I almost choked with laughter at Stuart's spontaneous remark on Narathiwat leading this New Zealander straight there (for not reading the full sentence). Just another wonderful tale.
I came to Narathiwat in 2015 following the coastline from Cambodia to Malaysia. A Muslim lady in the minivan called her husband when she learned I was to stay there, he got off work and they drove me around town to find a hotel(I would have normally walked around but hey...and you get to know people); I had a 2nd story ceiling fanned room with a wooden balcony right on the fishing harbour, and I mean I was looking at the fishing boats unloading their cargo at night right under my window, absolutely wonderful; but i do not remember the short time ground floor nor the name of the hotel. If anyone can confirm if that is Narathiwat hotel I'd like that. Their nephew biked me around to show me the beaches in the afternoon, then came back with some friends to take me out at night and we spent the whole evening on a wide sidewalk eating crepes, drinking tea and talking about everything from religions, studies in Arabia, to relationships and hiding in the week end to have privacy with their girlfriend before marriage. A young woman stopped her bike on the street the next afternoon as I was walking under the (scorching) sun and offered a ride to anywhere and she did NOT take a selfie with me. More of these happened and I only spent 2 days as I was on the then 2 weeks visa you obtained at land border crossing, I would have stayed longer.
I was so glad I did not follow the guide book advice to avoid the 4 southern provinces; actually, it IS the reason I went there. It also said "if you go, expect to be the only foreigner in town". Not true: I saw another one! we travelled together for a while and kept in touch for a few years.
As Stuart knows I am a massive fan of the Narathiwat hotel and the area and have been a regular visitor since I found it back in the late 80s or early 90s. These days I have many friends in the city and I always stay at the Narathiwat hotel. The hotel has changed ownership and indeed the new owner is much more friendly than the old owner (but sadly the manager Mr Chen has long since departed) and the staff are as friendly and helpful as ever. The map in the photo was drawn by a regular visitor a lovely old man from Singapore Mr Lee and I remember watching him draw it.
I was there last as Covid started and the manager provided me and the other guest (also a fan and regular) with a fridge in the communal area so we could keep our food and drink cold as lockdown started
One of my favorite recollections is sitting one evening in the communal area, one of the guests was an 18 year old English girl on her gap year and she said- If you had told me before I left England I would stay in a brothel I would never have believed you and I have been here now three days and I just love the place and will be so sad to leave - this sums up the hotel for me and it is a place you will either love or hate
The reason the hotel works is that you never get bothered by the prostitutes downstairs or the punters - indeed the girls are always very friendly and will lend you (or do) sewing stuff or an umbrella or whatever and on many occasions invite you to join them when they are eating or drinking. The upstairs is off limits to locals and the punters never go upstairs
The railway station is about 17 klms away from Narathiwat at Tang Yong Mat and is easily reached by the local songthaew (25baht) and they will drop you off at the hotel if you ask. Personally I love sitting on the train and just looking out at the jungle on the stretch between Sungai Kolok and Hat Yai. There are two sleeper trains from Bangkok a day as well as a handful of local trains. I agree with Stuart there are many places well worth stopping on the way but I do confess that these days I may well fly as I will stay in narathiwat for 3-4 weeks.
I have lost count of the people I have met that were only staying one night on their way to or from Malaysia and ended up stopping longer as they experience the delights of Narathiwat
generally in town it is safe but it is very important now to listen to local advice on where to go if you are venturing out of town as there are areas of the local countryside that you will be advised to keep clear of especially after dark. The people of Narathiwat are very friendly and I can assure you there is some excellent food to be found in the province
These days there are very few travelers but you may well see water monitors in excess of two meters long swimming in the river or sunbathing - indeed I once saw on in the hotel before it was shown out
yes Stuart there are just the 6 rooms upstairs for the tourists - I suspect the 21 came from counting the rooms downstairs and in the upstairs above the restaurant which are not used by tourists
I almost choked with laughter at Stuart's spontaneous remark on Narathiwat leading this New Zealander straight there (for not reading the full sentence). Just another wonderful tale.
