Karen’s Story
Written by Karen Hall, 30 December 2004.
This is a lengthy account of what Tim and Karen Hall along with their children, Timothy/Kristy/Clay, Christina, and Jeremy experienced during their Christmas vacation to Thailand in the Andaman Sea. I apologize for the personal narrative, but this is what happened to us. I am also thankful that we had our camera and were able to take a few pictures before the batteries went out. These pictures are only to help you see the reality of what we experienced.
“Do you have hot water?” were the first words out of my mouth when the Riverside Hotel manager came out from the humble Thai hotel in Krabbi Town to help us with our luggage. “Yes, there’s hot water and air conditioning.”
For over a year the Tim Hall Family had been planning and talking a bout having Christmas together in Thailand. My sister, Gayle and her family had considered joining us, but had decided not to. Tim, Karen, and Jeremy left China on 12 Dec. and arrived in Ao Nang, Thailand, that evening. Timothy, Kristy, and Grandson Clay (1 yr 2 mos) joined us a couple of days later. For a week we toured around, kayaked, visited the tailor for new clothes, and enjoyed the massages. Tim and I especially enjoyed becoming reacquainted with Clay since it had been six months since we had been with him. I knew that I had to take advantage of every minute because Christina was joining us on the 18th, and for some reason, babies always prefer to be with her. During this week in Ao Nang we made reservations at Lanta Lodge Resort on Lanta Island (Koh Lanta) and reservations at the Montree Resotel in Phuket to stay a couple of nights before leaving Thailand on 30 December.
December 18th we traveled from Ao Nang to Phuket to the Peach Hill Resort on Kata Beach which is about 3 kilometers down the beach from Pa Tong Beach. Christina was to arrive that day and join us at the hotel. Her ride from the airport pulled right in behind our van as we stepped out at the hotel. This perfect time of events was to follow us throughout the days ahead. Having everyone together was so wonderful. We stayed a week at the Peach Hill Resort in Phuket. We enjoyed the beach, shops, food, and playing in the pool. This was also special because other teaching couples and their families from our QSI School in Shekou, China were also at this resort. It was fun being with them.
On Thursday, 23 Dec, we boarded the morning ferry and headed toward Koh Lanta. We were traveling a little lighter because we had stored some of our luggage at the Montree Resotel in Phuket Town where we would stay a couple of nights at the end of our vacation. The ferry ride to the island was about five hours. We made stops at Phi Phi, Ao Nang, and Riley Beach to allow passengers to disembark and board. When we arrived at Koh Lanta, we rode in a little truck to the bungalows where we were to stay. We were, however, really disappointed with the location and the beach at this place. We had paid for it in advance, but we just didn’t want to stay there. I remembered the beautiful beach when we had stayed there five years ago and wanted the children to have a similar experience. I looked at Kristy and Christina asking, “What do you think?” Kristy replied, “It just doesn’t seem right.” I would look back and later understand the importance of her words. As a result of this uneasiness, we decided to change hotels and moved to Ocean View Resort which was located a little further north on a different beach.
We had a most relaxing time at this little beach. Island life is so quiet and calm. I told Tim and the kids that this was my favorite place of the three that we had stayed at so far. We went into the little village and bought small Christmas presents for one another. On Saturday evening we sang carols and exchanged our gifts. It was enough just to be together.
Sunday morning, 26 Dec, we all ate breakfast together. Tim, Christina, and I went for a long walk along the beach to explore a new area. As we walked, we passed long-tail boats and Thai men sitting along the shore. They smiled and we said “hello.” After returning to the hotel Christina said that she was going to go get her book to read at the beach. I stopped to see about Clay at Timothy and Kristy’s bungalow. All three were there so I decided to go up to my room and rest a little. We had all agreed to meet at 1:00 to have a family church service. I crossed the small drive-way that separated the bungalows from the main building, climbed to the second floor, and decided to look in on Jeremy and Christina – the time was about 10:30 a.m.
