Koh Pannyi

A small, isolated civilization in the middle of absolutely nowhere, the Muslim fishing village of Koh Pannyi seems to be oozing off the one peace of land to which it’s attached.

It’s a truly magical scene, and a difficult one to capture from below – but give it a Google for some aerial photos that reveal just how incredible a place it is.

This was the final stop on our afternoon tour to James Bond Island, as we dropped anchor and were given an hour or so to explore.

Although the town’s main thoroughfare was undeniably touristy – full of souvenir shops and seafood restaurants – we’d arrived late enough to be the only ones there; most visitors come on early-morning tours, and it was already nearly sunset.

And as soon as we made our way off the beaten path, it became clear just how “out there” we really were.

Everything was rickety, old, handmade; pieced together from driftwood and the like.

With so few materials, you make do with what you’ve got.

Small exotic-looking crabs scurried about beneath the houses…

…As hundreds of stray cats roamed the various streets and alleys. With no way off the island they’re left to breed unrestrained.

It was also interesting to see the countless Tsunami evacuation signs –

all pointing to that one massive cliff overlooking the small, wooden-stilted village.

All in all it was a fantastically cool vibe, and I left wishing we’d had hours more to explore.

…But alas, the sun was setting, our boatman wanted to get home, and we had another bus to catch.

So back through the mangroves we went, into town, and onward to Krabi.

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Addendum: just a few months later, my mom sent me an inspirational YouTube clip. It was about a group of Thai children from a small fishing village who built themselves a floating platform, taught themselves soccer, and went on to become one of the region’s most successful teams. I’ll give you one guess where they were from.

You can check the video out here – let me know if it’s country-limited, I’ll find another mirror 🙂