Bangkok History Highlight: 20 Years Later - Looking Back at the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami [S7.E13]

The Bangkok Podcast

In a twist on our history episodes, Greg and Ed revisit the devastating tsunami of 2004. Greg begins with a thorough summary of the event, which begins with an absolutely massive earthquake off the coast of Sumatra that caused a rift and shift on the ocean, creating immense waves that would affect multiple continents. Reverberations were felt as far away as the state of Oklahoma. The devastating results eventually took the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia.

Greg and Ed recount their memories. In Greg’s case, he had just flown out of Thailand to Amsterdam and learned of the tsunami after he touched down. He relates how he was glued to the TV and as the horrific death toll numbers climbed and climbed. For Ed, he was in Bangkok and actually tried to go to work the morning of the event, only to find that his office had been closed due to a countrywide shutdown. He did manage to feel an aftershock while in his office tower though. The guys discuss the total shock felt by the entire country of Thailand, and all the positive vibes that the Thai people gave to all the foreigners affected by the tragic act of nature.

Greg then talks with listener Hugh Van Es , who has written a short book about his devastating search for a friend lost in the waves called Hell in Paradise. His first-person account of Phuket after the disaster is a sobering account of just how big an event it was, and how - even 20 years later - it seems that everyone knows someone who was affected.

Don’t forget that Patrons get the ad-free version of the show as well as swag and other perks. And we’ll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.