You Should Drop By Hatyai

[jackr]

Yeah, some clever individual emptied the water through the city and all the drains were blocked up with plastic bottles etc. The city filled to about a 3m depth and something like 800 people were drowned or electrocuted. They found loads of people dead in cars at undergroud parking lots days later. It absolutely pissed down that year for weeks on end.

Can I know the source of this information? I haven't read about this anywhere.

I know there were people who died but these are in the villages, not in the city. As far as foreigners are concern, I thought that only 1 tourist died and that was due to a fall.

This is a quote from the BBC of the death toll in Hat Yai during the 2000 flood:

Officials said 33 had died in the last week, mostly from drowning and electrocution after power cables fell into waters near victims.

I'm sure it was in the Thai papers and also in the Songkhla Soundings. Perhaps I was adding the ubiquitous 7-800 Songkran deaths with it for that year, although that many deaths in a city the size of Hat Yai wouldn't be unrealistic with the speed at which the water came in and the sheer number of underground carparks...electrocution was a real killer, too. Then again, the city filled to 3m in a couple of hours or so, so enough time to get out of tight spots for the abled. The 33 actually sounds more feasible thinking about it logically.

[skylar]

I

     

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Er, nobody was dressed in swimwear in any of the places I mentioned... even Body Glove is so 90s . And I'm pretty sure the tourists were ethnic Malays as they looked neither of Indian extract nor Chinese... and there were heaps of them.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

kekekekeke,

the picture on the left and centre is Kiss Channel and on the right is Paragon. All taken recently meaning what you see, is now what you can get.

As for the races, well, even Singaporean and Malaysian Chinese look different from Chinese from China as many of us are not "fair skin". In fact, we make be also mistaken to be Thais by the unsuspecting.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have just remembered the name of the place I'd forgotten - it's the Post. Unforgettable night.

[udon]

Thaivisitor,

how are the swimming lessons going?

[jackr]

I

     

Er, nobody was dressed in swimwear in any of the places I mentioned... even Body Glove is so 90s . And I'm pretty sure the tourists were ethnic Malays as they looked neither of Indian extract nor Chinese... and there were heaps of them.

kekekekeke,

the picture on the left and centre is Kiss Channel and on the right is Paragon. All taken recently meaning what you see, is now what you can get.

As for the races, well, even Singaporean and Malaysian Chinese look different from Chinese from China as many of us are not "fair skin". In fact, we make be also mistaken to be Thais by the unsuspecting.

I have just remembered the name of the place I'd forgotten - it's the Post. Unforgettable night.

Yep, Post Laser Disc...One down from The Pubb, yet one-up! Do they still have those 30-baht a beer happy hour days from 09:00 to 21:00?

[skylar]

Yep, Post Laser Disc...One down from The Pubb, yet one-up! Do they still have those 30-baht a beer happy hour days from 09:00 to 21:00?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They do indeed

[limbos]

Always liked to be in Hat Yai for my visa runs.

Since I don't need to do them anymore, I do miss HY a lot actually.

The food, the shopping, the bars and the feel of the city, always had a good time there alone or with the missus.

Thaivisitor, you still dry?

[Trevor]

Does Hat Yai have any apartments for rent with piped-in ADSL (Internet)?

Can anyone recommend a good property-finding agent or website for the city?

I've had some great times there since 1988 and am surprised more Westerners haven't discovered it.

Thanks.

[cdnvic]

Does Hat Yai have any apartments for rent with piped-in ADSL (Internet)?

Can anyone recommend a good property-finding agent or website for the city? 

I've had some great times there since 1988 and am surprised more Westerners haven't discovered it.

Thanks.

This is my favourite classifieds, sponsor or not,

http://bahtsold.com/index.php?region=7

cv

[udon]

A google search for 'thaivisitor' is quite revealing. You may end up at Sams Forum.......

[Amir]

Does Hat Yai have any apartments for rent with piped-in ADSL (Internet)?

Can anyone recommend a good property-finding agent or website for the city?

I've had some great times there since 1988 and am surprised more Westerners haven't discovered it.

Thanks.

There is Napalai Place on 123 Rajumindri Road which has ADSL in the bulding. You cannot miss it as it is the highest bulding in hat yai.

Rent is quite expensive if you compare with other apartments:

2 room, living room, kitchen furnished, swimming pool: 13,000 - 17,000 Bath.

I used to live there a while but you have other apartments on monthly or daily rent as VC apartments in Pratchathiphat road. (5000 bath a month). If you ask for a year contract they provide you DSL in your room.

[Amir]

I live in Hat Yai since over a year. I enjoy this area as it is still quiet and not too much western crowded as Pathaya is. What i mean is that it is not the same style, and it is true that for western people you can visit Hat Yai in 1 day 1/2.

The interesting thing is to rent a car (Budget has very cheap prices there) and go around with someone who knows the places.

If you go to Satun, you'll find better waterfalls then the one indicated in Lonely planet overcrowded with locals. i used to make a BBQ with friends there, and you can even find kind of pools under the water fall like in the french west indies.

On the way to Pattani from Songkhla, there are untouched beaches.

You can go to Pathalung rent a bicycle to a 1 day trip in the rubber trees.

The Songkhla lake has some very nice sea food restaurants.

On the Ko Yoh island, you will find a very nice museum (i never new that not less than 70 year ago there used to be Black people... African...! living in Songkhla province... amazing... ok i am still the only french-egyptian there ).

You can make a boat trip on the lake to visit the fish farms.

You can go around to Satun and have a look to the shrimp farms (i work in this business).

