June 2005 114th Issue

2005 Hua Hin Jazz Festival

Here are some of the artists you can catch during the 3 day festival taking placebetween the 3rd and 5th June, in several locations including the beach.

John Pattitucci (Bassist)

John is a world-class jazz bassist, performing in Thailand for the first time in Heineken Jazz Festival Hau Hin 2005. Since 1985, his association with Chick Corea has brought him worldwide acclaim. He has made six solo recordings for GRP Records and subsequent recording have won him two Grammy Awards and 15 Grammy nominations. John has won great acclaim for his electric and acoustic bass playing. His many awards include Best Jazz Bassist (Guitar Player Magazine's 1992, 1994 and 1995 Readers Poll) and Best Jazz Bassist (Bass Player Magazine's 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 Readers' Poll).

Randy Cannon

Randy throws off the mantle of predictability to delight international jazz fans.

Even jazz musicians have been enthralled by the talents of this extraordinary pianist. Randy has been described by leading jazz critic Leonard Feather as “a pianist of formidable gifts, with rich dynamic variety and rhythmic sensitivity”.

Den Uprasert

Den Uprasert (Denny) is the only Thai jazz pianist to have received the prestigious global award for jazz the “2003 Downbeat Awards” in the area of best jazz bands from Downbeat Magazine (U.S.A). Downbeat is a long-standing publication that updates jazz news and is read in jazz circle all over the U.S. All musicians that appear in Downbeat enjoy international acceptance. This will be his first performance at the Heineken Jazz Festival Hua Hin.

Kho Mr. Saxman

“Mr. Saxman” was Kho's debut album in 2002. This Giraffe Record Production established him as an artist in his own right and revealed his hidden talent as a singer. His hit song “Pavana” topped several charts. “Mr. Saxman” catapulted Kho to fame as Thailand 's newest saxophone sensation. After several invitations to perform overseas, he released “Sax Appeal” in early 2004 receiving enthusiastic response from his loyal fans.

Prod Thanapat

After 13 years abroad, Prode returned to his beloved Thailand where he began teaching Jazz, performing with “The West Indies” and his own “Jazz Quartet”. He has done workshops with jazz greats as Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. He also went on a nationwide concert tour with his band “Tanapat Jazz Group”. Thanks to his valuable experience, Prode is now a director at KPN and has released one album “Prode” - a collection of original jazz tunes which he wrote and produced himself.

After The Tsunami ... part III

I had been invited to the volunteer group meeting hoping it could provide a useful source of contacts for newly arrived volunteers but I had no idea it was going to be held in one of Phuket's swankiest resorts. What a contrast from the sights I'd seen all day which only heightened the plight of those Tsunami victims living on the edge. When I opened the door to the Conference room I was astounded by the number of people there. Over 50 volunteers were assembled in a formal circle with a screen behind the Chairman – a member of Phuket's Business Association.

The objective of the meeting was to provide coherence between all the disparate volunteer groups, which had sprung up since the Tsunami Disaster. Some were run by great heated but culturally lacking tourists who'd elected to stay and help, some were run by small professional aid groups and some by local businessmen. It became apparent from the tenor of the meeting that the objective was going to be dif• cult to achieve. I had already heard criticism leveled at certain groups – ‘this organization doesn't know what it's doing' ‘This one is run like a cult' ‘ this one lacks any cultural sensitivity and has upset many Thais' so the tinderbox atmosphere wasn't surprising. One eloquent young Thai who'd obviously lived in the us gave a sharp lecture about cultural sensitivity likening the Tsunami to 9.11 and we need to handle the recovery process our own way, he then begged all volunteers to take their lead from the local government. The point of this message was well received by all foreigners present only to be trashed by a vehement young Thai girl who asked “Why is there all this talk about working with the Government ? We're not interested in what the Government says and we should do everything our own way” What a dangerous message to put out to the foreign volunteers, many of whom had little understanding of what the local government was doing to help Tsunami victims.

