Island-hopping around Krabi you are never very far from reminders of the Boxing Day tsunami, the day in 2004 when a 9.0 earthquake off Sumatra sent a series of destructive waves across the region.
These subtle reminders are woven into the fabric of the place now, from signs advertising the new tsunami early-warning systems on Koh Phi Phi to impromptu-cum-permanent shrines to the victims erected near the beaches.
Yet the people are well and truly back now. On Railay Beach climbers dangle from the stubbly karst rock face, colourful wooden longtail boats skim across the calm seas and at sunset crowds of partygoers feast on pad Thai and drink cold Singha beers stretched out on blankets on the sand set among a patina of flickering candles.
The scene is not dissimilar to what Canadian businessman Eric Seibt was taking in 10 years ago having just celebrated Christmas with his family on Railay.
“We were all together when the tsunami hit and some people were yelling and screaming,” he recalls.
“We ran to the east side and headed inland jumping over fences and climbing up to a high spot. It was pretty scary, the kids stayed up there for the night but I came back down to the beach for some supplies.”
Seibt found the swimming pools at the beachside resorts were full of beached and broken longtail boats and the cafes and restaurants were wiped out but fortunately there was no loss of life on Railay unlike on the outlying islands. For Seibt the tsunami was the start of a lifelong love affair with southern Thailand.
After his tsunami experience on Railay Beach, Seibt rallied friends in his home town of Banff and created a tsunami relief fund.
He stayed on in Thailand to distribute the money and helped rebuild houses and replace lost longtail boats, which many locals depend on for their livelihood.
It was through this relief work that he was introduced to Koh Jum, a tiny dot initially overshadowed by its more well-known, and worse-hit neighbours.
Seibt fell in love with the place and eventually bought a tract of land with some fellow investors that is now home to Koh Jum Beach Villas.
2014 Fairfax Media