วีดีโอ

A bit ... with a heavy accent!

@@johnrambo5917 I haven't heard from you for a while! Hope you're well and have a good trip!

@@fuzagi My accent is something I can't change!

@@hkcheong2292 Pleasure! Thank you 🙏

Thailand uses a 6-hour clock. The last 6 hours of the day start at 6pm. 7pm is 1 ทุ่ม, 8pm = 2 ทุ่ม, 9pm = 3 ทุ่ม, 10pm = 4 ทุ่ม. Hence, 4 fingers for 10pm. What exactly is she saying? She just answered my question about what time the festival closes.

@@expatlivinginthailand Fantastic! Just what I've been needing. So she said สี่ ทุ่ม, right? It's like 4 hours after evening actually begins, which makes perfect sense!

@AndrewMcWinger That’s right. Sometimes, if you arrange to meet a Thai at 8pm, they will say 'Two O'Clock'. They think สองทุ่ม and then do a straight translation. There's a video on my other channel about time. I made it five years ago and can't remember what I said, but it might help. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. th-cam.com/video/G3doCefCtvM/w-d-xo.html

@@expatlivinginthailand Curious! Thanks!

That sounds familiar. Thanks!

@@NEILTheBOY-c7h I still get confused. Thanks 🙏

@@expatlivinginthailand Subscribed Keep up the good work 🙏

Thanks, Chris! I was wondering what the effect of delivery would be. It is reassuring to know that it stands up well. As you say, it's great to have somewhere like this in town.

@@expatlivinginthailand Yeah definitely.! Pizza is always best straight from the Oven for sure but I think because the Base is made properly in house and the ingredients are fresh and good quality, its still very nice by the time it arrives 👍🏻☺️ ….unlike some extremely greasy stuff that has processed plastic cheese on it from some chain places that are best left unnamed 😅

@@chrismcdermott1111 That’s good to know. Delivery will be an option if we don't fancy going out. The Thais love those big chains, but for me, it's just not pizza. However, we got a flyer through the door from one of the chains recently advertising a new range of Neopolitan pizzas. I'm sure they won't be as good as Moon, but maybe worth a try.

@@expatlivinginthailand Those chains are popular around the world hey, marketing over substance I guess 😅 …but yeah, if they can make something better good on them, always worth trying 👍🏻☺️ The Pizza at “Pizza Railay” I think its called now on the junction of Khlong Rien 2 & Thumnoonvithi road is very good aswell, Neapolitan style! 👍🏻☺️ …there is a few Food Vans and a Bar with a kind of Boutique Market vibe, always busy on weekend evenings 👌🏻🥳

@chrismcdermott1111 I've walked past Pizza Railay many times, but normally during the daytime when it has been closed. I looked at the menu, and it looked good. By the way, thanks for the Bella tip. It's another place to try.

This question came up in a previous video! I often ask กี่บาท which translates to 'How many Baht'. Sometimes I use ราคาเท่าไหร่ (price how much) or just เท่าไหร่ (how much). All of these are basically the same question.

It really does. Only last week, I suddenly realised it was October! It gets worse once you reach my age 😒

I've been struggling with my crappy GoPro for a long time. Just recently, something else broke that made it almost unusable. I will never buy another GoPro. I treated myself to the new DJI Action 5, and I've been really impressed with it so far. I love a good steak, too! I mentioned to my wife about going to the festival, and she's not particularly enamoured with vegetarian food, either. I can eat it, but it doesn't leave me feeling really satisfied. I was flirting with those girls (don't tell the wife) and just speaking complete nonsense with them. Is soy the same as tofu? I don't know. ฝรั่ง is what Thais call white Caucasians, but it's used for other words as well. ฝรั่ง guava, มันฝรั่ง potato, หน่อไม้ฝรั่ง asparagus. There might be some more, but these are the ones I can think of. I'm a ฝรั่ง here, but an Ang Mo when I go to Singapore, and a Gaijin in Japan, Gringo in Mexico. No end of words!

@@expatlivinginthailand And a Mat Salleh when you're in Malaysia 🤭 Don't know how that came about exactly, but my dad says it's from 'mad sailor' cos that's what the locals saw when the first orang putih (white people) arrived.. then again, my dad is known to make stuff up sometimes 🤣

@@visitstomyneighbours LOL! I just learnt some more Malay. Mad sailor. Yep, covered in tattoos and blind drunk, I can understand the description! What does Mat Rempit translate to in English?

