Impression on Hat Yai, Songkla!
Trip Start
Mar 24, 2008
1
9
10
Trip End
Apr 29, 2008
Hat Yai, Thailand
Friday, April 17, 2009
It didn't take me long to decide to leave Pha-Ngan. Although I
absolutely love the stillness of its nature, especially Thong Nai Parn
Noi, and I began to make some new friends, but travelling is about
moving, one can't stay in a place forever. I needed to go back to my
mother as soon as possible also.
I left the day after Full Moon party. People kept asking me whether I
did join it or not. In the end, I didn't because of the rainy weather.
Yes, my friend, Pan said to me, "Ploi, you wouldn't want to go at this
moment, think about it, tourists pee on the ocean, people threw up when
they got drunk, there'll be no available toilets unless you have to
pay, people stuck in one place because of the rain...". Also, like many
things in life (as my father always said)..."Full moon still can
wait...there'll be next times".
3 Hours Ferry & 5 Hours Bus Ride
I almost couldn't make it to the ferry because I decided to return a
bike first. My motorcycle skill was zero so I needed to walk to the
pier, about 700 meters away. Luckily, a guy at the rental shop offered
me a ride. Yes, I always depend on the kindness of a stranger.
On the way back, I fell asleep most of the time. The sea breaze made me
in limbo. I brought 3 grilled chicken breasts from a local woman near
the pier who proudly told me that her daughter went to study in
Bangkok. I think it's wonderful to see people make a progress in their
life by making a simple living. This is something they should be proud
of because at least, the money they earned was pure, not from
corruptions, deceptions, or taking adventages of others in any kind.
There were many tourists who apparently, just dipped out from the full
moon party. They wore painted T-shirts (with 'glow in the dark' inks
saying that "Yeah, it was a swell party..."). They were totally
exhausted because of alcohols, drugs, and lack of sleep. I hope they
found what they were looking for.
Hatyai is 4-5 hours bus ride from Pha-Ngan. I asked myself, WHY do I
want to come here? There are many reasons but 2 main reasons were,
1. my cousin (who has been trying to persuade me for 2 weeks to visit
him) lives here. He wanted me to spend sometimes with his son, Hip Hop
2. my close friend, Pan, lives one hour outside. I wanted to spend sometimes with her family as well
Rainy Arrival
I arrived around 9, quite late at night. Totally exhausted from all the
travelling. But this kind of exhaustion plus eagerness can only find
when one travels. It's like trying to keep your eyes open while you
would love to sleep instead.
My cousin came to pick me up at the gas station. The scene reminded me
of Berlin's gas station, Shell, where my bear loves to drink beers and
hangout till late at night.
His home was nice, much nicer than any place I've ever been in this
trip. With all the facilities money could buy. He wanted to show me his
clubs and restaurants so I took one hour of settling down and went out
with him.
WHOA!
Entertainment business, a.k.a. girls, is BIG here. Dancers danced
wilder than in Bangkok. The money kept flowing in from everywhere,
Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand. Men came from everywhere just
to see girls in bikinis. Actually, after a while of meditation, seeing
this kind of thing made me wanted to puke.
Yes, there's a fifty-sixty looking man being kissed (or harass?) by a
teenage girl. Women tried to earn their money in their prime, as much
as possible. They would do anything, EVERYTHING, like surgery, sexy
dances, wearing cheap but revealing clothes, to attract and then
attack, their male counterparts.
This ongoing business made me sicked....maybe, the tiny part in it was
the reason that it was run (well, part of it) by my cousin. A guy who I
used to respect and used to believe that he was more idealistic....
I skipped out and excused myself to Seven Eleven. Did I do the wrong
thing to come here? Shouldn't I just be lazing on the beach at Pha-Ngan
instead?
I don't know.
