|
|
 |
Southern Thailand
From Trang on
the Andaman Coast, down to the Malaysian border, then back up to
Songkhla on the Gulf of Thailand. As there is so much coastline
(with some of the finest / most pristine islands in Thailand), the
opportunity to alternate between one coast and another depending
on weather / season (they vary from one to the other), and with
so much cultural heritage. It is surprising that the deep south
is not packed with tourists.
The predominance
of seafood, plus Chinese and Malay descendants, has created some
of the very, very best cuisine in Asia. From yellow curries, to
bar-b-q'd shellfish, to and Muslim roti to shark fin soup. If food
is a motivator, you dare not miss this opportunity.
There are some
areas of lessor attraction. As the south is a wealthy business area,
plus a border region with Malaysia. Some places are far too commercial
or too sordid (cross border sex trade) to be of interest to most
tourists. But most is so very good!
Thai web site owners, have you checked out our Featured
Sites Page?
"Siamfiles" - Don't be shy to suggest extra text, links
or other information.
|
|
|
|
Hat
Yai
Is the commercial capital
of Southern Thailand. With a very large number of Chinese descendants,
Hat Yai has some very good shopping opportunities, especially gold from
the large number of gold shops (you buy jewelry by weight). But it really
is not of much interest rather than that. More
info here.
Trang
(Click left for more information)
The "City of Waves", has many rubber plantations, caves,
waterfalls and original tropical forestry. But very few tourists. It often
wins "The Cleanest City in Thailand" award, and has the best
surfing waves throughout the entire kingdom. Long, "Robinson Crusoe
style", white sandy beaches, with limestone outcrops / islands in
crystal clear waters. Make this one of the most worthy destinations in
Thailand. Of the offshore islands, Koh Hai has the best rooms and views.
On Libong Island, you can find the Libong
Beach Resort.
Satun
(Click left for more information)
Borders Malaysia and therefore explains why over 60% of the population
speak Malay, not Thai. Although the town is not of much interest, just
offshore are the most beautiful and easily accessible islands in Thailand;
Koh Tarutao & Koh Phetra National Marine Parks. However, only basic
accommodation is available on the islands that are allowed operate "hotels".
So a hotel in Satun itself may not be such a bad idea. Thaleh Ban National
Park, about 20km out of Satun, has pristine sections of "white"
rain-forest
Yala
(Click left for more information)
This town competes with Trang for the Cleanest City award. It has
many wide boulevards and central parks, giving it a much more spacious,
pleasant feel to many cities. Again, it has many Chinese and Malay descendants
for its population, so it is culturally unlike the main tourist destinations
further north. Every year, it has two major / very large festivals during
the first weekend of March, and the last 6 days of June.
Narathiwat
(Click left for more information)
A small town with many old wooden buildings, with the nearby Taksin
Palace (open to the public except from August to October for 2 months,
when the royal family are in residence). Narathiwat has some exceptional
beaches / coastline, all the way down to the Malaysian border. Many of
these beaches have wonderful seafood restaurants. The coast also provides
probably the best windsurfing in Thailand, and picture postcard images
with its large painted fishing boats. There is an annual fair during the
3rd week of September. Sungai Kolok, is the main border crossing
town / point with Malaysia with a huge number of brothels accommodation
visiting Malay gentlemen.
Pattani
A predominantly Malay, quite forbidding town with much Portuguese architecture
still obvious. It is the home of the second most important mosque in Thailand.
Its nearby beaches are some of the prettiest in Thailand, with long white
sandy stretches. Although, women swimming without t-shirts will normally
attract much attention. And the beach at Laem Tachi, the one closest to
the town, can suffer from pollution problems.
Songkhla
Is renowned for its superb seafood and, these days, oil workers and
expat community. The beaches are casurina lined for the most part, but
nowhere near as good as Samui or further south. It also has one of the
best, most beautiful national museums in Thailand. Plus ready access to
the Khukhut Waterbird Sanctuary.
Nakhon Si Thammarat
An enchanting town, often left out because of its proximity to Koh
Samui. It also the main Thai religious and festival center for the south.
Of the temples, Wat Mahathat is easily the most important in the entire
south. It has a very relaxed atmosphere plus fine local cuisine and handicrafts
(especially nieloware and basketware) to its name.
All pictures shown
here are copyright of travelforum.org. Non profit sites may use these
for their own sites without charge providing they e-mail us first here.
Any site copying these pictures without permission agrees to pay royalties
to the value of US$1000 per photo per day! All opinions stated here are
the opinions only of travelforum.org and, although made in good faith,
should not be relied upon without proper prior verification (don't sue
us if our advise makes your trip go "pear-shaped"!).
Copyright © Travel Forums
.Org
"Real information & forum help for Southern Thailand"
Southern Thailand, Top
