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Apologies if this upset you! Well, as a foreigner, I can't own landed property in Thailand. When we registered the land that the house sits on, it was all done in my wife's name. Legally, it's all hers even though I bought it. My only concern is that one day, the house will go to our kids, and this will happen regardless of who owns the house now. So, no big deal.

Wow, what a surprise to receive this message! Thank you! Even during the construction it was a very impressive building. I go past almost every day because it's near to where I live, so I will come back again soon to see the finished temple. ขอบคุณครับ แล้วพบกันใหม่เร็วๆ นี้

Hi! The rainy season is October, November, and December. All of Hat Yai's major floods have occurred in the month of November. January and February are normally very hot and dry. August and September should be fine, but heavy rain can occur at any time! It's actually a good time - after the intense heat of the hot season and before the really wet part of the year. Have fun!

@@expatlivinginthailand Thanks for your prompt reply.

@@alexzhang5252 🙏

I'm not sure where you mean. Do you have a name or address for the restaurant?

@@expatlivinginthailand The Chaozhou place opposite the market called Ar.

It used to be one of the three big hotels in the central tourist district when Lee Gardens Plaza was the epicentre of Hat Yai. Since Central Festival opened in 2013, Lee Gardens Plaza isn't what it used to be. However, it is still a good hotel! Thanks for your feedback!

It's one of Hat Yai's better restaurants! You're right about company gatherings. I went to the Donya yesterday for takeaway food. The car park was full of vans and there was a big company gathering. Thais like doing everything, including eating, in big groups. Drinking is a big part of the male bonding culture. The women don't tend to drink alcohol.

Already? This is a new road!

Sky Scanner must have a big problem because there are many flights every day serving this route. Thai Air Asia, Thai Airways, Thai Lion Air, Nok Air, Thai Vietjet. Maybe more, but these are the ones that come to mind. Bangkok Airways also flies out of Hat Yai, but goes to Pattaya, Phuket, Samui and Singapore, not Bangkok. Your friends shouldn't have any problem at all getting a flight!

@@expatlivinginthailand thank you for your assistance 🙏

I need to go there again. The last time was when my wife's brother had a lottery win and took the whole family out for dinner. If there comes a time when I feel extravagant enough, I'd be interested in trying their Bt5,000 steak! I didn’t see it on the menu today, but it's probably still available!

It's a very underrated area. Most people arriving at the airport will want to go downtown as fast as possible, but they will miss out on some lovely countryside. When I first arrived in Hat Yai, I thought I would have to travel a long way to see rice fields. However, there are many all around the airport. There are waterfalls, reservoirs, temples, and some great restaurants. I live in this area and love it. I have easy access to some great countryside, and to get downtown only takes 20 minutes! Thanks, as ever, for your comment!

@@expatlivinginthailand I re-watched parts of this video for the Thai reading lessons it contains, and learnt a new word (16:19) - ไฟฟ้า Referring to the BTS in Bangkok, I have in my head รถไฟฟ้า as skytrain - รถไฟ (train) + ฟ้า (sky - according to my translator app). Am I understanding it wrongly? Perhaps it's actually รถ (vehicle) + ไฟฟ้า (electric)?

@visitstomyneighbours Good question! I'm not sure. In English, the BTS is Sky Train, and I always thought the ฟ้า referred to sky. รถไฟ = train and ฟ้า = sky. But, as you say, รถ = vehicle, and ไฟฟ้า = electric. So, sky train, or electric vehicle?! If Thai had spaces between words, it might be clearer! I think the same words in Thai have a different meaning, depending on context. For the BTS, sky train. For the car rental place, electric cars. But I'm not sure. Well spotted and great question!

@johndavis9256 Thank you! งาน (the middle one ) is the one I didn't know. I know the other two. This was useful!

@TheThailightZone Really? I've heard several middle-aged expats explaining the reason they decided to live in Pattaya was because they loved Thai food so much! I figured the Thai food in Pattaya must be the best in Thailand 😉 😉

It also means that the food is normally more expensive!

@@expatlivinginthailand True 😀

Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback!

@lianjs5305 Good afternoon! It's still a little hot and humid, but not excessive. Much better than earlier in the year!

Next time!

@tahirhasni8641 I'm not sure of the exact number (and it changes all the time), but this is a busy route, and there are a lot of flights every day. It may be 24, or it may be slightly less. Hat Yai airport is one of the busiest airports in provincial Thailand.

Okay

I think I started going there around 2000 when I got fed up with Phuket. I went quite a few times, including a few months before the tsunami. It used to be very quiet with small hotels and guesthouses. Many left after the tsunami, and the big operators moved in. I took my family there a few years ago and we had a good time, but the character of the place has changed. Anyway, thanks for your comment!

