Comments on: Come Hell, Come High Water: My Southern Thailand Flooding Story

By: Nat

Nat — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 00:32:18 +0000

Such a great article – it really took me back.

We were in Ko Tao for five weeks in Dec/Jan 2017 and it’s not an experience I’m likely to forget.

We were up in the hills to the south of the main town and our road was washed away. We had no power or water, my laptop was totaled by a leak inside the house.

It could’ve been dire but we showered in the rain and our brave neighbor trekked into town and popped by once a day with bottles of water and tins of tuna.

After a week, we managed to climb down from the hill alongside the broken road that was now a chasm filled with rushing water.

We stayed a night in a hotel (lights! Dry bed! Power!) and then our incredible Airbnb host found us a new place to stay in a less damaged part of the island.

We thought about giving up and going home, but we stuck it out and ended up making some magnificent local friends.

Koh Tao will be forever in our hearts

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 09:55:10 +0000

In reply to Jen. Thanks Jen! Posts like these can be a little scary to write, so I appreciate the kudos.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 20:46:16 +0000

Amazing post, Alex! Travel media needs more of this right here. I really hope your Koh Tao community sees the light of that sunshine they get after the rain and realizes how great this is. Waiting for the perspective was the right thing to do, and it enabled you to be able to see the big picture on touch on all those important, big, ethical issues around travel and tourism.

By: Alex

Alex — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 13:53:07 +0000

In reply to Marni. Such a sweet quote! I still need to see that Mr. Rogers documentary :)

By: Marni

Marni — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 20:14:21 +0000

This is beautifully written and completely respectful of both the nation and the situation. Natural disasters are terrifying but so often what stems from them is a true community aspect, be that simply from the affected areas or across the country or across the world. There is something remarkably wholesome about the way people band together after an event like this. To quote Mr. Rogers, “Look for the helpers.”

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 11:52:46 +0000

In reply to Dominique. They truly have been battered. I have many friends still there who are really involved in the recovery, which keeps me plugged into what's going on. I know I for one would love to return to Indonesia someday, regardless of what crazy events they've endured.

By: Dominique

Dominique — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 16:19:35 +0000

Oh man, when I hear about these kind of events on the news I feel so bad for the people living through them. This year alone it seems like so much has happened. I like what you said about keep traveling there, because I’ve noticed that it’s mostly the places foreigners visit that are hit by a natural disaster are reported on. Indonesia has been hit hard many times this year, and I hope it doesn’t affect their number of visitors!

By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 20:51:17 +0000

In reply to Louise & Joe. Sounds like you guys are troopers :)

By: Louise & Joe

Louise & Joe — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 13:15:10 +0000

In reply to Alex. Ha! That is EXACTLY what everyone on the island said to us! We absolutely will.

By: Alex

Alex — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 13:09:44 +0000

In reply to Ijana Loss. Just wait till my Florida Keys coverage starts :) I'll be talking a lot about that idea!