26 Nov 2011.

Third day in Hatyai, and again we were cherished with another beautiful morning. The flight back to KL was scheduled at noon, and with a window of a few hours we decided to venture the streets. We had our breakfast at Muslim Ocha, one of the muslim restaurant nearby (I later learned that Ocha means ‘delicious’ in Thai). DH was having his ordinary egg prata and I the fried noodles as I need a heavy breakfast to sustain the long walk. The restaurant was clean, and I ate my meal while enjoying an Indonesian song by Wali band played at the background (much to my surprise). After serving our breakfast, the owner fed his caged pigeons, a hobby which I noticed quite common across Hatyai.

 Beautiful sunrays amidst cloudy sky.

Brekky’s over, we continued walking along the streets and spotted a lady doing her morning prayer.

A walk further up and we arrived at our must visit spot – the wet market. This one is located at Saeng Arthit Road.

 The scene at the market. From their apparel, most of the traders here were muslim ladies.

Onions & spices.

Dried chilies.

Sunday, and a busy day.

 A happy trader with her prized goods.

Big catch, these fresh water prawns and fertile too. The eggs are orangy in color, and will change to grey when they ripen.

I was seating at a bench in front of the shoplot, while waiting for DH buying some stuff to be brought back home. The guy with the pineapple glanced towards me as I was about to take his photo. 

A  serious haggling on-going. Not sure what was the article of trade though.

Roselle fruit. Apart from its main usage as coloring agents, the fruit extracts (which are rich in vitamin C) are also used in cooking and being processed into healthy drinks, jem and preserves.

A lady selling some fruits and  tapioca at the market. She was segregating the bird eye chilies based on the sizes. Known as ‘Prik’ in thai, bird eye chili is the ultimate ingredient in most spicy hot Thai dishes. Now I know that everytime I order Nasi Padprik at a local Thai stall, it actually means ‘spicy fried rice’ (Nasi is a malay word for rice, and Pad means ‘stir fried’ in Thai).

Dried shrimps, DH favourite souvenir across South East Asia.  We had been collecting samples from Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand and more so to come, and the best so far goes to Vietnam.

 Salted fish in round bamboo baskets. The bended heads make it looks prehistoric.

 Eggs seller, doing some packaging. I was dumbfounded on  how she cooked the eggs and then cracked it up with exactly equal propotion, with the surface fully covered with yolks.

A boy with umbrella spotted at the wet market, playing alone while his mother manning the stall.

A lady doing some descaling, fully absorbed in her work.

The street actually led us back to the Kim Yong market, and when going inside for shade I saw this stall with huge squids on display. The size was almost the same with the lady’s arm!

Inside Kim Yong wet market.

Pork butcher. I noticed that the market did not segregate between halal and non-halal stuff, and muslim vendors were setting up tables not far from the stalls selling pork and lard. 

Muslim lady selling vegetables inside Kim Yong.

Last photo before leaving the market, a three-wheeler with a bouquet of flower.

We left the market and strolled the streets. Saw this sign and curious to where it leads, so we followed the direction.

The road ended up at a junction facing this old chug.

Behind the relic was the actual train station, with some opening at the barbed wired fencing. Saw a local passing through and we followed suit. Not sure if that’s considered breaking and entering; we totally had no intent on arriving.

A train from Bangkok, bound for Kuala Lumpur.

 Laundry day?

 Lotus flower, at the train station.

As we were about to leave the train station I accidentally slipped, and broke my sandal . It was raining the night before and the soil were all soggy and slippery, too much for a ten ringgit sandals to endure (now that’s a call for the all-terrain sandals – the brand that I’ve been eyeing is quite expensive to afford!). I’m such a sloppy traveller, and I spent most of my adventure in my toilet rubber slippers or some straps. Yeah I know its lousy, but at least it makes me comfortable. (Okay, okay.. I learned my lesson). Back to the story, the bad thing was, we’d been wandering too far from all the shops and markets and absolutely in a middle of a lonely street, so there was no hope for me.  DH tried to fix it with some stick but after a few steps it got out again, so with heavy heart I trod slowly behind him. 

