We caught the speedboat rather than the slow boat back to Ranong from Ko Phaymam. Although faster it was also a lot more uncomfortable, especially as the sea was a bit choppy. It was thrilling to whizz like James Bond across the Andaman sea. The boat was not quite as luxurious as the ones that Bond captains thought.

We had a relaxed evening in Ranong, which felt familiar by now. We stayed at the same hostel as before – the Caspar. This time we made sure that we had a room with a more comfortable bed. It had no window but there was air conditioning. I am finding that I sleep much better in these windowless rooms as long as air conditioning is provided. The morning light doesn’t disturb me and it is usually a lot quieter without the noise from the street.

That first night we found ourselves at the local temple. Families were dressed up and visiting on the eve of Chinese new year. We also called in at the local laundrette. It was staffed by two young women who washed and folded our clothes for us in just over an hour. The whole place was decorated in pink. I wish I had taken a picture of it as it looked amazing.

There is a lovely balcony at The Caspar where we watched the sun go down. It was also possible to sit and have a beer from Seven Eleven while sitting on the street at the front of the hotel and watch life go by. Chinese New Year fell while we were in Ranong and The Caspar is right in the middle of ‘walking street’ where the night market happened during two of the three nights we spent in Ranong. We could help ourselves from many stalls selling items from chocolate pancakes, to Chinese buns, to skewers, to Burmese stews.

The night market was a bit like a cross between a very enlarged version of a church fete and the Bexhill Christmas lights switch on. There were various groups of kids, including one group with learning disabilities, who had formed bands singing, playing instruments and dancing. Some were very good but quite a few were wildly out of tune. There was a general atmosphere of festivity with people dressed up in red traditional Chinese new year costumes. Whole families were enjoying spending time together out shopping and eating.

Our first full day in Ranong we walked to the local hot springs. These are set in a park on the edge of town, near an arboretum. It is a bucolic spot. We lounged in various hot pools in the shade of large tress and other vegetation. The hot water comes from natural springs and unusually doesn’t contain any sulphur, It is thought to have health giving properties and I have to say my joints felt a lot better after a soak. It may seem strange to lie in hot pools in such a hot climate, but it was oddly refreshing. Entry was free!

On our way back to our hostel we climbed up the Ranong skywalk. This is an enormous structure. It is a bit like a walking up a multi storey car park which ends in a path that snakes alongside the tallest trees. It gives a view of the whole town and the countryside around as the sun is setting. We were surrounded by Thai families out for the evening. Some had attached wooden tokens to the railings with writing on – I believe these were prayers or wishes. It was an entrancing experience.

Our final day we arranged a tour of the local area with a driver. He was a lovely guy who took us to more hot springs out of town, a Buddhist monastery, a waterfall and a local picnic spot known as Ranong crater. The monastery was intricately decorated, particularly a downstairs mirror room with a large golden Bodhi tree. Apparently this represents the human ability to reach enlightenment. As the leaves of the Bodhi tree are shaped like hearts it is believed that it is possible for human love to grow just like the leaves of the Bodhi tree. We have to believe that this possibility is open to everybody, even Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Maybe the time has come for me to start chanting for peace like the Hare Krishnas.

There was a holy lake at the monastery, like those we visited in Sikkim. Fish food was on sale and we fed the fish who were enormous and numerous. The prettiest ones swam in channels around the outside of the monastery. We agreed that there are lots of aspects of Thailand that remind us of Sikkim – maybe it’s the Buddhist culture. In fact the two countries are in the same area of the world. I dream of being able to travel all through Burma into India and then up to Sikkim. What a great trip that would be! Due to the conflict in Myanmar/ Burma it is sadly not possible at the moment, although if I were younger and more stupid maybe I would attempt it.

The waterfall and the canyon were both in peaceful shady forested areas, where we went for short walks. At the canyon there was another lake. It is a popular picnic spot with locals. We bought some skewers and gelatinous things wrapped in coconut leaves. I am not sure what there were but they were sweet and tasted delicious.

Our next stop was Phuket, six hours away from Ranong by bus. I was unsure about visiting it, as I knew it was quite touristy. In the interests of seeing all sides of Thailand and as we were in the right area of the south, I thought it would be churlish not to go. The old town is meant to be similar to Penang in Malaysia which I had loved visiting on our previous big Asian trip all those years ago.