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Hatyai
for Fun
Wedged
1289 km Southwest of Bangkok, Hat Yai- -the southern gateway to
Thailand- -was hardly in existence 80 years ago. Then it grew
into a tiny embryo of a village and thenceforth to a dainty town
when a railway line was built from Bangkok to Ma laysia during
the reign of King Rama VI (1911-1925). Armed with its proximity
to Malaysia, Hat Yai exerted a force which attracted a strong
Chinese settlement into its embrace. And its street life became
colored with the broad strokes of Islam when Musl ims in the
northern Malayan Peninsula crossed the border to make their
homes there. Unlike other Thai cities which were developed
predominantly with farangs (Caucasian foreigners) uppermost in
mind- -as evidenced by the bars and pubs reeling on their sid
ewalks- -and the proliferating three S's (Sun, Sea and Surf) on
their shorelines. Hat Yai offers none of these; quite an oddity
when one stops to reflect on the fact that 'Hat Yai' in Thai
Means 'large beach'.
But
notwithstanding its apparent shortcomings, Hat Yai has evolved
through the years to a brash, brassy city and has won the
sobriquet of 'The Little Paris of the East'. Indeed, it has
flourished rapidly in the last two decades to become a bliste
ring, buoyant, boom-town. Malaysians and Singaporeans who cannot
scrape the expense of an air-fare can easily trundle up to Hat
Yai by air-conditioned coach or train.
Hat
yai owes much of its charm and attraction to its vibrant,
vivacious nightlife which revolves around the nightclubs, bars,
pubs, discotheques, karaoke lounges, shopping malls and cinemas.
It is redolent with the scintilla of a city that revels in its
own fervid blaze of frenetic activity. A favourite haunt for
tourists is the laser-lite Tiffany Show where male transvestites
clad themselves in glittering, shimmering costumes to flaunt
their feminine endowments as they strut about the stage. A ll
the while belting out the latest hits of the day- -spiced with
humour that is at once risque, raunchy and ribald.
On
the bustling streets, large alfresco restaurants dish out superb
seafood to the syncopated beat of raucous live music and the
lilting charms of the songbirds. On the silver-platter of
culinary pleasures are the perennial favourites: shark's fi n
soup, birds' nest, fish maw, poached duck, fried pigeon,
barbecued squid, and deep-fried prawns. on the humming side-walks,
Thai fruits (durians, lychees, longans, mangoes, rambutan),
cashew nuts, crisp fish and shrimp crackers and other culinary
delic acies in all manner of shapes, smells, and cuts bedeck the
roadside stalls. Attracting those who can resist anything except
temptation to cast weight-watching to the winds.
For
shoppers in hunt of a voyage of discovery Hat Yai is a paradise
with its multifarious goods and down-to-earth prices. Designer-labels
festoon the makeshift stalls, all going for a song. Thai silk,
handicrafts, jewelry, ready-made leisure-wea r and sportswear,
wallets, leather bags and briefcases are some of the good buys
always on offer. On the three parallel roads of Niphat Uthit 1,
Niphat Uthit 2, and Niphat Uthit 3, there is a plethora of goods
to suit variegated tastes and varying budget s. Those who wish
to venture further afield may take a jiggling ride to Plaza
Market. But hither or thither, in Hat Yai you can shop till you
drop, burning off all your energy in a buying spree without
burning a hole in your pocket.
Clamber
up on a tuk-tuk (open-back jeep) for a city tour which also
includes a visit to the Wat Hat Yai Nai, renowned for its 35 m
long, 15 m high and 10 m wide statue of the reclining Phra
Puttahat Mongkol Buddha, raked the fourth largest in the world.
Perched
30 km away from the heart of the city is the famous Nam Tok Ton
Nga Chang (/Elephant Tusk) Waterfall which cascades down a steep
cliff, rumbling and rustling from its towering majesty. The
third level of the seven-tiered waterfall is part icularly
serene and beautiful, and the view is well worth the effort of a
punishing climb. The water courses into Songkhla Lake where
legend has it that Luang Pho Thuat- -a highly venerated abbot in
South Thailand was once kidnapped by pirates while he w as
crossing the lake, and a violent storm had set them adrift
without food and water. But he dipped his foot in the lake and
transformed it into fresh water for drinking, where upon he was
freed by the grateful pirates.
Phra
Puttahat Mongkol Buddha
Few
people ever visit hat Yai without making a 30-minute trip to the
overshadowed Songkhla, the capital of South Thailand. Once a
medieval pirate stronghold, it is now a thriving fishing
community whose main draw is the lovely Samila Beach where a
chain of seafood restaurants serve fresh produce from the sea.
While waiting for the food to be dexterously conjured up in the
kitchen, sit back and relax in the colorful deck chairs laid out
alongside low tables and marvel at Ko Nu and Ko Maeo (Cat a nd
Mouse Islands). It is said that Songkhla is the only place in
the world where a mouse is bigger than a cat. An outstanding
feature here is the bronze statue of a mermaid, her beauty and
lustre dimmed and dulled by the briny elements of the sea, lordi
ng it majestically over the headland. The beach stretches for
three kilometers to Kao Seng, a small and quaint Muslim fishing
village where the distinctive Kolae fishing boats with their
hand-painted floral motifs exhibit riotous colo
A
new wave of Yuppie travellers have found a faddish interest in
seeking out the island resorts that are placidly perched beyond
the roar and raves of the city. And Hat Yai functions as a
spring board to Phuket and Ko Samui, because of its strate gic
location.
For
those who are seeking a respite from the hum of the metropolis,
hop over to the idyllic island of Ko Samui. Travel from Hat Yai
to Surat Thani by coach and take a 90 minute ferry ride to Ko
Samui, one of a cluster of 60 islands of which only four are
inhabited. Time stands still on this unspoilt palm-fringed
island. Alternatively, those in quest of sedate activity can
book a trip up to Krabi or Trang and be ferried over to Phuket,
the gleaming star of South Thailand's constellation of islan d
resorts.
Whichever
island you head for, whichever charms beckon you, on your way
back, have another shopping spree or gastronomic bonanza at Hat
Yai where a multitude of glittering attractions and gleaming
distractions are waiting to bedazzle you. |
