Tsunami Miracle
An amazing restaurant story
On our visit to Penang we decided to stay for three weeks and rented a condo in Miami Green (located between Georgetown and Batu Feringghi). Unfortunately, there are no visible food stalls or shops within walking distance of our abode. However, just a short walk from our holiday condo is a sign for a little beachside cafe. It is located near the entrance to the Hilton Double Tree resort on the opposite side of the winding road.
To get to the cafe one has to walk down some steep steps to the beach.
The adventurous who venture down the dark steps will arrive at a small cafe right on the beach. This little Miami Cafe has an interesting back story which is definitely worth sharing.
On December 26, 2004 a strong Tsunami hit the coast of Penang. Baby Thulaasi was asleep on a mattress in the cafe. When the tsunami struck, the waters engulfed the cafe and pulled little Thulaasi and the mattress out to sea. Thulaasi’s distraught parents could only watch helplessly as their little baby was swept away while they and another daughter fought to escape the surging water by holding on to whatever they could find.
Miraculously, some thirty minutes later, a second incoming wave brought the baby right back to the shore, safe, dry, and still asleep on the mattress. While baby Tsulaasi was spared, a total of thirty-seven bodies were washed ashore in the same location after the waters finally settled.
Here is the amazing account on the front of the cafe’s menu. The account can also be found in local news articles which I googled for corroboration and further information.
After the tsunami, Thulaasi’s father Suppiah had to rebuild the badly damaged shophouse. Although this was a huge economic loss and expense, he is thankful that he still has his family. Each year on the anniversary of the tragedy, the family including Thulaasi hold a pooja to pray for peace for the souls of the people killed during the tsunami.
The new structure includes the rebuilt shophouse and a retaining wall to prevent sand erosion.
When we recently visited the cafe, both Suppiah, Mary and family were there running the cafe by the waters that once almost took their daughter away. Mary informed us that Thulaasi is now almost twenty, and doing well in college. The front of the cafe from the beachside bears Thulaasi’s name.
Besides its interesting history, the cafe has always served excellent local and western food at reasonable prices. We recognize this will serve as a good eatery for us whenever we do not wish to venture too far away from our condo. It is also a beautiful spot to just relax and watch the sun set.
The location, right on the beach is serene and beautiful, masking the disaster that occurred many years ago. There is basic seating under shelter of the cafe and a few chairs and tables by the sea wall.
After a delicious meal at Cafe Miami we cannot resist enjoying a beer as we wait for the sun to set.
Now that you’ve read this amazing story, please do visit the cafe when you are in Penang. Buses 101 and 102 will take you there. Get down at the Double Tree Resort stop. The cafe is an amazing place, nothing fancy but a true gem in all its simplicity and offerings.
We were so fortunate to discover this place and learn its story. The friendly and humble family that run it received a great blessing in the midst of a tsunami that took more than 200,000 lives in 14 countries. Hopefully all who hear and are touched by their story will recognise the blessings in their own lives, even in the midst of the horrors of disasters, wars, and tragedy in our world today.
