Ko Naka Yai

Thailand, Islands hopping

By Ashley

The longtail boat chugged and spluttered its way across the Andaman coast. The smell of diesel wafted through the air as we bounced across the waves. Our boatman, Chai, was preoccupied with bailing out buckets of water from the longtail. We slowed down as we neared the lush tropical island on which we were going to stay. Our villa was illuminated with a glow of orange lights. We could hear the whisper of the Thai and Cambodian staff as they ran down, bare-footed, to the floating wooden pier to help pull us in.

We were staying at the only accommodation currently available for rent on the little known island of Ko Naka Yai overlooking the James Bond Islands. The island is currently undergoing major construction. A wander to the far side of the island will reveal no less than 3 new projects, one being a Norwegian company who is building a luxury Hawaii-inspired resort. Plots of land are being picked up quickly and rapid development is underway.

Recent attention from major resort operations such as the Jumeriah (responsible for the iconic Burj Al Arup) has resulted in this area's growing popularity. The Jumeriah Group are currently building on the neighboring island of “Barama Bay” which is due for completion in 2009. It is set to be the ‘world’s most exclusive island’ and only a longtail ride away from the island. We were here to get the desert island experience before it gets too overcrowded and too expensive, as it inevitably would.

Having been to Thailand on a number of occasions, I was pleased to see that our island, Ko Naka Yai, still had the qualities that made Thailand so popular before the explosion of tourism, following Alex Garland’s ‘The Beach.’ We had jungle, deserted beaches and none of the endless hagglers and touts that have become the norm.

On our first day we took a tour of the island through some lush tropical vegetation. We battled our way through plants and branches, past coconut trees and rubber-plantations. Beating our way through the trees we were careful not to startle any awaiting snakes. The cicadas rattled away and the occasional lizard darted through the undergrowth. After an hour’s moderate climb we arrived at a small fishing village on the far side of the island.

There were not many people around. Sheets of rubber were hanging outside makeshift huts and a few Thais could be seen taking refuge from the heat. We passed through a construction site with children, old people, and builders milling around. The locals eyed us suspiciously, obviously not used to having tourists on the island.

After exploring the inner island we decided it was time for some relaxation. Ko Naka Yai has 3 main beaches. As the tide was out, we walked from bay to bay. It took us a couple of hours to navigate the slippery stones and scramble across the rocks between each bay. To my folly, I was wearing flip-flops -- not exactly the best footwear for this type of activity.

The beaches themselves were spectacular, with sugar white sand, cobalt waters and a few ghost crabs guarding the beach. The following day we got a longtail boat to take us back there. We arrived mid-morning when the tide was in. There was not a soul around, only a few rainbow striped umbrellas and a wooden shack which looked like the remnants of an old stall. In the afternoon a couple of longtails arrived from the mainland with day trippers who spoiled our illusion of being stranded on a desert island.

The next day we ventured further a field. We visited Ko Panyi (a floating Muslim village) which proved an interesting detour. We stopped off for a bite to eat at one of the various restaurants that line the floating pier. The food, it has to be said, was not the best and there was a distinct lack of alcohol. After lunch we had an eye-opening walk through the village. Fifty or so stalls sat side by side selling identical trinkets and knick-knacks from silk scarves to Buddha relics. Old ladies in hijabs sat in the shade of their iron-roofed shacks. I couldn’t help but notice their sad faces and wonder what caused their solace. The children, in contrast, ran around smiling, perhaps not restricted by the Islamic shroud. There was a small school, a mosque and a children’s playground. Around every corner there were tsunami warning signposts directing you to higher ground. I wondered whether Ko Panyi had been devastated during the tsunami of 2004.

Back on Ko Naka Yai, we had a magnificent view of the James Bond islands with the karst rock formations jutting from the sea like giant prehistoric fossils. Over the following days we organized boat trips around the emerald sea, explored bat caves and popped over to neighboring island of Ko Naka Noi.

Like Ko Naka Yai, this island still retains a virginal quality. We hired a motorbike and scooted our way around the island exploring dirt paths and secluded beaches. My boyfriend protested at the color of our motorbike but we

soon whizzing about in our pink power machine without a care in the world. With few signposts to guide us, we were left to our own devices, to get lost and stop on a whim. We drove past smiling children who waved their sticky fingers and motorbikes with whole families clinging on. There were a few straw huts which seemed to be the only accommodation and some deserted looking restaurants.

When evening arrived we discovered, to our dismay, that it was Ramadan and all the restaurants on the island (all 4 of them) were not serving food. Luckily, Jaew, a local and one of our group was able to borrow the barbecue and we cooked on the beach by moonlight. We settled down to a fishy feast of barbecued chicken, crab and fragrant garupa, swallowed down with a few stubbies of Tiger beer. We watched the sun go down across the horizon, a hazy blend of orange and yellow hues as we listened to the beat of the reggae music in the distance. This was the life.