I walked to the far end of a pier at Koh Lanta Old Town and spontaneously jumped aboard a longtail boat that was just about to leave with a supply of food and locals headed towards a teeny tiny island nearby called Koh Por. Apart from an elderly German couple sunbathing on the island, there was a long table of locals tucking into communal lunch.
I had an hour to kill before the next boat so went for a swim and immediately regretted it. I wore my diving mask and couldn’t believe how polluted the water was! I began to notice garbage all along the coastline and the water started to smell rank. I felt in desperate need of a shower.
I wanted to ask the German couple if they were actually staying on Trash Island but considered that it might be for those who envisioned more of a private, undisturbed island experience. I did however see four very comfy looking bamboo bungalows and realised that it was all part of a homestay.
I had a light lunch and Thai tea on Koh Por while waiting for the boat from a distance. A docked boat fired up the engine and departed 20 minutes early – leaving me behind! It would be another hour until the next one… I walked to the end of the only road and back again, and killed the rest of the time watching the US 2024 election results with disbelief.
I was noticing a higher tourist density back on Koh Lanta. November spells the start of the tourist season and end of the wet season. Sudden downpours still occur and some fresh faces were already bandaged up due to coming pipe on scooters. I was keen to leave them to it and move on.
I took a final ride around the island and walked through the bush to a secluded bay I had discovered a few days before. I decided to look up the history of Koh Lanta to appreciate where I had been.
Koh Lanta (meaning “fish grill” according to one source) is home to three very distinct cultural groups – the Chao Lay (Sea Gypsies), Thai-Muslim people and the Thai-Chinese. The nomadic seafaring gypsies were the first to arrive around 500 years ago to take seasonal refuge during monsoons. Malay migrants joined them 200 years later and today the island is predominantly Muslim.
Chinese merchants rocked up around 100 years ago while fleeing a revolution happening back home. They set up shop and established trading ports. Koh Lanta remained relatively untouched by tourism until the late 1980’s when it was “stumbled upon” by Swedish backpackers. (Source: www.kolanta.net)
I just hope that “Best View Sunset Bar No.1” will recover soon.
Next: Koh Koh Kabana: Koh Phayam
Previously: Koh Lanta: Can All Chickens Turn Into Pigs?
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