Pattani

Yala and Pattani are 2 of the 4 most southernly provinces in Thailand, bordering Malaysia.

There are ongoing issues with armed Islamic separatists. Shootings and bombings occure and can flare up. It is important to consider official government advise in regard to your safety before travelling there.

We stayed with locals in Yala and got a car at our disposal. We were told where we could go and what areas to avoid. There are check points on major roads and in the city’s busier areas. It all looked very casual. Hardly anyone was stopped or searched. We did not feel unsafe or nervous at all.

A couple of weeks after our visit, a shooting occurred only meters away from a temple we visited. Luckily no one was insured on that occasion.

Yala

Yala is a pretty nice city. There are a few public sporting grounds open to the public. The locals take advantage of them and you see a lot walking, jogging or doing other exercises early in the morning. We joined them a few times at the Thailand National Sports University (Yala Campus) sports ground to keep at least a little fit.

The 2 main parks inside the city are the Suan Khwan Muang Park with a beautiful lake, and the smaller Sanam Chang Phueak Park, also with a small lake and Clock Tower. Both are nice for a stroll around or resting/relaxing in the shade under the trees.

Almost in between the 2 parks is the Yala City Pillar Shirine. The Shrine is in the middle of a large roundabout, surrounded by a park and large pond with plenty of fish.

Just to the south of the Coliseum shopping centre is the area where the Bird City Street Art can be found. It is a nice neighborhood area. Some of the houses still have their birds in cages at the front. The street art is around different streets, so exploring along the streets by foot is the best way to discover them. Some cover the whole facade; others are a bit harder to discover.

There is another, lesser know area for Street Art; Siroros Road. The art is basically along one section of a wall along the road. At the left end are staired down to the Pattani river.

Here in the south with a Muslim majority, there are plenty of great mosques, but visiting for non-Muslims is often prohibited.

So we are contend visiting some Buddhist temples. One of the largest in the city centre is Wat Phuttaphoom. This temple is not very touristy. The temple and cremation place are set on 2 large blocks of land. There is also a large public school attached.

A short drive from Yala is the much more famous temple; Wat Na Tham, also known as Wat Tham, or Wat Khuha Pimuk.

Behind the temple are big caves in the rock. There are 3 points of interest. That is besides the many cheeky monkeys around the place. Although they seem friendly and cute, they are wild animals and it is best to keep your distance.

To the left along a short, somewhat overgrown path is a staircase up to a Buddha Footprint shrine. The overgrown path continues to the end of the main (middle) cave, but there is a locked gate, requiring us to return back the same way we came up, down.

In the middle is the main attraction. A staircase, passing a large mythological guardian leads to the main cave where amongst others a large reclining Buddha is located.

Walking to the right along the path shortly you come to a small souvenir shop. Here you can take a tour into the caves. There are options for 3 different length walks into the caves. The price is per small group regardless of how many people. Headlamps are provided and a guide will lead the walk.

There is of course a lot more in Yala…

We did a few road trips and visited a few sites in the neighboring province Pattani. Pattani city, a seaport, is less prosperous than in the past and long surpassed by Yala.

We had a nice lunch in the Tin Factory restaurant, in a converted… tin factory. A very interesting place indeed. The restaurant has good food in a quirky decorated place. There are upstairs function/meeting rooms and part of the old tin factory is preserved.

There are many National Parks in the south, some with visitor’s centres, streams for bathing and waterfalls and hiking trails. We visited the popular Nam Tok Sai Khao National Park.

Wat Rat Burana (Wat Changhai) [Wat Chang Hai Rat Buranaram] is over 300 years old and dedicated to LuangPu Thuat, a former abbot. Legend has it he was able to turn sea water into fresh water. Besides the life-sized of LuangPu Thuat image, visitors will find a beautiful stupa, chedi, ordination hall, and bell tower. It is however all a bit over commercialised.