Hat Yai, Thailand

Quick flight in from Chiang Mai to Hat Yai - thanks Air Asia! I'm sad to leave CM but all signs were pointing in the direction of heading to the south islands. Hat Yai was a short overnight stop for me on the way to meet Naila & Justin on the island of Koh Lipe.

I stayed at the P-Residence in downtown Hat Yai. My hotel was behind bars and all kinds of security, which some folks would find reassuring but of course it had me wondering what the heck kind of neighborhood is this? In spite of the sketchy location, it was a nice spot.

Nomadic travel revolves around finding food, determining the next spot to visit, how to get there, and finding accom in said spot. Hunger took me out into the neighborhood.

What a different world! No one spoke English and I seemed to be the only tousista in the land. The streets were bustling with traffic and activity, the norm in all places I've visited so far. It was wall-to-wall street food carts; not a restaurant to be found. To say there are different food-health standards here than at home is a vast understatment. 🤣 Oh well - this will be a real test of my gut protection protocol. I settled on spring rolls - the best i've ever had - and sushi - tasty but strange with things like bacon. (Note from the future: my guts stayed healthy.)

It was likely a safe area but I felt too conspicuous to stop for photos, especially as all the bank machines are just a little box on the sidewalk where everyone can see others taking out money. Which I had to do. Cash rules here and many places don't take plastic. A white woman stopping for cash then stopping for photos seemed a bit much. I tried to find a balance between keeping myself safe and not making assumptions based on the people & area for simply being "other" from what i'm used to. However, women are trained from childhood for safety and a healthy dose of paraonia when walking alone at night, so I erred on the side of caution.

The hotel owner arranged for a van to pick me up in the morning to take me across Thailand - literally across from east to west - to Pak Para, where I will get the boat to Koh Lipe.Leggi altro