I felt the reluctant need to speak. Being a nervous public speaker, some people suffer from hiccoughs but I'm usually afflicted with a bout of the gulps, I stated that for the past 2 (gulp) weeks I had been working in Phuket's Provincial Hall with many local government officials who were very grateful for the work undertaken by the (gulp) volunteers. Trying to control my overactive salivary glands I gulped on “My Thai colleagues – all in senior positions – frequently made phone calls to various local government departments such as Housing Development or Fisheries or the Educational Services to establish if there was work available for volunteers. Often there was. It was very frustrating to find volunteer groups duplicating work already in progress. Not only was this a waste of donated money but also resulted in bad feeling. “I stressed my confidence that local government officials would welcome greater co-ordination with all volunteer organizations. “ How can you achieve this?” came the immediate challenges. “I could try to set up a meeting with the Phuket Governor and your groups “I bravely replied not knowing if I would be able to do such a thing and thinking ‘I only came to Phuket to answer the phones, what was I doing trying to set up high level meetings with some very wild looking volunteers? The next day I gingerly approached the Phuket Governor,Udomsak Asawarangkul, a lovely man from Prachuabkirikhan who often came into the Tsunami Disaster Recovery Centre – TDRC to have his chicken noodle soup lunch. He'd been concerned about the haphazard manner in which volunteer groups were starting projects with no co-ordination with his departments. He told me to organize a meeting with interested volunteers and to liaise with the Deputy Governor Vinai Buapradit which I duly did. I practiced my Thai over and over before I approached his secretary with the request and was so relieved that the meeting was set up the day before my return to Hua-Hin without egg on my face.

I realized that I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. What I didn't realize was that some pretty powerful people in the TDRC surrounded me. Some had been sent down from Bangkok to co-ordinate the daily statistics of the missing and dead whilst others made visits 2 or 3 times a week for high level meetings. I didn't realize, because everyone was so friendly, informal and concerned about my welfare. No-one stood on ceremony. There was the First Permanent Secretary to the Interior Minister, Chanchai Sunthornmadah, who sat at a desk in the corner puffing away on a long cigarette holder whilst entertaining his entourage. He had a very rude sense of hum our as I learnt when I heard him tell Phuket's PR officer that she was fat like a pregnant buffalo. This was totally untrue and the poor woman had to smile while all the men fell around the room convulsed with laughter. I think he liked making fun of her as she was also blamed for a wet patch on the chair next to his! The head of the Governor's Office Lertkiat Ongpotipun, also came to eat his lunch in the TDRC at a tiny table next to the fridge. His main concern was that I didn't have enough biscuits to eat and a plate was piled high and presented to me with iced coffee every morning. How the other half live I thought as I lapped up this wonderful hospitality.

The Deputy Chief of Police Pol Colonel Korkiat Wongworrachart was also a frequent visitor. He often sat opposite me and recounted the horrors immediately after the Tsunami. He was very proud of his team who had worked relentlessly over 2 or 3 days to process the papers of 100s of Tsunami victims who'd lost everything and wanted to return home immediately. He was also responsible for the missing persons identity website. This website was easily accessed and held very distressing photographs of corpses which bereaved relatives had to look through in the hope they'd recognize a loved one. Voyeurs also accessed it and other depraved people, the police therefore decided to take it off the Internet.

Instead a much less distressing • le of photographs which showed tattoos, jewellery, birthmarks, and moles of the dead, was put onto the website in the TDRC by Pol Colonel Korkiat who invited me to look at them all! Needless to say I declined!

What I didn't realize until it was time for me to return to Hua-Hin was that those working in the TRDC were taking note of my work. I tried to make sure that every person who came for help left with information they required; I was determined never to say “Sorry we don't need you or we can't help you. “I researched the newspapers everyday and found information I could follow up, I noted down all information given to me by my Thai colleagues and found some valuable names and addresses I amongst piles of papers shoved to the corner of my desk.

