Thailand’s southern province of Ranong is a convenient gateway to Myanmar’s pristine Mergui Archipelago
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‘Khon Thai?” A dessert vendor in Kawthaung, Myanmar’s southernmost town, asked me in Thai if I was a Thai. “Thammai phut Thai dai,” I expressed wonder at her abilities to speak my language. She smiled and replied that she had spent six years in Ranong.
Actually, I shouldn’t be surprised. There are so many Myanmar nationals working in Thailand. And Ranong, where I crossed the border from, is one of the cities with a large number of Myanmar workers.
Exploring Kawthaung on foot while waiting for the staff of Awei Pila Resort who greeted me as I got off the transborder boat, I met a few more amicable locals who spoke Thai to me. In Bangkok, I must admit, their accent might sound funny but here on this side of the border, it made me feel warmly welcome.
Soon after lunch, I walked back to the pier to meet the said staff. He led me and other guests to the speed boat that would take us to Pila Island where the resort is located.
While better-known islands of the Mergui Archipelago such as Nyaung Oo Phee, Cock Comb and Cockburn are not so far from Ranong, Pila is located further north. Even with the powerful speedboat, it took us two hours to get there.
But the long boat ride was worth it. Pila Island and this part of the Mergui Archipelago reminded me of Mu Ko Surin, the group of islands off Phangnga’s Kuraburi just south of Ranong. It was like I travelled 30 years back in time before mass tourism invaded. Thanks to Mu Ko Surin’s status as a marine national park, much of the natural environment on the islands are still in decent condition. But with very few tourists, Pila is virtually undisturbed. From the beach where the exclusive resort is located, I looked out to the sea, and all the way to the horizon, except for the resort’s own vessels, I saw no other boat. For Thai islands sharing the Andaman Sea, this is a rare sight.
At the resort, I met a guide who spoke fluent Thai, a Thai spa manager and four Thai guests from Ranong. For my new Ranong friends, holidaying in the Mergui Archipelago is easy. For a Bangkokian like me, it’s not much different. I just needed to add a short flight from the capital.
Crossing the border from Ranong to Kawthaung is a lot simpler than it seems. After a quick initial check of your travel document at the immigration booth located right at the Saphan Pla pier, you can take one of these long-tail boats to the checkpoint near the open sea and on to Myanmar’s southernmost town. On the way, your boat will pass Koh Sarani, an islet with a golden statue of Guanyin Chinese deity. It serves as a military checkpoint.
Myanmar’s Mergui Archipelago has been open to visitors for quite a while. However, with strict tourism control most of the islands are still in pristine condition. Merely a few have accommodation for tourists, and on each of those islands, there is only one operator that won the concession to run the service. The beach in the main picture is on Pila Island, where Awei Pila Resort is located. The property’s luxury tented villas blend in so well with the vegetation lining the beach you can hardly spot them until you get onshore. Underwater, the situation may or may not be as ideal. I went snorkelling at a site off another island about 45-minutes’ boat ride from the property. The water was greenish and not so clear that day. The other four guests joining the diving trip told me they found the corals around Myanmar islands further south and closer to Thailandwere more lively and fun to explore.
On the beaches of Pila Island, you’ll find more hermit crabs thanhumans.
Situated at the southern tip of Myanmar, the border town of Kawthaung is home to friendly people of diverse ethnicities and cultures, from Bamar, Mon and Thai to Malay and Indian, among others. Quite a few of the locals can communicate in Thai; some have crossed to Ranong many times. Roaming the town’s streets and market, and visiting some places of worship, can make a worthwhile experience.
On Pila Island, there are two communities of Moken, the gypsies of the Andaman
Sea. Like in Thailand, most of the Moken here no longer lead a nomadic life. They have settled on land. However, fishing continues to be a major part of their livelihood. So are their traditional dugouts, called kabang. From Awei Pila
Resort, I joined a trekking trip to these villages on the other side of the island. These seafarers now keep a lot of dogs. But that, of course, is not the only change that is happening in the communities. Gambling and alcohol consumption should be curbed before it’s too late.
On remote islands, which are available in the hundreds in the Mergui Archipelago, trees and plants flourish undisturbed. In Thailand, beach forests, such as that shown in the horizontal photo, survive only in marine national parks.
Despite its isolated location, Pila Island not only has a school for Moken children but also a Buddhist temple with a shiny hilltop pagoda that serves as a stark reminder that this is Myanmar. Other signs of culture from the mainland were also present. Changes are inevitable. Some may see them as beneficial and necessary, others, especially outsiders, may disapprove.
Trying local food is a kind of adventure. In Kawthaung, I dropped by a few shops and stalls. As far as food is concerned, this restaurant where I had rice topped with two dishes (pretty much like the Thai khao gaengstyle shops) was my favourite. The place was located in a lane off the main road marked on Google Maps as Penguin. By the way, my lunch there as seen in the photo plus a litre bottle of water cost me only 30 baht.