Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [532]
Getting Around
If you’re planning to play ‘connect the dots’ and travel from island to island, you will be pleased to know that there’s a solid (but expensive) transportation infrastructure in place. In fact, these ferry links improve every season – it’s now possible to island-hop from Phuket to Langkawi (in Malaysia) without ever setting foot on the mainland. Those who do travel along the mainland will find manageable bus and train links through the provincial capitals (which all have the same name as their parent province).
RANONG PROVINCE
The first piece in the Andaman’s puzzle of curvy coastal provinces is Thailand’s least populated region and also its most rainy, logging in with up to eight months of showers per year. As a result, Ranong’s forests are lush and green (although it’s swampy near the coastline and mainland beaches are almost nonexistent).
Most people only visit Ranong during their visa run to Victoria Point (see the boxed text, Click here); those who stick around seek out the relaxing vibe on Ko Chang and Ko Phayam.
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RANONG TOWN
pop 24,500
On the eastern bank of the Sompaen River’s turbid, tea-brown estuary, the frontier town of Ranong is no more than a short boat ride – or a filthy swim – from Myanmar. This border town par excellence (shabby, frenetic, ever so slightly seedy) has a thriving Burmese population (keep an eye out for men wearing traditional longyi; Burmese sarong), a clutch of mildly interesting (and stinky) hot springs, and a handful of tumbledown historic buildings.
An increasing number of travellers are showing up specifically to dive the spectacular Burma Banks (in the Mergui Archipelago), 60km north of the Surin Islands. A number of dive operators have established themselves in Ranong (which does lend the city a pinch of an expat feel), using it as a jumping-off point for live-aboard trips.
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Orientation & Information
Most of Ranong lies just west of Hwy 4, about 600km south of Bangkok and 300km north of Phuket. For information about immigration and visa runs, see the boxed text on Click here. The main Thai immigration office is on the road to Saphan Plaa, about halfway between town and the main piers, although you can get stamped out at the pier itself. Most of Ranong’s banks are on Th Tha Meuang (the road to the pier), near the intersection with Th Ruangrat, Ranong’s main north–south street. There are ATMs near the pier as well.
J Net (0 7882 2877; Th Ruangrat; per hr 40B; 9am-9pm)
Main post office (Th Chonrau; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri, to noon Sat)
Sights & Activities
HOT SPRINGS
Ranong is rural Thailand’s version of a spa town – stinky and charmless. You can sample the waters at Wat Tapotaram, where Ranong Mineral Hot Springs (Th Kamlangsap; admission 10B; 8am-5pm) offers pools hot enough to boil an egg (65°C). Like the three bears of Goldilocks fame, the names of the three springs translate as Father Spring, Mother Spring and Baby Spring, and each has its own distinct smell (all horrid). The spring water is thought to be sacred, as well as having miraculous healing powers.
DIVING
Live-aboard diving trips run from Ranong to world-class bubble-blowing destinations including the Burma Banks (Mergui Archipelago) and the Surin and Similan islands. Prices start at around 16,000B for a four-day package. Try A-One-Diving (0 7783 2984; www.a-one-diving.com; 77 Saphan Plaa). Several operators in Khao Lak ( Click here) are starting up live-aboard services to the stunning Burma Banks.
Sleeping
If you are doing your visa run through an agency, they’ll ship you in and out of town without having to spend the night.
Suta (0 7783 2707; Th Ruangrat; r 350B; ) One of the comfier choices in Ranong (and popular with repeat visa-running expats), this off-the-road