My 11 days free & easy visit to Southern Thailand (Hat Yai, Krabi, Phuket, Koh Samui & Sg Golok ) June 21 > July 1 2026 - Day 8 (Krabi & Hat Yai)

Greenway Night Market, Hat Yai

Greenway Food Station, Hat Yai

 

Day 8 Sunday June 28 2026 (Krabi & Hat Yai) - after our Phuket, Koh Samui & Krabi visits (a 2 nights stay for each city); this morning, we took a Grab (70bht) from our hotel to Krabi Terminal  & bought two MPV van tickets (300bht x 2) for our return trip to Hat Yai. Bye bye Krabi, you have made my re-visit a very pleasant one ! 

Krabi > Hat Yai (approx 271km)

1) Krabi Bus Terminal, Thailand - took a Grab (70bht) from our hotel early morning to Krabi Bus Terminal & boarded a MPV van to Hat Yai. 

2) MPV van ride (300bht) from Krabi Bus Terminal departing 08.00 > Hat Yai Bus Terminal (approx. 270 km)

3) Countryside scenery as viewed from the MPV van heading from Krabi > Hat Yai. 

4) Rest & Recreation stop (20 minutes) - toilet break & light refreshment & continuing the journey to Hat Yai. 

5) A brief stopover in Hat Yai Bus & Van  Terminal 1, Thailand before arriving in Hat Yai Bus Terminal. 

6) Arriving in Hat Yai Bus Terminal - visited bus ticketing counters to check on  Hat Yai > Sungai Golok timetable (06.00 - 18.00) & inquiring bus ticket pricing (250bht) in preparation for our Golok visit tomorrow. But we opted for a down to earth approach by taking a non-airconditioned traditional / economical train instead so as to get a better feel & perspective of the rural life in the far south of Thailand as the train stops in a number of smaller train stations along the way ! 

7) Hotel Accommodation (1 Night) - my overnight stay in Hat Yai, room tariff Rm80, 2 single beds, this was our 2nd time hotel check-in with Friendlytel Hotel in Hat Yai. 

8) Fried chicken - my travel buddy bought a piece of fried chicken drumstick (30bht) from a roadside stall in downtown Hat Yai. 

9) Hat Yai Junction - a brief visit to Hat Yai train station to check on train timetable for our visit to Sungai Golok tomorrow morning 

10) Beef noodle lunch in a popular beef noodle restaurant located near the Hat Yai train station, each of us savoured a bowl of their signature mixed beef / offal noodle soup (90bht = Rm11)

11) Evening walk from our hotel to Greenway Night Market - approx 1.9km one way, my first time visit ! 

12) A Thai temple in downtown Hat Yai - a brief visit. 

13) Greenway Night Market, Hat Yai - front entrance. 

14) Greenway Food Station, Hat Yai, Thailand - a large food centre located within the Greenway Night Market, offering a wide variety of food options including southern Thai cuisine, western oriental & international food, a great place to wine & dine but paying street food prices ! Buy a cash card from the cashier counter in the food station & start your pick on your favourite south Thailand food but watch your cholesterol ! 

15) Sit-in dinner in Greenway Food Station - savoured a seafood tom yum hotpot (200bht = Rm24) + omelette (100bht) + rice (20bht), hot & spicy, very filling & a satisfying meal ! 

16) Greenway Street Life, Greenway Night Market, Hat Yai, Thailand - a popular, vibrant tented market place featuring stalls selling snacks, trendy fashion wear & accessories etc

17) After the Greenway Night Market visit, we took a leisure walk back to our hotel (1.9km) & look forward for an exciting day tomorrow for our visit to Sungai Golok, a country town in further most southern end of Thailand near the Malaysian border ! My last visit to Golok town was 40 years ago ! Time & tide wait for no man ! In my twilight years, I made a bold decision to go ahead to visit Sungai Golok despite the odds & security concerns hence it is better late than never to fulfil my Mid Summer Night dream of seeing this "cowboy" town one more time !