Suddenly we heard what sounded like a party going on outside – people were hollering and with a loud noise in the background. Jeremy went to the window to see what was happening and shouted, “Oh my goodness! Where’s all this water coming from? Christina, come and look at all this water!” We raced to the window and couldn’t believe what we were seeing. Water was coming up around the buildings and pushing up where ever it could. I kept thinking that a dam must have broken somewhere, but this was the ocean, there were no dams here. (I did not know that Tim was in the next room and had run out barefooted to try to get to Timothy, Kristy, and Clay.) I ran to my room, grabbed the bag that held our passports and started down the stairs with the kids. As we got to the hotel lobby, people were coming inside with bad cuts and bruises. Christina and I turned around and flew back to our rooms to get towels and anything that could be used for antiseptic – all she had was a small bottle of Listerine and we grabbed all the bottled water that we saw. I threw my bag down so that I could grab more towels. In the reception area we started to work on the injured, but the hotel manager and his family were saying that we must get out – We must go higher. At this point I saw Tim across the drive at Timothy’s bungalow. He was calling “Timothy, Timothy.” I started to holler, “Tim, Tim, go higher, go higher.” “Where’s Timothy?” he shouted. “Dad, go higher.” Christina yelled. At that point, Tim saw Timothy across the road waving at him, and he knew that they were safe. Timothy and Kristy had seen people running by their windows and had rushed out earlier. Tim started out in to the water to work his way to the higher place that we were being directed to. I found out later that a log in the water had hit his leg, but not seriously.
We followed along across the road and up the hill to a higher place. Tim and Jeremy helped others cross over barbed wire fences and we walked on dirt paths until we came to a small house where some Thai men were sitting on the porch staring at the sea. A Swedish lady and her husband along with others had gathered. The Swedish lady (I wish I knew her name – I’ll call her Helga.) seemed to know some first aid. With what we had, we began to try to help those with injuries. Jeremy went to help bring bottled water because that was something clean and needed to wash wounds. One of the times he went back and grabbed shoes for Tim and himself.
Christina was concerned about Timothy, Kristy, and Clay and had learned that another group had gathered at an even higher point up the mountain. She struck out to see if she could find them. When she returned she had a small first aid kit that a German man had given to her. This kit became invaluable, as it was our only source of bandages, etc.
We could still see the beach at our hotel from our spot up the hill. While looking I couldn’t believe that I was seeing boards being lifted and then a woman being helped up. Then there were two women standing. I was so thankful that Tim had had the camera around his neck when he went running out.
In a few minutes three older people from the UK joined us. As they told what had happened, I realized that they were the ones being helped up on the beach. The oldest lady was 72; she was injured the most seriously with cuts and bruises everywhere. They told us how they were eating at the small restaurant when the first wave hit. It felt like they were being pulled out to sea, but the Thai father and son who owned the restaurant helped them and wouldn’t let go. They were still trying to recover when the second, larger wave hit. This time the restaurant collapsed on them and the older lady was under the water and couldn’t get up. She was crying and at the point of hysteria as we helped her to the small porch where we tried to make her as comfortable as possible. Helga said, “We’ve got to get her warm; she’s going into shock.” I ran into the small house and started looking for anything that would be dry, then I remembered the emergency kit; I found three emergency blankets. We wrapped her in one. The two Thai women who had helped this UK trio up the hill were huddled together and crying.
The next to arrive at our small camp was the father and son who had saved the British folks from being washed out to sea. They were seriously hurt, and the father was unconscious. A small pick-up arrived, and the father was taken away. Jeremy said that he was breathing when they placed him in the truck. We worked with the son and covered him with a blanket as well; first, however, we knew he needed a dry shirt to help him warm up to prevent shock. I went to the men on the porch and tried to gesture for a dry shirt, but they could not respond. I looked around for a dry shirt, and my eyes landed on Jeremy. He was wearing a favorite shirt from home with the logo “Asheboro Blue Comet Football.” This was Tim’s alma mater. I asked, “Jeremy, can I have your shirt?” Without hesitating he stripped it off, and we put it on the young man. This left Jeremy exposed to the sun, so I found a cotton Thai sarong, and he wore that for cover. After an hour or so the young man was also taken away.
