Koh Panyee is one of the paradise islands of Thailand, a Southeast Asian country, located on the sides of the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Siam.. Koh Panyee, a charming fishing village built on the sea rather than an island, is Thailand’s colorful cultural life and magnificent nature that appeals to all tastes and experiences. Panyee has a history of nearly 200 years. The island, named after the fishermen who left Indonesia and fell here in search of a new homeland, means ‘Flag Island’ in Malay.
Koh Panyee
Koh Panyee is a 300-metre-long village built above the sea at the foot of limestone rocks.. Its founding story is based on a legend.. The path of 3 fisher families who were looking for a new home to leave Indonesia and settle in, has come this far.. Families leaving to explore the environment, it was decided to hang a flag at the highest place so that when a livable place is found, it was decided to hang a flag at the highest place. He decided that he was the one and went up to the top of the rock and hung a flag.. Seeing this, other fishermen came and settled here, forming the first inhabitants of the island.. From that day on, the island was called Koh Panyee, which means ‘Flag Island’ in Malay.
I took a boat tour on my first day in Krabi.. I loved the fishing village we visited on this boat tour and wanted to stay there.. I couldn’t go because there was no internet in the village.. Kismet is a 200-year-old fishing village on Panyee Island.. The island, whose population is Muslim, has 1485 inhabitants consisting of 315 families.. Speakers were being preached as the candidate came and settled in my room.. Then, while visiting the village, I realized that an older brother sitting in front of his house was having this conversation.
There is electricity and internet in the village, you can even find a bank ATM.. People can grow their own vegetables with the hydroponics technique called hydroponics.. They also sell the surplus in the market.. This education is taught by the teachers at the school in the village.
The most expensive thing in the village is electricity, its cost is 6 times more expensive than in the mainland.. There is only one police officer in the village.. Village people built a floating football field from old boats and wood they found.. Panyee Football Club is one of the most successful young clubs in Southern Thailand.
When you visit the village, you do not feel like you are walking in a place built on the sea.. There are neat streets, shops selling ornaments, clothes and food around the street.
Children playing in the wooden street, old village people watching the passers-by, children playing basketball, young people enjoying the internet with their laptops lying in front of them… reveals the life of a village.
A very old woman in one of the streets called ‘donate, donate’ with a smiling face and showed me the donation box.. Since they built a mosque in the village, they were collecting donations from those who came to the village.. At the end of the street, I met a group of men, women and children who worked and built their mosques.
In the dry season, nearly 40% of the island’s income comes from tourism.. Still the main occupation is fishing.. There are dozens of resorts and restaurants in the village.. While some provide food service to those who come here on daily tours, others also provide accommodation services.
The name of the place I stay is Panyee Restaurant and hotel.. It has a width that can accommodate maybe 1000 people. There are only 4 rooms with bathroom inside.. They provide food service to tour groups that come to visit the island for one day.. Accommodation fee is 300 THB (17TL) and it includes 3 meals.
Although the quality of accommodation is not very good, you can only have a dinner at a restaurant for this amount of money in most places in Thailand.. Included in the price, my dinner included rice, fish, chicken with vegetables, vegetable omelette, fried chicken thighs with curry and fried vegetables with cashew nuts.. Even drinking bottled water was on the table, in most places drinks are not included in the price.. We could only eat half of the dinner served with another American guest.
I thought I’d sit down and do my business on the internet after dinner, but I couldn’t sit down for long, because the weather was too cold.. I had to go to my room. Time flowed so slowly in this village. The next day, after a light breakfast, our boat came and picked us up.. The 7-hour night journey to Hua Hin city was waiting for me. I was going to enter my birthday on the way.
How to get to Koh Panyee
Thailand does not require visas from Turkish citizens. Thailand visa can be obtained at the airport or at the border gates when entering by land.. A visa is issued for 30 days for international airport entries and 15 days for land entries.. If you want to go to Thailand alone, where you can go on many tours departing from Istanbul, it is possible to be in Thailand with a journey that takes approximately 10 hours with the direct flights of Turkish Airlines.
You also have the option of connecting flights with Thai Airlines (Thai), Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines and Turkmenistan Airlines.. You can use the buses that depart from Thailand Airport to the city center, or you can take a taxi.. It is possible to reach Koh Panyee in 20 minutes by boat departing from the mainland.
Day 546: Thailand:35, Koh Panyee, 31 January 2012
