February 15, 2019
Ranong
We had a lazy slow start to the morning getting away from Himmapan Resort at about 10:30. We had handed in a load of laundry when we arrived two days earlier - the sign said 70 baht a Kg. The usual price around the rest of Thailand is 30-40 baht a Kg and on Koh Payam the signs we saw all said 50 baht a Kg so we thought we were paying quite a bit over the odds for convenience. When our laundry was handed back to us this morning and I wanted to pay I was told "No charge". The attitude of Jay who runs the resort is enough to recommend it to anyone heading for Koh Payam.
The first of the two daily ferries back to the mainland left at 10am but there was no way we were going to rush off to catch that one. The second ferry was only leaving at 3pm so we headed up to Aow Kao Kwai to pass the rest of the morning swimming and relaxing. Aow Kao Kwai, or Buffalo Bay, is apparently a bit quieter than Aow Yai (Big Bay) but since Aow Yai is so quiet the difference is hardly noticeable.
Some time after one o'clock we made our way to the ferry pier. Once we had bought our tickets (not really necessary because they can be bought on the boat) we sat down to a great lunch and a beer to fill the time until the ferry departed.
We arrived in Ranong dead on time at 5pm and cycled the six kilometers to our digs for the night - the Jirapin Apartment Hotel. 700 baht got us a spotlessly clean large room with everything we needed apart from any words in English - it is definitely not aimed at tourists. So the communication with the rather stern lady at the front desk was mostly via hand signals and her calculator. Still, it is good value. After a shower and doing our laundry I cycled off to find us some supper - a takeaway of moo krop (crispy pork) on rice with morning glory. Also no English so I got the local version - lots of chili - which was really full of flavour. An added bonus was lots of smiles and friendly service - clearly not everyone in Ranong is stern. A Beer Leo to wash it down and an early night before an early start tomorrow morning.
Today's ride: 17 km (11 miles)
Total: 200 km (124 miles)
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