Tsunami Survivors Tell Tales

I forgot about this article in the Guardian following the Asian tsunami of 2004. I guess in the pandemonium, I never thought of passing it on at the time, even though this blog was mentioned. But perhaps the saddest site I’ve visited today is javajive, written by another expat who has been waiting on news of friends in Phuket. At the time of writing this post he’s still waiting, although a commenter on his blog tells of their heartbreak atRead more

Safe and Sound

I have now heard from all 7 of my friends who were near the area affected by the tsunami. Unfortunately that statement will not be heard by so many others. I just returned from a week in Bali. I only took my camera with me twice – I guess I haven’t been in the mood lately. I’ll post what images I’ve taken soon. Once again, thank you for all your emails and comments. An image from another place and anotherRead more

Calm Before the Storm

I took these images only 2 days before the earthquake. No further words are needed. In case you didn’t see this, it was left as a comment on my previous post. This tragedy is not just ‘headlines’ for many people around the world. Hi Brandon. I�ve just received news that my sister�s husband�s family in Aceh have all perished. The number reached almost 30. The last group of bodies that were found is his uncle, aunt, their 2 year oldRead more

Images from Aceh and Sumatra

I spent the day away from the television and its disturbing imagery. Tonight, witnessing the local news coverage from Indonesian stations has forever etched the horror into my memory. Once again, they are showing video and photographs that will never reach the major media networks. A few examples of what I’m seeing: Military men pulling bodies from the waist high water, and stacking them in trucks like bags of rice. Relief workers climbing trees to remove the bodies of thoseRead more