Plane spotting, photo shoots at Thailand's controversial airport beach
Tourists stand on the shoreline, scanning the cloud-free skies for approaching aircraft, some looking at their phones for flight data.
As the blurry form in the distance begins to take shape, the crowds scatter across the light brown sand, which is already scorching in the 35-degree Celsius heat. A dozen or so more visitors rush out from the shelter of nearby trees to claim their spots on the shore.
Partners, family members and friends dutifully squat down, phones and cameras at the ready.
The plane is now fully visible and the crowd freezes in place, almost in unison. Some pose outlandishly, waving their arms, others morph into their best swimsuit model impressions.Read more