Phang Nga, Ranong, Ko Chang

PHANG NGA

After wandering endlessly through thewalkways of Ko Panyi, we were excited to do some forest
hiking.


Phang Nga is surrounded by forest parks, caves, and temples. We found ourselves off the beaten path, often having to flag down passing trucks to ask directions or hitch rides to remote hiking trails.

Our walks took us through rubber plantations, vaulted caves, a dragons throat, and lush green jungle. We even took a trip to the Buddhist hell realms.
















HITCHHIKING
"To stand on a road and try to flag every vehicle that passes by is, to the Thais, something only an uneducated village dweller would do." -Lonely Planet

It had been in the back of our minds for a long time. We just needed a little encouragement, and after hitching several wonderful rides from the always friendly Thais while trying to get to remote areas around Phand Nga, Tino and I decided we had to give it a go.

We set our sights on Ranong, almost 300 km to the north, and set out in the morning with our packs and newly purchased tent. Once we got over the embarrassment of being laughed at my the confused Thais, we really enjoyed the experience, which included rides in a huge SUV, the back of a closed in box truck, and in the back seat of a car piloted by two giggling old men who didn't stop talking to each other and laughing the entire two hours we spent with them. We were hooked... there was no better way to travel.
















Ranong: cheap food, a funky little place called the TV Bar, where you don't watch TV, you sit on them, and the loudest guesthouse ever
















Ko Chang for Christmas

We spent a few nights in Ranong, and then took a boat to a nearby island: Ko Chang

It was a quiet get-away, perfect for arelaxed Christmas. Highlights included good food, a nice bungalow, and volleyball every night with an odd assortment of Thais, ex-pats and travelers.























































Written on Ko Chang:
"The lights flicker, orange and gold and fragile as spider webs. At night they sputter before they die, plunging us into darkness and then fishing us out again, over and over. Until finally, the bungalows go black, and I crawl across the floor for my headlamp. I like how sparingly they use the generator. I don't miss its guttural rumbling in the night. Instead I am lulled to sleep by waves singing against the sand, and wind whispering in the trees.

We have a western toilet for Christmas... the first I've seen in a long while, but looking at it from the doorway I think, 'I haven't even missed you.' The freedom of not wanting, not needing, that familiar throne... these are the things you let go of when you leave home."

Phuket, Ko Panyi

Phuket City surprised us. We got there on the 8th, thinking it was the 11th. Oops. We stayed for a few nights and tried to decide, "What next?" incidentally, we discovered that Phuket has a nice art scene, and really interesting architecture. We took arty photos, ate cheap food, and browsed in galleries around town.




















But that gets boring, and we move on, deciding on a cultural experience. We travel north to Phang-nga and hop a longtail boat out to Ko Panyi, a Muslim stilt village perched in the middle of a bay. Here are my thoughts:
















Where did these teeth come from... They push my lips apart as if my mouth is too small. Its embarrassing- they are show-offs, clowns, performers. Maybe they belong to a braver woman, someone who craves attention. Why won't they be more modest? I can't even play at being mysterious, not with these white gossips popping out of their hiding holes and spreading this silly grin across my face. It would be one thing to chose to be an open book, but it's quite another to have your teeth decide for you. "We want to be seen!" they sing. "I want to disappear!" I cry.

But it is hard for me to do that here. Even if I taped my mouth shut, silenced my giggling teeth. My hair waves its golden flag above my head in silent solidarity with my muted teeth. "I am only passing through," it signals. "I came here, and I will leave here, and you will stay."







I want these people to invite me into their lives, but why would they? To them I am a drop in the sea of pale faces that get herded through the town.




Tino and I sit reading, watching the tours come and go. How desperately we want to be different! We aren't on a tour. We are staying here, overnight, over TWO nights! We only paid 190 Bhat to get here all the way from Phuket. How much did YOU pay? No we aren't going to James Bond Island!

The feeling of superiority, the self-indulgent smirk slips from my grasp. We aren't any better. What more do I know about the lives in this village than I knew within hours of getting off the boat?





Communication is difficult. It is almost impossible to negotiate for a room, to buy a cold bottle of water, to figure out who you need to know to get to wherever you should go.














But the sunset pours golden light over the rock finger that anchors Ko Panyi to planet Earth, and we see rain clouds speeding towards us along the mangrove channel, turning distant limestone cliffs into watercolor paintings, we hold glowing phosflorescents in our hands on a dark night in the company of Orion with his jeweled belt and sturdy bow, A little girl smiles and giggles as we pass, the kittens follow us through a maze of pathways, we see crabs with claws like medieval swords and fish that can walk on land with flippers like feet...


No Dogs allowed, fish everywhere, and so many birds in cages...
This is heaven for cats!













Two days later I am back in Phang-nga looking forward to hiking in the parks in the area, and maybe doing some climbing if I can find a place to rent a rope.

Ko Lipe

I found my island paradise.





Tino and I went to Lipe with only US$200. We thought we could stay for 4 days if we ate only Phad Thai or fried rice and toast for breakfast. No shakes, no fish, no beer.












We immediately fell in love with the island

As nice as our bungalow was, we decided to move out after two nights.

And we went camping instead.

We had a pretty private spot, and other than the sand flies, which come right through our mosquito net, it was the best accomodation so far.

The first night we woke up to watch the moon set over the Indian Ocean.

We weren't far from an isolated little bar where we could get fresh water piped in from a waterfall. Two Germans ran the bar, and invited us (for 130Bhat each) to dinner one night. We had baracuda, and other fresh fish cought right there off the island.

We could wake up in the mornig and snorkel right there in front of our camp. Who needs a shower and a bed! We slept on the sand, made peace with the ants and the hermit crabs, and learned every sound the jungle birds could make.

We made good friends on the island. The dogs and cats were always begging for love.

I have never seen colors like these. The sky, the water, the jungle... everything was saturated with color. It was so intense it almost seemed painted.

Ko Lipe is relatively new on the tourist scene, and the village remains as... a village.




There is humor in the simplicity...

As well as beauty.

And you don't get the sense that things are put there for the tourists. Things just exist as they are.








We Left a few days ago with only 40Bhat left. We made it for 6 days, and enjoyed our share of shakes and seafood dinners. After one night in Satun we headed north to Phuket.