From the Archives: The Water at the Center of the Universe – Lake Toba, Indonesia

Can you imagine it? A crystal-clear tropical lake, surrounded by volcanic mountain, dotted with immense waterfalls? A green, lush island the size of Singapore in its center, populated by an independent, happy-go-lucky indigenous community? An extensive yet underused tourist infrastructure for almost all tastes and budgets? No crowds? No curfews? No high-rise condos? In South […]

Continue Reading

Tom Vater im neuen MERIAN Thailand

Im Februar 2010 erscheint das neue MERIAN Magazin Thailand – alles über das auferstandene Paradies nach der Flutkatastrophe. Die schönsten Strände und Buchten, die pulsierende Großstadt Bangkok mit seinen “Floating Markets”, unberührter Dschungel und jahrtausende alte buddhistische Tempelanlagen – Thailand ist atemberaubend. Fünf Jahre nach dem verheerenden Tsunami sind die meisten Schäden beseitigt, wenn auch […]

Continue Reading

Savants of the Sea Engulfed by Politics – Thailand’s Sea Nomads’ Post-Tsunami challenges

The Moken sea gypsies, a small indigenous fishing community in Thailand, relied on their deep knowledge of the sea to save the lives of tourists and locals when the giant tsunami that devastated coastal communities in South Asia swept across their islands. Yet the Moken are facing stark choices in the aftermath of the catastrophe, […]

Continue Reading