Day 6, Saturday, 9th March - Pattani

Strange Sound....... I mentioned yesterday that it was thankfully cloudy and more pleasant. As I wake there is a strange sound I thought was coming from the air conditioning but when I open the curtains I have to rub my eyes. It's actually raining so how will that work today? It's my second full day in Pattani and there's a long list of attractions prepared for in the city and nearby districts. As we are nowhere near finished here we book a third night at Pattawia Resort which has done us well so far. After our self prepared buffet breakfast we start in the City District first as the rain has now eased. Better organised due to the prepared long list, I've numbered the day's attractions.
Bird Watching Centre....... This centre lies on the coast to the west of the city where there is no beach, only mangrove. It's a Saturday and a busy family weekend. The schools are closed for Ramadan this coming week, so I'm surprised there is nobody else visiting the centre. The centre consists of a walkway through the mangrove which I note is not the tall species type. The well-constructed concrete and steel structure cuts through the mangrove forest and reaches a viewing tower where you can get a view of the ocean but there are no birds that I can see. Were they waiting for an invitation? The walkway is still wet from earlier rain and the air fresh and clear. I wish everywhere I went was this peaceful.
Number two on my list is the Skywalk we tried to reach yesterday. I thought we had arrived too late but in fact the Skywalk is closed for renovation at the moment. The consolation is that the bird watching centre is a good substitute. Next we head right into the heart of the city.
Pattani Old City....... Pattani Old City is one of those places you can learn a lot about the history and culture of a community. Like other settlements in an earlier time, Pattani originally was a regional hub of commerce. The charming old town sits on the banks of the Pattani River that provides convenient access to the open sea and areas in the hinterland. This is evident in the way shop houses and people’s homes are located along river banks. Anohru Road is famous for cozy Chinese style inns, charming wood homes, and Sino-Portuguese architecture.
Not expecting much here, I should have realised that this town would be an important and I see this area is a significant heritage site. The problem is that it's started raining again, this time more heavily. I can't let this interrupt a busy day and do my best to record what's here. Thankfully the rain eases by lunchtime by which time I've wrapped up my walk.
Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao Shrine....... The Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao Shrine is located in the Chinese Quarter of the old town. Lin Guniang or Lim Gor Niaw also named Lim Kun Yew, is a deity worshiped by the Chinese people in southern Thailand. Lin Guniang was said to be the sister of Lim Toh Khiam, who according to legend committed suicide after she failed to persuade her brother to return home after he married a Muslim and converted to Islam. Later she began to be worshiped as a goddess by the ethnic Chinese communities in southern Thailand for her sense of filial piety and patriotic feeling for China. As well as a shrine to her there is a museum here which tells this story as well as describing the history of the times with impressive models and Chinese style artwork.
Naturally given the rain this has not helped with the schedule and I'm already pondering the consequences of this. We must head quickly to our next attraction but the city traffic is proving stubborn.
Pattani Central Mosque....... The Pattani Central Mosque was built in 1954 and took 9 years to complete. It was officially opened by Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat on 25 May 1994. The Mosque's construction was to serve as the central religious hub for Thai Muslims in the southern region. Approaching from the front entrance, a long corridor leads to the mosque building, with palm trees lining the pathway, providing much-needed shade. At the centre of the mosque's front area, there is a large fountain pool that enhances the external landscape. The mosque building itself resembles the architectural style of the Taj Mahal in India.
This mosque is one of the major attractions that I must record but I'm relieved that all I need to do here is to take some photos as my partner and I have no religious sentiment to desire more. We now move out of the city to the east passing salt flats although nowhere near as extensive as in Samut Songkhram west of Bangkok.
Egret Plaza, Ban Laem Nok....... Egret Plaza, Ban Laem Nok is a coastal area with a long floating walkway presumably to observe the egrets that arrive here in flocks at a certain time of year, but not today. However, this is a promenade suitable for recreation with mobile shops being set up for expected brisk business later. It also allows us to take lunch at a more permanent restaurant. We are now back on schedule and boxes are getting ticked. The next location is also on the coast.
