Ko Panyi is often described as a “floating village” in the Phang Nga Bay of Thailand. It is home to less than 2,000 locals and 360 Thai Muslim families. The locals mostly make their money off tourists and fishing, which was what the floating island was originally developed for. The only section that sits on solid ground is the island’s Mosque. The rest was built on stilts and slowly expanded upon on over time.
Even though it is an island on the water, it has many essentials to a community such as a school, a mosque, a health center, some restaurants, and accommodations for tourists. Since Ko Panyi is a popular tourist destination via boat tours, many of the young students are used to having pictures taken of them or having tourists walk by their classrooms during the school day.
I took a boat tour from an island known as “James Bond Island” to this beautiful location and was able to see what a typical day on Ko Panyi is like. Student’s classrooms look very similar to what you would expect to see in a school in the United States. One of the most unique features about the island is the floating soccer pitch that was built on rafts. Ko Panyi is home to one of the most successful soccer teams in Southern Thailand.
This Island is one of a kind and gave me an amazing opportunity to see how other cultures live. It is fascinating to see the island from above boasting bright colors from all of the makeshift roofs of the homes. If you are ever visiting the island of Phuket in Thailand I definitely recommend adding visiting Ko Panyi to your “to-do” list.
