Songkhla, a city in southern Thailand (population approximately 75), is located 170 km south of Nakhon Si Thammarat—a city I know well since it's where my wife is from ( hence this article )!—and only 80 km from the Malaysian border. Songkhla and the island of Ko Yo are just 000 km from Hat Yai, a well-known crossroads for travelers passing between southern Thailand and neighboring Malaysia. Yet, few stop there… sometimes due to lack of time, but I think often due to a lack of information.
And that's a shame, because this region has a lot to offer. Songkhla is an important port on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, with a bit of a seaside atmosphere. You see quite a few tourists there… Malaysians, actually. And the town has its own charm, with its Sino-Portuguese style architecture similar to what you find in Phuket Town.
But what really attracted me here was its lake and more precisely the island of Ko Yo, a peaceful place between traditions, temples and fish farms.
Ko Yo: the fish farm island
It was via Thailand's longest concrete bridge, the Tinsulanond Bridge, that we landed on Ko Yo, also spelled Ko Yor. This was the primary reason for my visit to this region. Ko Yo is an island in Songkhla Lake , which flows into the sea (which is right next to it...).
Its specificity is to have this multitude of fish farming squares distributed near houses on stilts. However, this is not the only specificity of the island, also known for its fruit production (especially a variety of jackfruit, the jampada) and for its hand-woven fabrics.
It was when I saw a rather impressive photo of a view of all these houses and bamboos forming the squares for breeding on the lake that I wanted to see Ko Yo and therefore go to this famous viewpoint... I could go around the island, but it was impossible to find a road going up to any view... except at the museum level but access (even to the car park!) is chargeable, so it put me off all the more because for the cost I had visited most of Ko Yo while looking for this famous access from above...
Before going around in circles, we'd stop to eat at a local restaurant on stilts . Before setting off again, searching in vain…
Well, because it got to me at the time and since I'm writing the article more calmly, I think I found the famous road that I indicate on the map at the end of the article (in case you ever get lost in the area!), and now I'm telling myself that I should have just zoomed in a bit more on my GPS when I was there... VDM
From this tour of the island, I remember 2 temples.
Wat Phranon Laem Pho
Or how to stumble upon a reclining Buddha that shines in the sun all day long. And not a small one either! The one at Wat Phranon Laem Pho must be over 20m long and 5m wide (impossible to find the exact figure so this is just an estimate, found on a website where curious visitors have ended up there like me).
I was especially surprised not by his size, but by the fact that he was pampering himself with the pill without protection, normally a Buddha worthy of the name has a roof… The crushing heat that day did not prevent us from taking a tour of the property. Time to meet a few monks, dogs and people passing by (Thais) coming to pray.
In addition to the reclining Buddha, you will find a standing Buddha and a seated one, both of much more modest size.
Wat Thai Yo
Yes, well, I know that more than one will smile when reading this name (Taïaut!) but this is where we landed after the other temple. A small temple with buildings that don't look very young. Speaking of young, we will have a chat with some local kids for whom we were (well, especially me) the attraction of the day.
After a few words, they stopped bothering us and took us to see the old chedi at the top of the hill . I was hoping to get a view from there, but unfortunately it was blocked by the trees…
Still with the kids, we go to the neighboring quay to admire the view of the island and its central hill, in the area, no beaches on the horizon, but just mangrove, too bad.
Short express tour to Songhkla
For our part, we'll just stick to Songkhla's main beach , Samila. It's disappointing because it's far from the cliché of a beautiful white sand beach deserted by tourists. Deserted, yes, that's for sure, but as a result, it's a bit dirty…
If I have the opportunity to return to the city later, I'll be surprised and delighted by its Sino-Portuguese architecture, similar to what you find in Phuket Town. However, since I didn't have a camera at the time, I promised myself I'd come back and, of course, write a short article for you.
Samila Beach: sculptures and a mermaid
Near the beach, under the pine trees, you will see a large sculpture of a cat and a rat , a gift to the town from a local artist if I remember correctly what the plaque explained.
But the real star attraction is the golden statue of a mermaid , reminiscent of the one in Copenhagen, also perched on its rock. Its popularity has propelled it to the status of a symbol of the city of Songkhla.
So much so that we had to wait half an hour before getting a slot to do our series of photos! In the meantime, I was photographing the surroundings and watching people lounging around.
The beach is lined with pine trees that provide shade for souvenir vendors and tourists/locals picnicking here. You can ride horses on the beach (well, "ride horses" is a bit of an exaggeration), while others simply gather in groups and gaze at the horizon, strolling along. However, there aren't many people in the water; admittedly, the port is nearby, so swimming is probably out of the question …
To complete the visit
Among other things I would have liked to see out of curiosity if I had done a little more research beforehand, and still in the realm of sculpture, is the Great Naga . It takes the form of a head and serves as a fountain north of the estuary. Its unique feature is that it is actually composed of three parts to demonstrate its grandeur: the second is near Tang Kuan Hill, and the last is 3 km south of the head!
And speaking of hills, here's another point of interest I would have liked to see: Tang Kuan Hill and its pagoda . Accessible by funicular (30 Baht fare), or free via the 305 steps, you'll be rewarded with a view of the city and Songkhla Lake.
Last point, there are the remains of a small fortress (Laem Sai) just behind the provincial police station (no relation to the base). I could mention others like the national museum or the Songkhla zoo but as these are places that in my eyes have less interest (each to their own tastes…), I'll let you find the others by yourself 😉
To help you, I took some of the information for this article from my friend wikitravel.
As mentioned earlier here is the map and because I am a nice guy I have given you all the points of interest, view/no view etc.
With all this, are you thinking about going to Songkhla? Would you like to see more articles on this part of Thailand?
