It resonated from a loud speaker nearby and, having been told of the tsunami early-warning system - installed after the Boxing Day disaster in 2004 - a part of my mind wondered whether it could be such an alert. The rational side tried to dismiss this as needless worry - besides, the tannoy was blaring out what sounded like music. Surely they wouldn't use music to signal an impending tidal wave, I reasoned. It was probably the national anthem - although I had not heard it played on any other occasion apart from the King's birthday several days ago.
Heading outside, which we had intended to do in pursuit of breakfast, we didn't observe any unusual or panicked behaviour by the residents, so we assumed all was normal.
We had been told of a small breakfast stand that sets itself up each morning next to the local school. There we asked for two bowls of khanom chin (ขนมจีน) - fresh noodles made from fermented rice paste, much like Cambodian num banh chok, which we saw being made last month. Like the Khmer version, khanom chin is often served with a thin green curry gravy (that I suspect contains fish paste).
Taking a seat, we adorned our bowls from the communal basket of vegetables. The customisation of the dish is what I really enjoy. We picked from snake beans, pea aubergines (aptly named for their appearance, and with a bitter taste raw almost like a fresh peppercorn), cucumber, herbs, plus pots of pickled cabbage, chillies, and more.
Boxing Day this year will be the tenth anniversary of the catastrophic tsunami that struck coastal regions of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.
Ko Lanta was struck by the waves, but did not suffer the worst effects. Still, on the east coast, the pier and many of the houses in Old Town were destroyed. The wave also wiped out a whole village farther along the island, whose inhabitants have subsequently been rehoused in a new village behind Old Town. Ko Lanta suffered a few hundred casualties in contrast to nearby Ko Phi Phi, where thousands lost their lives.
It was apparently the abnormal behaviour of the animals that alerted the Sea Gypsies to the coming tsunami. Long before the quake, presumably sensing the seismic movements, the animals' movements caused the Sea Gypsies to take to higher ground. They all survived the incident.
A small community museum in Old Town showcases the Sea Gypsies and the other Thai, Chinese, and Muslim groups that make up the island's population.
Finding the doors open, we took our chance to pay a visit. The museum is a little dusty and seems to open only sporadically. Unlike the establishments in tourist-heavy Bangkok, this museum has received no funding since its opening in 2007 and relies on donations and the volunteering of a former art teacher to keep going.
Inside, we found a replica of the ceremonial boat used by the Sea Gypsies in their Loy Rua festival, and a kiln of the sort that was used by the original Chinese settlers to produce charcoal.
Returning to the house, we snacked on some sweet treats we picked up at breakfast. We picked these up blind and discovered one was a banana fritter with coconut - possibly kluay khaek (กล้วยแขก) or kluay tod (กล้วยทอด) - while the other was a sweet pandan cake with mung beans.
We spent much of the rest of the day hanging out on the deck, observing the wildlife. Cranes, kites and kingfishers are among the wild birds that join the caged mynah birds next door, which greet us in Thai and do an uncanny impression of a motorbike engine starting. Thankfully none of the local fauna was acting unusually.
Having selected a different colour curry paste at yesterday's market, I was keen to use it in something. The obvious choice was the staple of all British gastro-pubs and restaurants: Thai green curry. This dish is known in Thai as khiao wan kaeng (แกงเขียวหวาน), owing to the 'sweet green' colour that the coconut milk turns. The curry itself is not sweet, indeed it is generally spicier than its red cousin, and the paste we had bought did not disappoint when prepared with Thai aubergine and tofu.
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