Objectives......... The idea of traveling to Thailand's deep south is not new but up until now there was still a list of other provinces that were easier to reach that I hadn't visited. 2024 therefore had to be the year that I finally committed to this remote area of Thailand. However being remote is not the major obstacle. I had feared that my partner would never be prepared to venture into this conflict zone, an area of the country that has experienced conflict for decades. It's for this reason that this region is the last to be covered. My project to cover all of Thailand's provinces had been going on for years. It would be a shame now if I were to stumble at the last hurdle but a trip to the Deep South wasn't going to be easy. Due to the level of difficulty, I allowed a minimum of three weeks and was not prepared to compromise on the number of days it would take as for obvious reasons I would prefer not to return. I planned to explore each province as I had any other. As a secondary objective I would try to record more train movements in unfamiliar locations.
The provinces involved were the four southern provinces of Songkhla, Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala. I predicted I would need 4-5 days in each province but of the four provinces one, Songkhla had been partially covered in the past.
How Did It Go?......... Thankfully overall there were no major incidents or difficulties to report. I did have one brief gout attack but lost no more than half a day. Other than that there was tight security which to my surprise did not restrict travel to any great extent. The weather was not as hot as I expected for the time of year, cooler than Bangkok and the North.
Regarding those four provinces, there were no military check-points that I saw in Songkhla which is relatively safe but in the other three provinces there were barbed wire compounds, sandbaged check-points, apv's, control towers and electronic surveillence at important junctions and other sensitive areas. Two relatively peaceful areas were Hala Bala National Park and Betong.
I mentioned Hala Bala but all along the Malaysian border it is mountainous an quite remote in places. The forests are among the most rich and diverse in all of Thailand and a real pleasure to visit. Oddly the forests stay greener than in the North at the hottest time of year and you can visit waterfalls all the year round.
In general there are enough attractions in each of the provinces and good examples of local architecture in temples and mosques much of it consisting of wooden buildings in Southern style. More ancient sites are quite rare but Yarang Ancient City in Pattani must be about the oldest in Thailand.
In recent times there is plenty of evidence of struggles, firstly between Communists and the British and then with the Malay and Thai governments, the mountainous regious home to guerrillas who continued to fight until quite recentely. Tunnels and hideout exist as proof of their occupation of remote areas.
I must mention the coastline between Songkhla and the Malaysian Border. This stretch I made a point of visiting as it was the last piece of mainland shoreline left for me to explore. Unfortunately I found this disappointing. Most of it is exposed to strong offshore storms and winds which whip up the tide and make is unsuitable for bathing. There are a few sheltered spots where locals gather but the beaches are usually clogged with debris from shipping in the Gulf. On top of this people add their own rubbish, a most distasteful practice I might add. Over a long period of time the shoreline has expanded which explains that important trading cities have been lost, now some distance inland. The margins are now suitable only for goats.
In terms of productivity, fishing is key of course but palm and rubber trees are the main crops while fruit and vegetables are cheap. In terms of the cost of living, it's lower here and you can tell my the percentage of motorbikes to cars that the area is poor and the mainly Muslim commuity rely on home cooking and street food more: Few people have the money to eat at posh restaurants so these are hard to find. This is certainly not the best place to be on holiday.
Regarding accommodation, there are few new builds as there are in other parts of Thailand and what there is, feels tired with age. We had to struggle to find rooms that met our needs.
In terms of the time we spent in the provinces, it came out almost exactly as planed. I could have just squeezed it into three weeks and didn't need any reserve time.
Summing Up....... I will never say anywhere I've been was a waist of time. There are clearly places of interest here but no tourist infrastructure with Betong being the shining exception. Having completed the tour, Betong is the only town I would consider returning to but the big picture is I can't see a reason to travel this far south again. Obviously the cost of reaching the Deep South made the whole trip relatively expensive with fuel being a big piece of my budget. Accommodation was about the same but food less due to reduced opportunity to find suitable restaurants.
Overstay...... After the three weeks I could have ended the tour but I payed my wildcard. In complete contrast to the Deep South I found myself in one of the most touristic places in Thailand. Koh Samui I had to cover sometime and as it was on the way back to Bangkok I decided to add it here. The point is that this popular island didn't suit me either but I had to see it to ind out what I already knew. It's become a tourist trap pure and simple, certainly overpriced. I here you say, 'is there anywhere that pleases you?' Well there is actually. We spent two night in Khanom near the coast in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province and here is the perfect blend of beauty, tranquility and practicality. Now here's where I will go back to. I think it's safe for now. There are no plans to build an airport here that I know of!
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