You know the songs. They either cover an old song or have new songs with juvenile lyrics about 'cheeky girls' or something. The drum machine beat sounds exactly the same on each song and the female vocalist sounds like 'The Chipmunks' from 30 years ago. They are probably mixed in a home studio in Germany somewhere by a 50 year-old guy called Hermann who has a moustache, permed hair, wears flairs and worships Boney M.

I often wondered where the market was for this rubbish and now I know. The Thais love it. The photo was taken at probably the largest aerobics venue in Hat Yai on the corner of Saeng Sri and Suphasarnrangsan roads. See Map 2. Evening sessions start at 6pm and last for about an hour. There are also sessions in the morning which I think start at 05:30am but I am never awake then.

Sessions are open to anyone and everyone and cost just Bt5. The main exercises are done on your feet but at the end some floor exercises are covered and require a mat. The girls bring along woven beach-style mats for this purpose.

Hat Yai is not a great place for foreigners who like books. English language books are like Western food in Hat Yai: they exist but the selection and quality aren't very good.

The best selection of English language books I know of in Hat Yai is in the main library at the Prince of Songkla university but I'm not sure about their borrowing policy if you don't work or study at the university.

The selection of English language books there is very good, and the books are virtually untouched. Most of the books I have borrowed were covered in dust and last loaned out many years ago. The library is a quiet place and Thai students find it a good place in which to sleep.

The book shops around town have a good selection of Thai language books but all of them have just one tiny section for English language books. This is a reflection that Hat Yai is a provincial Thai town with a Chinese heart, and that most of its visitors are of Chinese origin.

In areas of Thailand where there are lots of farangs the situation is somewhat different.

There are no large independent book shops so don't expect to find a big branch of Kinokuniya or anything similar. For that kind of thing your nearest options are Bangkok or Singapore (maybe KL but I'm not sure).

The independents are generally small and the best options are chains within department stores and shopping malls. Here's a summary:

• B2S on the 4th floor of Central department store (Map 3). There is a small English language section in the corner containing tourist-type books, some American self-help type books, dictionaries and Thai language learning resources. They also have TEFL books which may be of interest if you are a teacher.

• Seng Ho Bookstore on the 3rd floor of Lee Gardens Plaza (Map 3). This is probably the biggest book shop in Hat Yai but it caters very much to the local market. There's a big Thai magazine section covering favourite Thai subjects such as fast and customised vehicles, street racing, and supernatural amulets.

  There is a very large selection of material for language learners - both Thais learning English and farangs learning Thai - and probably the biggest selection of dictionaries in Hat Yai. However, the section for English language books is very small with just a few novels and some tourist stuff.

• Raan Supayapun (Map 3). This is a small, independent newsagent and book shop just in front of Hat Yai station at 8-10 Thamanoonvithee Road (Tel. +66 (0)74 233214). There is no English sign outside. They carry mostly Thai books but they sell English language newspapers and have a small book selection.

  The selection of books isn't huge but occasionally they have interesting books. This is where I bought my copy of John Laird's 'Money Politics, Globalisation and Crisis' and they have some useful bird guides, etc.

• B2S at Robinson department store (Map 3). This branch of B2S used to carry English books (it's where I picked up a copy of James Higbie's 'Thai Reference Grammar), but that is no longer the case.

  For a long time now - maybe three years - B2S at Robinson has stopped stocking English language books. It doesn't mean there isn't useful material there but you need to be able to read Thai.

• Inter Book Centre (Map 3). This is a small independent opposite Kosit hotel. The name of the shop is English but it is written in Thai script on the outside of the shop. They carry tourist stuff - including maps - and a few novels but there isn't much.

• SE-ED at Diana (Map 4). This place probably has the most interesting selection of English language books available to buy in Hat Yai. The English language section is still not large but the list of titles is a little more interesting than other places.

  There are quite a few books on 'House and Garden', and also some business-type books. They also carry the standard small selection of novels and tourist stuff. There are also quite a few English language books for young kids, that other places don't seem to have.