I came to Narathiwat in 2015 following the coastline from Cambodia to Malaysia. A Muslim lady in the minivan called her husband when she learned I was to stay there, he got off work and they drove me around town to find a hotel(I would have normally walked around but hey...and you get to know people); I had a 2nd story ceiling fanned room with a wooden balcony right on the fishing harbour, and I mean I was looking at the fishing boats unloading their cargo at night right under my window, absolutely wonderful; but i do not remember the short time ground floor nor the name of the hotel. If anyone can confirm if that is Narathiwat hotel I'd like that. Their nephew biked me around to show me the beaches in the afternoon, then came back with some friends to take me out at night and we spent the whole evening on a wide sidewalk eating crepes, drinking tea and talking about everything from religions, studies in Arabia, to relationships and hiding in the week end to have privacy with their girlfriend before marriage. A young woman stopped her bike on the street the next afternoon as I was walking under the (scorching) sun and offered a ride to anywhere and she did NOT take a selfie with me. More of these happened and I only spent 2 days as I was on the then 2 weeks visa you obtained at land border crossing, I would have stayed longer.
I was so glad I did not follow the guide book advice to avoid the 4 southern provinces; actually, it IS the reason I went there. It also said "if you go, expect to be the only foreigner in town". Not true: I saw another one! we travelled together for a while and kept in touch for a few years.
Most hospitable town I have experienced.
I still consider "Tales From the Other Side" the best guidebook, print or digital, that I have ever owned, I have it in front of me now.
LOL!
Lovely story well told. Thanks!
As Stuart knows I am a massive fan of the Narathiwat hotel and the area and have been a regular visitor since I found it back in the late 80s or early 90s. These days I have many friends in the city and I always stay at the Narathiwat hotel. The hotel has changed ownership and indeed the new owner is much more friendly than the old owner (but sadly the manager Mr Chen has long since departed) and the staff are as friendly and helpful as ever. The map in the photo was drawn by a regular visitor a lovely old man from Singapore Mr Lee and I remember watching him draw it.
I was there last as Covid started and the manager provided me and the other guest (also a fan and regular) with a fridge in the communal area so we could keep our food and drink cold as lockdown started
One of my favorite recollections is sitting one evening in the communal area, one of the guests was an 18 year old English girl on her gap year and she said- If you had told me before I left England I would stay in a brothel I would never have believed you and I have been here now three days and I just love the place and will be so sad to leave - this sums up the hotel for me and it is a place you will either love or hate
The reason the hotel works is that you never get bothered by the prostitutes downstairs or the punters - indeed the girls are always very friendly and will lend you (or do) sewing stuff or an umbrella or whatever and on many occasions invite you to join them when they are eating or drinking. The upstairs is off limits to locals and the punters never go upstairs
The railway station is about 17 klms away from Narathiwat at Tang Yong Mat and is easily reached by the local songthaew (25baht) and they will drop you off at the hotel if you ask. Personally I love sitting on the train and just looking out at the jungle on the stretch between Sungai Kolok and Hat Yai. There are two sleeper trains from Bangkok a day as well as a handful of local trains. I agree with Stuart there are many places well worth stopping on the way but I do confess that these days I may well fly as I will stay in narathiwat for 3-4 weeks.
I have lost count of the people I have met that were only staying one night on their way to or from Malaysia and ended up stopping longer as they experience the delights of Narathiwat
generally in town it is safe but it is very important now to listen to local advice on where to go if you are venturing out of town as there are areas of the local countryside that you will be advised to keep clear of especially after dark. The people of Narathiwat are very friendly and I can assure you there is some excellent food to be found in the province
These days there are very few travelers but you may well see water monitors in excess of two meters long swimming in the river or sunbathing - indeed I once saw on in the hotel before it was shown out
yes Stuart there are just the 6 rooms upstairs for the tourists - I suspect the 21 came from counting the rooms downstairs and in the upstairs above the restaurant which are not used by tourists