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Virgin Explorations
1 - 2 weeks
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» F.A.Q.
FREQUENTLY ASK QUESTION
What is the difference in a canoe and a kayak?
Why Does Your Meal Plan Get Such Good Reviews?
How Often Do you go on the trips?
What Is The Difference in Hong By Starlight and Day In The
Islands?
Why can't we paddle in the caves?
Where are your awards?
What Is The Difference Between JGSC and the company
displaying your logo and awards?
Why do you do what you do?
Why Phuket?
Why Vietnam?
Why Puerto Princesa?
What are the Golden Series?
What Is A Sotar?
Why Are Professional Standards Important?
Why Are your prices higher than most?
Why Did You Move To Phuket?
What About Your Videos?
Did you really discover the sea caves of Phang Nga?
Did the Tsunami affect you?
What Comes Next?
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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN A CANOE AND A KAYAK?
The International Canoe Union defines a canoe as any paddlecraft
propelled by a single blade paddle. A kayak is a paddlecraft propelled with
a double-bladed paddle, i.e., a shaft with a paddle blade on either end.
In Hawai'i, both inflatable and sit-on-top paddlecraft are "Sea Kayak".
Decked boats make sense in frigid waters, where they are also "Sea Kayak"
Except for Polynesian outrigger and voyaging canoes, I don't know of any
canoes designed for ocean use.
So what is a "Sea Canoe"?
Here's the story, or "Joke."
Real sea kayakers would never copy a competitor's itinerary, but on my first
day in Thailand back in January, 1989, I realized the inevitable, and coined
the word "SeaCanoe" as a joke on those who would copy me.
None of our competitors take an interest in paddling (we've never seen any
owners in the Bay, let alone a kayak), so when they copy the name "SeaCanoe"
they fall victim to the joke, admitting to the World that they don't even
know the name of the activity they commercialize..
Two of our "competitors" are so detached from sea kayaking they actually
have speedboat divisions inside their companies. Real sea kayakers use
muscle power to escape the world of engines, especially high-pollution
2-cycle outboard speedboats. TOP^
WHY DOES YOUR MEAL PLAN GET SUCH GOOD REVIEWS?
Our success is built on pride, hospitality and guest satisfaction. Most
tourist meals are overpriced institutional food, so we want you to taste
what we can do with a bit of pride, respect for our guests, and a meal
surrounded by perfect Nature.
The "healthy food" experience is even more important than the taste. In the
early 80's I worked as a medical research communicator, bringing the
benefits of healthy, tasty food to millions throughout the Pacific Basin, so
our Thai seafood vegetarian meal plan parallels the medical facts. You may
not know the difference in a canoe and a kayak, but everybody knows good
food. It's just one more mark of pride and quality.
Even our shrimp is fresh-caught from the sea and not from destructive shrimp
farms that extract mangroves, the nurseries of the sea. After destroying the
food-chain, these over-populated ponds then pack unhealthy chemicals into
the high-density basins to avoid losing shrimp to disease.
Many SE Asian water supplies are polluted with chemicals used to set rubber,
so we serve hydroponic vegetables. In the middle 90's I visited a "Natural
Green" farm in Singapore and suggested they set up a Phuket franchise. They
did, and that's where your salad and stir-fried veggies are grown.
.
Quality service starts with staff, so we treat our professional guides as
professionals, allowing them to set their own fresh-cooked meal plan. They
claim their ultra-spicy Thai food is better than our Farang fare, so if you
enjoy super-extra hot, just go below decks for the best Southern Thai spicy.
In addition to low pay and no training, our competitors make their guides
bring their own lunch, usually basic fried rice in a Styrofoam box that ends
up as marine rubbish. TOP^
HOW OFTEN DO YOU GO ON THE TRIPS?
I try to go on every trip, but unfortunately, like many entra-manures,
business responsibilities limit me to a "three-times-a-week" policy except
when I'm off-island keynote speaking, On Expedition, or guide training at
our franchises.