• SE-ED at Carrefour (Map 2). Pretty much the same as the rest. There is a small selection of tourist stuff, resources for foreigners learning Thai, and a few novels.

• SE-ED at Tesco Lotus (Map 4). Same again.

• These is also a book shop near the Rong Chaang cafeteria within the Prince of Songkla university. The English language books stocked are more academic so there are a lot more titles related to, for example, English grammar than travel and tourism. It's good if you need resources to teach English but not for much else.

  

There is an authorised money changer in the Yong Dee Hotel at 99 Niphat Uthit 3 Road (Map 3). They can deal with any currency and the exchange rates aren't too bad.

His location is 69/22 Saeng Arthit Road, next to a laundry near Kim Yong market (Map 1). The telephone number is 074 350649 and he only sees people in the morning between 08:00 and 12:00. The shop is unlike any doctor's surgery I have ever visited before. There is no receptionist. He sits at a desk at the back of the shop.

The shop isn't too clean and on his desk are scraps of paper, old photos, stationery, tea cups, teapots and a kettle. He chain-smokes so there are full ashtrays to complete the picture. On the wall are old photos of Chinese men standing in front of Chinese temples. Presumably one of them is him when he was younger.

In addition to chain-smoking he uses a spittoon that sits on the floor to his right fairly frequently. He speaks some Thai but very little English. I was warned not to say much to him, not to tell him about my condition and not to ask questions.

Also on his desk is a small pillow. Patients seeing him rest their arm on the pillow where he feels their pulse. This is his main method of diagnosing problems. He asked me a few basic questions in English - my age, where I was from and what I did for a living. He took a good look at me and asked me to stick out my tongue which he looked at with the aid of a small torch.

After feeling my pulse on both wrists for about 10 minutes he took out a clean writing pad. He then dipped an old-fashioned fountain pen into a pot of black ink on his desk. In the top right-hand corner he wrote my name, underlined it and wrote the date underneath. He filled the rest of the page up with Chinese characters, writing from top to bottom and from right to left.

He has no set fees and how much you pay him seems to be optional. My girlfriend accompanied me when I went and sorted out the payment. She took an envelope that was lying around in his shop, put Bt100 into it and gave it to him.

I took the prescription back to the pharmacy where they prepared my medicine. This included double doses of ginseng for six days which really bumped up the price. Even in Thailand ginseng is not cheap, especially the best variety that comes from America. The herbs I was given needed to be boiled in water and the resulting juice drunk like tea. The ginseng was soaked in the tea, chewed and swallowed.

Whether it helped or not, I don't know for sure. At the same time I started taking the medicine I stopped putting nasty drops in my eye which had been making things better rather than worse for a while.

The photo isn't great. I would like to get a photo of him or the inside of his shop but he probably wouldn't appreciate it. This might help to find him though. His shop is to the right of the laundry with the purple flowers hanging down.

October 2008 update: Someone told me recently that the Chinese doctor had died. If it is true (and I have yet to find out for sure), then ignore the above.

Have no fear, if you are in Hat Yai during CNY there will be no mistaking the fact. For a period of at least one week the sound of firecrackers can be heard everywhere and at all times of the day and night. If you have never heard authentic Chinese firecrackers before it is probably the closest sound to being in a very active war zone.

I suspect there is a real danger of deafness occurring if you get to close. Even from a considerable distance the noise is deafening. The Chinese love them. I find them quite annoying, especially at 3am. They are banned in most other countries and Chinese Malaysians get busted regularly for smuggling them into Malaysia. In Thailand though, where anything goes and noise is regarded as fun, nobody cares.

On the eve of CNY many Chinese families erect a table outside their homes and put their New Year feast on display. Lots of burning takes place on the streets. The Chinese venerate their ancestors and by burning letters and paper copies of worldly objects it is seen as a way of transferring them from this world to the next, a kind of celestial mailbox.

New Year's Day is actually fairly quiet as this is the day when people travel to be with their families. The following three days are when the real festivities take place in earnest, with lion-dancing, street fairs and general merry-making. There are big firework displays at the end of each day and of course lots more firecrackers.

