tom
04-12-2010, 06:51 PM
Working on the premise that a picture’s worth a thousand words, this will be one of my longer reports from down south – not really a TR as it’s more of an insight to what expats get up to when they’re bored of the eat, sleep, drink, fuck routine. If you’re hoping to see pics of Isaan girls’ tits you’re in the wrong thread. However, as a consolation, I will include a picture of my dinner.
So, hunting pussy in Yala? Not one of life’s better choices you may think. Wrong!
A bit of background as to how I ended up in the deep south of the three southernmost provinces. It was down to a Chinese Malaysian biker guy I was talking to in Had Yai and I made the comment that the girls in Had Yai, being younger and light-skinned, must suit him. His response was that they didn’t compare to the girls or experience in Betong, which is at the southern tip of Yala, next to the Malaysian border. At that time, I was only aware of Betong for two things; firstly, arguably the best oranges in LOS are grown there and secondly, the cars had registrations unique to the amphur and weren’t registered in Yala. I was told that this was because the place is a bit remote from Yala City but just how remote I didn’t fully understand until I had made the trip. I obviously had a look on the net to see what else I could pick up about the place and I’ll cover them later.
Anyway, I decided to do a short 3-4 day trip as I was due to do a 90 day report anyway, so I figured that I’d tie in a border run with a side-trip instead.
Getting there.
Unfortunately, it’s a car or nothing, so it was a trip to the Land Transport Department to get a new English transcript of my vehicle registration. That would be needed at the Malaysian/Thai border to obtain the additional insurance and transit permit from the Malaysian Transport people.
I decided to stay overnight in Danok on the Thai side of the main north/south border and travel to Betong the following day. Passing by Had Yai’s latest landmark and tourist attraction was a timely reminder, if I needed one, of where I was heading. The mosque had been under construction since the day I arrived in Songkhla and progress on the building works always seemed painfully slow since I never saw any heavy machinery at the place and it was always encased in a bamboo structure of ladders and scaffolding. Irrespective of your religious views, the guys who done the building made a good job of it eventually.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/IMG_0296copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/IMG_0287copy.jpg
The following morning getting through Thai immigration was a breeze and I was soon on my way over the border and the welcome sight of signs written in English.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020601copy.jpg
What should have been a quick stop at the Malaysian Transport office ended up as a 40 minute stop as the guy decided that this time my Romanised Licence sticker didn’t conform to the regulations. Not a big problem and I soon had my transport permit and was on my way.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020605copy.jpg
The roads in Malaysia are a pleasure to drive on and when I cut off the north-south highway to head east to Betong, I could see why my biker mate made such a big deal about the trip.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020606copy.jpg
In what seemed like no time at all, I arrived at the almost deserted immigration post – not too many tourists pass through, and very few farangs, it appeared.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020615copy.jpg
The Thai side of the border, like almost every land crossing, seemed to suffer from a significant amount of neglect compared to the Malaysian side. That said, the staff were extremely helpful and actually seemed pleased to see a farang.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020617copy.jpg
Betong Town
It was only a quick 10km run into Betong and my hotel, being the only building of any significant size, was easy to spot and navigate a route to. The hotel is called the Grand Mandarin and the name should have given me some clues as to the make-up of the town.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c1copy.jpg
My room cost 1,300 Baht a night including free internet and a couple of breakfasts which I thought was reasonable and the view from the room towards the surrounding mountains was excellent.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c3copy.jpg
The main activity in the town is really limited to a half dozen or so side-streets leading off the main road which has a clock tower as its central point. Oh, and that main activity is mongering.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c6copy.jpg
There are a couple of other landmarks in the town that are probably worth a mention. Firstly, what is reputed to be Thailand’s only road tunnel. How true that is, I have no idea, but that’s what the locals claimed so I wasn’t going to argue the point.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c2copy.jpg
The second landmark of note is apparently the world’s tallest post box. Quite why someone decided to build a giant post box is anybody’s guess, but it’s still functioning and you can still post a letter.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c4copy.jpg
Surprisingly, the population, unlike the remainder of Yala, is predominantly (Hokkien) Chinese, as are the vast majority of businesses in the town and the diverse Thai, Malay and Chinese influences of the population is reflected in the design of the city’s gate.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c5copy.jpg
Of the other sights around town, there is the obligatory mosque …
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c8copy.jpg
… the famous “Jacky Chan” hotel …,
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c10copy.jpg
… the, not so famous, Woody Salon … ,
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c9copy.jpg
… and the obligatory gold shop with a Harley parked in the foyer.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c7copy.jpg
Piyamit Tunnels
Stuck up high in the mountains, about 20-odd kms from the town are the Piyamit tunnels. These were home to Malayan communists during the 70s and when they gave up their fight they stayed on in Thailand rather than return to Malaya and settled in five villages in the south of Thailand called Ban Piyamit 1-5, or Friendship Villages 1-5. Not only have they stayed on but they’ve also successfully turned their former bases into tourist attractions.