Even at that, I spend more time in the Bay than all our competitors combined
- we never seen one in the Bay, let alone in a kayak. TOP^
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN "HONG BY STARLIGHT" AND "DAY IN THE ISLANDS"?
"Hong By Starlight" is how we run away from the day trip hordes
and visit Phang Nga Bay's caves and hongs in tranquility - as it should be.
We leave at mid-day to enjoy a quiet afternoon, and then stay after dark to
do a night paddle back into one Hong only. Many tour counters tell you we
only run this remarkable trip on Full Moon nights, or No Moon nights, but in
fact it's 365 days a year, rain or shine.
Repeat customers tell us it doesn't matter if it rains - it s just a
different trip.
See Hong By Starlight trip
description and
slide show.
"Day In The Islands" is a one-day exploration of the still-remote
tranquility islands in the Gulf of Phuket by a "Fast Longtail" boat with
Sit-On-Top sea kayaks.
This trip is our alternative to lackluster high-pollution speedboat tours to
movie locations, i.e., James Bond Island and Maya Bay. Instead of becoming
the beach-blanket crowd, we offer active and educational kayaking and
snorkeling around three beautiful remote islands in tranquility.
A Fast Longtail is not the longtail on your hotel beach. It's a large
cabined boat with a mini-pick-up truck engine on the back. Guests' say they
prefer Fast Longtails for their traditional close-to-the-water design,
wide-ranging speed - and their mini-truck engines are far more environmental
than 2-cycle outboards. (See "Anchors Away" in equipment section.)
In perhaps the most colorful of all our positive guest comments, one guest
called "Day In The Islands" a "22-scoop multi-flavored ice cream sundae that
takes all day to eat",
Note: See the East Bay soon - the first mainstream hotel is now open
on Koh Yao Noi, already eating up the surrounding culture and environment.
Day trippers from Krabi already infest the only large beach in the
archipelago, so within five years, you will cry at the invasion of
mainstream tourism into one of Thailand's last remaining areas of beautiful
nature. Remember, the only planning in Thailand is building a hotel wherever
the developer wants, damn the environment.
See Day In The Islands TOP^
WHY CAN'T WE PADDLE OUR OWN KAYAKS IN THE CAVES?
It only took a couple of trips to realize that asking guests to kayak in
complicated and dangerous caves with varying currents is unfair, unsafe and
irresponsible.
Better we preserve our 23-year safety record.
Kayaking experience is not the issue. Paddling these specific caves is the
important factor. Phang Nga's totally dark caves are filled with blind
corners, underwater obstructions, strong tidal currents, and extremely sharp
rocks carpeted with oysters.
I designed our Sotar Elite kayaks for safety-first paddling in this specific
environment. Both decked and sit-on-top kayaks could be disastrous if they
capsized inside an oyster-encrusted cave, and they can never squeeze through
those tight tidal windows like a Sotar. (Impaling oneself on a carpet of
oysters during a cave capsize would turn a paddler into hamburger, and
swimming through caves with underwater razor-sharp oysters could lead to
serious cuts.)
We also protect the caves to the same levels as we protect our guests by
training our guides where paddle blades can and cannot go so we don't break
fragile stalactites and flowstone.
Hong By Starlight trips are my rubbish patrol opportunity. Primarily outside
the caves, I use a Scupper Pro, and occasionally enter the caves. After
thousands of cave traverses, even a Big Monkey learns the location and depth
of underwater rocks, the power of the tidal rips (that vary
minute-by-minute), the turning radius of each tight spot at different tidal
levels - and how far my kayak lists before capsizing. Even so, it's risky,
but that's my own problem. TOP^
WHERE ARE YOUR AWARDS?
From 1994-99 the experimental company I founded and directed won six
major awards. It was a great experience. I traveled to London, New York and
Washington, D.C. to collect the hardware that still resides in a company
that is nothing like what the decade-old awards represent.
