January 14, 2005

War Stories | Penetrating Penang's Ladyboy Fortress

I did a visa run to Penang recently and right after the Tsunami I knew it was going to suck ten times more than usual. And hey that's really a lot of sucks. Not familiar with the island resort of Penang, Malaysia you say? Tropical Penang boasts unspectacular beaches littered in plastic, stinging jelly fish, Al-Qaeda, crappy old hotels, para-sailing, rude angry and aggressive male Malay's, and endless boredom. Oh and virtually no sexy local girls. Nightlife? Nope. Sites and tours? Nada. Sexy massage? Get serious.

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Posted by Lance Powers at 06:07 AM | Comments (13)

January 03, 2005

War Stories | Phuket Tsunami Disaster: A story of survival

When I woke up that fateful morning of December 26th it was well past 10 a.m. I had no idea of the chaos that had transpired less than an hour before. A frantic phone call from a friend inquiring on my well-being filled me in on the breaking news. Immediately my thoughts shifted to that of my friend, Steven (name changed upon request), a 33 year old South African who lives in Patong and was known to take early morning strolls along the beach. After being unable to contact him for the next two days, word had finally reached me that he had survived the tsunamis, and that he was on the beach when the waves had struck. I was finally able to meet with him today, and he told me of the harrowing experience that he has gone through. This is Steven's story...

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Posted by Terrance Mann at 04:04 PM | Comments (7)

December 29, 2004

War Stories | Phuket Tsunami Aftermath

I never thought I would say this but it's a complete relief to be back in Bangkok. Even the usual traffic jam on the way home from the airport didn't bother me. My flight was delayed and the Phuket airport was very much in a state of chaos as tourists checked lists of the deceased. I noticed several people holding signs as a last ditch effort to locate their loved ones. The look of sorrow and desperation on their faces was heart breaking. Don Muang Airport here in Bangkok was equally chaotic as I saw dozens of people from the embassies holding signs attempting to locate the wounded and the families of the deceased or missing. I saw many people covered in bumps and bruises or injured in some way.

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Posted by Lance Powers at 03:02 AM | Comments (4)

December 26, 2004

War Stories | Phuket Holiday Disaster

Dec 26th seemed like any other morning in Phuket. It was a gorgeous day and I was just rolling out of bed with a slight hangover when I felt the earth move beneath my feet. The tremor only lasted a few seconds and having experienced stronger earthquakes in the past I wasn't too concerned. I strolled out on my balcony, lit a cigarette, and attempted to check my email. Looking down at the beach below I saw a few hundred people enjoying the early morning sun and white sandy beach of Patong Bay. I had no idea the terror I was about to witness would be forever etched on my memory of this normally happy place.

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Posted by Lance Powers at 08:14 PM | Comments (8)

September 29, 2004

War Stories | Viagra Shakedown

This evening I was speeding home on a moto taxi after enjoying a whiskey circle outside the 7-11 with some of my pals in the orange vests. As me and Bun raced my drunk ass home we noticed the cops outside my soi were having a small gathering of their own. They told the driver to pull over and literally pulled me off the bike and put up against a wall for a good old fashioned body search.

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Posted by Lance Powers at 04:45 PM | Comments (5)

July 15, 2004

War Stories | Fear & Loathing in Cambodia

I finally found my passport mysteriously secured inside a brown manilla envelope labebled 'do not open until July 4th'. I assume I had stashed it there in some kind of depraved sangsom induced manic episode, and breath a sigh of relief. My pleasure quickly turns to fear as I realize that every page of the treasured document is covered in Visa stickers and stamps from various 3rd world countries, with the last stamp expiring, ya you guessed it, July 4th. The manilla envelope and my sick equation of procastination equals pleasure quickly becomes apparent.

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Posted by Lance Powers at 09:57 AM | Comments (2)