The tsunami that hurtled into Southeast Asia, including the southern coasts of Thailand, on December 26, 2004, was the worst natural disaster the world has known. It killed hundreds of thousands and affected the lives of millions (see The Tsunami). We were in Phuket when the murderous waves struck, and were among the very fortunate who suffered no ill effects.
The exact number of deaths will never be known. In Thailand thousands of tourists and Thais died. The country is also home to thousands of illegal immigrants whose bodies were never claimed, and many more who would have been sucked to a watery grave, their families frightened to report them missing. Throughout Southeast Asia and beyond the total loss of life was in the hundreds of thousands. We witnessed the scenes of devastation and stood by helplessly, watching the grieving and agony of those trying to locate lost loved ones.
Throughout it all the Thais, a remarkably friendly and resilient people, retained an unbelievable dignity and desire to help others. They sought no pity. Instead we saw nothing but heroic acts of kindness and a determination to rebuild and return to a normal life.
Our work on this book was halfway complete when disaster struck. Days earlier we had visited resorts that now no longer exist. We had been on the Khao Lak strip and marveled at the luxury hotels that had been created. We returned to find the area flattened. Rubble of those fine buildings had become an early grave for hundreds. We had stood on the beaches of Phi Phi and saw some of Mother Nature's finest scenery. Now she had smashed the area from both sides and claimed hundreds of innocent lives.
Amazingly, just days after the disaster most of the southern Thai resorts were operating normally. But the world did not see that. Instead it saw the gruesome scenes of body bags and decomposed corpses. It saw the frantic faces of relatives searching for a loved one.
Through it all the Thais involved in the tourist industry took care of their personal problems and returned to work - if they were lucky enough to still have a place of employment - with a determined effort to make sure the remaining visitors enjoyed the pleasures that Thailand has to offer.
Understandably, the tourist numbers fell rapidly in the affected areas as people scurried home either hurt or horrified by what had happened. We stayed to continue our work and marveled at how quickly rubble and ruin were replaced with improved facilities. Not every area was able to recover so quickly; it is unlikely that Khao Lak will ever be the resort it was. But Phuket's hard-hit areas were soon to be ready for visitors once again.
When we began the work for this guide we had no inkling that it would be interrupted by such a catastrophe. We still intend to follow our initial plan, which was to create a book for those who seek luxury at an affordable price.
This book is one of an adventure series. But if you were expecting tough treks into the unknown at bargain prices you have bought the wrong book. While we much appreciate your purchase we suggest you close the volume now and gift wrap it as a surprise for someone else. To us, adventure means a gentle exploration or escapade, not a nightmare journey into uncharted jungles.
We believe that Thailand can provide a high degree of luxury at an affordable price. The words mosquito net appear now for the one and only time. We confess that we have never spent a night in Thailand without air conditioning, nor do we plan to do so. At home we do not travel on buses with chickens or goats so we don't do it when we are away. We are slightly more adventurous when it comes to food; in Thailand we try everything - well almost everything - once. And most times we come back for more. We are never far away from a television with news in the English language or a telephone that works. We enjoy getting lost as long as we are home in time for dinner and always sleep in something that resembles and feels like a bed.
To us luxury means lots of large, white fluffy towels in the bathroom. It means an ample supply of sweet-smelling lotions and soaps that are replenished daily. We relish not having not having to handle our baggage once we've lifted it from an airport carousel. We enjoy being whisked away in a limousine from the airport and not being kept waiting on a tour bus while Mrs. Brown argues about the scratches that have appeared on her brightly colored suitcases. Luxury to us is picking our favorite items from the menu and not having to flinch when the bill arrives.
At most Thai hotels you are greeted with genuine smiles. The necessary check-in formalities are conducted over a welcoming drink, while your luggage seems to find its own way to the room. These niceties, which seem to come automatically in Thailand whether you spend $50 a night or $500, are just one of the aspects that attract us, and millions of others, back to the shores of this magical kingdom. Thailand is a very foreign country with its own peculiar ways and culture. Respecting the different customs and lifestyle will make your stay here more enjoyable.
We hope that this book will give you ideas that will enhance your stay in this land of silk and smiles. If in some small way we can convert you to becoming a returning visitor then the words we have written have not been wasted.
Christopher Evans began his newspaper career as a copy boy in Fleet Street when it was home to the newspapers of the world. He learned from the bottom rung of the ladder how newspapers worked. His first income as a writer was as a junior reporter in northwest London, covering everything from births to burials. After three years he became news editor, the newspaper expanded, and his territory extended south of the River Thames.
At 21 he joined the London Daily Mirror as a sub-editor, the youngest person to hold such a position. In the middle of a bitter British winter he was lured away to the Bahamas to become editor of the country's morning newspaper, The Nassau Guardian.
He met Lindsey Hedger, who hailed from the same town in England, at a wedding reception in Nassau. Five months later they were married. Three children and three grandchildren later they are still together and split their time between southern Spain and Thailand.
In addition to writing travel articles and novels, Christopher was a pioneer in the cable-television industry in Florida, where he started the first pay-per-view cable channel. He owned and operated a printing company in Atlanta, Georgia which employed 150 people. And together they owned a travel agency in Atlanta, which heightened their desire to see more of the world.