Along the way, I learned that the greatest awards are customer satisfaction,
and creating a long-lasting environmental awareness. For the past 23 years,
I've been receiving my awards every day - in the rich smiles of our guests.
(Breaking into the black someday might be nice!)
I also learned that, in most cases, the awards were merely a self-promotion
exercise for the delivering committees, who didn't even understand the
Eco-tourism concept. I've accepted Ecotourism awards along with major hotel
chains, and been followed in subsequent years by tacky cultural theme parks.
Most award programs invite companies to submit their own applications, a
concept I find ethically derelict. Few, if any, judges ever actually
experience the product.
If you want awards, read our guest comments. TOP^
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN JGSC AND THE COMPANY DISPLAYING
YOUR LOGO AND AWARDS?
A company isn't a name, it's the people behind it - and this applies
double in a service industry. Our effort isn't only me, but the 24 staff and
partners who came to John Gray's SeaCanoe - that's why I stayed in Thailand
instead of returning to a lucrative career back in Hawai'i. When our team
told me, "We still haven't finished the experiment." I knew I had to stay.
Although I was the architect and the expected recipient of the committees, I
always suggested the awards go to the company. Big mistake when the partner
given his shares for free got tired of being professional and forced me out,
thinking he could "Use your name and reputation to lower our quality and
make a lot of money." After that comment and my subsequent departure, the
company took an immediate nosedive.
We all feel sorry for people lacking the courage to stand on their own name
and achievements, living a lie in somebody else's shadow. Our guides
constantly remind me, "We won all those awards in spite of those guys, not
because of them."
It's true. John Gray's Sea Canoe quality is far superior to anything we ever
did at our original company - awards or not. TOP^
WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?
Two Basic Reasons:
First, I was blessed with an amazing childhood. My parents met on a Sierra
Club outing and I was groomed to be an environmentalist - swimming in the
ocean at six months (1945), camping in the Sierras (1949), rehabilitating
birds, (1950), living in a village in northern Japan (1953-4), specializing
in raptor rehabilitation (1957-present), SCUBA certified (1957), six
straight Science Fair marine biology projects (1957-62) and Red Cross
Lifeguard (1960) - all even before I finished high school. I was raised to
appreciate the marvels of Nature, different cultures, creativity, curiosity,
courage, and integrity. Selfless service to all living things is everybody's
duty, why we are blessed with intelligence.
Thanks to those early years, I remain in awe of our marvelous planet and the
precious miracle of life - and the power of each individual who does the
"Right Thing".
Sharing that amazing childhood with you and your family is my great
satisfaction - in the hopes that we all realize we are capable of
accomplishing anything we want - once we never forget we are nothing but
overgrown monkeys. TOP^
WHY PHUKET?
In the mid-80 I realized the dangers of SE Asia's "Tiger
Economies" with their 12% annual growth rate and a total lack of
environmental awareness. While I served on the Coastal Resources Committee
of the Hawai'i Marine Master Plan, I was also planning an expedition to
Thailand's Andaman Sea, hoping to plant the seeds of Conservation in SE
Asia.
In January 1989, Laird Lucas is Executive Director for Advocates For the
West Environmental law firm, and I explored Koh Samui/ Angthong, Phuket/Phang
Nga Bay, Satun and Langkawi with an inflatable sea kayak.
(Langkawi was just a way to return to Singapore. Malaysia was on my "Red
List" because I knew I could never mix with strong-willed Mohammed Mahatir -
the Anti-Christ of environmental conservation. Despite Malaysia's charming
yet often inaccurate destination advertisements, 80% of rainforest
extraction (all of it irresponsible) is Malaysian owned - so much for
"Eco".)
Laird and I discovered what my research already said - no place matches the
Magic of the Gulf of Phuket. and Phang Nga Bay's amazing eco-system was only
an hour by boat from Phuket. I could show mainstream tourists the concepts
of conservation and meaningful vacations with a true quality experience
instead of the usual mainstream schlock.