We saw a shop at a distant, and walked towards it hoping that we could get a glue, or buying a new slippers. Turned out it was a plate number shop. A patron informed us that she will be driving up to Penang, and need to translate the Thai plate number into standard Romans. She saw my bare foot and the broken sandals, and pointed me a nearby booth. I followed her direction, and immediately jumped with relief. It so happen that I broke my sandals in the middle of cobbler town!

Cobbler, cobbler mend my shoe, get it done before half past two… cause I will be going back to KL, that’s why!

If you are in Hatyai and having any triffling problems bothering you, you should come under the bridge cause they have booths to fix almost anything. It’s the headquarters for locksmith, cobblers, tailors and barbers.

Express tailor and alterations.

After fixing my sandal we left the area and ended up back at the familiar Niphat Uthit 1 road. An old structure with matching colors caught my attention. It somehow reminds me of our own Lebuh Ampang.

Colorful strings tied to the grilled door. A charm preventing break-in, maybe?

Booth selling lottery tickets such as this one are common in Hatyai.

 Triple riders seen at one of the intersection. It takes two to tango, three to rock-and-roll!

In view of the recent event downtown Bangkok, some of the hotels here were already taking precaution against mother nature with sand bags and all, such as these colorful stacks.

Reflection of the red tuk tuk in the puddle of water. Tuk tuk in Hatyai and Krabi is more of  a convertible pickup truck, nothing like the the three-wheel motorbike taxi seen in Bangkok.

Street hawker. She didn’t look happy as the only person who came approach was only interested in taking her picture!

Palm reader, languidly waiting for customers. From his haggard looks and empty gaze it seemed that life is not that fortunate, even for the fortune teller himself!

I was quite attracted with the post box designs I spotted around town, from the simplest cardboard made and the rusty old-fashion up to the sophisticated metalic chrome.  

 Another self-made postcard consists of signboards and landmarks, a token of my short visit to Hatyai.

 The End.

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.

24 Nov 2011.

We arrived in Hatyai, Thailand via Airasia despite the massive flooding at Bangkok and recent bombing in neighbouring Golok.  I wasn’t sure why it was in my travel list at the first place, a trip perhaps aroused out of total curiousity. My first impression of the place when we landed was that it flocked with Malaysians (as if we are not. LOL!) especially the Chinese, doing the border crossing for some weekend gateaway for cheap shopping and cheap what-ever-else (if you know what I mean), and it didn’t really help on the fact that we were actually in another country. Even the signboards were written in Malay and Chinese, so as the Thai’s dialect uttered by the locals somehow sounds like Hokkien (or was it my imagination?).

While queuing for immigration (it was such a long queue!) I couldn’t help spotted the green notice board on the wall behind us. Hatyai is definitely not for alien in skimpy outfit!

As we were looking for cheap transport to the city center, we stumbled into a lone English dude who seemed lost like us, of which we quickly made acquitance. Josh (or what ever his name, sorry Josh for my short term memory) was going to Pakbara, and intent to take a bus from Hatyai. Together we passed the swarming taxi drivers at the airport exit and walked towards the end of the parking lot, which to our relief there was this blue tuk tuk waiting (it cost us 30bhat per person compared to the standard 500bhat taxi charges). 

The journey to the town center was smooth sailing, as we squeezed in with the locals in the sardine-packed tuk tuk. Before long we reached the town, and I was inspecting the landmarks trying to figure out where to get off. We were dispatched at the clock tower; and soon made our separate ways after a handshake and a goodbye - Josh headed off to the bus station for Pakbara and us wandering into the maze of Hatyai town.

I was so caught up with work after returning from our Hanoi trip, and didn’t have the chance of making any arrangement nor research before coming to Hatyai. My only source of information was from wiki, and one of the budget hotel recommended was this particular Pink Lady. The name struck me as a bit peculiar at first, however being in haste I didn’t pay much attention to it. So when we arrived in Hatyai, finding accomodation was on top of our list. Checking out from one budget hostel to another we ended up at Pink Lady doorstep, and from the striking pink neon sign up to the candid photos, we were sure the hotel was defnitely not for us (LOL!). I’ve to remind myself to do future travel planning, proper!

