Saturday, December 22, 2007

Thailand - Hat Yai & Songkhla (Samila Beach)



Date : 12th to 16th April 1993.
First time on an aeroplane.
I was very nervous but I managed to eat the food on plane.
Mostly importantly, we landed safely.
Travelling together with my uncle, his wife and one aunt.
The food was good, the locals are also quite friendly.
Not many could speak English (In 1993).
But some could speak Hokkien dialect.
When buying on streets, it is a must to slash prices.
Bird nests deserts priced reasonably.
My favourite would be the road side stall chicken wings.
Fried Chicken Wings… yummy Yummy…
Thailand cotton candy floss is also one of my favourites even till now.





We had alot of fun at the water splashing festival too.
It's held annually in April.
So if you go to Thailand during this time, do check it out.
Trust me, please remember to leave your electronic stuffs in the hotel.
You'll definetly be soaking wet from head to toes.
Some also used baby poweder to wipe all over your face & turn you into "Instant Geisha."
One open backed lorry even drove in with huge bins containing ICE COLD water !!!
When they start to splash, everyone was screaming & running.
They were so high up in the lorry, we were unable to splash water at them.
Smart, right?
But the locals are smart too. They started to climb up the lorry.
Results...everyone got WET & Happy. No one was miss out.



We purchase some firecrackers at the temple.
The sound was very loud.
I thought I was going to be deaf.
But it's worth trying.
We are not allowed to play with fire crackers in Singapore.





Usually, when we donatation in a Temple.
We will strike the bell once.
I don't know the reason why. Anyone knows ?
That's my aunt stiking the Temple Bells. Gong.....Gong......





The famous temple beside the railway station.
I like this temple very much.
It's very big and just outside the temple there are many hawkers selling Thai coconut, Drinks & Fruits.
I love the coconut. It's very sweet and the juice is cooling.
Now Thai coconut is also common in Singapore. We can buy it at supermarkets or funfairs.



Okay, there is one temple I've visited and left me a great impression.
Maybe it's because it was built in caves.
Climbing up was no easy task too.
The above photo show a statue over looking the hills.
My only lead is that this temple in built high up on a hill.
There is a lot of buddha statues in the caves.
If anyone knows the name of this temple, please let me know. Thank You.



Lots of monkeys at the foot of the Temple hills. I like Monkeys.
We were able to purchase bananas from the locals to feed those Monkeys.

Songkhla - Samila Beach
Another worth mentioning is the sightseeing trip to Songkhla beach.
Samila Beach with their major landmark of the Golden Mermaid statue.
It became a prominent symbol of Songkhla.
When I was there, the mermaid wasn't golden.
It had mostly turned dark in colour.
Probably due to the sea exposure and tourist touching it.
I remember eating very good seafood at Songkhla beach too.
If you are in Hat Yai, you might want to consider visiting this place.



About Hat Yai, Thailand
Hat Yai is the Biggest city of the Songkhla Province.
On 24 April 1977, area of Hat Yai was enlarged to 21km square.
Hat Yai was declared as a city in 1995.
Climate / Temperature : 25 - 32 dc
Time Zone : GMT/UTC + 07:00 hour
Currency : Thai baht
Country Telephone code / Area Code : 66-74
Electricity : 220-240V, 50 Hz. 220 volts, 50Hz. UK-style three-pin plugs are used.
Population: 313,955 (March 2007)
Ethnic Groups : Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%.
Languages : Thai, English

About Songkhla - Samila Beach, Thailand
Songkhla and Hat Yai is approx. 30km apart.
From Bangkok, Songkhla is 950km away.
Occupy an area of 7,393 square kilometers
Songkhla is divided into 16 districts : Muang, Hat Yai, Chana, Ranode, Bangklam, Namom, Khlong Hoykhong, Nathawee, Thepha, Sabayoi, Sadao, Rattaphoom, Singha Nakhon, Khuanniang, Rattaphum, and Krasaesin.
Climate / Temperature : 25 - 32 dc
Time Zone : GMT/UTC + 07:00 hour
Currency : Thai baht
Country Telephone code / Area Code :
Electricity : 220-240V, 50 Hz. 220 volts, 50Hz. UK-style three-pin plugs are used.
Population: Whole province is 1,159,672
Ethnic Groups : Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%
Languages : Thai, English

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