It didn't work out that way. Instead of learning the lessons of professional
standards, proper planning and conservation, the mainstream schlock simply
copied my style but not the substance and over-ran the lagoons.
Today, we continue the struggle for Environmental Awareness and Professional
Standards - at least inside our own company! TOP^
WHY VIETNAM?
Halong Bay is a spectacular World Heritage Zone, but a greater interest
in 1992 was Vietnam's "clean slate". And after what America did and then
walked away after defeat, I wanted to help rebuild the country.
On my first visit, capitalism was at the fruit stand level. "Environment"
and "animal rights" were unknowns - and still are. I keep telling myself
that things naturally get better, but it's tough to see any changes over the
past 14 years. Communism is very stubborn.
Although we cannot camp out or run free-roaming itineraries, Halong is still
the Planet's most expansive example of marine limestone. With between 1,000
to 3,000 islands depending upon the tide level, we will explore Halong for
the next few generations. Again, we are the only real sea kayaking company
based in the Bay, so SeaCanoe Vietnam offers the only real
Ecotourism/Adventure option in this magic corner of the Earth - and the
trips are astounding.
And Vietnam needs plenty of Eco-travelers willing to speak their minds to
government officials if we hope to encourage the development of Vietnam's
environmental awareness TOP^
WHY PUERTO PRINCESA?
Puerto Princesa is one of today's most important stories - yet little is
know about this environmental wonderland outside the Philippines. Back in
the '80's, Princessa was just like most places - logging, poaching and
illegal fishing was rampant, the water supply threatened and the seas dirty.
Then, in 1991, the City ran out of water.
Unlike other places, Princessa decided to do something, and with the strong
leadership of Mayor Edward Hagedorn, Princesa became the example of what we
all must do if we expect to save our Planet from becoming a wasteland.
Building upon a tree-planting "Festival of the Forest", Princesa recovered
its environment in just one decade, and continues to practice conservation
and cleanliness as a matter of civic pride, not draconian laws, so Princesa
is as clean as Singapore, but without that "fine" mentality. In Princesa,
the entire population is proud to be clean, and doesn't need a law to
maintain cleanliness.
I first stumbled on Puerto Princesa and charismatic Mayor Hagedorn in 1995.
After eleven years I am a verified believer, and now promote this
eco-wonderland as a public service. My visits encouraged the local kayakers
to approach us to accept a John Gray's SeaCanoe-Princesa franchise in
October 2006. Since so much of Princesa is best seen from the water, I hope
you do some kayaking while you are there.
I encourage you to go, and wrote a sub-website filled with direct-booking
opportunities to show you how to do it on your own. We even include direct
emails for selected hotels in Manila's Malate' section so your Manila
transit is easy, fun, safe - and close to the Puerto Princessa's Manila
office. TOP^
WHAT IS THE GOLDEN SERIES?
To satisfy my Explorer's Bug, two or three times a year we visit an
exotic sea kayaking "destination" that can do with an Ecotourism Audit and a
DVD documentary. Trips are two weeks, with costs split among the
participants. Everybody participates in the Ecotourism Audit, documentary,
and outdoor chores.
.
Every August we return to Hawai'i to paddle the Hana Coast, Ko'o'lau
Moloka'i and the backside of O'ahu, still intact after our "Keep the
Country" efforts back in the 1970's. It's a great way to see Hawai'i's most
beautiful coastlines and learn how to protect your own environmental
resources. TOP^
WHAT IS A SOTAR?
Founded by former aeronautical engineer Glenn Lewman, SOTAR designs and
manufactures of the World's Premier Custom Inflatable Rafts and Kayaks. Just
to remain the best, Glenn invented his own Lexitron fabric to create the
World's strongest inflatable boats. Our SOTARs last longer than our
hard-shell kayaks
We've been designing our own sea kayaks since 1988, and while waiting to get
into the Sotar Club we had to work with the also-rans. I can verify that
Sotar is a dream comes true.