After we settled with our lodging (and a decent one, mind you), we walked to the nearby Hamid Restaurant in front of Lee Garden Plaza for a quick lunch. I was already giddy over the lack of carbo especially after the long walk, and once the food arrived we attacked it like Somalians. There’s nothing to shout about the taste, but paying for 400 bhat over two plates of plain fried rice and some egg beefsteak surely a highway robbery!

We set off for a tour around town after the meal, and the first place we visited was the Santisuk Market at Nipututhit 2 Road. Walking around Hatyai was like walking in my own small hometown back in Malaysia, with two storey shop houses of colonial architecture lining up the streets, side by side with the more modern, posh hotels and shopping complexes.

Inside the Santisuk Market. The business here concentrated more on digital and electronics items, ranging from the cheap-but-never-heard-off China merchandise up to explicit DVDs. I bought a travel iron from the lady in red, a Germany brand name but I doubt the originality.

From Santisuk we walked to Kim Yong, another market in Hatyai. Hatyai is all about shopping, thus expect to see a lot of markets, street peddlers, cash-and-carry, supermarkets, stalls, shops, shops and more shops. 

Like most of Hatyai five-foot ways, Kim Yong’s was also flooded with street vendors selling fruits, tidbits, chestnuts etc. Most of these vendors are muslim ladies, and some can even speak malays with Thai accent.

DH can’t resists the temptation for tidbits, although the price here was a bit expensive. The price for a pack of thin-layer cashew nuts and pistachio costs about 120bhat each. My mom said that when she visited Hatyai a few years back she could easily get three packs of the same thing at only 100bhat! Not sure if overflow in Bangkok played any role on the step up of the inflation rate in Hatyai.

Inside Kim Yong Market. More nuts and snacks.

Found nothing interesting, we left the monotonous market and walked to the side of the building and arrived at the more lively market.

Late afternoon, but the place was still a hive of activity.

Fruits and flowers are the market main commodities. Although you could spotted some food stalls (majority selling porks) in between.

 Flower seller, Hatyai Thailand.

Phuang Malai, a local translation for fresh flower garlands. The art of flower arrangement in Thailand was a trend started during the King Chulalongkorn dynasty, and the purpose differs on  event-type basis. If hung inside a house it just meant as aromathic air freshener, and alternately an offering if it is put around the buddha statues or praying altars. It could also be used as a farewell symbols for the dearly departed, in contrast of a welcoming symbol if it is offered to the guests. It could be a lucky charm to others in put in the vehicles, as the locals believe that it is able to prevent accidents. 

The day was getting late, so we walked back to our hotel in Saengchan Road bypasing these colorful rides.

Apart from shopping, Hatyai is also famous as food paradise. Fried seafood stuffs spotted at a stall somewhere at the intersection in front of Lee Garden Plaza, with the big prawns (I mean really big!) as its main attraction. A luxury bite at 200Bhat each!  Food is DH weakness, again he was tempted to try but due to the price thought the better of it. After all, prawns will all taste like prawns, big or small.

Street halal dimsum, in front Lee Garden Plaza.

Next to it was a Briyani stall. Unlike Malaysia typical gravylicious briyani, the rice here is complemented with deep fried chicken and Thai sweet sauce. Easy on our taste bud, and of course our pocket!

Night, at Hatyai Walking Street. A shoppers haven and a colorful one, if you fancy the t-shirts and souvenirs, from the typical key chains and fridge magnets up to samurai sword and sharp fist rings use for fightings. We ended our day with foot massage,  in one of the many parlours available in front Grand Mayflower Hotel. The price was 200Bhat per person. A bit expensive from the one we had in Bangkok, but still the cheapest in Hatyai.  

End of Day 1.