Hat Yai can be a strange place at CNY. Certain areas get very busy as Chinese tourists from other countries come to visit but many locals close their businesses for up to two weeks. Other areas therefore go very quiet and a number of my regular eating places put up the shutters.

They cater for all ailments. The one pictured is for dermatological problems but there are eye and ear doctors, dentists, urologists and many others specialising in different fields of medicine. You will also find small X-Ray clinics and blood analysis labs where they will check for any disease that can be diagnosed from blood samples.

The doctors I have seen have all been excellent. It appears that all doctors in Thailand speak quite good English. Many work in several locations including Hat Yai's main hospitals. However, it is a lot cheaper to see the same doctor at a small clinic in the evening compared to a large private hospital in the daytime.

The biggest problem for foreigners who want to see a doctor is probably going to be finding the right place. Most places only have Thai writing outside which is a problem if you can't read Thai. If you can find someone who can speak English they might be able to point you in the right direction but you will also find clues in the waiting areas of the clinics. Many have posters and pictures on the wall to indicate which part of the body is treated there.

Although the doctors will undoubtedly speak English, the receptionists probably won't. In that case you might want to try to speak to the doctor directly. As I have said elsewhere, Thai doctors are very good. They are well trained and many have several years of experience under their belts. I have a lot of confidence in them

TNT can be contacted on 074 439988-9 but I don't know where their office is located.

I have used DHL to receive replacement credit cards from the UK but was a little disappointed at the fact they couldn't collect my passport from the British Embassy in Bangkok because they don't operate a service within Thailand. It seems a little crazy, not least because I suspect that most items arriving in Thailand from abroad arrive in Bangkok first so obviously they do operate some kind of a service from Bangkok to Hat Yai.

When I first arrived in Thailand I went for a check-up but my teeth were so sensitive that every time the dentist touched a tooth I almost jumped out of the chair. That was despite paying quite a lot of money to have dental work done in the UK.

Since I have been in Thailand I have had a fair amount of work done and my teeth have never been in better shape. The work done here is so much better than the UK. One UK filling I had replaced in Thailand was so bad that the dentist felt obliged to take a photo.

I worked at a local dental hospital for some time so know a little about dentistry in Thailand. It wasn't always good; 40 years ago the system was terrible especially in the provinces.

The Thais recognised the problem and set up dental faculties in universities in each of the major provincial regions. The idea was to train local people to become dentists who, in turn, would serve the local community. The dental hospital at the Prince of Songkla university operate a mobile unit which makes frequent trips into the countryside to treat rural communities. This mobile unit also treats prisoners in Songkhla prison.

If you need work done in Hat Yai you have lots of choices. The dental hospital at the Prince of Songkla university is excellent and runs several clinics. You don't normally have to wait very long for an appointment and the dentists are excellent.

For some reason, most Thai dentists appear to be female. The dental undergraduate course is six years, compared to a normal term of four years. Unlike students studying Mickey Mouse subjects such as Media Studies or Travel and Tourism, the dental students work their socks off.

When they aren't studying theory, they are actively practising in clinics. It's as if they never sleep and - at times - they don't. After their Bachelor's degree they are qualified to practice professionally but some return to do a Master's Degree which involves another couple of years of hard work and sleepless nights.

Dentalland is a fairly new place and looks quite plush. It is located on Rajyindee Road close to the Samila Seasport Seafood restaurant (Map 4). I haven't been there but I am confident the service will be very good.

Alternatively, there are many small dental clinics around Hat Yai. I don't feel in a position to make any personal recommendations but above is a photo of a Thai sign for dentist. All Thai dentists study mainly in English and many have worked or studied overseas. Their English is generally good enough for there not to be any communication problems.

Not only is the service great, but the prices are so low. If you have enough dental work to get done, the money you can save if you plan to get it done in Thailand will pay for a free holiday. Things like titanium implants which cost a fortune in the West are a fraction of the price in Thailand.

The materials cost about the same because they come from overseas and the Thais have to pay full price but labour costs are a lot lower.

You can even get a pretty dental asistant to hold your hand. On one visit for a dentist the assistant was really cute. I made out I was very frightened and asked her to hold my hand. She did!