One lead opened the door to a wealth of data, names, telephone numbers, website, Embassy contacts, counseling centers and many more. As each day progressed my contacts became wider enabling me to open more doors for the bereaved in their painful search for loved ones. I wasn't the only one doing their utmost to help everyone who came into the TRDC. Somnuk Wichitsaratna, Chief of Information and Communication and Ajarn Oripin and Ajarn Nirawan my Thai colleagues, were also relentless in their bid to help. I never heard a mai mee, mai dai or mai ru, anyone living in Thailand knows how common those words are! Infact ‘mai' seemed to be a forbidden word. The only drawback to working with these wonderful Thais was that I acquired the esteemed position of resident English Teacher. I was no longer allowed to speak Thai and had to correct everyone's English, not only did my Thai deteriorate rapidly but so did my English! I had never heard such a range of convoluted, archaic sentences – it was a nightmare trying unravel what was being said. I often fled to pin up another missing person photograph which was a dreaded task. 4 or 5 large notice boards were positioned under the shade of some trees where hundreds of faces smiled down at you – young couples, children and babies, grandfathers and grandmothers and entire families were displayed. Every time a went to these boards I returned with a large lump in my throat as some 6 weeks after the Tsunami it was evident these were the smiling faces of the deceased.

I tried to imagine how I'd feel if I came face to face with a 20 meter wave. Would I freeze and wait for the inevitable thud and eternal blackness or would I fight through the horror of it? It was too awful to contemplate, as was the pain of the bereaved searching for their families. I was so impressed by the composure of these people. It was painfully clear they had put their emotions on ‘hold' knowing they must be composed and single minded in their arduous search for the body of a wife, a son or daughter, mother or father. I listened to their stories of how they saw a loved one dragged from their grasp and swept out to sea, pushed under the wave or how they watched a daughter or mother running for their lives from their hotel room unable to help. The stories were heartbreaking and I felt the tears welling up in my eyes whilst thinking ‘don't cry, these people need your help not a crumpled wreck sobbing at her desk.' There was also the journalist experience. These people were constant visitors to the TRDC scanning information pinned on the walls in their search for a story. If they heard me advising a volunteer or helping a bereaved relative they pounced like a wild cat in for the kill. ”I'm from blah blan radio from New York , Germany , Malaysia or Japan or from a well known magazine from Singapore , Australia or USA , can I interview you now?” A big furry microphone was then shoved up my nose and cameras flashed in my face accompanied by the words ‘go now'. Some questions were very sensitive which made the experience quite nerve wracking as I didn't want to end up in a Thai jail. “Don't worry, it won't go out live, we'll edit it first' but who can believe journalists?!

Total pandemonium broke out when either a Foreign Minister came to the Provincial Hall or Thailand 's Interior Minister, Polin Polakul arrived for meeting. When both Foreign and Interior Ministers arrived there was nowhere to hide. Security men swarmed over every inch of the building and the vast fleet of Mercedes were each inspected by 4 or 5 men. Of course all the people standing around looking on were never searched, me being one.

Such a visit happened on my second day. I arrived at the Provincial Hall and turned the corner to be confronted by a wall of armed policemen and groups of security men shouting instructions on their mobile phones, journalists were dashing around with notebooks in hand and Council officials were desperately trying to keep some control of the proceedings.

Thinking there was a bomb scare or even worse, I retraced my steps back around the corner where I asked an official what had happened. “The Canadian Prime Minister has just arrived.” Came the reply “and he's heading this way.” I made a hasty retreat to the ladies room where I waited for the frenetic group to disappear upstairs to the Governor's Office. I than made a mad dash to the TRDC where I laid claim to my little desk with its ringing phones. Not long after this the room suddenly exploded with security men, private secretaries and assistant to secretaries. Everyone stood to attention, for whom I had no idea, so I thought it best to do the same. As I got to my feet a tall, quiet man passed by my desk, stopped and shook my hand whilst thanking me for my help. He asked where I came from and how long had I been helping, I was able to gain my composure enough to say I was very glad to be of assistance. After he'd disappeared into the tiny meeting room surrounded by bodyguards I asked an official “Who was that?” On being told that he was Thailand 's Interior Minister my jaw dropped. I have never met a Cabinet Minister, not even in England , so I felt extremely honoured that he shook my hand and acknowledged my help. The following week he reappeared for another meeting and again stopped at my desk to thank me stating his surprise that I was still positioned behind it! On this second visit his secretaries and assistants talked to me like longtime friends asking all the standard questions. How old are you? (which I definitely didn't answer!), where do you come from? How much does it cost to fly to England ?

