Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [619]
Le Rich Travel (0 7331 3699; fax 0 7331 3911; 78/13 Th Makrut) Friendly agency that can help arrange everything from safe beach destinations to good local eats.
Pattani Hospital (0 7332 3411-14; Th Nong Jik)
Police station (0 7334 9018; Th Pattani Phirom)
Sights
If it weren’t for the political unrest in the region, Pattani could be one of the better beach destinations in southern Thailand. Unfortunately, exploring much of the area independently is not a safe option at this time, and there are plenty of pretty beaches further north that are perfectly safe.
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DEEP SOUTH UNCOVERED
While riding in a taxi through Thailand’s Deep South, we got the inside scoop from our taxi driver, Yeats Chaiyarat, on what really goes on when the bombs aren’t going off.
In your opinion, what would a traveller enjoy the most during a trip to Thailand’s Deep South? I think the best thing for a tourist to see here is the local culture and way of life – how people live and work. The region is 90% Muslim, and Muslim families from all over Thailand send their children to study at the universities in Yala, Pattani and Songkhla. A lot of the places in the Deep South are university towns. The area’s history is really fascinating too. You see, before the area was split up between Thailand and Malaysia, it was known as Pattani Darusalam – a completely separate kingdom. And before Pattani, over 600 years ago, the area was called Langka Suka, and included Penang and Langkawi. These days we don’t hear a lot about the area’s history, but long ago these ancient kingdoms used to trade with the main imperialists from around the world!
Besides the local culture and history, are there any sights that you would recommend? The region’s centres of worship are definitely the most interesting things to see on a trip in this area. Outside of Pattani (about 5km) there is a Chinese temple called San Jao Meh Lim and a mosque called Mas Jud Kreu-seh, which have been crumbling beside one another for the last 450 years or so. The Chinese temple was built on the site where a young Chinese girl hanged herself when her brother converted to Islam. There is a wooden statue of the young woman, carved from the same tree which she used to hang herself. The most famous temple in the region is 30km outside of Yala, and is called Wat Chang Hai. It’s famous because a monk named Luang Po Tuad used to live here and many people carry around an amulet with his image on it for good luck and protection from harm. It is sort of like the Jatukham Rumanthep amulet from Nakhon Si Thammarat (see the boxed text, Click here). I also like Wat Kuha Pi Muk (8km from Yala; opposite), an old temple which the locals call Wat Tham – ‘tham’ means cave. I don’t really like beaches, but I know that a lot of locals go to Hat Narathat ( Click here), Narathiwat’s most popular beach. It’s honestly not that nice, but there are no fa·ràng tourists. Hat Samila ( Click here) in Songkhla is probably the best beach for travellers.
What is the biggest misconception about the Thai-Malaysian border? Most tourists probably think that the border is empty and that no one is crossing, but the border at Sungai Kolok is always really crowded. Malaysian men are always lining up to cross the border into Thailand to look for women and karaoke bars. Malaysia has cheaper petrol prices, so you will find tons of people going in the opposite direction too.
Yeats Chaiyarat, originally from Phang-Nga Province, moved to Yala to study at the local university. Today he is a private taxi driver.
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Locals frequent Laem Tachi, a sandy cape that juts out over the northern end of Ao Pattani. It can be reached by boat taxi from Pattani pier. Hat Talo Kapo, 14km east of Pattani near Yaring Amphoe, is another hot spot. And although it’s technically in Songkhla Province, Thepha district, 35km northwest of Pattani, is the most developed beach destination in the area. There you’ll find a few slightly aged resorts that cater mostly to middle-class Thais. At Hat Soi Sawan, near