Ba Na Wooden Bridge....... The Ba Na Wooden Bridge is actually a pier or jetty for small boats. From here you can reach Ta Chee Cape where we are headed next but right now all is quiet although we get involved in a photo shoot with the help of a local man. It's time for a piece of history as we head east on HWY 42.
Krue-Se Mosque....... During the Ayutthaya period, the Krue Se was the religious centre for Pattani residents and served as an important trading port. The Krue Se Mosque was registered by the Fine Arts Department as an ancient monument in 1935 and has been consistently restored to preserve its condition as an historical landmark of Pattani. The mosque was constructed with bricks, round pillars, and pointed arch doors in the Middle Eastern art style. The designer of the mosque was Shaykh Safiyuddin Al Ismaas Ulamaa of Pondok. The Krue Se Mosque remains a place of active religious practices to this day.
Bang Pu Tourist Community....... The object of this community in Yaring District is to offer ecotourism that emphasizes natural tourist attractions in the mangrove forests on Pattani Bay which has a fascinating ecosystem with natural beauty, abundance of aquatic animals, birds and species of fireflies. The locals in his community have a simple way of living and I have to be involved in environmental and tourism management which helps increase their awareness of sustainable ecological preservation. Visitors can also enjoy delicious foods such as seaweed salad fish sausage and Madu (ancient Muslim beehive like sweets). Tours into the mangrove can be arranged for 100 baht. Moving on we locate another attraction of historic interest.
Wang Yaring....... Wang Yaring is the former Governor's palace, an architectural marvel from King Rama V's era. It uniquely fuses European, Thai-Muslim, and Javanese styles. This cultural gem, a sole surviving palace in the southern border region, boasts a mesmerizing blend of local and international influences.
Not all of this palace building is open to the public but you can get a good idea of the governor's lifestyle in the 19th Century. Entry is 30 baht which includes a drink when we visit.
We now move into an area of interesting topography. The whole of the Pattani City coastline lies within Pattani Bay which is enclosed by Laem Ta Chee, an inhabited sand bar around 15 km long.
Talo Kapo Beach....... We begin our journey at Laem Kapo Beach. The chances for me to walk on sun kissed beaches are rare even when I've been near the coast but here at Talo Kapo Beach I have to dodge the crowds to see what the fuss is all about. There is a big party atmosphere when I thought Muslims weren't the partying type, but they are doing their best to prove me wrong despite the absence of alcohol. I feel in this rather impoverished community, it doesn't take much to make them happy. All I need do here is take some photos as I did at Patong Beach similarly invaded by humanity.
We continue along the cape noting that wherever you can get off-road there are picnickers; there are no posh restaurants here.
Continuing on we pass Teluk Similae Community intending to stop here later. The cape is a curious place with the beach on the ocean side while the leeward side of the bay there is only mangrove. In terms of land use I note that a number of resorts are springing up but will likely be only modest accommodation. Other than that there are only the goats that thrive here.
Laem Ta Chee....... We reach to end of the cape at Laem Ta Chee where more visitors have set up camp here. Bring your own food is the order of the day. Back in Bangkok I bought a table and chairs for precisely this situation but one, my partner is only interested in exploring every nook and cranny. Getting her to sit still for a moment would require sedation. Two, for my own part though, it's a shame that in a situation you should just relax and take in the view of the bay, I just can't sit around in an area strewn with rubbish. If this is a sustainable community then why treat the land like this? Heading back, traders have managed to set up stalls along the roadside. With so many people here coming to browse, how on earth do they expect cars to pass. It's utter chaos.
Teluk Similae Community....... The cape varies in width between 1.5 km to hardly nothing, hardly more than the width of a roadway and a choke point is near Teluk Similae Beach. The community here lives mainly in beach huts of dubious quality but there is no shortage of customers this weekend. Again I restrict myself to taking photos.
Pattani is the last but one province with a coastline that I hadn't visited and it may be that I've left the worst till last. The second day ends after a rich haul of attractions visited but one that has left me saddened by the poverty here. Who is responsible for the neglect? Is spiritualism trumping practicality? Well, for my own part I'm not concerned as are most locals. I'm not reaching very deeply into my pockets here as I grab some food in the city to eat in the room.
After two days, there is one more day needed to cover attractions but as things stand we will be heading for another province yet to be decided.
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