There is no treatment that Thai dentists can't undertake and surgeons at the Prince of Songkla hospital even perform surgeries to repair cleft palates and lips.

I have been thoroughly impressed with Thai dentists and can't speak highly enough of them.

It's just a tiny business and the idea couldn't be simpler. Each day they buy about 200kg of oranges. The oranges are cut in half (by hand) and squeezed (also by hand) using a manual juicer. That's it. The orange juice is bottled with absolutely nothing added to it.

Small bottles are Bt30 and large bottles Bt50. It is impossible to get better tasting orange juice than this.

The shop is located on Saeng Sri Soi 4. From the Suphasarnrangsan end, turn into the Soi and the shop is a little way down on the right-hand side.

Here is one, the Hat Yai Baptist Church. It is located on Niphatsongkhrao 1 Soi 9.

Hundreds of thousands of 'health tourists' now come to Thailand every year for medical treatment, procedures and operations. It doesn't surprise me. The doctors are competent, most speak good English and have access to the best equipment. The gentle Thai nurses are almost enough in themselves to make me start feeling better.

I honestly can't overemphasise how impressed I've been with the care I've received in Hat Yai hospitals, especially the Bangkok Hat Yai. If you have an accident while in Hat Yai you can be confident of getting good treatment, or if you need a scheduled operation it may be worth planning a visit to Hat Yai.

This is the place to get your visa extensions, re-entry permits; and it is where foreigners living in Thailand do their 90 day 'alien' registration.

It is pointless trying to give advice about visas in Thailand because the rules change all the time and everything is at the discretion of immigration. What's valid one day may not be the case the next day; and what applies to one person may not apply to another.

At that time my only choices to get on-line were to use a dial up connection from my room or to visit an Internet shop. There were quite a few small Internet shops around then because people didn't have access at home.

Nowadays, almost all apartment buildings provide Internet access and many hotels provide a Wi-Fi facility. For some years, laptop computers have had built-in Wi-Fi so just turn up with your laptop and you can get connected straight away.

As a result, many small shops have closed down. New Internet shops still open but they tend to be large places where Thai kids congregate in the evenings to play on-line games and Hi5.

If you are in town without a laptop then finding somewhere to get on-line is easy and it should only cost around Bt20 an hour. One place to avoid is the Regency hotel. It's a very upmarket hotel but it charges an arm and a leg for Internet access.

Some places charge a fixed price for one machine load (about Bt85) and others charge per item with fixed prices for each type of item. For long stays in Hat Yai it is possible to pay a fixed amount up front for one month's worth of laundry (typically Bt500). Some places impose a limit on the number of items per month but others don't.

The length of time mail takes to arrive overseas is variable. Letters I have bought stamps for and posted in mail boxes on the street have taken an age to get to their destinations. Ones posted at the post offices get their faster. I have found the best overall service to be at the small post office inside Tesco Lotus (Map 2). There is no envelope sign on the map to indicate that a post office is present at Tesco Lotus but there is.

Rates within Thailand are typically Bt2 to Bt3 per minute and they will give you a quote for overseas calls. Visitors to Hat Yai are mostly from Singapore or Malaysia so phone calls to these countries are common.

It normally works out cheaper than public phones or hotel rates but the noise in the street can be annoying.

I like Chia Colour Lab at 58-60 Suphasarnrangsan Road. Telephone + 66 (0)74 246808, + 66 (0)74 231390 and Fax + 66 (0)74 237141. Their service and quality is good and they seem to be the cheapest place in town. I've had some 8x10 inch prints made from digital images which normally cost Bt50 at Chia but there was a promotion and I got them done them for Bt30. Everywhere else wanted Bt100.

Chia also have a selection of cameras for sale. It's not Singapore or Bangkok and professional photographers or keen amateurs are unlikely to find much of interest but the choice isn't bad for Hat Yai. For SLR equipment you will find a better selection at the Fuji shop. See my Hat Yai Shopping page for details.

For those of you who can read Thai, you probably already spotted that a better transliteration of the name of the shop would be Jia.