I’m not sure how long we worked washing and bandaging wounds, giving water, comforting, and touching the injured. I’ll never forget the wounds because most were filled with sand pebbles. With one in particular, I looked at Helga and asked,” Should I take my fingernail deeper to get it out?” She said, “I think you’ll have to.” The lady responded,”It’s okay. I can’t feel anything.”
I thought that everyone at our little camp had been cared for when I happened to notice a young Thai girl, about 20 years old, sitting alone with her knees drawn up to her chest. I walked over to her, knelt down, and asked, “Are you okay?” She didn’t respond, so I sat there with my arm around her. Soon the tears were flowing down her face, and she pointed to her big toe. The nail had been torn off. Upon closer examination I also found that her mouth was bleeding, and she had other cuts. We found dry covering for her in the house, and she was later taken away as well.
As things were settling a little, Timothy walked up. He told us to come where he, Kristy, and Clay were because it was higher up the mountain. It was hard to leave the ones that we had been helping, but we felt it was better for our family to be together. We walked about 10 minutes to a large flat area that was half way up the mountain. The ground looked like it had been cleared for a building site. There was minimal shade at the edge but we found Baby Clay playing happily in the dirt. As I gazed up the mountain, I could see people all the way up. Some were up in trees. The majority of people here were uninjured or had minimal wounds. There were two paramedics from Germany at this site, so Christina led them back to our first camp. They were able to move our friends to a higher elevation and recheck them. Amazingly, large clouds were sent all day to help protect us from the sun.
Throughout the day reports would come that another wave had hit Phi Phi and would soon be here. Our eyes watched the water. People would ride up on motorcycles or in pick-ups and holler out names of people they were looking for. Twice big pots of cooked rice and eggs were brought up along with more water. The food was good, but we ate very little. Timothy had managed to get back to their bungalow to grab the big bag of food and baby items. People with international cell phones were being warned by officials and friends back home to stay on the mountain. A Swedish lady text her son in Sweden and gave him our friend’s (Ava Greene) email address with the message “the Halls are okay.” We learned also that the beach we were originally supposed to stay on was hit harder than this beach.
As it began to grow dark, Kristy suggested that we start gathering firewood before the dark closed in. All night bonfires were lit at the various locations. I envied people their ability to lie down on the cold damp ground and sleep. There was a beautiful full moon. One man had been to the hospital (30 km away) with his son to get his hands stitched together. He told us how they rode in the back of a small truck with other injured people, one of which died on the way. At the hospital one doctor was on duty. The living were sitting among the dead and dying. During the night he broke down and wept for a long time. The Hall family was truly blessed and miraculously protected. Just the fact that we had clothes on and not our swim suits was a wonderful blessing.
Finally morning came, and we made our way back to our resort. The owner and his family were walking around in a daze, but still trying to help and answer our questions. There was no water, but electricity was on in some places. It was pretty obvious that they didn’t need to be caring for us when they were trying to figure out how to put their lives back together. Many foreigners were trying to leave. We were making arrangement to leave when a warning came that another wave was coming. Everyone in the hotel started heading for the mountain again, and we were left to find our own way off the island. We walked across to a small store and found a lady who spoke English. She flagged down a Thai man and wife who had a small pick-up truck, and we negotiated with them to take us to a hotel in Krabi Town which is located on the mainland. Kristy, Clay, and I rode behind the front seats, and Tim, Jeremy, Timothy, and Christina rode in the back with all of our luggage. This trip took four hours because there were two places where we waited for ferries to take us across water areas. The lines for the ferries were long, and I felt so sorry for Tim and the kids in the back where the sun beat down. The man and wife could not speak English, but it was evident that they knew of a hotel where they wanted to take us. We passed Krabi Hospital. The yard was full of people everywhere. We pulled up to the hotel, the men came to help us, and I asked, “So you have any hot water?” We entered this humble Thai hotel and were thankful for hot water, clean beds, and each other. We watched the pictures of devastation on the Thai television stations and realized again how blessed we were. The trauma started to set in as I realized that I was afraid to leave the room and go outside. I prayed that in the morning I would feel different. As a family we prayed together and thanked our Heavenly Father for His protection.
