Hatyai, Thailand

Day 1: Penang > Hatyai via Sadao Border > Golden Crown Grand Hotel > Salma Restaurant > Wat Stainless > Kan Eng Restaurant > Odean Shopping Mall > Lee Garden Night Market

Day 2: Big Market Hatyai > Tuk Tuk Tour > Chang Puak Elephant Camp Hat Yai > Hatyai Municipal Park, Peak of Elephant God > Hatyai Municipal Park, Peak of Buddha > Hatyai Municipal Park, Peak of Guan Yin > Central Festival Hat Yai > Asean Night Bazaar > Greenway Night Market > Lee Garden Plaza

Day 3: Chok Dee Dim Sum > Penang

We booked a private van from Penang and headed towards north

Little did we know our van left us stranded at the immigration

We were lucky that we managed to book another van at Sadao Border

We were at the immigration for 3 hours to cross to the other side

Therefore, it is not advisable to take van to Hatyai

You might want to consider other option such as trains or flights

It was pretty warm and the place was packed with humans

Meanwhile on the other side, stall keepers chilling under the shade

 We "Grab"-ed everywhere we go in Hatyai
 Sometimes we flagged tuk tuk if it is a short distance

Wat Stainless is one of its kind of pagoda fully built of stainless steel with the great details. Situated on top of a mountain, windy and cool. Some people say that it is not a wat, but just a chedi. The Pagoda is made from stainless steel tubing and is lit up at night turning it into a Crystal Pagoda which is visible from the road below the hill.

Unfortunately, we didn't stay till night because if we couldn't get our Grab driver to fetch us on the mountain, we will be rolling down the hill. We tried our luck and several Grab driver refused to fetched us. We waited nearly an hour to get our driver to fetch us. 

Kan Eng Restaurant - food was so so. Not worth a visit IMO. We packed some sticky mango rice from the roadside and brought it in, cheekily ate it in the restaurant.

The next morning, we visited the Big Market. Every Tuk Tuk in Hatyai knows this place. We walked from our hotel to this market. Zebra branded stainless steel products are cheaper here compared to Malaysia/ Singapore.

Tried their Wan Than Mee and it was good, slightly different from the one in Penang. Oh, that fresh coconut water over there is super tasty and refreshing!

We took a tuk tuk tour that covers several attractions at one go. Chang Puak Elephant Camp Hat Yai > Hatyai Municipal Park, Peak of Elephant God > Hatyai Municipal Park, Peak of Buddha > Hatyai Municipal Park, Peak of Guan Yin.

 The view of Hatyai town

Lastly, they dropped us at Central Festival Mall. This mall is impressive but a bit out of the way, if one does not have own transport. It is the biggest shopping centre in town so we had our meals here. It was nearing christmas so the deco was awesome.

 Next, we walked to Asean Plaza which is just a few minutes away. We had our dinner there featuring "Lok Lok" style grill but sadly I forgot to take pictures.

We walked in the rain to Greenway Night Market.

Tue - Sun, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
7min walk away from Asean Night Bazaar, close on Monday

As for supper, we bought a pack of crayfishes and had shark fins and bird nests at one of their famous local shop @ Lee Garden Plaza.

The next morning, we headed to Chokdee Dim Sum Shop for breakfast. Decided to come here whilst in Hat Yai based off the reviews on Tripadvisor. So, we ordered a range of dim sum, service was quick. The dim sum were however only mediocre. Be prepared to be disappointed.

 Besides dim sum, we also ordered a claypot of Bak Kut Teh to share and it tasted similar to the one in Penang. To be honest, nothing really special here.