Thinking of Granny

Tomorrow is a big day on the Muslim calendar, the festival of Eid, so my friend But and his family are all gathering at the family home in Krabi province. But one person will be missing when they tuck into a meal of barbecued lamb and enjoy the day together. Granny is still in Saudi Arabia on her pilgrimage to Mecca.

Tonight I watched the events at Mecca on television and, once again, I was struck by what an adventure this old lady from a small village in Thailand has embarked on. The logistics of this annual meeting are staggering: three million people, accommodated in 440,000 tents and all following the same daily programme. Can you imagine what it takes just to get the food and drink organised to cater for all? And what about toilet facilities and bathrooms? It's mind-boggling.

Apparently, the number of pilgrims this year has been limited by the Saudi authorities, a difficult thing to do bearing in mind that it is the aim of all Muslims to get to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. How they do it is place a limit on the number of visitors from any one country, based on the number of Muslims living in that country. As a result, the biggest contingent comes from Indonesia.

The group from Thailand, a heavily Buddhist country, is probably not that big, but I was glad to learn that the various nationalities all stay together. At least Granny will be able to chat away in Thai and be understood. I dare say she won't be taking her daily stroll out into the countryside. Imagine trying to track down your tent in that vast canvas city!

I wonder how she is coping. Do they get Thai food there? Is it very hot? Do they have to walk everywhere or is there transport for the elderly? There has been no word from her and the family will only discover how it went when she arrives back home in a week or so. I am sure that I would feel out of my depth in such an enormous crowd, so I can only imagine what it has been like for her.

I spoke to But today and I asked him if the family was worried about her getting lost or feeling lonely. "No," he said emphatically, " She has tour guide."

Although he appears unconcerned, I know that there will be a collective sigh of relief from the family when Granny shuffles out of the customs hall at Phuket Airport. Her trip of a lifetime will be over and she will have many tales to tell. However, I am sure she will be thrilled to be back in her little house in a Phang Nga village. After all, there's just no place like home.

UPDATE: Granny arrived back on January 15 and all the family traipsed out to the airport to greet her. She reported that she had "the best time of her life" and would go back "any time". She was in great health and high spirits. And to think that we worried that she would be out of her depth in Saudi Arabia! Now she is back in her village in Phang Nga, no doubt regaling the locals with stories from the desert land.

Remembering the tsunami

As the sun sets on the beach on Wednesday, 100,000 candles will be lit on Patong Beach to remember those who died in the tsunami three years ago. For two hours, the bars will turn down their music, the vendors will lay down their wares and the people will silently honour those who died.

It's amazing to think that three years have already passed since the wave came crashing down on December 26, 2004. The memory of the devastation and loss of life is with us every day. Life certainly goes on, and the physical damage to the island's resorts have long been repaired. But for many, the pain lingers. With the sea being such a central focus of life on Phuket, you simply cannot forget.

This week relatives of those who died have been arriving in Phuket for the commemoration services. Judging by previous years, the services will be sombre and sad. At Patong Beach, 108 Buddhist monks will lead a service on the beach at 10am, the time the tsunami struck. This will be followed by the candle lighting ceremony in the evening.

At Khoa Lak resort on the mainland, about 90 minutes drive from Phuket, the ceremonies will be presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Ubol Ratana Rajakanya, who lost a son in the disaster. Candles will be lit and 5,395 lanterns will be released into the sky in honour of the same number of people who died in the disaster there. The ceremonies will include five faiths: Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu.

For many of the hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers in Phuket this high season, it will be the first time they are confronted with the reality of that traumatic day. Looking at the packed beaches and the tranquil sea every day, it seems almost inconceivable that it could have happened. But it did - and it should provide a reminder that one's life can be taken away in a moment. Let's hope it is a wake-up call to all of us that we should always live life to the full. It doesn't last forever.