A song for Songkla

To be completely honest with you, I'd never heard of Songkla until I started researching this trip. From the small number of Western tourists wandering about the town, I'm not alone in my ignorance.

That's a crying shame.

About an hour from Hat Yai by white minibus (34b), Songkla has an attractive old town, festooned with dozens or murals and street art. It has several good museums, a great selection of cafes, a wide range of accommodation (from cheap backpacker pads to antique-filled boutique hotels), efficient and cheap public transport, a great night market, and a small but friendly expat population.

I liked the town enormously. Think Penang without the crowds or hassle.

Things to do:

• The Saturday night market (Tae Raek night market) next to the city wall and clock tower is an excellent one, with a huge selection of local food. The Sunday night walking street (along Nakhomok street in the old town) is smaller, and more tourist oriented.
• Songkla National Museum, just north of the city wall, is worth a visit. Don't miss the fabulous wooden screens upstairs.
• The folk museum on nearby Ko Yo makes a great day-trip (more details in a separate post).
• There are a handful of small, free tourist attractions in the old town. These are all pretty low-key, but help contribute to the overall atmosphere of a nice place to wander about.
• There are a clutch of nice cafes with seating over the water along Nakhomok. I enjoyed spending time at both Cafe Der See and the nearby Mr Lee Coffee.
• Blue Smile Cafe, on nearby Nakhomai, is a local expat hangout with good western food (poutine and rootbeer float, anyone?), a roof terrace for sunset viewing, and super-nice owners.
• To work off some of that food, climb Tangkuan hill, at the north end of town, for superb views. For the more lazily inclined, there is a funicular at the eastern side of the hill, off route 407.
• There are also beaches at the north east end of town, but these are local, rather than westerner beaches. Less swimming and bikini sunbathing, more picnicking, visiting seafood restaurants, and taking selfies with the mermaid statue.

One final note: although not popular with western tourists, the town sees a lot of domestic tourists, especially on weekends, when it would be very prudent to prebook accommodation. I had to try 6 places before I found one with a room available on Saturday night.

In the Songkla Museum

Sunset from Blue Smile Cafe

Striking a pose with the mermaid

The view from the hill