From a boat cruise to a vegetarian festival and shopping, Hatyai, Songkhla and Phatthalung offer Teh Athira Yusof an eventful three-day trip
NOTICE how whenever someone wants a break from their busy lives, the destination will be either the beach or the standard touristy vacation with a packed schedule to visit all the attractions?
Often times, travelling or just taking a short break can put a hole in your wallet. But if you are adventurous and are up for a holiday at an affordable price, the newly introduced bus ride to Thailand by Resorts World Genting is just for you.
So, here I am in a front seat on a 30-seater bus bound for Hatyai that took off from Resorts World Genting, Genting Highlands in Pahang. The seven-hour journey is RM85 one way per person. But the comfortable seat is conducive enough to let me rest during the journey.
The bus ride from Genting Highlands to Hatyai marks the beginning of an adventurous 3D2N media familiarisation trip with Resorts World Genting to Southern Thailand to visit Hatyai, Songkhla and Phatthalung. Thankfully our bus arrives at the border early, so we manage to avoid the long queue which starts at 8am. All passengers must disembark from the bus and go through customs to have their passports checked at the Sadao Customs, Immigration and Quarantine office.
From the border, it takes two hours to arrive in Hatyai. We check in at Lee Gardens Hotel in the centre of Hatyai.
Hotel guests can take a walk to the district night food market, which includes halal stalls and 24-hour shops offering local delicacies.
Apart from enjoying the local food, the group is taken on a tour to Hatyai Municipal Park, one of the must-visit places in the city. Attractions in the park include the Three Headed Elephant statue which can be reached by riding a cable car from the Golden Buddha statue.
ADVENTURES IN SONGKHLA
Songkhla, with its population of 75,000, is 968km south from Bangkok and closest to the Malaysians border after Hatyai. It is a fishing town, as well as an important jetty. Songkhla Lake connects to the Gulf of Thailand.
Songkhla is known for its Golden Mermaid Statue in Samila Beach, which is among the first attractions that tourists will visit to snap pictures. Despite a bombing incident in December 2018 at the beach which caused damage to the statue, tourists are still flocking to the area.
However, for the more adventurous, there is Tang Kuan Hill. Visitors can either ride the cable lift or climb the steep stairs. Also known as Monkey Hill, monkeys at the foothill or the entrance to the Tang Kuan lift station greet visitors. There is a lovely view of the town and Songkhla lake from the summit.
Another new experience in Songkhla is the boat cruise. The cruise was reintroduced as an attraction since the boats were retired from their fishing days in Indonesia. We go on a cruise touring the Songkhla area and dine on Southern Thai dishes such as fish soup and fried rice. During dinner, guests can entertain themselves with the karaoke entertainment set.
If you are lucky, dolphins will come up the boat to greet you. We, however, manage to see only a glimpse of them.
Worry not if you can’t find the dolphins, you can still witness the lovely sunset and fireflies around the boat. Overnight packages are available for those who love to try the fishing experience on the boat.
Songkhla is connected to Phatthalung, our next destination, by Ekachai Bridge, dubbed the longest bridge in Thailand.
Spanning 6.5km, the bridge also known as Chalerm Phra Kiat Bridge has its roads and sides painted in multi colours, making it one of its prominent features.
Along the one-hour drive from Hatyai to Phatthalung, there are scenic views of Songkhla Lake with water buffalos lazing at the edge of the water. Fishermen are also seen casting their nets at the shallow side of the lake.
As the bridge is also an attraction itself, some tourists will want to stop and take pictures of this delightful feature. However, be mindful of the busy traffic.
SHOP AND DINE IN PHATTHALUNG
Dubbed the agricultural region and the second landlocked area in the country, Phatthalung offers nature-seekers its natural landscape. Some 1.6 million tourists are reported to have visited the province last year, including visitors from Malaysia and Singapore.
So it is no surprise that we spend more than the allocated time shopping at stalls selling beras wangi (jasmine rice), salted catfish and woven handicrafts made by the locals. The salted catfish can be fried for sampling for potential buyers.
The items are perfect as souvenirs and the woven handbags are priced from 100 baht (RM14) per bag, which is also the price for three packs of one kilogramme of jasmine rice. You can also look for home decor such as woven baskets, small pestle and mortar made of wood, and little toy trinkets.
There is no need for bargaining as the products are cheap. I get a huge discount at a stall owned by a sweet old lady for buying a lot of souvenirs.
After the shopping spree, a stop at Restaurant@Phatthalung is a must as it is above a lake of water lilies.
The spectacular dishes include Thai tom yum, seafood such as fried shrimp with fried lotus and fresh coconut water served in a bowl made from palm leaves.
Take a picture or two at the lake with its strategically placed bamboo bridge and swing.
LOCAL FESTIVITIES
For the last 20 years, the Hatyai Vegetarian Festival has been held annually in the ninth lunar month of the Chinese Calendar.
This year, it is being celebrated at Supasarn Rangsan Park, with a procession by the locals who decorate their cars with effigies of deities to mark the festival.
Those who practise the faith do not consume meat for 10 days, to cleanse themselves spiritually. For those observing the diet, it is believed they will receive good fortune.
Followers of the faith are not only from Thailand but also neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.
Locals compete to put up the best procession display, with the winners leading the procession around central Hatyai, the highlight of the celebration. We participate in the celebration with Hatyai’s top officials leading the procession.
It is an enthralling experience for some of the devotees who get into a trance-like state. Devotees who complete the procession and get blessed.
After each blessing, firecrackers are lit and the devotees, who carry the statues of deities, dance. The procession lasts an hour but the celebration goes on into the night.
During the festival, the public have the pick of 100 stalls offering vegetarian food from fried noodles to desserts and drinks such as boba milk tea.
I eat fried noodles, fried tofu, pan-seared Eryngii mushrooms and sticky rice cooked in bamboo (15 baht each) like lemang) that tastes a tad sweeter.
Pictures by Yazit Razali
How to get there
RESORTS World Genting offers a variety of packages to Hatyai from RM238 per person, with accommodation, return bus service as well as travel insurance.
There are daily busses and four travel packages available from Resorts World Genting in collaboration with the Thai Tourism authorities.
Customised packages are also available for those who want personalised adventures suited to their budget.
For details on tours offered, visit the Resorts World Tours Facebook page.
At the customs, be prepared to queue as tour bus groups tend to arrive earlier than other vehicles into the country. Passengers need to bring along their luggage as well at the border, before leaving the country, for security purposes.
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