The next morning, 28 Dec, a mini-van arrived to take us to Phuket. Christina’s plane was due to leave that evening at 6:55 pm. We headed straight for the airport and arrived about 1:00 pm. People were everywhere doing what they could to get home. We said goodbye to Christina, and she joined the crowd trying to leave. At least she had her tickets. I found out later that they immediately put her on a flight as soon as she got up to the counter to check-in. Free food was being given away at the airport.
We arrived at the Montree Resotel where we had stored our suitcases. Timothy, Kristy, and Clay were due to fly out the next day on the 29th, and Tim, Jeremy, and myself on the 30th. We made arrangements with a taxi to take them to the airport. Tim and I were trying to decide if we should leave earlier or wait. Everyone was advising us to “get out.” A lady from Finland attached to us, and we all made our way to the Phuket City Hall. The area was full of people, pictures of missing people and people in hospitals were posted; free food and clothing were being given out. We walked over to the USA table and were then directed to the building that housed the personnel for 50 embassies. As we approached the building a young Thai lady stepped forward and asked, “Can I help you?” At the sound of those words, I started to cry. I said,” We want to check-in with the US Embassy.” I looked at one man who was just sitting staring ahead; he looked like he’d cried until he couldn’t cry anymore. You began to get a feel for the ones who had lost their friends or family members; you could see it in their faces, and they avoided eye contact.
That evening we were walking to a restaurant, and we remembered that it was Kristy’s birthday.
THE STORY CONTINUES:
By the next morning Tim and I still hadn’t decided if we would try to leave early or wait until the 30th. About 11:00 a.m. I stepped into the tiny, old elevator to go out to a shop. As the elevator started down, the power went out. I found myself in total darkness, and I started yelling, “Help, Hello.” One man with very little English heard me and said, “Hello, hello, okay, okay.” Thoughts started racing through my mind, “Should I sit down? What if it plummets? I should be quiet and conserve oxygen.” Then I heard Tim’s voice. “Tim! It’s Karen. I’m in the elevator!” I yelled. He didn’t hear me. Next I heard voices and felt the elevator being slowly brought down to the next level; and door was pried open about 2 inches. A piece of paper was passed through, and a voice said, “Fan your body.” It was hot. “Is someone stuck in the elevator?” I hear Timothy say. “Yes, Timothy, it’s me I’m in here.” “Mom?” Timothy started helping hold the door open, and slowly they opened it enough so that I could get through. I went to the room and laid down. It was enough.
EVERYTHING FOR A REASON:
While stuck in the elevator, I kept seeing pictures of big modern elevators in Bangkok, and I knew we had to leave Phuket that day and keep moving towards home. At 12:50 pm we all loaded into a mini-van and headed for the airport. Timothy was told that the flight to Vienna was canceled, but then another person said it was not canceled. Thai Airlines told us to get standby tickets to Bangkok, and they booked three seats from Bangkok to Hong Kong on that evening’s 7:00 pm flight. Tim got in line to get the stand-by tickets, but I felt that I should say goodbye to Timothy, Kristy, and Clay. I found them in a line, and we hugged and said goodbye thinking that we would meet again in the terminal. I went back and took my place in line while Jeremy and Tim went to say goodbye. The lady at the counter have us tickets and said, “You must go right now. The airplane is boarding.” We kept looking for Timothy as we hurried along, but we didn’t see them again.
We arrived in Bangkok and had to wait for about four hours before heading to Hong Kong. We didn’t care because we were heading home. It became apparent that we had entered a place where people were not so aware of the events happening. I just made a couple of comments and soon a crowd had gathered and I was telling the whole story.
We arrive in Hong Kong at 12:30 am. Again we didn’t know exactly what to do. We had no hotel and the bus to Shenzhen had left hours before. A man said that all we could do was take a taxi to the border; cross the border; and then take a taxi home. We’d never done this before, but we kept moving toward home. We arrived at 3:20 am.
What we saw and experienced; the little we were able to do to help, touch, and comfort was a very small part in this great event that has rocked our world. We all agreed that we were not sad about being in Thailand. This country and the people are wonderful, and we were thankful to be of some service during this time.
I want to add that our little Grandson was an absolute angel during this entire event. He didn’t cry or complain; there was a special peace that rested on him, and he brought comfort to those around him by having such a loving and friendly character.
