Day 8 - Saturday 4 February 2017

Survival........Despite reservations, I survive the night. It wasn’t the best but all I could put that down to was a hard pillow. There’s just enough snacks left for breakfast and thank God we’ve brought a kettle. At this point in the tour the feeling of anticipation has changed to resignation. This is the seventh successive day I’ve stayed in a different room and that’s likely to continue. Quite why I never get settled in one location and maximise what’s on offer remains a mystery. We will be moving again soon but not before I take another stroll along this deserted beach and swim in the calm waters of the Andaman Sea. After all it’s what I came for but my Robinson Crusoe day are now over. Over the last day or two Katoon has worked on arranging a trip to the islands which dominate the coastline here but what the intentions are for today I really don’t know. After my swim I get ready to depart with some reluctance. Initially we follow the road to its end where there is a view point. It’s just hard to leave this glorious coastline but I’ve already resigned myself to return the way we came, heading into Ranong province, back to Kapoe.

DD Resort, Kapoe........Google Map While it’s been hard to find a way forward on this tour it’s still far too early to find a way back. We still think we can arrange an island tour in which case we need to stay in the area. While we could simply return to SS Resort in the town of Kapoe, there’s no harm in enquiring at another not far away. This one is named DD Resort and we soon find out there’s a family connection. This really is a small town. Unlike SS Resort, this resort is modern, a fairly new build. Cheap rooms are available but I decide to go for a bungalow with a veranda which will be nice for dinner later. However it’s not long after midday but Katoon has been given the green light to enquire about a boat trip. Things now happen quickly and after a phone call, a boat trip is arranged for tomorrow. It’s a day trip, a private charter so understandably it’s not going to be cheap considering I’m going to have to pay 500 baht national park fee as well. I’ve had to balance my budget carefully as this tour alone will consume more than double my daily allowance. Now in conservation mode we go out for lunch then remain in residence for a siesta until 6pm. Dinner is a simple matter of heading off to the market for something we can eat on the veranda. A further positive comes as I’m able to watch the Chelsea v Arsenal game on Thai TV. Tomorrow we will be collected at the resort for the boat trip at 8.30am. Dare I stay up to listen to the Slimbridge v Hereford game online? Well at least I can choose today as communications have been restored as we return to civilization. Next Page.