After 13 hours of journey from Bangkok,the bus finally reached Haadyai bus terminal closed to 10:30pm.Haadyai is the 3rd largest city in Thailand and a more popular weekend destination for both Malaysian and Singaporean travellers.
Hardly do you see westerners(thai people will call "falang") except those on transit to Phuket or Penang spending their time in Haadyai.
Haadyai bus terminal(off Sripoowanart Road) is about 6km from town and is about 3km walking distance to DIANA shopping centre.
Another 1km straight ahead is the Florida Hotel,cross the road and you'll be near to town centre.
Just beside the DIANA complex is a man-made lake where during weekends there is an open air food bazzar surrounding the lake with live entertainment by local popular singers and is usually packed.
Most of the local people prefer to shop at this complex leaving those in town to the tourists.
DIANA complex is also a more popular hangout for the youngsters.
Haadyai Railway Station is just right in the middle of town and very convenient to all travelers.
If you were to stay at Cathay Guesthouse,it's just less than a kilometre walk.
Hat Yai Train Station is the southernmost Major Rail 'Hub', Depot, and Junction on Thai Railways Southern Line for both passenger and Freight trains.
The State Railways of Thailand's International Express leaves Hat Yai for Butterworth near Penang daily at 05:50, going via Padang Besar.
In the other direction, trains leave Butterworth at 13:15 and arrive in Hat Yai at 17:30.
The train then continues to Bangkok.
Kim Yong market(thai:"talad")is also in the town centre and a very busy morning market.
One can witness interesting activities ongoing and also savor some of the cheap food in the area.
Inside the building on the left were many stalls selling all sorts of items be it the wet market categories,groceries,footwears,garment,electronics and lots more.
It's quite a large market and a shoppers paradise to hunt for good quality made-in-thailand products.
If you love stainless steel and silverware cooking utensils with the popular brand "ZEBRA",you need to cross the road to the otherside where there is another wholesale market(less than 2km away).
Thai vegetables name:-onion(hua hom),white onion(hua hom yai),carrot(hua phak kat daeng),cabbage(ga lam),basil leaf(bai gra phao),ginger(khing),chilli(prik),lettuce(phak gaat haawn),cucumber(dtaaeng gwaa),bean sprout(thua ngaawk),sweet potato(man thaeht)
The beautiful garland called"dookmalai" is part of the Thai society.
Each and every household on the prayers altar,temple statues and even in cars or buses will hang the garland which depict good luck.
Flowers are traditional at Thai Weddings as well as Western Weddings and make the big day very colourful and special.
They make the room, garden or hotel in which you have the ceremony, dinner and party very attractive and fragrant flowers can fill the area with a lovely smell. If you would like to get some artificial dook malai as souvenirs,there are small ones that cost 25baht
In fact dook malai(phuang malai) is a charming way to honor any festivals or occassions.
One of the most commonly used flowers are the yellow chrysanthemum which are skillfully tied with a banana stem fibres and some red ribbons.
A Muslim shopper walking pass the pork stalls. Thai Muslims also respect other religion rights and have a great degree of understanding.
There were couple of pork(thai:muu) seller stalls around this huge Kim Yong market.
The Chinese like to eat pork especially the famous dish called "bak kut teh" (meat bone tea).
It consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices for hours.
Bak kut teh is usually eaten with rice or noodles and often served with youtiao / cha kueh [yau char kwai] (strips of fried dough) for dipping into the soup. For lunch menu,maybe can try 'rice with barbeque pork on top' (thai:khaao muu daaeng), pork chops(thai:chin neuua muu),minced pork soup(thai:ba chaaw),sliced pork(thai:muu phaen),pork fried rice(thai:khaao phat muu)
Monks on morning alms round near Kim Yong Market.
It was the 3rd day of the Thai New Year(Songkran) and tourists can witness this street scene.
Buddhist monks and novice on morning alms round chanting video
Rice and dried food are normally being offered as alms.
This has been a Buddhist custom which has sustained for thousand of years. The person who offers the morning alms will get the effects as follow.