Why Hat Yai and not one of the fancy private hospitals in Bangkok? It's cheap. But is it safe? I don't have a clue but some of the procedures involve major surgery, and personally I might feel better about being in a large hospital with lots of nurses instead of a tiny Hat Yai clinic.

In fairness to the surgeon mentioned below, I have seen lots of positive comments from Singaporeans on Internet forums about his work and his prices. They say his results are very natural-looking, and his prices are the lowest available. I didn't see one negative comment. Looking at the information on his web site, he is very well-qualified.

What operations and procedures are available? Pretty much anything, from what I can work out. I love the way the list below includes 'sex change' somewhere between 'chin implant' and 'botox injections' as if having a sex change is the most natural thing in the world. I also love the way the list ends with etc.!

Only in Thailand.

Dr Nara MD (whose business card says 'Board of Plastic Surgery' and 'Board of General Surgery').

Here are the details for Dr Nara's clinic.

Address: 112 Thamanoonvithi Road (next to the Indra Hotel)
Telephone: +66 (0)74 350351, 230983, 238414
Mobile: +66 (0)81 959 5958
E-mail: dnara112@yahoo.com
E-mail: nara@dr-nara.com
Web page: Dr Nara Clinic

Appointments are necessary. The clinic opening hours are 10am to 8pm (Monday to Friday), 9am to 4pm (Saturday), and 9am to noon (Sunday).

Procedures available include:

• Face lift
• Blepharoplasty (upper lid, lower lid)
• Double eyelid
• Nose implant
• Chin implant
• Cheek implants
• Liposuction
• Mammoplasty
• Sex change
• Botox injections
• Etc

There is another plastic surgery clinic located very close to Wat Chiaew Chaang (the large, unfinished Chinese temple on Suphasarnrangsan Road Map 1).

Phi Beauty Clinic

Address: 109 Suphasarnrangsan Road
Telephone: +66 (0)74 350355
Mobile: +66 (0)87 688 1999; +66 (0)87 688 2999; +66 (0)87 688 3999
Web page: Hatyai Hair Transplantation Center

This place advertises various cosmetic surgery procedures but seems to specialise in hair (as well as beard and moustache) transplants. This should be quite popular with the majority of farangs living in Thailand.

The doctor is Dr Chirayut Tolertmongkhol MD (Certified Board of General Surgery; Certified Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery).

The opening hours for Phi Beauty Clinic are:

Monday to Friday: 5pm to 7pm
Saturday: 9am to 2pm
Sunday: 9am to noon

Bangkok is divided. The middle classes and academics tend to disagree with Thaksin's policies but if you take a taxi in Bangkok never say anything bad about Thaksin to a Bangkok taxi driver (who probably originates from Isaan anyway). Bangkok taxi drivers love him.

Yellow-shirted Thais in the southern provinces fiercely support the Democrat party. Southern Thais hate Thaksin and Samak with a passion but love Prem Tinsulanonda (ex-Prime Minister, born in Songkhla, and now head of the King's Privy Council), Chuan Leekpai (Democrat ex-Prime Minister twice, born in Trang, and still very active politically), and the current Democrat Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva (born in Newcastle!).

In the picture to the left are Abhisit Vejjajiva, Chuan Leekpai, and Prai Pattano - the current mayor of Hat Yai.

I doubt that easy-going Thais would get violent if you disagreed with their political beliefs but you are much more likely to gain friends in the south by wearing a yellow shirt, supporting the PAD, and disliking Thaksin.

A few years ago when Sondhi Limthongkul started his crusade to get rid of Thaksin he came to speak to a packed house at the Prince of Songkla University. The hall where he gave his speech was so full that many people had to stand outside and watch the speech via CCTV.

I bought one of his anti-Thaksin yellow T-Shirts which has written on it in Thai 'We will fight for the King'. This goes down very well in the south and I always get complimentary comments whenever I wear it. However, next time I take a trip up north I think I will leave it at home.

It is open to students from everywhere but provincial universities in Thailand are intended mainly for local students who, it is hoped, will qualify and then serve people in the same region. This is particularly the case for medical and dental students.

