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Yala | The Southernmost Province

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747K views 2K replies 179 participants last post by  benjamin.rak 
#1 ·
Betong city in yala



 
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#29 ·
Where is Betong?

It is located in the south of Thailand. Very near to the border of Thailand and Malaysia.




Why Betong?

Although Betong is only a small town, there are a few reasons which I find it worth riding there at least once.

- It is nearer to Singapore than Hatyai
- The World Largest Mailbox is there
- The ONLY vehicle tunnel in the kingdom is in Betong
- There are many nice waterfalls
- There is a natural Hotspring.
- There is this historical tunnel dug up by the communist 1km long through the
mountain which is worth a visit.
- It is located in the mountain area so you will get nice scenery while riding to all the
interesting places.
- In order to get there, you will need to go on the "Gerik Highway" in Malaysia which
you will get good scenery too.

Most importantly
- Since it is located very near to the borders of Thailand and Malaysia, You get the best of both countries. For example,

- There are many Malays and Chinese locals. Indians too, although not alot.

- You will find both Chinese and Muslim food there besides the Thai food.

- Believe it or not Most of the Thai can either speak Malay & Thai or they can speak
chinese, cantonese and Thai. Of course, some of them can speak English.

- If you are a Chinese, the local be it Chinese or Thai will most of the time speak
cantonese to you as they will think that you are from Malaysia.

- If you are a Malay, the local be it Chinese or Thai will most of the time speak Malay
to you, as they will also think you are from Malaysia.

- Most of the hotel staffs are as mention above.

So there is NO Language Barrier!!
 
#31 ·
Overall map of Betong, Yala Province, South Thailand



Important Phone Numbers of Yala Province




Note: These are on the boards between the immigration of Malaysia and Thailand. So dont worry about not having them. Just reach there, take out ur digicam and snap it down. There you have it.


Betong town map 1




Accommdation
6. Cathay Hotel
8. Fah un Rung Hotel
11. Sri Betong Hotel
15. Sri Betong hotel (2nd building)
19. Betong Merlin Hotel (underground carpark with security guard)
Note: there are many other hotels around which are not reflected on this map.

Eat and Meet
3. Central market
4. Noodle shops
5. Thai curry restaurant
9. Mee curry shop
10. Seafood Restaurant(evening only)
12. Curry shop
16. Ta Yern Restaurant
17. Karaoke Bars
20. Karaoke Bars
21. Dim sum Restaurant
Note: There are many other Karaoke around and they will be open in the afternoon.

Attractions and Activities
1. Super Giant Mailbox(World biggest)
13. Blue Mosque
23. Clock tower
26. Hilltop sala and shine

Transport
7. Minibus to Hatyai
18. Thai office
24. Taxi to Yala

Vital information
2. Kasikorn bank
14. Post office
22. Tourist Office
Note: There are many ATM arounds, so no worries. You just have to find it. Its all near the market area.

other
25. Mongkolrit Tunnel


Betong town map 2

 
#32 ·
At the Thai immigration, you will have to park you bike at the side and walk to do the necessary. It is unlike Malaysia immigration where there is a drive through. There is no drive through at the Thai immigration.

You will need to go to this small office where you will show them your bike log card and they will reg your bike to ride in thai. Make sure they sign on this reg paper. Keep this paper well cause you will need to return it to them went you leave Thai. If you lose it, there will be a fine and you will need to make police report( if I am not wrong). You will also need to pay 20baht. Than you will go and fill in the Thai white card. After that, walk to the normal counter, show them you got all these and they will stamp your passport and you can now cross.

Note: you will only need to pay 20baht once. Either at the bike Reg office or at the counter where they stamp your passport.

Malaysia Border





Park your bike at the side at Thai immigration





Some other photos at the Thai Border








Road leading to Betong town


 
#33 ·
View of Betong








Remember that I mention you will find Chinese, Muslim and Thai food? Here we have Chinese Wanton Mee, barley with Muslim BBQ meat and Thai Style BBQ.




Note: The MUST try food here is the MEE CURRY(Betong speciality) and THE DIM SUM along Chayachaowalit Rd(Best in Town).


Oh ya... be careful while riding along the road to the Betong town as you will see this sleeping in the middle of the road.






 
#34 ·
Places of interest

The Blue Mosque







The MongKolLit tunnel

To lessen the transportation problem in Betong, especially from the downtown to Aiyerberjang rd of a new established communtity, the ONLY vehicle tunnel in Thailand then was constructed. 268m long, 9m high, 7m wide. It was open on Jan 2001. Speed limit is 60km/hr. It became a tourist spot as it is the ONLY vehicle tunnel in the kingdom.






