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Published on March 1, 2008

Thailand's own Long Island - Koh Yao -may not be as big or as famous as New York's, but its undeniable appeal keeps it pretty busy too.

Phang-nga province's Koh Yao district is surrounded by 44 small islands, but it's got just the two of its own: Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai.

Both have large jetties for the all-day ferry operations linked to Thalane Pier in Krabi and Phuket's Bang Rong Pier, by which the islands' predominantly Muslim residents transport huge volumes of goods everywhere they'll fit. Tourists tend to hire speedboats.

Awaiting them on Koh Yao Noi are tuk-tuks and motorcycle taxis. While the locals have their own transport ready to disperse them to Pasai, Tha Khao or Laem Sai, the visitors name their respective destinations.

Often it's the five-star Six Senses Hideaway, where the lowest booking tops Bt30,000 a night - probably as much as the fishermen here earn in a year.

Luxury's arrival signifies how far Koh Yao tourism has come in the 20 years since it was a mere dot on a backpacker's map. A well-publicised community-based tourism project took off in 1995, alerting the world to its charms.

Budget bungalows are everywhere. The 10-room Sabai Corner, operated for two decades by an Italian and her Thai husband, is among the best known. It's in a corner of Pasai Beach that once was very quiet.

From Pasai the road leads to the expensive hotels, and further along is the Six Senses Hideaway, then the village of Tha Khao. The road ringing the island takes only 30 minutes to traverse by motorbike.

At the main marketplace, the island's sole 7-Eleven serves as a landmark. Asking for directions around the market, I was told, "Turn right when you see the 7-Eleven, and it's on the same side of the road as the Sawasdee Koh Yao."

To say this other landmark - a restaurant - is popular would be an understatement. Don't bother going anywhere else, the residents will tell you. I pay Bt30 for fried rice and Bt60 for tom yum and the taste is unbeatable.

Also a hit with locals and visitors is the roti stall by the intersection about 100 metres from the 7-Eleven.

The nightlife is basic, with everything closed by 10pm, but that just makes it so much better for enjoying a stroll along the many paths lined with rubber trees from which the cicadas sing for the moon.

Take a ride out from the town of Koh Yao through the mangrove swamps to see vast arrays of birds and little marine creatures. White egrets fluff their plumage and watch your scooter putter past.

Koh Yao gives me a holiday feel that I haven't enjoyed in a long time. My main choice of a place to stay - the simple, thatched-roof Pasai Cottage Bungalow - was perfect. It's close to the beach and there's little noise from the road, and besides, it's home to Koh Yao Dive and Marine Sports.

Schoolchildren gather every evening to play volleyball in front of the bungalow, and everyone shares in the fun and laughter, wherever they come from. We have Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and Christians on my team. By the third day I've rediscovered my old form and have the bruises to prove it.

Getting to know the islanders is a special part of visiting Koh Yao. I'm bowled over when an old shopkeeper, unable to find a plus adapter in her stock, hands me her own. She's never seen me before. "You can borrow mine," she says. "Just bring it back before you leave."

At Tha Khao a young woman rents her motorbike at a very reasonable rate. She doesn't write down my name or anything, just asks where I'm staying. I make sure I keep calling her every time I move to another place.

This kind of friendliness more than makes up for Koh Yao's shortcomings. There is no white sandy beach here stretching as far as the eye can see. Most of its beaches are pebbled and somewhat small. The sea isn't particularly clear or picturesque or turquoise, though there is a lovely breeze.

Koh Yao: a little wilder, yet warmer at heart.

Vipasai Niyamabha

Special to The Nation