The hospital takes care of patients from all over the south of Thailand and is well equipped. When smaller hospitals elsewhere in southern Thailand don't have adequate skills or facilities, they send patients here. Medical research is also carried out at the hospital.

Many poor rural Thais go to Mor Or for treatment and some are in a bad way. Visiting the hospital can be quite a humbling experience. If you are having one of those days when you think life isn't fair, just take a visit and see what some other people have to endure.

At the temple across the road are lodgings for the relatives of poor patients who don't live locally and for an extremely small amount of money they can stay nearby their sick relative.

The university and hospital is a big part of the local community and becomes a focal point at certain times of the year. For example, Mor Or is a good place to experience the Thai festival of Loy Gratong in November.

Some time around August each year the university opens its doors for Science Week and tens of thousands of students from the 14 southern provinces visit to get a taste of university life. This coincides with the start of the agricultural fair which is another big annual event at Mor Or.

As you would expect at a university, there are sports facilities and good libraries. The main library has a lot of English books but I'm not sure if people not studying or working there can borrow books. I have borrowed many books but I was an employee for several years.

In downtown Hat Yai there is a serious lack of trees and green spaces but the grounds of Mor Or are lush and quite pleasant. There is a large reservoir around which people jog in the evening and a wildlife area with lots of lotus flowers and wild birds. Watch out though because there are snakes too, and I have seen some large examples at Mor Or.

The campus is open to the public. If you drive in you may need to pass a security checkpoint but anyone can walk in. The public are quite welcome to eat at the various cafeterias where you will find the food is good and cheap.

Shoe repairers often have roadside stalls. In Hat Yai there are several located under the railway bridge near the police station.

Alternatively, you could visit the Whiteroom. The owner (who is a very sweet girl) tells me this is the only business of its kind in the whole of Thailand.

They bill themselves as shoe cleaning experts but the owner tells me it is a 'one-stop service' for any kind of shoe problem. Give them your shoes and they will take responsibility for getting any repairs done that need doing, and then they will clean the shoes.

When finished, your shoes come back in a nice storage bag. Charges vary from Bt10 to Bt200 depending on what needs doing, what type of footwear, and whether you require the express service or not.

Whiteroom Shoe Cleaning Expert

Address: 9 Prachathipat Road (near Wiriyathien school)
Mobile: +66 (0)87 899 9242
E-mail: HiWhiteroom@gmail.com

Open every day from 9am until 7pm.

The home looks after orphaned children from the 14 southern Thai provinces and also from Bangkok. They range in age from new-born infants to teenagers but the majority are aged 0-3 years. The total number of children varies from week to week of course, as children arrive and leave.

The circumstances under which you can meet the children seem to vary. On my first visit I was told I could wander around the grounds and I didn't have to sign anything. On my second visit I was accompanied by my Thai girlfriend and she had to fill in an official visitors form.

As is the case when visiting children anywhere be conscious of your actions and always try to involve a member of staff.

On my second visit we were told we couldn't go inside any of the buildings but could just say hello from outside. However, a very kind nurse working at the home acted as our guide and took us inside.

The kids are just great. Many Thai people don't have the easiest of lives even when they have the support of their families but these children have nothing. The home provides them with the basics of life. They have shelter, clothes and food but not a lot more.

Don't expect to see sad and pathetic children. Seeing them playing so happily on my first visit was quite upsetting. They just get on with life. After meeting these kids the only people who seemed sad and pathetic were those who have a lot already but are greedy for more and let money control their lives.

The very young babies just do what very young babies do. It is the three and four year-olds that really get to me. These are the ones who just want affection and the protection of an adult. As I sat down on the steps to talk to them I had two little girls sit on my lap. One of them took my hand and folded my arm around her waist. The poor little mite just wanted a hug.

Some of the older children are a bit more reserved and a little wary of strangers which is hardly surprising after the start in life they have had. They are given basic education at the home and some children go to a school outside.

