lisbonchick

Here’s to another year in Thailand!

By lisbonchick on January 12, 2022

What better way to start the year than to go on an adventure? Dropping Joshua and Sandra off at the airport was sad and the idea of going back home was horrid. So, we dropped them and kept driving north to Ranong. Ranong is a small border town, not a lot to do, sleepy but pleasant for a night; before Covid, most people came here for a visa run to Myanmar. The food was good though and we had an amazing breakfast! Before Ranong, we stopped at Memories Bar in Koh Lak. Nice little place, surfers paradise and a perfect spot for a weekend getaway from Phuket.

And to Ranong! Geoff found us some street art… A very old barber’s shop and a cat.

Strange things do happen and the world can at times feel like a very small place. After stopping for petrol and bumping into someone I used to work with in Bangkok, we then bumped into somebody else we used to know, from Geoff’s school in Bangkok. Jon L! We had a really good catch up with Jon and Pat and it turned out that they were staying in the same hotel and in the room next to ours!!! Go figure… We had an amazing Thai breakfast, the best Thai breakfast I’ve had in Thailand before getting on a boat to Koh Phayam.

Koh Phayam is a very small island, about 45.00 km², it has no roads and no cars and the population is around 500 people. It is unspoiled and rustic and some places still have no electricity. It is a hippy, rasta kind of island and a great place to chill. There are 2 main beaches on the island, Ao Yai and Ao Kao Kwai (Buffalo Bay). Both are very beautiful and at the moment, extremely quiet and unspoiled.

There is so much space on this beach! A lot of places were closed due to Covid and the sense of space and freedom was just amazing. Although it is now becoming more developed, the island is still very rustic with no frills. There are a few places to eat and some cafes dotted around the island but all are pretty basic. No chance of getting a decaf here. Came across a wonderful little Japanese bakery by Bamboo Bungalows on long beach. She makes beautiful bread, cakes and sandwiches. If you ever visit, go there. It was our favourite place!

There is only one temple on the island and it is at the end of a small pier which is rather unusual.

The next place to visit was Buffalo Bay. One end was not particularly nice but the end where the Hippy Bar is, is particularly beautiful. I am being fussy now…

One of the highlights of being in Phayam was watching the sunset from the Hippy Bar. This is a really crazy and amazing reclaimed wooden construction that goes on for ever. The bit you see on the beach is like a pirate ship jutting out but as you walk inside it goes on to all sorts of nooks and crannies, walkways and lounging areas. Incredible!

We read about a beach in the north that was quite hard to get to! If you don’t want to meet people, go to Ao Kwangpeep, also called Monkey Bay – a tiny little beach at the northernmost point. However, to get there is not easy and not completely harmless either. With Geoff’s riding skills this was a walk in the park although I was pretty scared! The road starts off well tarred, until one thing is clear: this is no longer a road but a steep descent with plenty of massive holes! It was worth it though, the beach was deserted and the only place to stay is now fully derelict and abandoned due to Covid. The view to Koh Chang and Myanmar is beautiful!