has anybody ever just flown to a non tourist city in thailand just to get away from farang

[MAF666 31]

Everybody should check out Dannok. Have done a number of border runs from Langkawi. Too much fun!

Hat Yai is the second largest city in Thailand. Have been through here a number of times from Langkawi to Phuket.

Lots of rowdy bars and live music, and anything else that you may desire.

Just do it!

[Stocky 1,805]

46 minutes ago, yogavnture said:

just think of all the tourist possibilities in the south if the thais got the muslim issue resolved

It's not a 'muslim issue', rather the people of three provinces found themselves the wrong side of the border as part of an agreement between Britain and Siam that they had no say in. Subsequent efforts at Thaiification have only served to antagonise them further to the point that a minority have taken up arms against their oppressors. 

 

As you say it's a great shame the Thai government can't just accept the people of the Pattani States were treated badly. Just that simple acceptance, and the acknowledgement that they have their own culture, language and religion would go a long way to defusing the situation.

[CGW 7,695]

2 minutes ago, MAF666 said:

Hat Yai is the second largest city in Thailand.

Sure? thought it was 5th or 6th.

[Stocky 1,805]

Just now, CGW said:

Sure? thought it was 5th or 6th.

Numbers 2 and 3 are just suburbs of Bangkok. Then it's a toss up between Hat Yai, Chiang Mai and Khorat depending on how you measure the numbers.

[CGW 7,695]

5 minutes ago, Stocky said:

Numbers 2 and 3 are just suburbs of Bangkok. Then it's a toss up between Hat Yai, Chiang Mai and Khorat depending on how you measure the numbers.

Yes! seems to depend on who is counting, its bigger than I thought though. 

 

Edited February 8 by CGW

[yogavnture 456]

28 minutes ago, seajae said:

Trang is another place with not too many foreign tourists and has an airport, we have been there a few times and it is pretty quiet, good food too, they have some of the best bbq pork in Thailand and some great dim sum shops. Many really nice beaches but you will need to hire a car or bike to get around, lots to see in the region as well

Ive been to trang a few times.  i found it not that interesting . to me anyway.. i find the people in thammarat nicer..........i dont know about thai citys some are rich , some are poor?  i think trang is a poor city while thammarat is pretty well off....?  im an outsider speaking though

[yogavnture 456]

17 minutes ago, MAF666 said:

Everybody should check out Dannok. Have done a number of border runs from Langkawi. Too much fun!

Hat Yai is the second largest city in Thailand. Have been through here a number of times from Langkawi to Phuket.

Lots of rowdy bars and live music, and anything else that you may desire.

Just do it!

honestly im a yogi and like silence i dont drink .  so i like quiet.  in thammarat the city pretty much quiet after dark.  i like that.  i suspect songkla similar to thammarat.  if looks like songkla geography is kinda odd though this huge lake in the middle of the city.   i think songkla is the city for me. hat yai too big?  to manage?

[yogavnture 456]

no big c in songkla so now i look at hat yai. hat yai looks really big so i suspect its a busy place and hard to manage on a motobike

[CGW 7,695]

3 minutes ago, yogavnture said:

no big c in songkla so now i look at hat yai. hat yai looks really big so i suspect its a busy place and hard to manage on a motobike

If i had to choose Songkla would win every time, lot more laid back, HY caters to Malaysians mainly IMO.

[MAF666 31]

Hat Yai is an authentic Thai city, not many farang tourists or much english spoken.

Great reason to go.

All the possible good food that you can imagine.

Easy to get around on a bike, not too busy. 

Quite quiet, you have to go seeking entertainment.

[Stocky 1,805]

8 minutes ago, yogavnture said:

no big c in songkla so now i look at hat yai. hat yai looks really big so i suspect its a busy place and hard to manage on a motobike

There's a Tesco Lotus Extra in Songkhla plus a couple of Big C Minis 

[from the home of CC 7,399]

No, but I do pray for May..

[NCC1701A 46,040]

23 hours ago, yogavnture said:

sometimes i just fly into a city that has an airport and just go exploring.  kind of nice to be the only farang around...

i do this on my motorcycle in Thailand. 35,000 kilometers so far.

 

go here, you will get some "what is the space alien doing here?" looks:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/DVaBxTcqm45qXjoJA

 

 

 

[Stocky 1,805]

48 minutes ago, CGW said:

HY caters to Malaysians mainly IMO.

Yes, they are the staple of tourism here, and a good fit with a city whose population is a mix of Thai-Chinese and Thai-Malay. 

[Stocky 1,805]

1 hour ago, CGW said:

Yes! seems to depend on who is counting, its bigger than I thought though. 

But those numbers only report the populations for mueang Hat Yai, or mueang Chiang Mai. They don't include the surrounding districts which are integral to the city. Greater Hat Yai has a population of about 800,000 the population of Greater Chiang Mai is I think similar.