An early start and I was on my way and as I approached the village a reminder of the inevitable …
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020641copy.jpg
… but first a stop at some hot springs to sample some fresh boiled eggs …
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020643copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020649copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020652copy.jpg
… then a drive into the mountains proper …
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020661copy.jpg
then, finally, we reach the entrance gate to the village …
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020655copy.jpg
… and a spot to take in the view back down the valley and appreciate some of the Chinese workmanship.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020660copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020664copy.jpg
Like everywhere else in the village, the entrance to the tunnel complex is obviously well-maintained unlike some other “tourist spots” that I’ve been to in Thailand.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020666copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020677copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020672copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020674copy.jpg
After a fair hike through the jungle, we stumble upon the entrance to the tunnels and accompanying displays, museum etc.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020682copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020683copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020686copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020690copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020691copy.jpg
On the way back to my truck, I came across what I assume must be Thailand’s answer to the Pontiac Vibe.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020699copy.jpg
Food
The hotel I was staying in had a decent enough buffet breakfast which also provided the opportunity to cast an eye over the talent finishing their overnight shift.
The town has loads of Thai/Chinese/Malay/Indian restaurants but I opted to take my main meals at a place a couple of minutes from my hotel. Huge helpings (too much for me) and fairly reasonably priced for the quality of the scoff they offered.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020720copy.jpg
I think that the total for this spread was around 230 Baht, or thereabouts.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020721copy.jpg
Unlike many Thai provincial towns where the wet market is a bit of a nightmare, the one in Betong, like the rest of the town, was pretty laid back and well organised.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c11copy.jpg
On the way home, I made a big mistake and decided to drive through Yala and Pattani to Songkhla. The drive from Yala to Songkhla was pretty good but the 140 kms from Betong to Yala was a bit of a nightmare drive. Some nice scenery that would compare with anything back home but you took your life in your own hands if you let it distract you too much.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020739copy.jpg
The Girls
I almost forgot. The girls in town are mainly Northern Thai, Chinese or Indonesian. I didn’t quite get the Indonesian connection but I was told that lots of Thais prefer them because they consider them to have hot bods compared to Thais. Certainly, the two that I met came from Medan and were very generously proportioned and both spoke excellent English. Any Isaan girls are generally working in the multitude of massage parlours. Getting a girl is called “a booking” and the prices are inclusive and pretty much fixed at 2.5-3k overnight and 1.2-1.5k short time (3 hours). Most of the fixing up with the girls actually occurs in the afternoon – so guys take them back to the hotel for round one, night out and scoff then round two and round three in the morning. Most of the guys I met were Malaysian Chinese and regular visitors to Betong. They appeared to have their favourite girls so everything appears to be much more laid back than the hard sell of Pattaya, or even Had Yai. The town also seems to suit the girls – it is relatively small and very friendly and the climate is much like Chiang Mai i.e. a good few degrees cooler than the likes of Bangkok and Pattaya.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g1copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g9copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g10copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g2copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g4copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g5copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g6copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g7copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g3copy.jpg
So, hunting pussy in Yala? Not one of life’s better choices you may think. Wrong!