The MongKolLit tunnel with the Hilltop Sala and Shrine

 
#35 ·
The Buddha Dhiwas Temple

Its Pagoda of 39m width and 39.9m height, equally to a 13-story building, was constructed on a hill. Created in the applied art of Srivijaya, the pagoda is the most BEAUTIFUL and LARGEST in the south.







View from the top of the pagoda




The World Largest MailBox

Situated at the zone of the Clock Tower intersection which is the center of Betong. It was coinsrtucted of reinforced-concrete in a red cylinder of which has a base of 240cm at length and a height of 320cm. It is still in service as a normal mailbox till today.

p/s: You can compare the size of my bike to the mailbox.





 
#36 ·
The communist tunnel, one of the waterfall and the hotspring is located seperately at these 3 chinese village namely "YOU YI CHUN", "ER CHUN" and "SHAN CHUN" respectively.

You will bypass "Shan Chun" first than "Er Chun" and than "You Yi Chun".

Note: Shan Chun, Er Chun and You Yi Chun(friendship village) is sometime known to the local chinese as 3th village, 2nd village and 1st village

The Hotspring at "Shan Chun"







The way to "Er Chun"











 
#38 ·
Enterance of the Piyamit tunnel. You have to pay a enterance fee. Small amount and its worth it.




A little history of the Piyamit Tunnel






What is the tunnel use for?

Safe from bombing







Digging of tunnel





Look at the way they contain the smoke while cooking. It cant be seen from the top. Very Clever.




Activities in the tunnel and life of the soldiers.






 
#41 ·
You will have to walk through the tunnel yourself to feel it. It was really a good experience.

As we know, the chinese in singapore will burn joss stick and the paper when praying to the god. There is a slight different in the practise in betong. They do not burn the paper, instead, they set off firecracker after the joss stick. I tried it too. At the TAU PEY GONG outside the tunnel.

TAU PEY GONG



Thai gas station




You do not need to worry about not being able to find the places of interest as there will be sign like these along the way.


 
#47 ·
Compared to the high-tech sprawling Singapore custom at second link, the Thai Custom office is very "traditional". Not many travellers. But still lazy queue, queue, stamp, stamp.

Official payment of 2 ringgit or 20 bahbt to Thai custom officer.
Then fill up a vehicle registration form, which you need to keep and return back to the Thai custom on your return trip. This form could be to ensure you are not illegally importing vehicles into Thailand.


As the Thai custom is very "traditional", I found myself getting one signature from one Thai officer, walked another 10 metres to get another signature from another Thai officer. Why can't they all just sit at one place?

I thought Thailand is the land of a thousand smiles. But the lady Thai custom officer who clears our bike is the most unsmiling creature on earth.



Cleared the Thai custom with no difficulties.

 
#48 ·



Map of Yala province. Betong a town at the south of Yala.



We did not book any hotel in advanced. We just rode around the small Betong town and picked a hotel.

We chose and stayed at Merlin Betong hotel. It's right in the town centre. It also has a sheltered carpark with a security guard. We saw other large touring motorcycles from Malaysia parked there too. It cost each of us S$50 per night. We reached the hotel at 12 pm.

You can also stay at Mandarin Betong. It's a new hotel and looks posh. But it should not be expensive.

There is also Sri Betong Hotel. It looked more dated than Merlin so we did not stay there. But there were also other Malaysian touring motorcycles that parked there.
 
#50 · (Edited)
Monday, July 14, 2008

BETONG - The Town Over The Border (Part 1)





Typical rules & regulations before entering the country



Not many realize that Perak has a Thai border, with the neighbouring town being Betong. Located a mere 10 minutes drive from Pengkalan Hulu (Perak's northern most town), many Malaysians cross over on a daily basis, and vice versa.



The queue at the Immigration Checkpoint is bearable on a weekday, but not on weekends and public holidays
Basic requirement before entering ??

  1. International passport/border pass (a no-brainer)
  2. Fill up an arrival form at the checkpoint, but pay RM2/person. The kind lady seated at the counter will perform her magically-rapid-fast hands trick and fill up one by one.
  3. Exchanging your Ringgit to Thai Baht is NOT necessary, as most, if not all, shops accept payment in RM, for a RM1=10Baht rate. Except 7-11, where RM5=45Baht.
  4. A crash course in Thai language is deemed UNnecessary as most vendors/hawkers/restaurant owners speak Malay, English or Chinese. No language barrier at all. Phew ....



