Day #3 (22/6/2020)
Distance travelled: 300.6 km
Morning at Chum Saeng Waterfall
A light shower was overhead during the early morning and a storm raged on in the distance; all this could be heard from inside the comfort of our tent. We woke early and pottered about for some time, drinking coffee, reading, and exploring our surroundings. A streak of water flowed over the rocks, nothing too impressive in terms of volume but still a nice waterfall nonetheless. I climbed up some way to find a little pool of water and marvelled at the view down below. I was engulfed in green!
Punyaban Waterfall
With our tent packed away and back in the boot, Dimi took the wheel, and off we went. The plan was: coffee first, then pass by Punyaban Waterfall. Finding a coffee place proved difficult, therefore we ended up at the waterfall first. However, it was closed due to COVID-19 and there was no chance of sneaking in, as it was heavily guarded. As told, we kept our distance and stood at the side of the road to take some pictures… it sure was impressive!
Ranong City and Rattanarangsan Palace
Back in the car, we headed straight into Ranong city and settled at Le Ranong Bistro for coffee and charging our many devices. Upon our arrival, a lovely old female Labrador slowly emerged to greet us in the car park. She seemed satisfied with our giving her attention, so she proceeded following us inside and plonked herself by our feet for some more of that good attention.
Before lunch, we decided to visit the coast, just a short drive away. We first reached a small settlement at the estuary of Ranong River. There we found several long-tail boats (each equipped with a loud motor) and houses built on stilts. To my delight, we spotted a bitch with her puppies playing near the sand. Along the road, as we headed back through the village, we passed two kids helping their dad wash his truck. On reflection, the whole place gave us a great insight into local, everyday life and, as always, we were received by the locals with curious eyes and kind smiles.
Lunch was had at J&T Restaurant, where we splashed out on chocolate parfait for pudding. Rattanarangsan Palace was closed (not to our surprise). So we walked around its periphery and snapped a few pictures of the pretty grounds. And we climbed some steps up through a shady grove with some quite impressive trees, which were labelled for our information.
Ranong Canyon
Next, we drove the car up the mountains. It was a truly scenic route, passing through dense forest, villages, and the odd hidden temple poking through the trees. We eventually stopped at Ranong Canyon, where a small lake housed hundreds of ravenous fish, and a rock formation towered in the background. The fish, upon seeing us standing at the lakeshore, wormed their way even closer, and opened their mouths wide, hoping we drop some food right in there. They certainly made me feel sorry for them. I really wanted to buy some feed for them all from a stall that was there for that reason. Dimi repeated out loud in surprise my inquiry for paying money for feeding the fish. I reluctantly saw he had a point. Luckily for the fish, a family then arrived with two small kids, who, of course, easily convinced their parents to buy two full buckets for them… Happy fish and happy Sophie!
Huay Sum Pen Dam
We briefly stopped by Huay Sum Pen Dam for a ciggie break, allowing us to sit and take in the surrounding landscape; mountains all around thick with green growth. A family close-by had a girl absorbed in capturing the perfect selfie while their little girl, in her pretty dress, sat in the middle of the deserted road. A group of lads were fishing across the water.
Wat Hat Sompaen (Temple)
As we pulled up to Wat Hat Sompaen, a group of local children were kicking a football about the car park and took little notice of us. As with most temples, we climbed many stairs to arrive at the base of a golden stupa. The temple grounds were empty and quiet; we saw no other visitors, monks, or even monkeys. A papaya tree was rooted at the bottom of the stairs and had a single, healthy baby papaya growing. On the last step, I noticed a white puppy speedily running to hide under a car, quickly followed by an excited, young local girl. The puppy wriggled in protest as she brought it over and handed it to me. It was just as eager to escape my hands as hers before. Enough smoochie talk Sophie I thought and set the puppy down. The chase was then repeated. Soon after, the little girl was sat on her Ben10 bike, close to the car, and enthusiastically waved us off. The other children, still playing football, noticed us at last and loudly joined in with their byes as we drove away… No longer were the temple grounds quiet!
Looking for a place to sleep…
In Thailand, 7/11 shops (which are absolutely everywhere) sell a variety of ready-made meals for cheap and you have the option of the cashiers heating them up in their many microwaves behind the counter. So once again, we sat at a service station and enjoyed our tea while people-watching before driving off in search of a camping place. We ended up in a village called Ban Tung La Ong in Mu Ko Ra – Ko Phra Tong (Thais could be thriftier with their words) National Park.
What Dimi pictured in his mind as a place for us to camp, in reality, was an un-campable spot; overcrowded with fishermen boats and shacks. Heading back through the village, to be re-stared at by the locals, Dimi took a turn onto a dirt track that scaled up and down through the forest. The coast was too far down and not accessible for us to reach, so we would have to sleep by the road. It was pitch black and my mind quickly turned to the scary scenes in The Blair Witch Project. I was not getting out of this car, so I suggested we recline the front seats, lock the door, and sleep in it. Thank God for tinted windows, which would be so illegal in the UK, given their complete blackness. Fireflies fluttered close-by and raindrops gently landed on the car raising a pattering sound. The stifling heat, however, would make for an interesting night’s sleep, as already before midnight, we had to turn on the engine multiple times for A/C… Let’s see how we got on…
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