Before the Tsunami

26th December, Swindon, UK

Ian writes:

I have noticed a lot of visitors to this site are arriving from search engines, looking for photos of various sites affected by the Asian tsunami. I am not sure whether the photos wanted are the before or after. I am lucky enough not to have been present at any of the sites affected when the waves struck; I was lucky enough to see these places before the devastation.

Below are some photos of the beautiful locations that have been all but destroyed in recent days. Each of the images below link to a larger version.

Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia.

The eastern shores of Penang, looking towards the popular area of Gurney Drive, that were strongly affected by the tsunami, Malaysia.

Overlooking Railay Beach, not far from Ao Nang in Krabi Province, Thailand.

Boats moored at Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand.

Koh Phi Phi Don's perfect beach front, Thailand.

Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley, location from 1999 film The Beach, Thailand.

Another view of Koh Phi Phi Ley, Thailand.

Manda and I consider ourselves to be incredibly lucky. We keep seeing reports covering places that we have been to, reading newspaper reports about places where we once sat down for lunch that have been wiped off the face of the earth. All our thoughts are with those affected - the relatives of people still missing, the people whose livelihoods have been taken away from them so suddenly, those who survived but whose injuries and memories may haunt them for years.