FEMALE ONLY

During the mid-term school holiday, I made a bold decision  to drive 540 km to Hat yai, Thailand with my sisters and their daughters.

Hat yai famous for its toot-toot car, food and elephant....

Of course my dear worried husband would not allowed but eventually he relented and give in to my daily whining demands.

We started our journey at 6.30am on a cool Wednesday morning and made a stop at the Tapah Rest Area for a late breakfast and continue our journey to Alor Setar at about 12.30noon for lunch.

Mesmerizing view along the highway...

After lunch, we visited a relative whom we have not seen for a long time.

At about 3.00pm, we proceed with our journey and the drive from Alor Setar to the Thai border was a beautiful sight with green padi fields lined up all the way on both side of the road.

Suckling pig is a famous delicacy in Hat yai also..

Upon reaching the border, we parked our cars at the Bukit Kayu Duty Free Complex and boarded a rented van to Hat yai.

All female holiday :)

Our stay at the Lee Garden Plaza Hotel was a pleasant one and did not scares us one bit although it was known for its notorious bombing last March.

Overall, Hat yai is still the same to me after my last visit 2 decades ago except that the traffic has gotten worse in term of human and machine.

The food is still great but it is no longer cheap and you can find more massage parlors in every crooks and corners.

Crafts and food found at the morning market...

On day 2, we hired a van to take us on a day trip to Songkla which is about an hour drive from Hat yai.

Places of worship in Songkla..

Basically, Songkla is more of a place for worship and it is famous for its elephant farm.

Feeding the elephants at the farm..

It seems Samila beach is a must visit in Songkla because it is famous for its white sandy beach and the symbolic mermaid statue.

Samila Beach...

Shopping in Hat yai is nothing to shout about but we truly enjoy the foot massage.

After a relaxing foot massage...

After spending 4 days in Hat yai, its time for the long drive home.

Traffic was fine except that when we were crossing the Malaysian border, there was a long queue because only 2 counters were open at the immigration. Guess the people working there are still in Hari Raya mood.

The drive home was smooth sailing all the way until half way through the journey, a monkey dash out from nowhere along the highway and went right in front of my car.

Driving at 120kmph, I would not risk the life of everyone in the car but to drive straight through.Everybody was shaken but otherwise fine.

Souvenirs my daughter got for her friends..

I feel so sorry for the poor lost soul and could not do much but said a prayer for it.

We reach home past Cinderella's time at half past twelve midnight and of course logically, our cars did not turn into a pumpkin nor do the human change into any kind of animals except that we are all dead tired.

The worried hubby a.k.a. daddy was waiting anxiously for his queen and princess with a face full of relief....and so the journey ends with a beautiful note...AND THEY LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER.