Sopon dechkla survived the tsunami that struck several countries around the Indian Ocean on 26th December 2004, by clinging to a palm tree at the Sofitel Khao Lak resort, where he worked as a driver. His wife, a cleaner at a neighbouring hotel, was one of perhaps 230,000 people who drowned in the deluge. The Sofitel, where 220 died, lies in ruins to this day, its roof tiles torn off and its windows shattered by the force of the waves. Mr Sopon has found work at the Sarojin, one of the first local resorts to reopen after the tsunami. It is fully booked over New Year despite high-season rates that start at $400 a night. But of the 6,500 hotel rooms in the area prior to the disaster, only 1,200 are back in business. Khao Lak, the part of Thailand hardest hit by the tsunami, is recovering. But progress is frustratingly slow—and, in some respects, unnecessarily so.
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