Like all things in Thailand, cheap knock-offs abound, especially since
Glenn's integrity protects my design rights. If anybody tries to make a Thai
"snake boat" knock-off, just ask them about their "Green Floors" fiasco. TOP^
WHY ARE PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS IMPORTANT?
Accepting money for service defines "Professional". In exchange for your
cash, you expect a properly trained, experienced competent service, i.e.,
somebody who knows what they are doing; with the ability to make
professional judgments that give your purchase safety and value
In any industry, quality professionals practice "Labor Of Love". Above all
else, "Labor of Love" is the key to success. Well-balanced winners know that
if you don't have passion, you are doing the wrong thing. In anything
marine, "Labor Of Love" experience is a vital necessity when managing
weather, itineraries, gear selection and safety judgments.
Ecotourism - especially Marine Ecotourism - take you out of the human
environment where professionalism is important to your very survival.
Unless you can walk on water, gear selection, weather judgments and safety
judgment define your experience, and ultimately, your survival.
I'm still in awe whenever I take a small hand-powered paddleboat onto the
expansive sea, but expecting travel entrepreneurs to embrace professional
standards and environmental conservation is foolhardy and can cost you your
life. Most agents aren't even aware of marine tourism safety issues, so we
recommend you consider these criteria before you buy any trip on the water.
"SAFETY" is the most important Professional Standard. Our #1
responsibility is to bring you home not only in one piece, but smiling. In
the marine environment, this means:
Swimming Training - We believe that sea kayaking guides should
actually know how to swim, and prove it. In Hawaiian waters, that's one
kilometer in 14 minutes or less. In Phang Nga, 200 meters is passable.
Surprisingly, most Thai's can't swim, and JGSC is the only company in our
market with a swimming test for guides.
Lifeguard Training - Your kayak guide should know how to swim so you
don't have to rescue them - and so they can help rescue you. In Phang Nga
you don't need Hawai'i's high surf rescue techniques, but your guide should
know the basics on how to assist you. and how to manage your group's
swimming safety.
Vignette: A Taiwanese honeymoon coupled drowned not in a cave
or kayak, but at the "swimming break" (actually cheating their customers by
cutting their kayaking program by 50%). The trip was 120 people, and the
guides were playing sepik kraw on the beach. None had any swimming/lifeguard
training, including managing large groups in water.
Two years later, I asked their lead guide how many people he had on his trip
that day. He replied "I'm not sure, but about 150." Some people just never
learn.
I don't fault the lead guide. None of his owners or managers kayak. They
just play the Thai Ego game, living in mansions, driving fancy cars, and
cutting costs to support their materialistic habits. Even if they wanted
training (just an "unnecessary expense") they wouldn't know what to do.
First Aid/CPR - There have been at least three unnecessary deaths on
canoeing trips due to a lack of First Aid/CPR training, the most recent la
November 2005 when an untrained guide staff actually contributed to the
fatality of one of their own guides. When I suggested to the Farang owner
that it cost only US$200 to train his entire staff in First Aid/CPR, his
reply was "to expensive".
COMPETENCE
You expect a doctor to know medicine, a banker to know finance, and a
mechanic to know repairs - we always expect the highest level of competence
and gladly pay for high level professionalism.
When you buy a "Sea Canoeing" trip you deserve a guide who actually knows
how to paddle - and swim. Basic sea kayak training is certainly your
expectation, perhaps along with seamanship and - God Forbid - tidal sea
caving training. (I still freak that guides with no training just enter a
tidal sea cave.)
Vignette: In 1999, I took a group of six experienced kayakers
in three Sotars into a Hong on a rising tide and told them we only had five
minutes to get in and out. After four minutes we started to exit, only to
find our way blocked by 22 kayaks following us. We deflated our kayaks and
started swimming through the cave, finding 19 kayaks already pinned against
the ceiling by the rising tide. I rescued 38 people trapped against the
ceiling on a rising tide.
