South of Thailand – Pattani & Yala

Pattani

The ride from Narathiwat to Pattani was great as we visited some interesting tourist attractions on the way.

We started early and met some friends for breakfast right out of Narathiwat. Breakfast was great but brought us later into the heat of the day.

Still in Narathiwat we visited an almost 400 years old mosque, the Wadil-Husen-Mosque. Usually it’s not easy to get inside a mosque, here it was no problem.

Very quiet and peaceful location, until a van full of Malaysian tourists arrived.

When riding to Pattani and you have time and not want to go on main highway, take the 4157 along the beach. Out of rainy season it is very hot and very dry but anyways worth a visit. The atmosphere was a bit like in a post apocalyptic movie. The beaches itself are nice but not clean, what a pity.
Continuing along the coast you will arrive on a peninsula with a viewpoint. I hoped to have a view to Pattani but no. Pattani has almost no high buildings, the city is hidden behind trees.

Instead of a city view, 2 guys with a 1953 Talbot showed up. The formally car of the British ambassador in Thailand. Only 3 of them are registered in Thailand.

Found a ship wreck on the way back.

The road along the coast – pretty nice I would say and lot’s of fresh air and wind.

Pattani itself is the largest city in the 3 southern provinces (Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani). Here you have some sort of civilization like Global House, Big C Super Center etc.

Pattani is located at the mouth of the Pattani River. The river may have changed course and empty into the sea at the current location in the 16th century. A small port existed in the current location at Kuala Bekah at the mouth of Sungai Patani by the early 17th century. However, the older historical centre of the Pattani Kingdom that ruled over the region of Patani was located a 6–7 km to the east of the present city; near Ban Kru Se or Kampong Kersik, which is where the Krue Se Mosque is located. The older Pattani was captured and sacked by the Siamese, and a new town centre later developed in the current location and the Sultan moved to Cabang Tiga at the southern side of present-day Pattani in the 19th century. The Patani City municipality was established in 1935 by royal decree.

Mostly tourists from Malaysia visit Pattani. Western tourists are hardly to find. That’s why, same as in Narathiwat, in Pattani there are no taxi, bus Grab car etc. Lucky us that we meet friends here who show us around and drive for us.

When you visit Pattani, the oldest mosque in South East Asia – the Krue Se Mosque – is a must to visit and one of the attractions in Pattani.

Romantic atmosphere in Pattani – we went for diner with friends to Madam Khrua seafood restaurant. As the food is delicious, this gets a recommendation from us.

Yala

To Yala (the city) we went by car. Kind friends offered us the ride as we need to safe mileage on the motorbike (not over 1.000) for the first service.

Yala used to be part of the Pattani kingdom. When Ayutthaya was captured by the Burmese, Yala, along with other southern colonies, became independent. Yala was again included as part of Thailand about 41 years later. In September 1977, the King and Queen of Thailand narrowly avoided assassination after a bomb exploded nearby during a visit. On 9 October, policemen from the 12th Provincial Police Headquarters and the Yala Provincial Police Headquarters arrested Abdun Romae Haron, Mae Prachu, and Choning Saing on charges of conspiring with the escaped convicts Hayi Masae, Choya Samae, and Abdun Romae in attempting to kill the monarchs.

One of the most famous in the South is Wat Chang Hai, Pattani. Famous does not necessarily mean nice. This temple is not well maintained – on weekends a lot of people.

As we were a bit disappointed, our friend showed us another temple. This time a Chines one in a cave. Highlight of the temple is a ~ 1.100 year old Buddha statue.
You need to walk up to the cave, got sweaty as it was hot. The visit is worth it. Very quiet with a cool and fresh atmosphere. If you are interested to visit, check out Tham Khuha Phimuk.

Cruising around in Yala, we found some street art.

and some quiet and peaceful places like this one

And then it was time to meet more friends and do what it seems they love to do most: Eating.

In my feeling I gained 2 to 3 kg weight. Successful I would say.

The next day – Sunday 25.02.24 – we rented a car as there is no other choice to drive around. Share we could have used our own bike but it was hot. Really hot as we got up late and had a relaxed breakfast. The car rental was easy and with 900 Baht per day affordable.
Only we needed to return the car at the same day as we planned to leave early on Monday to go to Had Yai for service the bike.

A nice viewpoint in Yala – not easy to find and the road up there is unsealed.

The building above is the City Pillar Shrine of Yala, Thailand.
The tradition of building city pillar shrines, known as lak mueang in the Thai language, started in 1782 when King Rama I installed the first city pillar shrine in Bangkok. Since that time nearly all provinces in Thailand have one or more city pillar shrines installed in their major towns or cities.

Pattani again

After this short trip to Yala, we drove back to Pattani. Exploring the fishing harbour.

China Town – there just ended an event so no photos of the old buildings there. But we managed to visit the Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao Shrine what was very impressive.

We visited the City Pillar Shrine in Pattani as well.

Had a nice view on the Mae Nam Pattani (Pattani River)

And dropped by at the central mosque of Pattani. I really like this architecture!

All in all a great half day – exhausted from sitting in the car it was time to relax and think about

Is it safe to travel in the South of Thailand?

You might have heart that traveling in the 3 southern provinces of Thailand is not safe?!

We talked to local people and asked about the reason for the incidents.
They named 2 reasons.
First, there is a group of people who want to separate from Thailand. They think, if there is enough terror, no one wants to stay and it is more easy to follow the plans. This is well known in Europe as well – like on Corse.
Somehow this plan is working as many people sold their belongings and moved.
The second reason is a bit weird. Locals are guessing that the military and police order the terror to keep them in business.
This works well, when traveling here you meet a lot of check points.

Now the question is it safe? Yes it is! We never felt unsafe or in any danger. It is just a normal and relaxed way of lifestyle.
Sure, if you are at the wrong place at the wrong time something might happen. But, an incident can happen anytime and anywhere. Even at home.

Cheers for now – we / I need to diet now…

Stay tuned and enjoy yourself!!

#dustysocks