 Koh
Yao Noi
A beautiful straight separates the two sisters: According to the
legend this straight has been created when a gigantic Naga
(mythical dragon) rushed from West to East to marry the Princess
of Krabi.
For centuries, the whole marine area between the Island of
Phuket and the coast of Krabi used to belong to sea gypsies,
each family establishing a home on secluded beaches during the
rainy season and sailing the rest of the time from island to
island.
Today's inhabitants of Koh Yao Noi are certainly related to
these sea gypsies, but the main historical evidence show that
ancestors of Koh Yao people migrated from the East cost of the
Malay Peninsula about two centuries ago and did settle both on
Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai.
These migrants, like all people of South Thailand, have mixed
origins (Thai, Mon, Malay, Indian, Chinese). But the Malay
background still prevails: people from Koh Yao still look very
different from the majority of Thai people, they speak a
particular dialect with many Malay lexical traces, there are
skillful sailors and fishermen.
Nowadays, local activities are mostly oriented towards
agriculture - rice, rubber tree plantations, fruit, palm oil and
coconut plantations - and, obviously, fishing: One-half of the
inhabitants dedicate to small scale fishing activities; Sea
farms (fish, shrimps, shells…) have been well developed during
the last decade. Traditional boat building is also to be seen.
Tourism has not been developed on a large scale: Remaining on
Koh Yao Noi is a unique opportunity to quietly observe
traditional life styles and people genuine activities, and meet
with welcoming people.
On the other hand, Koh Yao Noi did benefit the wealthy economy
of Thailand and infrastructures development (roads, telephone
lines, electricity, schools, hospital, administration center,
post office).
The Island remains a very natural, quite and easy place to live:
Koh Yao Noi and its surroundings gathers in a short distance
some of the most interesting things to be discovered in South
Thailand, in one of the most beautiful location.
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