“It Was Terrifying”
By Amy Pollock
A Bangor woman has described the terrifying moment she experienced the powerful Myanmar earthquake while holidaying in Bangkok, Thailand on March 28.
Aleisha Bullar (25) was in the Thai capital when the 7.7 magnitude earthquake — the strongest in Myanmar in over a century — sent shockwaves across the region, causing widespread panic. The quake has so far claimed over 3,000 lives in Myanmar, injured thousands more, and was felt as far as Bangkok, over 600 miles from the epicentre.
Chaos on the Skytrain
Aleisha had just arrived in Bangkok after travelling through Singapore and was heading to a Thai cooking class when the tremors hit.
“I felt dizzy at first. I thought maybe I was dehydrated,” she said. “Then everything started shaking. People were screaming and running down the Skytrain station steps. It was terrifying — I thought the whole thing was going to collapse.”
As panic spread, Aleisha found herself separated from her group and stranded on the streets, surrounded by evacuations and confusion.
“I was shaking. I didn’t know what was happening or if it would happen again. I couldn’t speak enough Thai to ask anyone what was going on.”
Finding Safety After the Tremors
Eventually, she was reunited with a fellow cooking class attendee who helped guide her to the cookery school. There, the instructors confirmed it had been an earthquake — showing news footage of collapsed buildings, including a 30-storey high-rise in Chatuchak, and Skytrain cars swaying from the tremors.
Though shaken, Aleisha and the group went ahead with the class, but returning home proved more difficult. With the Skytrain and Metro shut down and roads gridlocked, the city was thrown into chaos.
“Everyone was walking. It felt like the whole of Bangkok was on foot. Some places were handing out free water, but it was absolute mayhem.”
After hours of navigating the congested streets, Aleisha was finally able to meet up with her father, who was staying nearby. The pair took shelter together as the city gradually returned to normal.
Grateful to Be Safe
Despite the experience, Aleisha was able to continue with her travel plans to Phuket, Phi Phi Islands, and Krabi — but says the ordeal gave her a new perspective.
“It’s made me realise the things we worry about often don’t matter. I feel incredibly lucky. While my heart breaks for those in Myanmar, I’m grateful to be safe and able to keep travelling.”
