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

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.