visa run to Myanmar(Burma)

So for my final 30 days in Thailand...I had to do anothe visa run.  This time I chose to rent a car with 2 friends (one from Canada ay? and one Thai pal to help translate/keep us from getting stabbed in Ranong...), drive 5 hours, on the left side of the road, with the stick shift on the left side, with the turn signals on the right side...and staring at the road trying not to get killed by the psycho drivers.

So we drove to Ranong, where we were to take a ferry to an Island owned by Burma...an island that is home to a 5star resort called the Andaman Club. WE got into Ranong too late to get the ferry so we drove around trying to find a hotel.  Gae, the thai friend that was with us asked a taxi driver to dirve ahead of us and let us follow him to a hotel....thank you soooo much for coming with us Gae. So we finally found a hotel, not too bad, crappy service and overpriced..even for Thailand.  We chose to check out a dance club/bar.  The second we got in there we felt like we were gonna get stabbed 16 times..so after seeing the same thought run through my buddy's face we stormed out and swiftly made our way to the hotel.....I should have known something was fishy in this little mafia, town...the no guns sign on many of the shop windows.

So after dinner we were ready to swim in the farily nice pool they had but it was already closed....again, we owe and thanks to Gae who talked the management into letting us swim and not only that but they brought beer and wine to the poolside so we could swim with the nectar of the Gods in our fingers...it was grand.

The next morning we, again with the help of following a taxi all the way to the special dock where we did the immigration thing, hopped on a power cat and 20 minutes later we were in Burma!  I thought the place would be scar, sketchy and we would fear our lives and our passports...which we had to leave with the Burmese immigration officer overnight whilst we stayed as guests at the Andaman Club casino, lounge, hotel, karaeoke etc...Instead we were blown away with the service...your wine glass was never empty, you never had to reach for anything.  The waiters, hotel staff...everyone was awesome.  Even the choclate bar I bought in the duty free shop was handed to me with 2 hands, a bow and a thank you...amazing.

We spent the day and the next morning swimming laps, and staring over the pool at the ocean surrounding us...over 50 islands could be seen in any direction, through any window..the breeze was great, the food was fantastic and I was still able to break into the storage room on the 5th floor and gank some water.

So I am back in Phuket again....my buddy Paul from AZ is here now and we are having a whale of a time in Patong....we are going to Krabi for climbing tomorrow and then some island hopping.  Stay tuned!