In order to get your vehicle CLEARED, first you have to DE-CLEAR your car ... =P
5. If you're driving into the town (yup, you can drive to your heart's content, bearing in mind you bring your driving licence along), photostat your car grant and get it certified by an officer at Air Panas police station in Pengkalan Hulu, OR if you're not the owner of your vehicle, get a written attestation from the owner (ie. dad, mum, whoever) permitting you to drive over the border. Just don't drive a stolen car, that's all. :)




The roads in Betong


Once you're through, drive to your heart's content, and head straight for the town area. A straight path nonetheless, no twists and turns.




The famous clock tower of Betong town







Betong Merlin Hotel -5 Stars they ain't, but it's certainly one of the better ones in town






Delicate folding of a basic amenity ... a touch of hospitality?



We stayed at Betong Merlin Hotel, situated on 33, Chayachaowalit Road. Turn right once you reach a 4-way traffic lights intersection with Sri Betong on your right. Then go straight, and take the 2nd left turn. Once you see Betong Merlin Plaza on your right, turn right into the small path right after the plaza. The hotel is the tall white building right behind the plaza.




Mandarin Betong Hotel - A touch of class, but at slightly premium rate of 1380 Baht/night. OK, not THAT expensive, but be prudent at times like this.

Our room has a queen-sized bed, attached bathroom with bathtub, TV, and basic amenities. Rate per night is 875 Baht/room for two. Reasonable, as we managed to squeeze 4 pax/room and still slept comfortably. =) Oh, and parking's at the basement is FOC too.




Betong Mongkollit Tunnel



The Betong Mongkollit tunnel is situated in town area, a pretty short tunnel connecting to the south. The temple behind is an abandoned building named Hilltop Yala Shrine (correct me if I'm wrong, anyone?).




Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? ...



A closer view of the hilltop shrine, with locals performing morning dance routine






Somehow, the passengers are hanging on for dear life ... haha ...
Funnily enough, not many public transportation can be seen roaming, with the exception of the small trucks (pic above) not unlike Chiang Mai's Songthaew, or Bangkok's Tuk-Tuk. No buses was in sight, nor taxis.


The majestic clock tower at night ... OK, so my HP camera sucks. Sue me! =P





A corner shop at a backlane selling sweet desserts (tong sui)Enough about the town, let's see some food

ya? Hmm, let's start with what I had for tea time ALONE on the first day, as KYT, LaughingGal, and TallGal were fast asleep in the middle of the day. Hmmm .... Guess the drive took its toll? Or they probably learnt a tips or two from the Lyrical one when it comes to travelling and sleeping. LOL.




Nifty hands at work, scooping bowls after bowls of tong suiOh, Chinese style tong sui (sweet soup)in Betong? Not surprising, given the demographic distribution of Chinese citizens in Betong. This auntie speaks good Mandarin, fortunately. But UN-fortunately, mine sucks. Big time. But still, conveying my views and opinions on food works on any platform, be it English, Chinese or even Thai language. =P



Sweet banana desserts, a Thai specialty



Weird combination of ginkgo nuts, quail's eggs, and chicken (or duck?) eggs tong sui






My bowl of Bubur Cha-Cha (RM1/10Baht) - Dirt cheap?


The bubur cha-cha with lots of sago, red beans, sweet potatoes and yam cubes was satisfying. Served warm in a porcelain bowl, the flavour reminded me of Malaysia's version, with the exception of red beans added for good measure. Slightly sweet, and salty at the same time, this bowl of sweet delight is reasonably tagged at 10Baht ONLY.




I was curious about the ginkgo tong sui with eggs, therefore that very night we raided the same shop and I got my fix of the mysterious concoction. Pleasantly surprised that the combination works wonders, resembling the addition of quail's egg into Lin Chee Kang (a popular Chinese sweet soup). The abundance of quail's eggs and chicken egg provided much of a scare for health freak, as the cholesterol content of that bowl may exceed your average daily intake! At RM3/30 Baht per bowl, no less.




Auntie Yoong frying her crunchy bits ...That same evening, on the way back to my room, I passed by a stall and got a whiff of deep-fried bananas. For RM1/10 Baht, you get a whole load of deep-fried bananas sprinkled with sesame seeds, fried yams, and sweet potato balls. Coincidentally, Auntie Yoong has connection to Malaysia, as her parents are from Penang, while her husband's are from Ipoh!!! Yeah! She assisted a lot in providing directions, and recommendations, and made our stay a tad more pleasant that it already was.

A million THANKS, to Auntie Yoong and her husband. Her shop's on Sukkayang Road, a road branching north from the clock tower in Betong town.
Wanna know in what way she helped us? Stay tuned for later instalments ... ;)
 
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