@Wacoal34d Thank you! Bullfighting is a big part of southern Thai culture, and Thais love to gamble! These events are always well attended.

@aseantravels8772 Yep, it's a quiet area and not too far from downtown. Property prices in so many countries are ridiculous. My house in the UK is about a third of the size of my house in Thailand, but it's double the price. There are a lot of condos in Hat Yai these days. When I first arrived, there was just one - Napalai Place. There are ways that a foreigner can buy landed property, but they all have risk attached. My house is in my wife's name. If you go down this route and are married to the wrong person, you can lose everything. My wife wouldn't do that to me, and even if she did, it wouldn't matter. I would still be able to live a good life, and all I'm concerned about is that the house will eventually go to my kids. If she did throw me out, which she won't, the house will still go to the kids eventually. I'll try to find a condo building that will let me look around and take a video.

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They're everywhere! I don't know how many, exactly, but I think around 15 Palm Springs just in this area, maybe more. All built by the same developer, AFAIK, Supalai. I was also a bit surprised at the lack of a fence today. In many places, there are walls separating the house, or at least a fence. Whenever you see some unnecessary letters, and especially when words use the การันต์ symbol, it's normally an indication that the word has been borrowed from another language. When Thais borrow words, they like to follow the original spelling, but because of how Thai works, this would result in a very strange pronunciation. For example, with words borrowed from English that have an 'r', they will include ร in the transliteration, but this will have a strange pronunciation. To fix this, they simply write ร์. For example: คาร์แคร์ (car care) With your example for Happy Birthday, these words probably come from Pali or Sanskrit, but the rule about following the original spelling stays the same.

Thanks! Land is very expensive in Hat Yai, and this makes houses expensive, even small ones. Finding a house for Bt1.5 million might be tricky these days. However, there are now many high-rise condo buildings, and I have seen condos advertised for just over a million. If I know that this kind of video is useful to people, I can do some more and also look at some condos. Knowing what to do is never easy. My viewership mainly seems to be from Malaysia, and Malaysians are mostly interested in short trips to Hat Yai, not buying property and making a permanent move to Hat Yai.

Oook . . But yes please have a look for some Condos (if possible) also, it would provide options for low budget individuals to invest & live there peacefully.

@trashbox4807 I'll have a go. It's been a while since I looked at any condos, so I'm also interested to see what's available. Regarding investing, I have never looked at the property market here as an investment. There are houses here that have had 'For sale' signs outside for years. The only houses I know to have sold were sold very cheaply at a loss. Thais always seem to want to buy new houses, rather than those that have already been lived in.

@@expatlivinginthailand Investment not in a sense for business intent but for residential. Even the old houses might be good choice as long as they are cheap.

@trashbox4807 That would work. Whatever you buy now will be more expensive in the future, so if buying just for a place to live, that's a good idea. The housing market here is different to many other places. In other parts of the world, you can make a lot of money by buying and selling houses, but from my observations, it's not the same here.

Lol! The first lady was lovely. The second one really didn't want me there! That room upstairs surprised me. It could have been a prayer room. Also, quite a few Thai homes I've been in have a separate meditation room. The nice thing about having the space is that you can use it for whatever you want. It always interests me to see what is available and for what price.

​@@expatlivinginthailandmost farang use it to dry their clothes. Kudos for learning Thai mate.

@@Kevin-zz9nc Thanks!

Thanks 🙏 If you ever figure out why, please let me know!

I was talking to some Thai men recently and we strayed on to this subject! The locals call it 'Soi U' because Sois 2 and 3 plus the road at the back are in a U shape. You're right. Not much happening during the daytime, but it's still active at night!

@PohHwaNg Buses from Hat Yai to Bangkok pass through Chumpon. Go to Hat Yai bus station, find a ticket booth selling tickets to Bangkok, and tell them that you want to go to Chumpon.

The word 'nightlife' has many meanings in Thailand! When I first got to Hat Yai in 2003, there was prostitution everywhere and several large soapy massage places. A few years ago, they all disappeared. I'm not sure why this happened or who was behind it. Nowadays, there are almost no visible signs of the commercial sex industry, but obviously, there will always be demand, and it will always be there. If you've been to places like Pattaya, Hat Yai is very different. If you want that kind of thing, it's there if you can find it. Where do you look? I don't know. I've been married for 14 years, and I've never been particularly interested in that aspect of Thailand. If you speak to a hotel bellboy or tuk-tuk driver, they should be able to point you in the right direction. Regarding massage, the services that are on offer vary from shop to shop and from girl to girl. I'm sure you can get what you want, but I'm afraid I don't know where.