How long have you lived in Thailand ? Does your husband mind you being here? It seems the questions don't change regardless of the social standing of those asking. I breathed a sigh of relief when they all left for lunch in a flurry of mobile phones, gold watches and strong aftershave.

My last morning in the TDRC was crazy. A large group of Thais and Americans and traveled down from Chiang Mai with the purpose of donating funds collected specifically to help schoolchildren and fishermen. They squeezed into tiny room and interrogated me on the orphan sponsorship scheme I'd started. After a lot of consultation they chose two children to sponsor; that couldn't have been a better leaving present. As I was sadly packing up my notes I was astounded to be presented with several wonderful gifts from my friends in the TRDC, the most cherished being a bone china cup and saucer from ‘joker' First Permanent Secretary to the Minister of the Interior, Chanchai Sunthornmadah with his signature engraved in gold on it. I will always remember my three weeks in the TRDC as a time of great personal fulfillment. A time when I was able to help so many people in a small way and a time of great togetherness with my Thai colleagues.

ORPHAN SPONSORSHIP

Please don't forget the Tsunami orphans who need your help. There are 95 students in the Phuket Education Service area who have lost one or both parents and are being cared for by family members placing heavy financial burdens on them. The donations are 1.000 baht a month or 12.000 baht a year and you can choose the student you want to sponsor from the list I have from the Education Services Director. Please contact me on 09.0283787 or 032.5166500.

Quiz Night at Buffalo Bill's/ Fisherman's Wharf

On Monday 25 th April 2005, a quiz night was held at Buffalo Bill's at Fisherman's Wharf. This event was the first quiz night to be held at the venue (and must be one of the first ever to be held in Hua Hin!) and was organised in order to raise money for charity. Bill & Lorraine, the owners of Buffalo Bill's, who organized the event, hope to make this a regular feature of the Hua Hin social scene, benefiting different local charities. The night was a huge success. Many teams competed in what turned out to be a close run competition only 7 points between first and last places! The tickets were 250 baht each and included a scrumptious buffet meal halfway through the quiz well worth the price. Also included were raffles where lovely prizes very generously donated by 3 of the major Hua Hin hotels;

Chiva Som, Hyatt Regency and Sofitel were raffled off. The lucky charity, which received the proceeds of the night this time, was Hua Hin Dog Rescue Center . They very gratefully received 11,000 baht generated by the evening, an additional 4,000 baht donated by Bill & Lorraine and a further 1,000 baht donated by an English couple attending the event. This made a grand total of a very welcome 16,000 baht, which the dog center was thrilled to receive. All in all, it was a night in which the participants not only had great fun, but also donated to a very worthy cause and some were lucky enough to walk away with great prizes. A real win-win situation thanks to Buffalo Bill's and several of the major Hua Hin hotels! Hua Hin Dog Rescue Center would like to extend their sincere gratitude to everyone involved.

TOBY CHARNAUD

As many Hua Hin residents are now aware, our town has been shocked and saddened by the recent murder of Toby. The Observer sends it's deepest condolences to his family, and with their approval we are publishing a short story that Toby wrote some time ago,as a tribute to this much loved member of the community. The story won a writing competition in Bangkok and demonstrates the hidden talents of a lovely man. We will miss him greatly.

RAINFALL

Guy’s fingers trembled as he lit yet another cigarette, the previous one still smouldering in the ashtray. His hands felt clammy and he was sweating, despite the chill blast from the air-conditioning. There was a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach. This was the most terrible thing he had done in his life, and the waiting was the hardest part.

