take things in proportion in life and be thankful for what I have. While we worry about our money and material possesions in our regualr lives in the west, we forget that all of it can easily be wiped out in a second, and then we are left with nothing but ourselves, our sense of self and our sense of union with the universe and nature.
Mother earth is screaming lately, trying to wake us up to something, shaking the earth, burning the forests, flooding the land. We are but mere tiny specs of existence in relation to the magnitude of what mother nature is and can do. This is the precise reason we have to learn to live in harmony with her before it's too late. We cannot continue polluting and trashing the earth, killing species and poisoning ourselves without expecting her to react in some way. we are part of her and together we form up one organism which today is conflicted within itself and is very unhealthy.
After experiencing this natural calamity first hand, not just watching flooded villages on TV, I truly stand in awe and respect for nature's Shakti power and realize this is a power we must harness and appreciate rather than fight it or allow it to inflict havoc upon us. Again I appreciate this life that has been given to me and the safety and ease in which I live it.
Now i'm in dry, sunny Bangkok, on my way to Laos tonight, hoping I will be able to make it back to my home in Koh Phangan in a few days.
Love.
Some pics I took of the floods can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=306042&id=616138895&l=bd29275a35
