At such times we have to cross an international border, get checked into a another country and return to Thailand to have our passports stamped and earn another 90 days. The time in the foreign country can be as little as 5 minutes!
Having considered two main options - fly to Penang, Singapore or KL or take a trip to Myanmar we chose the latter.
We rejected the various one-day visa run options, involving 4-5 hours each way in a minibus to the border town of Ranong and either a longtail across the river to Kawthoung or a more comfortable ferry to the Andaman Club Resort on Thahtay Khyun Island in the mouth of the river. Instead we hired a car, drove to Ranong and stayed overnight in the resort. The resort essentially takes care of everything and all payments are in Thai baht. |
| Andaman Club resort |
Thus it was that we found ourselves taking a couple of days off from boat work and spending a night in Myanmar, a country we had not expected to return to after our trip last year. In fact you wouldn't know you are in Myanmar if it weren't for the all-important stamps in the passport - it is to all intents a Thai hotel (except for the casino).
The next day we returned by the longer "scenic" route across the central mountains and back by the old road across to Phang Nga. A side visit was to the Keereewong Nature Temple, a Buddhist temple set in a forest glade. We were looking for a "geocache" hidden there, which we failed to find, but were glad we went as it is a really peaceful place which most drive past. We then visited our friends Richard and Pauline (cousins of Susan's cousin Paul's wife Elizabeth) at Khok Kloi just north of the bridge onto Phuket for a late lunch. It was however so late that we stayed the night and still managed to return the car in Phuket before it turned into a pumpkin at 0900.
