And both of em gave me a totally different experience and story ! My first Thailand trip was going to Betong - Thailand as covered in
http://holim88.blogspot.com/2010/12/trip-to-betong-thailand-2010-day-1.html
http://holim88.blogspot.com/2010/12/trip-to-betong-thailand-2010-day-2.html
The participant of this trips consist of me, my sister , brother, my mom and
WHOLE BUNCH OF AUNTIESSSSSSSS !!!!
Oh yes, you guess it right. This is a totally aunties trips with 95% of em are female. 87% above are above 50 years ago.
In other word, I have joined a follow a tour group to Thailand. Not my usual backpacker style.
10 hours of bus ride was a real suffer. I always have problem sleeping in bus. Maybe I not use to sleep in sitting position. Nonetheless I survived through the journey.
As a matter of fact. I am anti ala tour-group + tour guide style all the while. Now that I have joined one, it got me assure that my anti-ness feeling is correct.
Hear me say, following a tour group is a BIG NO FUN !
While we (the passenger) so eager to see the uniqueness in Thailand, the tour guide only interested on their fat commission.
3days 1 night trip to Hatyai, is all about shopping shopping and bloody shopping.
I guess those aunties were really enjoying it. But we youngster don't. I myself have went to Betong as backpacker. And I do notice the difference.
We brought 10 thousand Baht to there which is equivalent to RM 1,000. Well, most of the money was spent by mom.. hahahaha
Those place that they brought us to shop, was bloody expensive / not cheap at the least. Given a short time on each stop, we have no choice to travel on our own. Most of the time in Hatyai was going indoor to shop.
Buy biscuits, seaweed, dry cuttle fish and all sort of stuffs which you can find in Malaysia. But those aunties still buy buy and buy in bulk. As it seem it was so cheap. Trust me, it is expensive !
Foods there, was expensive too. Because I think even the tour guide even earn commission from them.
Chicken rice cost RM5 and Tomyam Meehun cost RM4. Erm, actually the price is around like that in Malaysia. But since we were in Thailand. I expect cheaper than that as those foods were really way cheaper in Betong.
Furthermore, the foods were.... meh. What to do, when you follow a tour guide, you have no choice but to eat whatever they bring you to.
At one particular time, they actually being considerate to bring us some place nice for sightseeing. At least there are something I can be looking forward to.
Mermaid Beach. Nothing special particularly except for its famous roasted eggs.
and a mermaid statue
and we stay there for 45 minutes. Good also as the sun was really bright that time. From what I see, Thai people are very environment caring. The beach was so clean even though it is a famous picnic spots. Shame to our Malaysian culture. Port Dickson, Melaka and Klang beachs were a disgrace.
To my surprise, the tour guide brought us to wet market ! I did not expect that because it might bring no commission to them. Well I guess they are still quite considerate sometime.
Whatnot, I have done some photo-viewing in internet about this Wet market. And found that most of the tourists love to take photo from this spot. I was standing on a bridge.
Finally the tour guide brought us back to a hotel in Hatyai main city which I forget it name. Very lively indeed. But I did not take any photos on those... hmm wondering why.
Anyway, we rest a while before going out to sight-seeing again. This time we went to the stainless steel tower ! Hope I get it right.
And it cost us RM15 per pax to go there. Nothing special, just a tower with a lot of stainless steel inside and with some monks chanting prayer.
Personally I think there is no entry fees required to visit this place. But the tour guide asked RM15 from us before hence saying that she will arrange a van to us. So in total we paying RM165 because got 11 people per van for the driver to bring us there which cost less than 15minutes.
Hmm, nothing fun to say more. So we back to Malaysia the next morning. Speaking of passing through kastam, it is another funny aunties story. They were so nervous that their shopping goods will somehow get confiscated. All their faces were green and nervous. The tour-guide keep on calming them down. I was like ... 0_o in the bus.
"Auntiesss, you buy vegetables, fruits and foods nia ma... you think you buy gun and bomb meh" I think like that. I have no idea why they were this nervous.
Another funny stuffs was. Those aunties insist to show-hand their money before going back. As my brother said, those aunties see the Thai Bath like a voucher.. have expiry date one... cannot change back to MYR one. So must finish it !!!
And stop by Alor Setar to visit a muzium.
Auntiess.... auntiess.... auntiess.....
Photos above were so fascinating. It were all drawing ! Masterpiece by 60 great artists.
Journey back to Malaysia was even a greater suffering when aunties decided to sing karaoke in bus.
Imagine.... Speakers directly above and beside you with volume turn so loud... and aunties start to sing all their lung out
You know how oldie songs can be so high pitch and semangat. now imagine the sound of lorry honking directly into your ear for 2-3 hours like that.
There was a bloody hell aunty whose profession is a tai-kam-cheh. She sang most of the songs... and I bloody hate her. Her voice is so high pitch and with her run-out-of-tune buffalo voice, it almost got me crazy.
I was thinking to grab her mike and break it. Apparently I did not. And long story short... after long endurance... finally I get to home.
To sum up my story.. I do not hate Hatyai even though I sound like I hate it. I hate tour-guided trip. It is suck for us the free soul teenagers who are eager to explore a totally new worlds.
I guess that is what we called age gaps. Apparently my mom enjoy it. But I don't. Nonetheless, I having precious time with my family at Thailand.
So, I am not satisfy with my trip to Hatyai and looking forward to come back some other day. Of course, with a big bagpack on my back and with fellow good buddies we will conqured every interesting spot of Hatyai can offer.
2 comments:
Hatyai is just good to visit for once. But since you havent seen most of the city, you should go back to see it again. If you come to my place in Udon Thani, just tell me. I can guarantee you, it is way better than Hatyai!!! See you around.
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