50 km south of Songkhla you can book a sport fishing boat (the real one and not in wood) and go on Grouper, snapper, thuna or other kinds of fishes fishing (not the small fish sizes...)

There is so much you can do there, but you need a car as many things are between 30 min and 1h30 min drive. You can easily stay there 1 week. the only thing is to know someone who can take you arround.

Exept this, if you live in Hat Yai you can play football and even RUGBY...

For the amateurs there are 2 or 3 4x4 off road teams,

Fitness centers and swimmipools everywhere,

BBQ's on Samila beach,

Dinning at Swanns,

Cheap and very good Buffet at Novotel...

there is really a lot to do, I enjoy this place...

Edited November 7, 2006 by Amir

[udon]

Thanks for the heads-up Amir.

Maybe when the ratbags stop playing with explosives in that area, I might go for a week or so.

[thecas]

The thread starter mentioned there are many tour companies. Is there any website on tour companies in Hat Yai where basically I can rent a car or van with a driver who is able to drive me whole day round to Places I want to go/

[Richb2004v2]

I visited Songklah in 2006 to do the Hat Yai marathon. I enjoyed it, but I saw very few westerners, even then. One night we were sat in a restaurant on the street when a pick up pulled up and three very serious and heavily armed soldiers got out along with a normal looking man. They sat down and ate a meal with their assault rifles on their laps. I was a little uncomfortable but intrigued to know who they were and what they were doing. After they had gone the owner of the restaurant informed us that the normal guy was a teacher and they were his security. I was amazed but got the picture once told. We left Songklah having had a good time. A few days later a bomb blew up in a shopping centre there.

I realize that it is very unlikely that anything would happen to anyone visiting the area, but it has got a poor reputation and press due to the troubles. I don’t think I will be heading back for another marathon any time soon.

[Trevor]

http://wikitravel.org/en/Hat_Yai

No-one mentioned the great little hilltop restaurant in Hat Yai Municipal Park. Excellent views and ambience, accompanied by your pooying-du-jour, but need own transport to get up there and back (6 - 8 Km from town centre).

[lopburi3]

The thread starter mentioned there are many tour companies. Is there any website on tour companies in Hat Yai where basically I can rent a car or van with a driver who is able to drive me whole day round to Places I want to go/

Expect the taxi drivers still hang in the coffee shop next to Kings Hotel and several other locations. They can be rented to go to Penang or border or whatever you want. Share taxi is the normal transport but even they can be rented for whatever you want if you are willing to pay for it. Also expect many of the tour offices (where vans leave to Malaysia) have van and driver available. Hat Yai is a tourist town - although targeted to Singapore and Malaysia and not web based.

[Gary A]

If the intent of the terrorists is to discourage tourism, it worked, at least for me. There is not enough there to encourage me to ignore the fact that there are bombs planted and one could never totally relax. I prefer the Andaman side better anyways.

[Seizhin]

We know of the problem, but I guess we cant say much but assure you that the city's safe from terrorism.

I've been here for at least 4-5 years and it's pretty alright here, minus Westerners who speaks proper English.

All I meet are Malaysian, Indonesian or Singaporean who speaks in a different accent.

[Roota]

No-one mentioned the great little hilltop restaurant in Hat Yai Municipal Park.

I know the park pretty well but haven't come across this . . . could you please describe whereabouts?

[lazeeboy]

Hatyai – anxiously referred to as the Land of Dreams where local women from all over Thailand come to seek better lives and men from all over South East Asia come to have their sorry hearts broken.

Hatyai – eagerly referred to as the Anchor of Activities where sex is as common as shopping and visiting massage parlors is as common as visiting temples.

Hatyai - jokingly referred to as the City of Fakes where men wear fake Rolex watches, fake Dunhill belts and fake Bally shoes while women carry fake Louis Vutton bags, wear fake Channel blouses, fake Levis jeans and put on fake Christian Dior perfumes. To say the extreme, you can even find women with "fake" beauty, from their nose jobs to their double eyelids, from their breasts to their private parts. Even virginity can be faked!

Being the third largest city in Thailand and one of the most common getaway for Asians, it is a pity that Hatyai has never been listed as a tourist destination for the Western tourists.

never gonna get the western travellers in there numbers because theres no beach ,only in name

[rott]

I enjoy mooching round Thailand on buses and trains and have had a couple of enjoyable 2/3 night stops in Hat Yai usually staying at the Kings Hotel. But I have also been recommended the guest house on the "main road" - (can't remember the name) above some shops, just near the station, better and cheaper they tell me.

Anyone stayed there?

[EmU]

Hatyai – anxiously referred to as the Land of Dreams where local women from all over Thailand come to seek better lives and men from all over South East Asia come to have their sorry hearts broken.

Hatyai – eagerly referred to as the Anchor of Activities where sex is as common as shopping and visiting massage parlors is as common as visiting temples.

Hatyai - jokingly referred to as the City of Fakes where men wear fake Rolex watches, fake Dunhill belts and fake Bally shoes while women carry fake Louis Vutton bags, wear fake Channel blouses, fake Levis jeans and put on fake Christian Dior perfumes. To say the extreme, you can even find women with "fake" beauty, from their nose jobs to their double eyelids, from their breasts to their private parts. Even virginity can be faked!

Being the third largest city in Thailand and one of the most common getaway for Asians, it is a pity that Hatyai has never been listed as a tourist destination for the Western tourists.

Yes I know I lived there for 1 year it was the year they put the bomb in the railway and blew it to hel_l,and everything you say is pretty much on the money,but I think the most important thing that you forgot to mention is how close it is to the border FOR THE 15 DAY VISA RUNS.....