Discover the real lanta

When people think of Koh Lanta they envisage sandy beaches, a turquoise sea and soft sand. But Lanta is not only that. We chartered a tour with the Swedish tour operator, on a full day ‘Unknown Lanta’ trip by minivan. I was contemplating the long Klong Dao stretch of beach, as a glorious sun was rising from behind Lanta’s backbone mountains striking joggers and roaming dogs, when Man, our guide for the day, appeared at the reception of the resort I was staying at. Man is a nice guy from Koh Lanta who loves smiling and has 7 years experience in the tourist sector. Along with the young driver called Sayyan, he was to make sure my day was full of discoveries.

The minivan passed the car ferry and cruised to the east, while Man gave us the program of the tour in perfect English. On the sides of the uneven tarmac road, small dusty shops sold fruit, vegetables and other commodities to local villagers. It was Friday; a young boy strolled leisurely to the local mosque. Soon after, the tarmac subsided: earthy mud was the terrain being negotiated by our driver. It became clear that speed was not the theme of a minivan trip in Koh Lanta, where even the buffaloes seemed to go slower than usual.

The first stop of the day was in a local cock fighting compound where local villagers train “champion-to-be” chicken fighters. Apparently, locally organized fights are a small thing in Koh Lanta; the big events are held in the city of Trang, on the mainland. We visited the inside of a barrack where cocks are kept in round wicker cages, and then assisted to a gruesome training session. In a roofed terrace, one nervous-looking cock jumped freely on the dusty ground while the trainer held the contender in his hands, releasing him when he felt it necessary. Local villagers sat on benches around the area watching approvingly, praising their favourite fighter. The soundtrack was a constant cock-a-doodle-doo. When the session was over, the trainer posed for some pictures, before walking inside the barrack where he began to groom his trainee cock.