After the event, the lead guide told me that his owner just "gave me a
paddle and told me to follow John."
ENVIRONMENT
Since its ECO-tourism, you expect a guide with Environmental Awareness -
somebody who doesn't kill the mangroves by paddling over and breaking off
their air-breathing roots, and clever enough not to feed the monkeys.
Since Nature Education is the only way we can justify human entries into
such sacred and pristine spots, you deserve a guide who knows a little about
nature,
SERVICE
Service is icing on the cake. You pay money to go with somebody who
understands that TIPS means "To Insure Proper Service" instead of an
automatic hand-out, who knows how to entertain you, make you smile, and
becomes your friend.
Combine all these elements and you have Professional Standards for Sea
Kayaking Guides.
But many companies simply rely upon their untrained staff to cover for the
owner's lack of commitment. Consequently, many lead guides don't even go in
the caves, but send their free-lancers out on their own while the leader
sleeps on the escort boat. A professional company in any industry trains
their staff properly, maintains a proper management program with experienced
and often credentialed supervisors, offers a decent compensation, including
benefits (like meals during the trips), and shows Respect for Customers,
Staff, Environment and various stakeholders. TOP^
WHY ARE YOUR PRICES HIGHER THAN MOST?
We try to keep our prices as low
as possible so everybody can enjoy our programs, especially families. In
fact, a Hawai'i self paddle (no support boat, picnic lunch) day trip is
B7,000 - best to book at least three weeks in advance.. On a trip near Maui,
add the support boat and you are looking at B9,000 - to an island I never
found exciting.
In Phuket, our low volume, international presence and insurance,
professional guides, and quality equipment all keep our margins close to
break-even. Making matters worse, we actually pay all our taxes.
.
What's important is Value. Your vacation time is precious, and you
want to pack it with top-notch experiences. The value of a mediocre trip is
a lost vacation day. So we provide unsurpassed value at the best possible
price.
And we are always looking for ways to keep our prices down, such as the
Starlight "Early Bird Special" or our
Mini-expedition with Hong By Starlight
- saving US$50/person. TOP^
WHY DID YOU MOVE TO PHUKET?
Phuket is close to Phang Nga Bay, but more
important, it's centered on the west, or Andaman Sea, side of the Isthmus of
Kra, one of the World's classic biological land bridges.
When I first came here, there were no high rises, but soon Patong's first
high was "up", perhaps the ugliest hotel on the Planet. Once the owners
realized it was a laughing stock, the façade went down, but the egg was
cracked and Phuket contracted the high-rise cancer.
Even so, I was an apologist for Phuket's development until it wrapped around
the pristine points of land that separated beaches like Patong and Kamala.
The developers' lack of environmental awareness for an area that obviously
should stay pristine was truly criminal. In rapidly expanding destinations,
some land must be set aside for Nature.
On the positive side, despite CNN's irresponsible Tsunami coverage, Phuket's
infrastructure is excellent. The Pearl of the Andaman has all the modern
conveniences and still has remaining pockets of untouched Nature - if you
can find them. We must protect what little remains, but Phuket is still a
very nice place to live - and visit. TOP^
WHAT ABOUT YOUR VIDEOS?
After five years to get the new company on even keel, we are producing
videos again. Four videos are in production in the summer of 2006 - so check
for their release every month.
- King's 60 Anniversary Royal Barge Procession
- Phang Nga Bay's Natural History By Sea Kayak
- Puerto Princesa Eco-Perfect Destination
- The Magic of Tarutao
If you can't wait, you can always watch the video I conceived, scripted,
shot, edited and produced that's proudly displayed on my old company's
website by folks who don't know the lens of a camcorder from the viewfinder.
Of course, they had me edited out of the five seconds I was on-camera - the
rest of the time I was shooting the video. TOP^
DID YOU REALLY DISCOVER THE SEA CAVES OF PHANG NGA?
