SIMPLY (t)RAVELLING

Songkhla & Khlong Hae Floating Market

 

25 Nov 2011.

We woke up to a beautiful morning on the second day, as the early morning sun burst its golden rays through heavy clouds, illuminating the sleepy town down below. I was hypnotized for a while until the clouds meekly disappeared, leaving us a sunny skies and a bright new day for another outing.

  

Morning sun rays over Hatyai.

 

We had our simple breakfast at Maliam Restaurant (it is actually Maream Restaurant) at the intersection of Thamanoonvithee Road and Niphat Uthit 2 Road (nearby Yong Dee Market). I really missed the laksa we had in Aonang but to my dismay I couldn’t find any in Hatyai, although the distance between the two towns is within a half day drive. Alternately I chose noodle soup and cha-ron (hot tea) while DH settled himself over egg prata and cha-yen (iced milk tea).

 

There are actually a few, cheap and halal eateries around Hatyai, other than the well-known and pricey Hamid and Salma Restaurants next to Lee Garden Plaza. For instance there is one Rocky Muslim restaurant near to Sakol Hotel in Che Uthit Road and another two along Niphat Uthit 1 Road (opposite to Kings Hotel). You could also rely on the scattered food stalls mind by muslim ladies in front of Lee Garden Plaza, but they usually only starts operating late in the afternoon.

 

Breakfast done and we were about to leave Maliam, when suddenly a guy on bike stopped abruptly in front of us offering some newspapers, hot off the press. He’s a newspaper seller doing his round for potential customers, and we were surprised to be offered familiar tabloids such as Harian Metro, Berita Harian and Utusan in a foreign country. Except for the triple in the price, I really felt like I never leave my country at all.

 

From Maliam, we walked to the Honda showroom next to Kim Yong Market in order to take a van to Songkhla. Located roughly about 25km from Hatyai, the trip took us about an hour, plus a few stopping. The fare was about 27Bhat per person, and in the middle of the journey the driver will hand over a basket for passengers to put in their money, and will be passed around from one passenger to another. A big guy with ruffled hair who sat next to me patiently hold the basket while I was looking for small change. Seeing my trouble, he even help with the balance. Talking about trust and honesty!

 

The van dropped us right in front of Samila Beach, where Songkhla’s iconic landmark is located. Songkhla was actually part of Langkasuka, an ancient malay kingdom.

 

The golden mermaid statue, the symbol of Songkhla. Late November, and the monsoon has just started. Note the strong waves and the murky sea behind. While taking the photo, the gusty wind almost blew me off balance. Thank god we arrived at the right moment to snap some photos, just mere minutes after we left; the statue was swarmed with tourists. Like most of  mermaid statues across the globe, it  is associated with some old folk tales which I would not going to narrate here.

 

I saw an empty bottle being washed ashore. Wonder what’s the content. A lost love message drifted away from far away land, or a trapped and angry spirits?

 

The rough, Andaman sea. We noted a few fishing boats anchored behind the nearby Cat and Rat islands, took cover from the turbulant waves and the incoming storm.

 

 Remnants from the outrages sea.

 

A man standing on the verge of the platform, facing the rough sea. No suicidal thought, I hope.

 

There were a lot of pigeons flocking the beach, but this one seemed to be out of the herd.

 

Monsoon, and the beach was less occupied that usual. Needless to say, the stillness was my preference.

 

We walked to the other end of the beach and arrived at the cat and rat statue while the namesake islands silhouetted at the back.

 

A further walk passed some street peddlers selling some toys and key chains, we arrived at a row of eateries fronting the sea. We were glad to see the familiar arabic inscriptions on some of the outlets, considering that it was already late afternoon.

 

Our lip-smacking lunch of seafood. The taste and price was even better from the one we had at Hamid the day before.

 

A proverb says “a full stomach makes a happy heart”, or is it a sleepy eyes?

 

Lunch over and a short nap, we made a move back to Hatyai. Upon asking for the public transport ,  the restaurant operator informed that we have to take tuk tuk to get to the van station in front of Woranari Cholem school. It was difficult for me to grab the Thai word with the strong accent and such, so she wrote it on a piece of paper for me to be shown to the tuk tuk driver. The ride costs us 20Bhat each, and we later found out that it was actually not that far; the beach and the van station. But again, walking under the unsympathetic sun with a full stomach was not a likely option either.

 

The van station in front of Woranari Cholem school at Thanon Laksua street.

 

Later in the afternoon.

A short rest after returning from Songkhla we went out again to the floating market. Stepping outside the hotel we were approached by a tuk tuk driver offering us a return trip to the floating market at 500bhat. After some negotiating, he agreed to take us there at 400bhat, but as soon as we were about to hop into his tuk tuk, another tuk tuk driver came to us angrily and forced us to use his service instead. The drama went on for several minutes and we were so frustrated with his rudeness and harsh words, while the tuk tuk driver (of which approached us the first) was in mute silence. We detest conflicts and confrantations, so we refused both of them and walked away.

Not long before we set off, a guy in dark shirt call us from behind. He introduced himself as Saman, and asked us whether we want to use his service instead. Eventually he was sitting not far away from the scene and saw all the fuss (wonder if the whole town witnessed that!). He said that it was a good thing that we left, otherwise undoubtedly it would turn out into a fight. There are gangs of tuk tuks in Hatyai, and they are fighting over territory and customers. Saman turned out to be a malay man from Pattani, and he drove us to the floating market with his black Avanza at the same price offered by the tuk tuk. He can even converse in Malay in thick Kelantanese dialect. Our bad encouter was not that bad after all, it was a blessing in disguise!

 

The path to the Khlong Hae floating market, with stalls offering some cheap fun fair games lining up the road. A land blessed with a lot of rivers and canals, floating market is becoming Thai’s iconic tourist spot and a booming business. Apart from the famous Damnoen Saduak and Ampawa floating market in Bangkok and one in Pattaya, Talat Nam Khloeng Hae is synonym with Hatyai and a favourite hangout spot among locals and tourist alike. Located somewhere on the town outskirts, the only way to access the place is either by using travel agent, rented car or charter a tuk tuk. The fare was not that cheap either as they will charge you for the return trip plus some waiting.

 

Stalls at Khlong Hae floating market, selling mostly typical items as seen at Hatyai town. Due to unpredictable weather, there were less people at the market making our trip easier, but regretably it was the same with most of the vendors.

 

I had been to other parts of Thailand, but this was my first time spotting the very-much-talk-about exotic dishes. Try looking for it at Khlong Hae if you really have appetite for some inexpensive, protein diets of crispy critters or gooey larva.

 

Bouquets of Pandanus flower. I remembered applying the same art technique with ribbons to decorate my cousin wedding gifts some times ago.

 

A walk further up the path we arrived at the floating market. The vendors here are mostly muslim ladies selling cheap, local delicacies from the small boats or sampan. A great place to experience the colorful scenary and treat oneself to a variety local chows, selling cheap at 20Bhat each. A foodie’s haven!

 

A lady selling fresh, roasted seafood on skewers in combination with fiery hot bird-eye chili sauce, which keep me coming for more!

 

Or for the sweet tooth, you could try the cute fruity-like jelly sold by this ‘mak cik’. 

 

Fried glass noodles in banana leaf bowl. Most of the foods here are served using natural products such as the banana leaf, coconut shells, bamboo tubes and clay pots. A go with saving the earth concept!

 

 A guy selling drinks in a cartoon character clay cups. A great souvenir for my little combats back home!

 

End of Day2.