The home is quite well supported by the local community. An important aspect of Buddhism is merit making and I can't think of a better way to make merit than to help these children. Some people only 'make merit' by participating in high-profile, very visible merit making ceremonies but a low key visit to the home is, in my opinion, much more in line with the true meaning of merit making.

What can you give? The easiest option is money and a donation box is situated at the front office. With a majority of young babies at the home, people give items suitable for them e.g. disposable nappies (diapers), baby food and baby milk.

A lot of chocolate and sweet snacks are also given but the kids seem to overdose on sweet stuff. The nurse we met said what the children really need more of are clothes and shoes. Thais, being Thais, think first of food and everything else is secondary. What is the first thing a Thai asks you? "Have you eaten yet?" It's a cultural thing.

I have donated money and also some books and coloured pens. The books were for writing practice (English and Thai) and join-the-dots. I hope they kept some of the older children amused for a while.

A visit to the home isn't for everyone but for some it will be very rewarding. It's not easy though for over-sensitive people. Walking away from children who have so little when all they want to do is hug you is difficult, to say the least.

Foreigners do adopt children from the home. There are photos on display of parents with their adopted children. However, I have no idea about the process. The home can help with providing information though if this is something you would like to find out more about.

The home is located on the road going to Ko Yo (from Songkhla) before the bridge and before the Songkhla Hospital. From Hat Yai take a minivan or bus to Songkhla and tell the driver, the conductor or another passenger that you want to go to Ko Yo (Kaw Yaw). After you get off take a sawng-thaew towards Ko Yo and keep an eye out for the home on the left.

I have heard some very good things about the Hat Yai tourist police. A Malaysian guy I met said he had once got himself into a very bad state as a result of drink. He collapsed in the street, unable to do anything, and it was the tourist police who got him back safely to his hotel.

On another occasion I was waiting at Cathay Guesthouse for a minivan down to Penang and the tourist police arrived to pick up a farang staying there to assist him with something or other.

The tourist police station is no longer opposite the Florida Hotel, as some guide books will tell you. It is now on Niphat Uthit 3 Road at the end near to Sripoovanart Road. The location is inside the building which is fronted by the large Aeon credit company office.

Walking along Niphat Uthit 3 Road away from central Hat Yai, it is just past the police station which is located at the junction of Niphat Uthit 3 Soi 2, on the left hand side.

The special phone number to call is 1155.

Although Cathay Guest House is not my choice of accommodation, I have used the travel desk downstairs quite a lot. The staff are helpful and because of the number of farangs they deal with they understand what farangs want. Other travel agents that deal predominantly with Chinese Malaysians and Singaporeans don't always understand farang requests because culturally there is a big difference.

The other advantage with travel agents who deal with a lot of farangs is that their English is better. The Cathay travel agency is located under the Cathay guest house at 93/1 Niphat Uthit 2 Road (Map 3). Telephone 074 235044.

Any travel agent in town should be able to help you but you might have more luck with the two I have mentioned. As well as onward travel by road, sea, train or air they will also be able to assist you with finding accommodation when you arrive in Hat Yai. What's more, they will be able to give you discounted rates which are cheaper than walking directly into the hotels.

Among Malaysian visitors, Davis Tour & Travel Service is very well known. Not only do they organise travel to Malaysia and Singapore from Hat Yai but their office (Map 3) is where many Malaysians arrive and depart from Hat Yai by coach.

Davis Tour & Travel Service

Address: 9 Chee Uthit Road, Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110
Telephone: +66 (0)74 236593, +66 (0)74 355204, +66 (0)74 355305, +66 (0)74 355306
E-mail: davistour@yahoo.com

For hotel guests use of the swimming pool is free but to use the sauna and fitness centre costs Bt200. For non-guests, use of all three costs Bt200 per session or Bt1,000 for a month (Bt900 a month if you sign up for three months and there is a further Bt100 discount on the monthly and three-monthly rates if two or three people sign up together at the same time).

Rates are inclusive of tax and service charge. Lockers and towels are available which require payment of a Bt500 deposit. The facility is open from 7am to 9pm Mondays to Fridays and from 8am to 8pm on weekends and public holidays.