Day 12 : Hat Yai to Bangkok, Wednesday 19th June 2024
Hazy / Fine / Stormy, 36°
NZ$1 = THB22
THB1 = NZ$0.04
Up at 7:00, down for breakfast then back to pack our bag, and checked out at 8:30am. We got a Grab to the airport ( THB230/$10 ) and drove south west out of town.
We had read a lot about Hat Yai before we came here, most of it positive ( except for the weirdly excessively long changes at the traffic lights, made worse by the fact there is a countdown when the lights are red to show when they will go green. Some of these countdowns start at over 200 seconds ) but tinged with the understanding that there are still separatist struggles happening on the Thailand / Malaysia border, and occasionally these have spilled into Hat Yai. The town has a generally nice feel but does feel very commercial and is not really a tourist town ( which is a good thing in my books ). We enjoyed our time here and would not hesitate to come back if we needed a gateway to this area ( or we decided to finish the train journey to Bangkok ).
We arrived at the airport at 9am, through security into the airport terminal, and checked in ( Thai Lion Air, 1.5 hour flight, $327 ). We had to wait for a few minutes for the checkin to open as they only open 2 hours before the flight leaves. And despite the check in desks having a conveyor belt system behind them, once we had checked in and checked our bags in, we had to carry our bags to the security scanner and wait for them to go through before we could head to the departure lounge. Walked through the terminal to the far end then upstairs to departures, then all the way back to the other end of the terminal, through security again and into the waiting area. The lounge was nice enough with some food outlets, and due to their being 3 flights out to Bangkok at about the same time on 3 different airlines ( Lion Air 11:05am Air Asia 10:45am and NOK 11:05am ) the lounge soon started to fill up We bought a drink and waited. Our plane landed at 9:45am ( along with the 2 other planes that were due to do the Hat Yai to Bangkok route. NOK must win the award for the best looking plane.
We boarded at 10:30am and left at 11:10am ( just behind the NOK flight ). OK flight, a few bumps ( around thunderstorms as normal ). We landed at Don Meung at 12:30am, through to baggage claim then out through the terminal, across the carpark building, across the highway and in to the Don Meung Station. This was a bit of a trek but not too bad. Bought tickets for the Red Line to Bang Sue / Grand Station ( THB20 each ) and up to the platform ( 2 levels up from the concourse, which is already 1 level above the road ). This station also serves other trains to Bangkok but we thought it would be easier to get on the metro system.
We arrived at the new Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station ( Bang Sue ) at 1:30pm and thought we would grab some lunch before we headed to our hotel. To our surprise, despite the building being the new hub for all trains in and out of Bangkok, we could not see any signage for food outlets in the station ( apparently there is a food court but we couldn’t find it.) and the station in general felt quite dark and unwelcoming . We walked through to the actual Bang Sue Station ( about a 10 minute walk underground ) to try to find food, but nothing around there either. Headed back to the Blue Line metro and bought 2 tickets to Sam Yot ( the nearest station to our hotel ) for THB43/$2 ea. Jumped on the train and travelled around the loop, got off at Sam Yot at 2:20pm ( really hungry now ), walked to a café/bookshop ( Burapa Coffee ) and had a late lunch ( 2 ham and cheese sandwiches, 2 slices of madeira cake and 2 drinks, THB215/$9 )
Got a grab at 2:55pm to our hotel ( THB170/$7, 8 mins ) . On the way we drove through a massive boulevard and nice buildings, but then turned down some narrow streets with a market/homeless people around on the way to our hotel ; ah well this in Bangkok.
We checked in ( Siri Heritage Hotel, THB3718$169 for 2 nights including breakfast ). Very friendly staff and what feels like a quiet hotel. Up to our room ( Room 407 ) and relaxed. This hotel in a stunning old building with nice looking rooms, a pool in the middle of the building and a huge rooftop terrace with a view of the city.
Down to the pool at 3:30pm for a dip ( very nice ) then back to the room, then up to the rooftop deck ( huge ). Back down and out to look around the neighbourhood ( a bit rough, but ok…but right on the edge of the government / court area ), couldn’t find much in the way of restaurants etc, but got supplies at a 7Eleven ( they are everywhere so guaranteed to find one of these nearby ) then back to the hotel to relax again. It started to rain. We asked a lady in reception ( we think she is the owner ) for recommendations for dinner and she said “Krua Apsorn @Dinso” so we decided to give it a try.
Out at 6pm, walked east in the rain, along the canal to Krua Apsom for dinner. Good dinner ( THB300/$12 for 1 dish and 1 big beer ) in what feels like a family run restaurant, with lots of locals as well as tourists. Walked back to hotel along Ratchadamnoen Klang Road ( a wide boulevard with monuments ) and then over the canal at 7:30pm. Rain has stopped but still warm. and muggy.