He walked across to the window and stared out at the cityscape in front of him. Bangkok, shrouded in cloud. The rain had started and soon it would close in, relentless and oppressive. It hard rained like that the night he had met her, nearly three years ago.

He had been trawling through the bars of Soi Cowboy with Greg, a good friend and an old Bangkok hand. They had been out in the street flirting with the “welcome” girls when the rain came, forcing them to take refuge on one of the bars.

It had been a standard go-go bar, and they had sat down on the bench seats around the outside and ordered a couple of beers. Half a dozen girls were dancing, their movements nothing more than going through the motions in time with the bland Thai pop music. One of the girls caught his eye. She was very petite, even for a Thai girl, with huge eyes. She smiled, a gorgeous lop-sided smile that lit up her whole face.

After her shift she came over, demurely holding out a dainty hand.

“Hello. My name Fon, may I sit down?”

He was taken with her politeness, and her beauty. They laughed at the coincidence of her name and the random selection of the bar because of the rain, Fon being the Thai word for rain. It was an omen and he was smitten.

He had spent the rest of that trip with her, and the next one, contrived just a couple of months later. He had heard all the stories of how a relationship with a bargirl was doomed to fail. But those stories were not about Fon, she was different. Greg had tried to tell him that they all said that, “This one is different,” but he ignored him, and it was too late now.

Outside the rain closed in, the visibility dropped, the grey skies pushing in from all sides. He checked his wallet, the tickets were there, but there were still a couple of hours to go. There was an empty bottle of Mekong whisky on the table, maybe the last he would ever drink. He considered going to buy another, but couldn’t face braving the downpour, and suddenly the thought of the cheap sweet taste made him feel sick.

He had known it would be difficult to get a visa for Fon to come to England, so had used the opportunity to do what he had dreamed about, to take off to pastures new. He sold his modest share portfolio and rented out his house and moved to Bangkok. He knew he would have no trouble finding a teaching job, but Greg was able to find him work in IT, to which he was more suited and paid far better.

Which, as it turned out, was no bad thing, as the problems with Fon started almost immediately. Nothing too much to begin with, and mostly about money. Then there was the not coming back to the apartment when she said, or coming back drunk. They would fight, she would cry, and then would smile with that extraordinary lop-sided smile and look at him with those huge eyes and he would forgive her. Always. As she knew he would.

But it didn’t get better. There were more problems and more fights. They made the decision to move out of Bangkok. They went to Hua Hin on the gulf coast a couple of hours south. They found a suitable business available, a small bar and restaurant. Fon would run it and it would provide her with her own source of income. There was enough IT work available for Guy even in a town like Hua Hin. It seemed like the ideal solution.

Instead things soon got worse. It wasn’t just the money, that was still as bad as ever, despite the business appearing to do well, but the lies started. Again they would fight and again she would cry and he would feel guilty.

He wanted to walk away, but couldn’t, and her eyes would do their magic and he would take her into his arms.

Then came the stories of other men, customers in her bar, and an old boyfriend from her Cowboy days. He couldn’t believe them and tried to ignore them, but on top of everything else it was too much. This time when he confronted her she became angry and denied everything. He believed her, he had to, he loved her too much and this time it had been his turn to back down and apologise.

While they lived in Hua Hin he got to know Boy. Boy was a tuk-tuk driver, a regular Thai guy. They would play pool together and talk football, and they became good friends. People told him that you should never trust a Thai man, but Boy would never ask for money or accept any favours. He introduced him to his brother Daeng. Daeng was a cop, not high ranking but with influence. He didn’t have the same charm as Boy, and was always sponging drinks and chatting up the girls in the bar, who were very wary with him. However, he was a useful contact to have.

Then it happened. He caught Fon. He had gone to Bangkok to pick up some computer parts and had planned to have a night out with Greg, but Greg had been sick so he returned that evening. Fon was in bed with this guy, a Dane, a regular customer in the bar. He didn’t wait, he didn’t want to hear. He left, three days later was back in England.

