Andaman Sea Anomaly Set to Boom - Part 3
Fah Thai (Thailand, November 1999)

Ranong - Gateway to New Frontiers

Ranong, on Thailand's southern Andaman coast, until recently meant a 10 hours drive from Bangkok or 4.5 hours by road from Phuket. Now, with the new airport, it's a short flight direct from the nation's capital.

The town of Ranong is a quiet provincial center with a colorful variety of boats. a photographer's dream, engaged in a bustling trade with the Burmese islands just to the west and to the north. The surrounding countryside is little developed, compared to many areas of Thailand, and makes for pleasant exploring. Waterfalls and forests provide scenic prospects. The town itself offers a variety of hotel accommodation, some of it very comfortable. Some of the Thai islands within easy boat range have good beaches and accommodation. Laem Son National Park, about 65 kilometers southwest of Ranong Town, includes about 20 islands as well as mangrove forests along the mainland coast.

The province's major sources of income were traditionally fishing and tin-mining. Fishing is still important, but tourism promises to become the biggest earner in years to come. The most popular attraction among Thai visitors has long been the hot springs, a traditional favorite with honeymooning couples. Hot baths fed by the natural springs are an excellent prescription for stress for those recently arrived from the big city, or for aching muscles for those who've been overdoing the sightseeing.

Another big draw is the shopping in Kawthaung, a short boat-ride across to Myanmar. This thriving frontier market town - the southernmost community in Myanmar - attracts thousands of Thai shoppers and a growing number of foreign visitors each year (accommodation is limited, however, and most stay overnight in Ranong). The Andaman Club lies on the Burmese island just south of Kawthaung, and is popular with Asian gamblers in particular.

These days, however, the big excitement is the sailing-diving cruises in the Mergui Archipelago offered by a few Kawthaung/Ranong- and Phuket-based operators. What with 800 islands only now opening to tourism - the great majority of them uninhabited, most of them covered with forested hills and abundant wildlife, and many of them fringed with a rich marine life - every trip promises to be a voyage of discovery.