So all in all October didn’t live up to expectations, so we then started looking forward to November official start of high season? This seemed to be a bit of a slow burner to although things got marginally better, but for some reason we had lost the momentum we had gained by the end of September (The last weekend of September we had 200 people in on Sat night) …

But what can you do we decided to start promoting with flyers (Something we had been very hesitant about doing as then you have no control over the customers your attracting) and as we have to rely on Thai staff to flyer this can be a worrying prospect as their idea of respectable falange differs somewhat with ours.

So the following month was spent trying to control the Thai staff and teaching them the art of flyering …Like not running up behind people and scaring the shit out of them…Also as Stuart has the car he and Anda (Thai Staff) took laminated flyers and tracked down the taxi/ tuk tuk/ limousine/ mini bus, drivers and offering commission 100 Baht per head to bring people to the club.

During the end of Nov beginning Dec things started to look better Tuk Tuk’s and Taxis were arriving with customers.

Jane and friend Helen (Big shout out to you both) came out for the last two weeks of November, did a bit of island hopping Phi Phi ect and helped us promote the club, either by word of mouth or by adding to the atmosphere of the club by DANCIN & ROMANCIN…………..

It was sad to see the girls go, but only ten days until my sister and her friend Angela arrived and luckily had travelled Phi Phi and Koh Lanta the week before Christmas. They came back just to spend chrimbo and New Year with me?......Ahhh

Sooooo Christmas night went well got extremely hammered as you do and finally passed out at around 7am me downstairs and the girls upstairs.....3 hours later and I am woken by a very loud banging on the door and can just make out the landlady as she rushed off? at the same time Alex (My Sister) is running down the stairs we both reach the door at the same time fling it open............................ to see four hundred million tons of water rushing towards the house....Slight exaggeration, but shit loads of water coming towards me house...We were both frozen really...still pissed and still asleep so we just watched as this body of water travelled ever nearer the house and literally kissed the door step and flowed back in the direction it had come? Still in a bit of shock as now my rustic little scene in front of the house was full of Flotsam and Jetsam.

Any way loads of stuff like Buoys, polystyrene floats, small boats, long tail boats and loads of fish flapping around in the sand?... so by this point Angela had come down from upstairs and said she had woken just before the banging on the door because of this strange noise? Must have been the rush of water as we now believe the tide first went out some few hundred yards/meters? Then came rushing back.... Luckily I live on the east coast of the island and the main Tsunami came from the west so the fact that I could not afford a house on the expensive west coast could be seen as fate?

Then as you do Alex and I walked down to where the beach had been but the sea had not gone out that far so no beach just loads of stuff floating around, Then this French guy in trunks wades through the water (We had met him on the beach on Christmas day) look of shock on his face but he seemed unharmed? A few words passed between us then he turned around and started to walk back in the direction of his house (Down the nice end of the beach?) so Alex and I walked back to the house, as we stepped onto the threshold we turned to see another Wave/swell heading towards the house, this one not quite so strong as the first but if we had been standing where we were 30 seconds before/ we would certainly have been thrown around amongst the debris's in the water????...

So then in classic Disco behaviour I laid down on my bed and crashed out for 4 hours? The girls went round to Panwa beach resort for some breakky and didn't hear any talk of Tsunami just a few people looking out at the bay which now had a few sand dunes in the middle of it?

It wasn't until around 3:30 that we made it into town, the girls went to the hospital as Angela had a small rash on her shoulders and I went to Adams to check emails, then I discovered that a large wave had hit Phuket and the South East Asian Area? But still no idea of the hugeness of it all....the Adam called from downstairs saying come and listen to this? So I Went down to the living room and Adam is listening to the TV? (Perfect timing the TV broke the day before so you can hear BBC but can't see it?)

I then rang me Mum & Dad ...woke them up to tell them we were ok....Mumbles of What? OK? Why? and I just said a large wave had hit Phuket and that they should watch the news?

Then Stuart calls sounding very hung over asking what time is it (Unaware of what has happened) So I calmly tell him 3:30ish but by the way did you know that Phuket is being Evacuated??? To which a Hushed WHAT? Was the reply before the phone went dead.

So at this time Alex and Angela have arrived at the hospital and are wondering why all these people have got bandages all over there legs and arms?......and presume Ejits on motorbikes having accidents? The went unto the second floor where the very plush skin centre is, I think not until they came out of the hospital did they realize something was up but still no idea of the scale of the whole thing?

Stuart arrives at Adams and we decide to go to higher ground and see if anything can be seen.....but no luck there all the higher ground has been taken over by the locals who are all shitting it by now?

Still not having seen any TV footage we are all still blissfully unaware of the massive tragedy that had come down on South East Asia? In fact it wasn't until 2 days later Stuart, myself, Alex and Angela drove to the north of the island and looked at the beaches up there ...you could see that the water had come in 1 maybe 200 meters but as there is no development on those beaches they looked fine a bit messy but mainly the same as before, so this leads you mind to wonder is this all media hype?

That evening (28th) I was at the club early 8pm-ish with Alex and Angela when Stuart walked in Ashen faced and said he had just looked at some pictures Adam had taken in Patong...You could see he was really shocked, so the following day Stu and I drove to the south of the Island and worked our way up to Patong.. the destruction on the more southern beaches was noticeable but compared to Patong insignificant all the buildings on the beach road where either gone or half demolished (I'm sure you have seen more than I have as I still have not had a TV or the time to sit and watch the news for an hour or so?)

Listen once again I'm out of time, quick round up of other questions, I don't know anyone directly who has been killed but many people I know have lost family members? The club is struggling but we still feel it has a future? Having cut cost massively, down from 15 staff to 7 and no more flowers every week, plus we now close two days a week Mon/Tue saves on the old lekky bill also gives Stuart and I a chance to relax? Phuket town is still quite but the locals are coming back last weekend was good fun and the club felt like the old vibe was back, so although it’s tough we have to look on the bright side, Phuket town festival starts in a week along with Chinese new year and the 14th Feb will be our year anniversary?

So that’s a very quick round up of the last 4 months I can’t say it’s been easy but for life experience you can’t beet it? Hopefully will be back around July for a month ? lets hope we can keep Seua Saming sailing for another year or more!


Big Love Disco XXXXXXXX

p.s. check out alex's photos at thailand.alexandraknowles.com