It didn't take long for the Tsunami discounts to start appearing as I approached closer to my first primary destination on this trip, the island of Ko Lanta in South Thailand. After spending a tough first night (The first night always seem to be tough on long trips) in a clean and large but fan only room (240 Baht! / US$6) in Phuket-town I was on my way.
[I reserved an air-con room but they gave my room away earlier in the day I arrived around 7pm. Surprisingly they were sold out and I was given their last room I even saw them turn away 3 backpackers as I checked in]
As I stepped aboard the ship for the 2 hour crossing across the now infamous Indian Ocean/Andaman Sea I was mobbed by touts waving resort brochures in my face with heavily discounted rooms. I happily obliged and settled on a place and area that sounded familiar in my research. I ended up getting a bright interior concrete bungalow with hot water (Not an automatic feature as in the US), air conditioning, mini-fridge, and satellite TV for 600 Baht / US$15. About 150-200 feet from the beach I might add. I could glimpse the ocean from my room.
They also showed me bungalows that were a little nicer (Upgraded furnishings/decor with new remote controlled air con units) with good views of the ocean, and all less than 30 feet from the beach. Those went for 800 Baht / US$20. I decided to save the US$5/night and err on the side of caution by being a little further away from the ocean, even though the beach in this area is very wide, and quite good for jogging I'll add - with a wide section of solid sandpack. The water had reached the resorts on this beach but the water level was under .5 meter / 1.5 feet. I could see the waterline in my bungalow. A little further up the beach is a spit where a few resorts were closed and damaged. There the water came from both sides. I believe about 10-20 people died there.
...anyways...we've (I have anyway) heard enough about death.....about getting good deals....I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my rate included a hearty breakfast. Not insignificant as this might total 80-120B. Since I was staying a week I also remembered the tout's offer, 1 night free if I stay a week. This further reduced my room rate another 15%. All in all, my room rate averaged 525B / US$13.65.
This is the high season and in normal times these same rooms would be going for 3-4x more.
For those on an even tighter budget, fan-only bungalows were also available widely for 250-300B/night (No breakfast I think). Many of the fan-only bungalows are made almost entirely of wood (Bamboo?). When I left Ko Lanta I hooked up with a trio of French/Belgian travelers for a day two of them who I later met in Bangkok for dinner. They were able to negotiate an A/C room similar to mine for 200B/night by having the touts compete with each other, albeit without breakfast, and much further south (Higher transport cost / time to get to pier / town area important for scuba diving) and at a resort with a crappy / almost non-existent beach (But with a nice pool) and a slightly more cramped feeling. I know because I checked it out when I rented a motorcycle for a day. It didn't occur to me to bargain too hard on already heavily discounted rates.
So...the lesson in practice here is one group's misfortune can be your gain. Although perhaps they should feel fortunate that travelers like myself are indeed still coming.
As a frequent traveler I think this good fortune does go both ways. Sometimes I've paid high prices because I was in a place during a peak holiday season. On my last RTW ticket I was the victim of a very weak US dollar in Australia (1.35-1.45 to 1) and UK. On the contrary on earlier travels to Australia (2 to 1) and New Zealand (2.4 in 2001, now 1.7) in 2001 I was the beneficiary of a very strong dollar. I also had good exchange rates in Brazil and Argentina in 2003.
Payback?For those who believe in Gods/supernatural forces one could argue that for some the Tsunami was punishment for excessive greed. Tracking the real estate price growth in South Thailand in the last few years would give a good picture. Besides, a peak season rate of 3x-4x what I paid for my room is a lot of money in Thailand. The bungalows are nice but most aren't 5-star hotel levels. On heavily hit Ko Phi-Phi the rates were even more ridiculous pre-Tsunami.
Perhaps the same could be said about 9/11 victims as a whole? Or the various high profile VERY VERY well to do individuals who suffer public personal tragedies. On a non-death level of greed what about the high tech / Nasdaq stock bubble?
While I don't believe in any of this from a supernatural standpoint as there are many well to do folks who don't suffer major tragedies, I'm sure there are those who will. But, I do believe bad things will result from an excessive greed standpoint whether it be greed over money, power, fame, etc... (For 9/11 - oil and Arabia). But, that is another topic altogether.
I haven't even mentioned the idea of nature's payback for excessive coastaldevelopment (Cutting down of mangroves, coral destruction, shrimp farms), but that would also fall into the excessive greed (And stupidity) category in my book.
