At the southern end of Koh Lanta, where the jungle pushes almost unchecked to the surf, lies Maiphai Bay – a wide, crescent-shaped bay that was hardly marked on maps in the past. Older residents of the island say that until the 1970s, there was only a narrow fishing path here, used by the indigenous people of Lanta, the Sea Gypsies (Chao Leh). They sought shelter from monsoon storms in the secluded bay, pulled their longtail boats onto the bright sand and dried abalone, which they traded further north.
It was only when Koh Lanta became known for its rubber industry that the bay slowly came into focus. Migrant workers from Trang and Krabi built simple huts in the forest, but permanent settlements never developed – the remoteness of Maiphai Bay was considered both a blessing and a burden. Contemporary witnesses report nights when only the crackling of the bamboo forests could be heard, punctuated by the rhythmic stomping of gibbons.
To this day, the bay seems like a place that has escaped linear time. Traces of the Chao Leh remain only in stories, in the old stone foundations of a boathouse overgrown by the forest, and in names that appear in no official chronicle. Those who arrive here are entering not so much a beach as a small remnant of a past in which Koh Lanta was little more than a loose collection of fishing villages on the edge of the Andaman Sea. | Thailand
A splendid trio of photos, each with their own vibe! I love the first one with rosy pastel color that colors the beach and sea. The second one evokes a sense of relaxation under the shadows of the tree.