We follow the coast road which in the north-east and south-west diverges from the main ring road stopping off here and there along the way. Most of the coastal strip from Mae Nam, through Bo Phut and Big Buddha beaches and along the east coast through Chaweng and Lamai are heavily commercialised with bars, restaurants, shops (including the ubiquitous 7Eleven and even a couple of Tesco Lotus Locals) line either side of the main road and we don’t linger. Resorts and bungalow complexes crowd onto the beaches which are undeniably beautiful in spite of all the development. The south and south-west of the island is, in contrast, almost untouched, although even here signs of development is emerging.
We are singularly unsuccessful in finding anything remotely better than Moonhut. Either the beaches are too commercialised and built up or are almost deserted with nowhere to stay. There is also a dearth of budget beach-front accommodation that offers hot water. Even at Moonhut bungalows with hot water are two-and-an-half times more expensive than those without. We book another night while we contemplate our next move.
In the evening we go for a stroll along the main road through Mae Nam. The place is deserted with most of the bars and restaurants empty. Where is everyone? We conclude that they must all be in their beach resorts, but even a walk on the beach doesn’t deliver a happening scene as the wind buffets the empty beach bars.
Andy’s glasses have been falling apart ever since we left England; first he lost the screw from the arm and was walking around for months with them held together with electrical tape. Recently he lost one arm altogether and has been wearing them on the squiff ever since. Spotting an opticians we pop in to see if anything can be done to salvage them. They can’t be repaired but the three members of staff couldn’t be more helpful and set about hunting down a new pair of frames that will take Andy’s current lenses. Within twenty minutes we are walking out of the door with the old lenses cut to fit new frames all for 900 Baht (£18)! Now that just wouldn’t happen at home!