A bit of background as to how I ended up in the deep south of the three southernmost provinces. It was down to a Chinese Malaysian biker guy I was talking to in Had Yai and I made the comment that the girls in Had Yai, being younger and light-skinned, must suit him. His response was that they didn’t compare to the girls or experience in Betong, which is at the southern tip of Yala, next to the Malaysian border. At that time, I was only aware of Betong for two things; firstly, arguably the best oranges in LOS are grown there and secondly, the cars had registrations unique to the amphur and weren’t registered in Yala. I was told that this was because the place is a bit remote from Yala City but just how remote I didn’t fully understand until I had made the trip. I obviously had a look on the net to see what else I could pick up about the place and I’ll cover them later.
Anyway, I decided to do a short 3-4 day trip as I was due to do a 90 day report anyway, so I figured that I’d tie in a border run with a side-trip instead.
Getting there.
Unfortunately, it’s a car or nothing, so it was a trip to the Land Transport Department to get a new English transcript of my vehicle registration. That would be needed at the Malaysian/Thai border to obtain the additional insurance and transit permit from the Malaysian Transport people.
I decided to stay overnight in Danok on the Thai side of the main north/south border and travel to Betong the following day. Passing by Had Yai’s latest landmark and tourist attraction was a timely reminder, if I needed one, of where I was heading. The mosque had been under construction since the day I arrived in Songkhla and progress on the building works always seemed painfully slow since I never saw any heavy machinery at the place and it was always encased in a bamboo structure of ladders and scaffolding. Irrespective of your religious views, the guys who done the building made a good job of it eventually.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/IMG_0296copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/IMG_0287copy.jpg
The following morning getting through Thai immigration was a breeze and I was soon on my way over the border and the welcome sight of signs written in English.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020601copy.jpg
What should have been a quick stop at the Malaysian Transport office ended up as a 40 minute stop as the guy decided that this time my Romanised Licence sticker didn’t conform to the regulations. Not a big problem and I soon had my transport permit and was on my way.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020605copy.jpg
The roads in Malaysia are a pleasure to drive on and when I cut off the north-south highway to head east to Betong, I could see why my biker mate made such a big deal about the trip.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020606copy.jpg
In what seemed like no time at all, I arrived at the almost deserted immigration post – not too many tourists pass through, and very few farangs, it appeared.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020615copy.jpg
The Thai side of the border, like almost every land crossing, seemed to suffer from a significant amount of neglect compared to the Malaysian side. That said, the staff were extremely helpful and actually seemed pleased to see a farang.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020617copy.jpg
Betong Town
It was only a quick 10km run into Betong and my hotel, being the only building of any significant size, was easy to spot and navigate a route to. The hotel is called the Grand Mandarin and the name should have given me some clues as to the make-up of the town.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c1copy.jpg
My room cost 1,300 Baht a night including free internet and a couple of breakfasts which I thought was reasonable and the view from the room towards the surrounding mountains was excellent.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c3copy.jpg
The main activity in the town is really limited to a half dozen or so side-streets leading off the main road which has a clock tower as its central point. Oh, and that main activity is mongering.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c6copy.jpg
There are a couple of other landmarks in the town that are probably worth a mention. Firstly, what is reputed to be Thailand’s only road tunnel. How true that is, I have no idea, but that’s what the locals claimed so I wasn’t going to argue the point.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c2copy.jpg
The second landmark of note is apparently the world’s tallest post box. Quite why someone decided to build a giant post box is anybody’s guess, but it’s still functioning and you can still post a letter.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c4copy.jpg
Surprisingly, the population, unlike the remainder of Yala, is predominantly (Hokkien) Chinese, as are the vast majority of businesses in the town and the diverse Thai, Malay and Chinese influences of the population is reflected in the design of the city’s gate.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c5copy.jpg
Of the other sights around town, there is the obligatory mosque …
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c8copy.jpg
… the famous “Jacky Chan” hotel …,
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c10copy.jpg
… the, not so famous, Woody Salon … ,
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c9copy.jpg
… and the obligatory gold shop with a Harley parked in the foyer.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c7copy.jpg
Piyamit Tunnels
Stuck up high in the mountains, about 20-odd kms from the town are the Piyamit tunnels. These were home to Malayan communists during the 70s and when they gave up their fight they stayed on in Thailand rather than return to Malaya and settled in five villages in the south of Thailand called Ban Piyamit 1-5, or Friendship Villages 1-5. Not only have they stayed on but they’ve also successfully turned their former bases into tourist attractions.