@@expatlivinginthailand ahh we are married malaysian couples making our first visit to thailand so hatyai is nearest from border which is decent ...we would like to enjoy the food , alcohol and some body massage and lastly cheap shopping of goods. By nightlife i meant bars and pubs open till late nnight because all i see is empty street on internet in hatyai nightlife maybe due to heavy muslim population . Anyways thank you cheers

@onelove370 I receive all kinds of queries, and when people ask about 'nightlife', they normally mean a certain kind of nightlife! There is a large population of Muslims, but there is also a large Chinese population in Hat Yai. The nightlife scene isn't what it was 20 years ago, but you should still be able to find what you want. For nightlife bars and pubs, head to Thumnoonvithi Road. This is a long road that runs from the train station out to the University. In the section near Lee Gardens, you will find some bars that are popular with foreigners. If you continue along this road, you will come to a section that has bars and nightclubs that are popular with the local Thais.

@@expatlivinginthailand yup totally get it no worries thanks for the guide

I do my best to try to keep the peace! Thanks for watching 🙏

Very kind! Thank you 🙏

I thought that myself!

Thanks!

Thanks for watching and commenting!

@@expatlivinginthailand my pleasure , phil

Very interesting. In another comment, someone asked if this was Buddhism. I suspected that it had elements of Taoism or Confucianism. Thanks for the confirmation and also for the information about the yellow cloths. There's a big mixture of belief systems here. Chinese, Thai Buddhist, Thai Muslim, Christian, etc. The Thai version of Theravada Buddhism also contains substantial elements of Animism.

I never stop learning! I like it because life never gets boring. Thanks for your comment!

Thank you! The same applies to me. I had no idea that this kind of thing went on until a few days ago when my wife mentioned that she was going to clean bones! I wasn't able to go with her on Saturday, but thought I would check it out today. Very interesting!

Great comment, Francis. Thanks for the additional information. This place and the surrounding area is very Chinese. The early Chinese settlers in Hat Yai did a lot of charitable work and made many contributions to the town. At least one school (Sri Nakhon) was built on land donated by Chinese merchants. The charitable work still goes on to this day. Merit making is a huge part of the belief system, and I really like the way that many people offer their services voluntarily in order to make merit. My wife did her bone cleaning stint on Saturday.

It was new to me! Until a few days ago, when my wife mentioned this, I had no idea this sort of thing went on. Thailand never stops surprising me!

Good evening! I guess it is Buddhist, but the location is a Chinese charitable foundation, the remains are of Chinese people who had been buried, and ancestor worship is a big part of the Chinese belief system. My first guess would be Buddhist, but maybe there are also elements of Taoism, Confucianism, and other belief systems.

No reaction necessary or expected! It was just something a bit different. Doing roughly the same stuff in every video gets a bit boring. I agree, it is tragic, but there are (and always have been) a lot of sad and lonely people in the world. I don't actually think the remains will be kept separate for much longer. The lady at 9:02 says เผารวมกัน - cremated together. This gave me the impression that they will cremate all the bones together, and not keep them separate. Yes, that is the correct location. There's a big traditional Chinese pharmacy opposite, and the nearby private hospital also started life as a charitable Chinese foundation. A lot goes on in this area during Chinese New Year and the Chinese vegetarian festival. The lady at 5:22 just said อยู่ร้านอาหาร - at a restaurant. I often repeat their answers, just to make sure I heard and understood correctly. Thanks for your comment!

Thanks! I'm meeting him for lunch tomorrow and I'll pass this on. Yes, it is a nice place. A great location and a good size garden, too.

Post Laser Disc is opposite the Indra. Many years ago, it had a lot of foreign customers and served a lot of Western food. But not any more. Is that the place you meant?

It's really an impossible question to answer because we all have subjective opinions of 'best'. Do you like beaches and islands, mountains and rice fields, or cities? June and July will still be hot, and the amount of rain will vary depending on where you are. If you want to visit islands, you may want to check wave heights. I don't know the specifics, but some islands may be off-limits at certain times of the year.

Thanks for your comment. It's always interesting to get a Malaysian perspective of Hat Yai. I've seen several articles saying how popular Hat Yai is with Malaysians. I've always sensed that most tourists are Chinese, but yes, there are now quite a few Malays and also some Indians.

Thank you! It was still closed today, so that's over a week. I suspected a Muslim holiday, but this one seems particularly long. Isn't this also the time when Muslims go off to Saudi for the Haj pilgrimage? That's right. On the other side of Rajyindee Road are several large garden centres. Very handy for stocking the garden!

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Thanks! My buddy Johnny told me the same thing, but I was there last week and didn't see it. I'll clean my glasses and try to find it next time!

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My favourite meal of the day!