As soon as he arrived he started to miss Thailand, the food, the climate, the lifestyle. And he missed Fon. She called him constantly, saying how sorry she was, what a mistake she had made, how she would never do it again, how much she loved him and how different it would be when he came back.

He held out for a short while, but he couldn’t put her behind him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that funny smile and those lovely, lovely eyes.

He went back. It got worse. He could not stop loving her, but she lied more and more, she cheated more and more. It was as if she knew that by getting him back she had won. The thought of leaving again, or just leaving her at all broke him up, but he knew that if he stayed it would destroy him.

Then it came to him. There was a way of dealing with this Thai-style. He spoke to Boy. Boy said he knew how to deal with it.

It was Boy he was waiting for now. It was too late to stop what he had put in motion, and although he had huge misgivings he was desperate and knew it was the only thing that he could do.

Beside the television there was a manila envelope. He opened it and counted the money again. 60,000 baht. He had already paid 20,000 baht, with the rest to be handed over when the job was done. Having paid for his airline tickets, it was all the money he had left. He had been concerned about what would happen to Boy, but Daeng would take care of that. Perhaps he would have to spend a couple of months as a monk in a forest wat, but the disappearance of an Isaan peasant’s daughter in a distant town would hardly be investigated and would soon be forgotten.

He looked out of the window. The rain had eased and the skies were lifting. Soon the sun would come out again. He stubbed out the cigarette and lit another one. Already he began to feel better.

There was a knock on the door. Peering through the spyhole, he saw Boy. He looked relaxed; he hardly even looked wet. He opened the door to let him in.

Boy looked at him, his gaze steady.

“Finish” was all he said.

The heavy feeling in his stomach moved up to his heart and his eyes blurred. For the first time it was not just guilt or regret he felt, but real remorse. He couldn’t look at Boy and turned away to pick up the money.

“60,000.” He paused, “I must go now Boy.”

Boy nodded as he took the cash.

“Take a good journey, my friend,” he said.

Guy forced himself to look up. His eyes widened with shock as he saw the gun pointing at him. He didn’t understand, couldn’t take in what he saw. His last thought, bizarrely, was that the silencer was as big as the gun.

The girl slipped into the room. She was tiny with large brown eyes. She looked at the body on the floor, then at the man slipping the gun back into the waistband of his jeans. The expression on her face was of regret, sorrow and bewilderment. It passed quickly and she turned to Boy.

“Come on, tilac, let’s go,” he said.

She gave him a quick lop-sided smile and took his hand as they left the room.

By Toby Charnaud

Asian news and current affairs

Paradise not lost along Thai coast

By Martin Young

HUA HIN - Since the December 26 tsunami devastated the coastlines of a dozen Asian countries, the tourism industry in Thailand has been in first gear, slowly and painfully struggling its way up a hill that was created by the one of the world's largest natural disasters.

Hundred's of thousands of people have cancelled their holidays or redirected their trips to alternative and, in their minds, safer destinations. What was once a thriving hub of holiday activity on the Andaman Sea side of Thailand has turned into a low seaon, with many businesses still closed or forced to call it quits.

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 120,000 jobs have been lost in Thailand in the tourism sector, and an estimate by the Tourism Authority of Thailand suggests the affected provinces stand to lose more than US$1 billion in tourism revenue, or 5 million tourists, in the first quarter of this year. The environmental implications of the disaster are another story: they will continue to have an affect on the area for many years.

Damaged coral reefs, for example, will take hundreds of years to re-grow. Consequently, the Thai government as well as aid agencies have closed many dive sites for reef regeneration programs (see Coral reef rescue underway in Thailand ).

Working closely with the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the UNDP has helped initiate and finance a reef clean-up program to ensure the conservation of coral reef resources important to both the local tourism and fisheries sectors. As of April 22, 95% of targeted reefs littered by debris had been cleaned. The actual damage to fragile, hard coral types, such as Plate and Staghorn corals, will take many years to recover, and recent diving expeditions to local sites off the coast of Krabi have revealed extensive damage to some areas.