An early start and I was on my way and as I approached the village a reminder of the inevitable …
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020641copy.jpg
… but first a stop at some hot springs to sample some fresh boiled eggs …
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020643copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020649copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020652copy.jpg
… then a drive into the mountains proper …
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020661copy.jpg
then, finally, we reach the entrance gate to the village …
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020655copy.jpg
… and a spot to take in the view back down the valley and appreciate some of the Chinese workmanship.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020660copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020664copy.jpg
Like everywhere else in the village, the entrance to the tunnel complex is obviously well-maintained unlike some other “tourist spots” that I’ve been to in Thailand.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020666copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020677copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020672copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020674copy.jpg
After a fair hike through the jungle, we stumble upon the entrance to the tunnels and accompanying displays, museum etc.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020682copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020683copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020686copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020690copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020691copy.jpg
On the way back to my truck, I came across what I assume must be Thailand’s answer to the Pontiac Vibe.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020699copy.jpg
Food
The hotel I was staying in had a decent enough buffet breakfast which also provided the opportunity to cast an eye over the talent finishing their overnight shift.
The town has loads of Thai/Chinese/Malay/Indian restaurants but I opted to take my main meals at a place a couple of minutes from my hotel. Huge helpings (too much for me) and fairly reasonably priced for the quality of the scoff they offered.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020720copy.jpg
I think that the total for this spread was around 230 Baht, or thereabouts.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020721copy.jpg
Unlike many Thai provincial towns where the wet market is a bit of a nightmare, the one in Betong, like the rest of the town, was pretty laid back and well organised.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/c11copy.jpg
On the way home, I made a big mistake and decided to drive through Yala and Pattani to Songkhla. The drive from Yala to Songkhla was pretty good but the 140 kms from Betong to Yala was a bit of a nightmare drive. Some nice scenery that would compare with anything back home but you took your life in your own hands if you let it distract you too much.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/P1020739copy.jpg
The Girls
I almost forgot. The girls in town are mainly Northern Thai, Chinese or Indonesian. I didn’t quite get the Indonesian connection but I was told that lots of Thais prefer them because they consider them to have hot bods compared to Thais. Certainly, the two that I met came from Medan and were very generously proportioned and both spoke excellent English. Any Isaan girls are generally working in the multitude of massage parlours. Getting a girl is called “a booking” and the prices are inclusive and pretty much fixed at 2.5-3k overnight and 1.2-1.5k short time (3 hours). Most of the fixing up with the girls actually occurs in the afternoon – so guys take them back to the hotel for round one, night out and scoff then round two and round three in the morning. Most of the guys I met were Malaysian Chinese and regular visitors to Betong. They appeared to have their favourite girls so everything appears to be much more laid back than the hard sell of Pattaya, or even Had Yai. The town also seems to suit the girls – it is relatively small and very friendly and the climate is much like Chiang Mai i.e. a good few degrees cooler than the likes of Bangkok and Pattaya.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g1copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g9copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g10copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g2copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g4copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g5copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g6copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g7copy.jpg
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b3/sabaitom/Betong/g3copy.jpg