1. He will reborn during the Buddhist time every lifetime.
2. He will have a lot of properties.
3. His properties will not be ruin by any disaster.
4. Most people will love him.
5. He will have many good friends.
6. He will be well–known from his good deeds.
7. He will have self–confident in public.
8. When he passes away, he will go to the fortunate realm.
9. He will attain Nirvana easily.
A newly refurbished temple monastery near the market.There was a small shrine on the 3rd floor near the roof top and this building has quite similarity in architectural design to those seen in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam.
They make the room, garden or hotel in which you have the ceremony, dinner and party very attractive and fragrant flowers can fill the area with a lovely smell. If you would like to get some artificial dook malai as souvenirs,there are small ones that cost 25baht
In fact dook malai(phuang malai) is a charming way to honor any festivals or occassions.
One of the most commonly used flowers are the yellow chrysanthemum which are skillfully tied with a banana stem fibres and some red ribbons.
White jasmine flowers with its sweet scented aroma adds to its transquility.
Thai street vendor is selling her homemade delicious cakes like eggtart ,pineappletart,Thai milk cake,Thai mango cake and some exotic cake pudding.There is also the Thai cake(pui fai),a kind of wheat flour made dessert cake where the chinese also used to make as offering to chinese gods at the altar.
Inside the building ,the market stalls are plenty with a variety of stocks to cater to the masses.
Bargaining is a necessity here.The passageway are very narrow so you need to squeeze through.
Muslim traders seemed to be many here dealing with a variety of businesses.They were very hardworking and have a good sense of entrepreneurship.Thai street vendor is selling her homemade delicious cakes like eggtart ,pineappletart,Thai milk cake,Thai mango cake and some exotic cake pudding.There is also the Thai cake(pui fai),a kind of wheat flour made dessert cake where the chinese also used to make as offering to chinese gods at the altar.
Inside the building ,the market stalls are plenty with a variety of stocks to cater to the masses.
Bargaining is a necessity here.The passageway are very narrow so you need to squeeze through.
This is the place to get fresh sea harvest which were very cheap.
Muslim chicken vendor stall beside a pork stall.
This is something very unique to be found in Thailand where no other countries in Southeast Asia ever has such harmonious citizens interacting and mixing freely among themselves without the need to talk about religious segregation.
Though Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country with multi-cultural and multi-ethnic population,Muslims conservatives are found all over Thailand and there are also mosque in every provinces.
This is something very unique to be found in Thailand where no other countries in Southeast Asia ever has such harmonious citizens interacting and mixing freely among themselves without the need to talk about religious segregation.
The only exceptions are those hardcore deviantionist who thought that they have a big brother in a neighbouring country in the south where the present ruling leaders will sponsor their mischief by putting on a mask and pretending to be peace brokers...read here.
It consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices for hours.
Bak kut teh is usually eaten with rice or noodles and often served with youtiao / cha kueh [yau char kwai] (strips of fried dough) for dipping into the soup. For lunch menu,maybe can try 'rice with barbeque pork on top' (thai:khaao muu daaeng), pork chops(thai:chin neuua muu),minced pork soup(thai:ba chaaw),sliced pork(thai:muu phaen),pork fried rice(thai:khaao phat muu)
Monks on morning alms round near Kim Yong Market.
It was the 3rd day of the Thai New Year(Songkran) and tourists can witness this street scene.
Buddhist monks and novice on morning alms round chanting video
Rice and dried food are normally being offered as alms.
This has been a Buddhist custom which has sustained for thousand of years. The person who offers the morning alms will get the effects as follow.
1. He will reborn during the Buddhist time every lifetime.
2. He will have a lot of properties.
3. His properties will not be ruin by any disaster.
4. Most people will love him.
5. He will have many good friends.
6. He will be well–known from his good deeds.
7. He will have self–confident in public.
8. When he passes away, he will go to the fortunate realm.
9. He will attain Nirvana easily.
A newly refurbished temple monastery near the market.There was a small shrine on the 3rd floor near the roof top and this building has quite similarity in architectural design to those seen in Ho Chi Minh City,Vietnam.
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