Hat YaiCommercial Capital of Southern Thailand
The southern commercial capital of Hat Yai may not have won any major prizes for its daylight beauty, but it is indeed winning greater appraisal for its nightlife activities. This was once a booming rubber and tin town but is rapidly becoming over-shadowed by its sensuous soap-sud scene. For those of you not familiar with these soap-sud scenarios, they are mostly associated with massage palours and brothels. It's best to ask Charlie Sheen to fill you in with all the finer details. It may not be the place one would assume is frequented by the usual American, British, German, Australian and other habitual tourists of which there are far to many to mention here. No, this town is mainly reserved for sybaritic Malaysians. Whilst the nightclubs, massage palours and brothels are weightier magnets for single men and perhaps a few married ones too, (my lips are sealed) women and families come for the wide range of shops and reasonably priced restaurants. Before I continue with whats happening in town during the day, I just thought to inform you (men only) that there are some
massage palours
in town advertising ancient massage. Now you might ask yourself is this for the older generation or is this some sort of trick question. I never got to find out myself but what I will tell you is that it's no quick rubdown routine. It's perfectly okay for women to go too
Tin Seller at Kim Yong Market
Things to do around Hat YaiYou may ask yourself what is there really to do in Hat Yai other than to engage in the wayward nightlife scene. After all there's little else in the way of cultural attractions and you are not here because of your love of nature either. The only time worth visiting Ton Nga Chang Waterfall which is 24 kilomtres or 15 miles west of the town, is during the cool season between November and January.The only real attraction here is at Wat Hat Yai Nai. This temple can be found in the middle of town and houses the third largest reclining Buddha image in the world. It measures a total of 35 metres (115 feet) long and 15 metres (49 feet) high. You will be allowed to step inside the image via a small shrine. You will also find herbal saunas and traditional
Thai massage
on offer in the temple grounds.
A Quintessential Street in Town
photo courtesy of www.pictures-thailand.com
What to do and Where to goDuring the daylight hours there is much to do. These can easily be broken down into two but very fundamental formats. One I should imagine, can be attributed to indulgence which in simple terms, means shopping and the other hypothesisis associated with consumption which in simple terms means, the art of eating. You just have to pop on down to Kim Yong Market in town where you will find Thai street vendors selling a wide range of merchandise. It is an absolute rush. The market has a vibrant atmosphere, lots of friendly locals and an air filled with some of the strangest smells. It varies from tin pots and pans to shark fin soup. Speaking of sharks, for those of you who are more than willing to be adventurous when it comes to gastronomic inquisitiveness, you might want to pop into one of the shark fin restaurants. Customers can come from as far as Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok to savour these delicacies. Other specialties on offer include fried pigeon and smoked duck. If this is not quite your cup of tea, there are several open-air seafood restaurants you can try, many of which are accompanied by live music.
Fresh Ducks at Kim Yong Market
The Locals and their LanguagesJust as a matter of interest when strolling around the markets, but especially the cosmopolitan downtown area of Hat Yai, you may or may not be amazed to hear a number of different languages spoken other than the southern Thai dialect. English, Malay, as well as Yawi, (a Malay dialect) Mandarin Chinese, and Hokkien, (a dialect of Min Nan Chinese) are also spoken. Due to its proximity to Malaysia, this part of Thailand has a vast majority of Muslim inhabitants.Strolling around the Market
Thai Style BullfightingIf you happen to be in Hat Yai over a weekend at the end of the month, there is a very good chance that you could go to one of the bullfighting events that take place in one or other arena around the city. Unlike the Spanish-style corrida with matadors and picadors, this is strictly Thai-Style Bullfighting whereby bulls are pitted against each other. The winner in this case being the animal who manages to force his opponent to retreat to the outer edges of the ring but in some cases a particular bull may simply win when the other turns and takes fright and flees. You may even find the furious betting as much of a spectacle as the fight itself.
Chefs at a Shark Fin Restaurant
Getting ThereShould you be coming from Bangkok and have plenty of time to spare, you might decide to drive but better than that, you can just as easily fly here with one of the local carriers. Should you be coming from Malaysia, it's a whole lot better and more comfortable due to the strategic rail and road links between both countries.There is a railway link that runs northeast from Malaysia then crosses the border into southern Thailand. You could travel either from the town of Alor Setar near the coast or from Butterworth, the connecting port for Penang Island. A second rail link heads in a north westerly direction from the border town of Sungai Kolok. This route takes you to the town of Yala and from there, all the way to Hat Yai.
Fresh Vegetables at Kim Yong Market
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