Feb 21-23 2023 |
This was a long 5-hour drive on a freeway-type 4-lane road, fairly monotonous, not much to see, along a very windy coastline. One major thing was just how abruptly the demographic changed leaving Nakhon and entering the Muslim south of Thailand. The culture here seems closer to Malaysia than Thailand, and they speak a local form of Malay. In the recent past, there have been numerous incidents (terrorist attacks, explosions) that keep tourists away, but as always perception is not reality - I never felt any threat in Pattani or the deep south of Thailand.
Regardless, I didn't have much time for tourism (or photos), as I ate some tainted seafood soup when I arrived, and was then incapacitated for 1.5 days with severe food poisoning - ugh. When I was leaving I had a long chat with the hotel owners, a Danish and Thai couple who live in Hua Hin - they have put a lot of TLC into a very well-done business hotel.
Ride: 225 km | 5 Hrs
Stay: BM Pattani Apartment | 5/5
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