It is the dawn of a new morning in the beautiful Andaman Beach in Phuket. Vendors start arriving with their colourful goods; resort workers conscientiously prepare the many lounge chairs and umbrellas that will shield the noonday sun. The masseuses are waiting near the trees, chatting as they wait for customers. Life goes on for these Thais who depend on tourism for their livelihood. Everything is as it has always been, except for one important detail.
The tourists are nowhere to be found.
After the devastating tsunami that hit this once tourist-dense area of Southeast Asia the day after Christmas in 2004, the number of tourists in this picturesque Thai destination has gone down to a mere handful. Just a year ago you would have seen an almost frenzied horde of foreigners filling the beaches and the resorts, but today the picture is less festive, and more sombre.
However, the resilience of the people of Thailand is evident everywhere, especially where the tsunamis devastation hit the strongest. They are picking up their lives, continuing to perform their daily duties even though there is overwhelming evidence that things have definitely changed....