For the beach-lover, however, there are countless undiscovered places within Thailand that are equal to those offering the paradise of the Andaman. And for the scuba diver, there are myriad dive sites that still remain relatively untouched by tourism and certainly unaffected by the tsunami. Along the Gulf of Thailand , only  300 kilometers north of the Andaman resort island Phuket, one can find empty beaches and pristine coral reefs, many of which are unknown to locals, never mind international tourists. The gulf, which lies to Thailand 's east, was unaffected by the tsunami.

The sleepy town of Bangsapan , four hours south of Bangkok , has a little gem off its coast called Koh Talu. The island is popular with local snorkelers but has never really taken off as a dive spot. The local dive operators who, despite Thai New Year celebrations, (see Thai New Year starts off squeaky clean ) managed to get us on a dive trip out to the island, were extremely friendly and helpful. For a location this close to the coast, the marine life and bio-diversity beneath the water's surface were impressive. Hard and soft coral formations are pristine, with damsel fish, fusiliers and butterfly fish all in abundance.

Further south is Chumphon, the capital of Chumphon province, which is only on the tourist trail as a stop-off to the popular diving Mecca of Koh Tao, or Turtle Island . Vastly overlooked as a dive destination itself, Chumphon has some exquisite sub-surface action for divers of all abilities. The islands are an hour off the coast and are part of a Marine National Park protected under Thai law.

The setting in Chumphon couldn't be anywhere nearer to the idyllic image of paradise that most people have locked away in their minds: an empty, long, white sandy beach, water so clear it looks drinkable and a sky that would put most postcards to shame. The dive vessel we were to board arrived in the still, cerulean waters off Koh Ngam Yai mid-morning. And it wasn't long before a large contingent of pale-looking Thais from the big city - fully clothed, wearing life vests, masks and snorkels - gingerly entered the crystal-clear water for their snorkeling experience.

For divers, the visibility underwater was equally impressive, up to 20 meters, which is comparable to the Andaman on any good day. Huge schools of fusiliers engulfed us and the other divers as we descended to the sandy bottom 22 meters below. The rocky slopes surrounding us were encrusted in hard and soft corals that turned the water into a kaleidoscope of colors. Sea anemones with their resident anemonefish fed in the current and scorpionfish lay cunningly camouflaged on the coral, their colors changing to mimic their surroundings.

Closer inspection revealed miniscule pipefish, tiny anemone shrimps, nudibranchs, and tube worms of all colors; a macro  photographers dream. A large sleeping turtle was found in one of the rock crevices and many cowries were spotted (these are a rare sight as their striking shells are usually collected by local skin divers to sell in tourist shops). Blue-spotted stingrays could be seen settling into the sandy bottom and shoals of jacks and barracuda lurked in the depths, always on the lookout for their next meal.

Long fishing nets draped across the coral reef were the only thing that detracted from the diving off Chumphon - man-made destruction always looks worse than natural. The area is a Marine National Park, and if the government and parks authority put as much effort into enforcing the no fishing laws as they do collecting inflated entrance fees from foreigners, this small archipelago would likely retain its natural marine ecosystem and abundance of life for years to come.

Diving off other islands in the area was equally impressive, and the natural surroundings are truly a picture-perfect paradise. These untouched, off-the-beaten-track locations are all out there to be discovered. They may not be in glossy travel brochures or on the walls of travel shops, but that at the moment is part of their attraction.

Today, the cancellation of holidays is causing the most damage to businesses and the Thai tourism industry in post-tsunami resort destinations. The Andaman coast has almost been fully restored to its former beauty, but still tourists are staying away. It will take time to heal, but for the traveler who wishes to help, the best way to do so is by not canceling or re-directing one's vacation elsewhere. There is no end to the list of holiday locations in Thailand - and for those willing to take the plunge, some may even find that idyllic hideaway of which they have always dreamed.

Martin Young has been diving in Southeast Asia for many years. For more information about diving in Thailand , please visit www.asiadivesite.com

(Copyright 2005 Asia Times Online Ltd. All rights reserved)

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