Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [616]
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TRAIN
There are four daily overnight trains to/from Bangkok, and the journey takes roughly 16 hours. Prices range from 399B for a 3rd-class seat to 1594B for a 1st-class sleeper. There are also daily trains to Sungai Kolok (43B to 284B), Butterworth (180B to 322B) and Padang Besar (57B to 272B).
There is an advance-booking office and left-luggage office at the train station; both are open 6am to 6pm daily.
Getting Around
An Airport Taxi Service (0 7423 8452) makes the run to/from the airport (80B, four daily, during daylight hours). A private taxi for this run costs about 300B.
Sŏrng·ta·ou run along Th Phetkasem and charge 5B per person. A túk-túk around town should cost you 10B per person, though drivers do like to try to charge foreigners 20B instead.
SONGKHLA & AROUND
pop 87,822
‘The great city on two seas’ lends itself perfectly to the click of a visitor’s camera; however, slow-paced Songkhla doesn’t see much in the way of tourist traffic. Although the town hasn’t experienced any of the Muslim separatist violence plaguing the provinces further south, it’s still catching the same bad press. This is a darn shame, since it’s the last safe city where travellers can experience the unique flavour of Thailand’s predominately Muslim Deep South. The population is a mix of Thais, Chinese and Malays, and the local architecture and cuisine reflect this fusion at every turn.
Big-name international petroleum companies and their exploration interests offshore bring an influx of multinational (particularly British and Canadian) oil-company employees to the region. The result is a strong Western presence in Songkhla that has helped create a relatively open-minded and prosperous town.
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Orientation
The city has a split personality, with the charming older section west of Th Ramwithi towards the waterfront, and a modern mix of business and suburbia to the east. If you enter town from the north, or leave town heading north, you’ll pass through Ko Yo and cross the Tinsulanonda Bridges – the longest concrete bridges in Thailand.
Information
Banks can be found all over town.
Immigration office (0 7431 3480; Th Laeng Phra Ram; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri) Visa extensions can be filed here.
Malaysian consulate (0 7431 1062; 4 Th Sukhum)
Police station (0 7431 2133)
Post office (Th Wichianchom) Opposite the market; international calls can be made upstairs.
Sights
CITY CENTRE
Songkhla’s top site is the excellent national museum (0 7431 1728; Th Wichianchom; admission 150B; 9am-4pm Wed-Sun, closed public holidays), which was constructed in 1878 in a Thai-Chinese architectural style that’s as delightful as the art inside. Design highlights include curved rooflines and thick walls. The grounds are quiet and shady with a tranquil garden at the front – the perfect place to sit under a tree and write in your journal. Inside there are exhibits from all national art-style periods. The most intriguing is on Srivijaya, a 7th- to 9th-century Shivalingam found in Pattani.
If museums aren’t your style, head to the beach. The residents have begun taking better care of the strip of white sand along Hat Samila, and it is now quite pleasant for strolling or flying a kite (a local obsession). A bronze Mermaid sculpture, depicted squeezing water from her long hair in tribute to Mae Thorani (the Hindu-Buddhist earth goddess), sits atop some rocks at the northern end of the beach. Locals treat the figure like a shrine, tying the waist with coloured cloth and rubbing the breasts for good luck. Next to that are the Cat and Rat sculptures, named for the Cat and Rat Islands (Ko Yo and Ko Losin). Fragments of a dragon statue are sliced up and placed around the city. The Nag Head (dragon head), which shoots water into the ocean, is said to bring prosperity and fresh water – it’s a popular meeting spot for locals.
Kids will enjoy cuddling with baby tigers at the zoo (Khao Rup Chang; adult/child 30/5B; 9am-6pm), feeding monkeys on Monkey Mountain (at the north end of town), and pointing at clown