"Discover" is an oft-misused word. Did European sailing captains discover
the lands they named 500 years ago, or were the indigenous people they found
the true explorers?
If I was Cook, Magellan, Malacca or Cortez, I would surely claim discovery
of the caves and hongs of Phang Nga Bay, Halong Bay and other SE Asia
locations. There are spots where I was undoubtedly the first human, but one
has to ask the question, "What special creativity, will and equipment did I
have that allowed me to be here before anybody else?"
If there are any real discoveries left in the GPS era, chances are they are
in caves. I came to Phang Nga as a seasoned sea cave explorer, actually
developing the Tidal Technology for a low-roof cave on Moloka'i's North
Shore. (See Readings, "Sea Caves As I Know Them")
Well, it takes a certain amount of stupidity, confidence, experience,
boldness and a deep breath of downright abandon to paddle into a dark sea
cave in an unfamiliar Ecosystem with no idea what to expect.,, and because
Thailand is the center of sea crocodile range, every time I entered a new
cave I kept my paddle poised to stick it straight in some crocs mouth.
Fortunately, that never happened. Unfortunately, that's because "porosus"
was hunted to near-extinction in Thailand.
My research said sea crocodiles infested Phang Nga Bay until they were all
hunted out for handbags in the 1950's. Crocs love sand bars, mud banks, and
mangroves, common inside hongs. But Bird nest hunters certainly observed sea
crocs and hunted them into near-extinction.
On a 2001 field documentary, Mark O'Shea's assistant showed me a confirmed
sighting from 1971. Only 18 years cushion is to close for even me, so if my
research found that sighting I wouldn't be here.
Then, when I visited Park HQ in 2002, I saw a 4-meter porosus in a concrete
pen caught that year. Don't worry, if there are any surviving salties, they
live deep in the mangroves at the far north of the Bay 30 kilometers from
our caves. TOP^
DID THE TSUNAMI AFFECT YOU?
The Tsunami was a unique event. You may already know I was the only
person in Phuket who felt the quake and predicted the Tsunami - with the
ground still shaking.
Irresponsible media exaggerations led by CNN's Anish Raman deceived people
into believing that 5,000 people died in Phuket. In fact Phuket had 260
fatalities, 150 locals and 110 Farang, about half of those tourists. The
media-created "Second Tsunami" devastated our economy, costing Phuket
between 200,000-300,000 thousand jobs and perhaps even more deaths than the
Tsunami itself.
It's all in our Tsunami Media kit, hailed Worldwide by media, geophysicists
and seismologists as one of the finest explanations and accounts of "Boxing
Day", including advice on what to do if you ever experience the Big Bubble
yourself. Our Post-Tsunami Visitor Attitude Survey - the only one - is quite
telling. See it all at Tsunami Media Kit. TOP^
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Personally: At 61 I only have another 20 years of exploring left. I'm
focused on wearing my Golden Rugby togs in another nine years; doing two or
three "Golden Series" expeditions each year; producing video documentaries,
writing a few books; more public speaking and going on the Hong By Starlight
trip at least three days a week when I'm in Phuket.
Join our data base to receive occasional URL's alerting you to trips,
videos, books, speaking engagements and new website features.
Planetary: But the ultimate "What Comes Next" is up to you and everybody you
know. We've overpopulated and burned our planet so fast we created our own
mass-extinction, threatening both our animal relatives and the survival of
our own species. We need fewer babies, more veggies and less consumption.
World Population grew by Two Billion in the past 20 years - to
6,500,000,000. Practice Zero-population growth; conserve rainforests and
oceans by stopping the slaughter and living healthy by going vegetarian. And
- no matter how rich you are - practice minimalism to conserve our Planet's
limited and precious resources.
After all, how much do we really need, and how much is only Ego?
The clock is ticking - we have less than a century to turn things around.
maybe. TOP^ |
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