Authentic Thailand | Talae Nok – living with locals

Green palms, tropical weather, lonely beaches, a small fishing village, incredibly welcoming people. I could add more features here. Our stay at the Talae Nok Village was one of the most beautiful experiences in Phang Nga. One of my best travel experiences.

Living with locals Talae Nok Community

Talae Nok is a small Muslim community, whose village was also hit by the Tsunami in 2004. The remote beach and the retreat to the inland are all consequences by the natural disaster. Even though many of the 170 inhabitants are still fishing people many amongst them are scared of the beach. 22 houses were rebuilt in a short time with the help of the government. Moreover, they have many programs to give them work. For example batik dying, soap making and more.

Since it is a Muslim community you should follow a couple of rules:

• dress appropriately covering your shoulders and clothing until knee length
• no alcohol allowed

One evening they also dressed us up in their traditional headscarf. You should have seen the women’s faces. They were so happy and appreciated this gesture so much!

We were warmly welcomed in the village by our host families. The women prepared a delicious lunch for us – probably the best meal I’ve had in Thailand. Fresh crabs, swordfish filet, beans with chilli and garlic, pineapple curry and much more. The food was also so delicious the following days. Not only could we look over their shoulder we also set our hands to help them.

If you’re thinking this village will be all calm and relaxing you’re absolutely wrong. The cocks started crowing already at 2 am, which is quite unusual. Chicken were running on the streets with their little ones and also the cows from the surrounding fields came to visit us.

Day tour to the surrounding Cham islands

We were quite lucky with the weather when we were off to discover the surrounding Cham Islands by boat. Even though we were far away from the village it wasn’t respectful to wear a bikini on the island. However, a couple of hours in the sun felt so good. Also there – hardly any tourist far and wide. Once in a while some Asian tourists came on the island, sprang in the water with their swim vests and hopped onto the boat again for the next island. Our host families prepared a delicious lunch for us which we’ve enjoyed on the island. The Thai food is also delicious when eaten cold. The cold food doesn’t appear so spicy.

Cooking all togheter for the last time: an easy dessert! Coconut, flour and water – you don’t need more. Of course, it didn’t taste as good when we tried it at home!

I have to admit that I felt the most relaxed in the local community – no internet connection, no obligations. I could have definitely gotten used to this state. Unfortunately, we drove back to Khao Lak after three days in the village. I could have stayed much longer.

A huge thank you to Andaman Discoveries for this amazing opportunity and of course, to our host families.

I wish you a wonderful day!