Sawadee Ka! Welcome To Thailand

Hatyai - to be more specific. My third trip to Hatyai in three years with hubby during the long weekend just passed was pretty much a last minute decision. Needless to say, hotels and buses were almost fully booked. We had to make do with the "leftovers" - which basically meant taking an odd hour bus that arrived 2 hours later than scheduled and a hotel which was slightly farther away from the shopping hotspots, but still within walking distance. Nevertheless we vowed to make full use of our hard-earned a-vacation-is-no-longer-an-option short break.

What is it in Hatyai that makes me want to go back there again and again, you may ask. Hubby and I go back solely for the following:-
1) Food - Thailand has the next best food in the world after Malaysia. Like its Malaysian counterpart, food is abundant anywhere anytime of the day. One can never go hungry in Thailand.

Tom Yam Kung. My favourite soup in the whole world. Fiery to the very last drop!

Mango with sticky rice (seasonal)

2) Sightseeing - Places of interests are aplenty in Hatyai, from the Klonghea Floating Market (left) to Wat Hat Yai Nai (right), to name a few.

3) Shopping - Shopping is such a joy in Hatyai with a wide range to choose from and at a good bargain. But do beware of genuine imitations!

4) Massages - They cost a fraction of what we pay back home! However, be prepared to have the masseur/masseuse wrestle with your body. Thai massages are a combination of massages with yoga-like positions. One will feel rejuvenate, that's a guarantee!

5) Entertainment - At the end of the day, it all boils down to one's preference and definition of entertainment. Tiger shows (why they are named as such continues to bewilder me) and A-gogos are everywhere in Hatyai that indecency does not even have a place in their dictionary. It's just like watching an X-rated movie live! My first few exposures to such vulgar display of obscenities happened while I was holidaying in Bangkok and Pattaya with hubby (then boyfriend) some 6 years back. They were hilarious yet disgusting at the same time.

My choice of entertainment in Hatyai was a decent one - The West Side Saloon. As the name suggests, the interior boasts of a Wild Wild West feeling upon entry. However, nothing beats the charisma a 5 member band could imbue on its audience. 

The West Side Saloon

Right : The 5 member band consisting of (from left to right) Barry Gibb-cum-Lionel Ritchie; Simon & Garfunkel-cum-Kenny Rogers-cum-Robin Gibb; Tony Orlando; Karen Carpenter-cum-Lionel Ritchie-cum-Anni-Frid Lyngstad-cum-Agnetha Faltskog (ABBA); and Barry Gibb.

This band was an awesome bunch. Be sure to request for Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". I first heard them sing this song 3 years ago and so mesmerised was I by it that my travel to Hatyai would not be complete had I not included this place in my itinerary. So if you're looking for a nice relaxing place where oldies music take the centrestage, The West Side Saloon is definitely THE PLACE!

Given all these reasons, would I return to Hatyai again? The answer is indubitably Y-E-S!