So since my visa is expiring I'll go back to the mainland to the city of Chumpon for a few days then Ranong to go to Burma for a day to renew my visa.

Maphrao island I think from the view Point

Wed- Arrive in ST, to Chaiyi, train to Chumpon Everone rushed off the ferry on their organised tourist bus to Ranong..stupid people .. Me walked out found the station was 15Km away .. got past the dodgy taxi drivers got the bus ..and then found the next train was in 4 hours ..damm Took a ST to traditional old town of Chaiyi, walked around, went to the museum ..boring.. Got the train 80B for 2 hours, a bit different from the 100B 10Km ST ride in KPN. Chumpon was full of the tourist robots, cos they are waiting their package buses to Ko Tao. Walked to the museum, hitched back. Walked around. Thu - :Visit Sai Ree Beach etc Took a ST converted truck to the beach 20Km away, absolutely no Farang tourists, similar beach to KPG ..bit run down This is what happens to buildings in this climate when the tourist boom ends Construction boom - some words to say to real estate and property developers "landslip", what are you doing building on steeps slopes ? will those steep 45+ degree drives last 50 years "typhoon", "monsoon" I wonder why no one ever built right on the beach before ? I bet you a dollar all those beachside properties feel a destructive typhoon within the next 50 years .. walked up NP hill to viewpoint. Shacks are built on the island's rocks Stopped on the way back at Pak Nam Port Fri - Typical Transport Fiasco Bus stop at 7am no buses, no tourists as their organised rush tour leaves at 5.0m and returns at 1pm .. taxi drivers swear next bus is 3pm.. surely it should be every hour ?? Walk ..eventually ST to junction, then hitched in back of pickup, nice guy ..got Ranong by 11am ST to immigration, walk to port agree to boat for 50B, a tourist price, but it is 2 miles etc. turns out cos the tourists take the tour buses the normal buses no longer run every hour "come on my boat", "no come on my boat you double paying tourist" Fri - I was in Burma today One of the first things I saw was an internet café, then I saw CNN in English inside a restaurant by the restaurant TV screen was completely visible from the Customs office across the Street. They were all watching about the shootings of demostrators in Yangon. Actually the place I was is Burma, but for all intents and purposes it's pretty much Thailand. It's on a Pennisula in the south and cut of from the rest of the country. There was no particular air of tension, there were some soldiers around, but they seemed to unintimidating weedy guys. Apparently they were on a shopping trip from the base at the 7Km line. Hundreds of foreigners take a boat across from Thailand as an easy way of extending a Thai visa. Most of them are on tours, but I hate being packaged. For them easy and costs 7 quid and they come right back after 5 minutes in the country, for me loads of hassles and adventures cost me less than 2 or call it 4 including fried rice, pepsi, a beer a tip for the guide and his cigarettes. Actually I suspect the guide probably gets paid by the government to make sure pesky tourists don't go more than 500m away from the port. "Hello I just want to practice my English" yeh right, but no scam arose. He guided me to the shop, temple beer garden, disappeared with 3 dollars to get change, but did come back 10 minutes later. The one thing he insisted and the café owner also : was that "here the cheap hotel doesn't accept foreigners, better go back to Thailand". I decided not to push it otherwise if I spend more I'd miss the 4.30pm closing time of the Thai immigration office. So here I am back in Ranong where the room costs 2 quid.

Sat- walking - Hotsprings Sat - rain- walked to Hotsprings - too hot to immerse completely. pretty good setting 50% natural. There is a well where you take sulphur water for drinking Hotsprings Panorama video Tried the Nearby forest park, but no one uses the paths so they are blocked. Hitched shared Durian either too early, again Thai Durian not great. Place supposed to be a canyon I would say it's a volcano crator or mine. Crator Panorama video ... walked 3Km to end of road. not interesting. Hitched back ..bugger lost my towel and shorts. When to visit the ruined home of the tin mine magnate. Kaw a poor immigrant from China via Penang . He was governor then called Raja. Interesting story, I guess he basically built Ranong This tree is mde up of the parasitic figtree growing down over another tree a doorway is formed to enter the building Met up with the other big traveller from Canaries. Night Market ..decided it was too late to visit the grass hills Been reading I have 500 books in my phone, but I never read any of them. see the 39 steps book review It was quite good but - read Playback by Chandler a Philip Marlowe PI story ..not good Sherlock Holmes - not great, the 4 stories I read are not clever and neat like Roald Dahl, but instead rather contrived. but sherlock Holmes not racist. I see one character on learning of his wife's black baby picks it, kisses it and welcomes it into his home. Tom Paine - Common Sense - mostly pro independence anti monarchy moan. I'll take a look at his complete works. Sun- Rain walking and doing internet work Mon - Super Rain Day Visted the rebuilt palace, the Raja Kaw built in 1890 for the King to stay in on state visits

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