@@expatlivinginthailand Ah those rowdy youngsters on loud motorbikes 😖 The version I'm aware of about how that term came about is that it's from 'ramp it' as in ramp it up.. no guarantees on accuracy though! 😅

@visitstomyneighbours Thanks! Occasionally, I see gangs of Mat Rempits in Hat Yai who have come up from Malaysia. Thailand also has a similar problem with feral kids racing around on motorbikes. In Thai, they are known as เด็กแว้น

I'd actually be disappointed if the first comment wasn't from you! I'm not sure why there weren't many people. Maybe being a week day plus the rain? I think the weekend will be busy. I can eat it, but the food doesn't satisfy me as much as a balanced diet that includes meat. It's quite a big thing here with the locals. When I was single, I got to know one girl who then introduced me to her circle of friends. Quite a few only ate vegetarian food. Then there are those who eat meat, but will switch to a vegetarian diet for the duration of the festival.

Hi Francis! I have bought goods there, but not too often. There are lots of fakes and the quality doesn't tend to be great. The bag episode taught me a lesson when buying things from places like this. Good fun to walk around, though!

I think a few do, but far fewer than the number of Malaysians coming into Thailand.

I still shop there occasionally. I'm pleased that we still have some smaller department stores after Central Festival opened!

Thank you!

@keithd1219 It’s a lesson I learnt very early on! I buy very little from these types of shops now, and, whenever I do, I accept there is no recourse if something goes wrong. Also, I realised that although these places seem cheap, the prices at reputable department stores aren't actually that much more.

👋👋👋

Yep. Many don't speak any English and the general assumption is that farangs can't speak Thai, thus any form of communication is futile. They close their ears and don't even try to listen. There are various responses when I try to speak with Thais. Some run away. Some immediately try to get help from another Thai. Some simply ignore me. If I'm with my wife and ask a question, they understand the question but reply to my wife instead of me. Sometimes I will pay for something and when they return with the change, they give it to my wife. Some shop staff simply tell me ไม่มี when I ask a question, even if they have what I want. Maybe they think this is the quickest way of getting rid of me. Restaurant staff have refused to give me a menu because the menu is in Thai and their assumption is that I can't read Thai. I asked a very simple question today, which the woman understood, but instead of simply answering, she went straight for her calculator. This happens a lot. I've also found with Thais that when telling me the price of something, they find it impossible not to use their fingers. Bt20 is two fingers, Bt400 is four fingers, etc. Sometimes I wonder why I spent 20 years bothering to learn. If they do bother to open their ears, they usually don't have a problem. On many occasions, I've had problems initially where they don't understand anything, but after 5 minutes when they have 'tuned in' they are telling me how good my Thai is - พูดไทยเก่งมาก. Well, it wasn't 5 minutes ago. It's probably not the fault of the Thais. With so many foreigners in Thailand who don't speak any Thai, it's not really surprising that Thais assume ALL foreigners have no grasp of their language.

@TheThailightZone The brands that come to mind are Zebra and Seagull. I ran a Hat Yai website long before doing TH-cam, and while doing that, I discovered that many Malaysians buy these pots and pans in Hat Yai. There are a couple of shops in the Hat Yai Plaza area behind the clock tower. The department stores also sell them. The shop in the video is small, but it's in a great location because this is where the tourists want to be.

@@hkcheong2292 Pleasure! Thank you 🙏

@visitstomyneighbours Hello @visitstomyneighbours, and thanks for your comment. Well done for continuing the reading lessons! You have probably overtaken me by now. It's been quite a year. Very busy, but I've achieved a lot. I stopped all TH-cam activity for a very long time. I have three YT channels, which is really two too many. Last week, I made an effort to do some more work on two of them, but the reading Thai channel has been neglected for a long time. I'm not sure what to do about it. Basically, I bit off more than I can chew. I'd be careful about taking guns back, even if you think they are toys. Some of the knives and martial arts weapons I've seen for sale are really frightening, and I'm sure they would be illegal in many countries. All the best!

@@expatlivinginthailand "You have probably overtaken me by now" - I most certainly have not! And never will.. that said, thank you for the encouragement behind that statement 🙏 I noticed in the video that you used กี่บาท when asking for the price. This is new to me.. usually I will ask เท่าไร. Which brings me to suggest an idea for future content - what Thais tell foreigners to say vs. what Thais themselves usually say. Many times I've noticed a difference. E.g. foreigners are told the way to ask 'how are you' is สบายดีไหม, but I often hear เป็นยังไงบ้าง instead. Or ราตรีสวัส, when ฝันดี seems more common among Thais. Perhaps go through some useful phrases that Thais, when asked, tell foreigners how to say it.. but will themselves use a different phrase in everyday conversation. A few phrases, including how they're written in Thai, could then be a Thai reading lesson too. But only if you're inclined & have the time! 😁

@@visitstomyneighbours Don't underestimate yourself. You're good, very good. From your comments and questions, it's clear that you have a deep interest in the language. So many foreigners living in Thailand have zero interest in the language, which I find very strange. I use เท่าไร and also ราคาเท่าไร. I think I tend to use กี่บาท for low cost items. It's an advantage living here because you can listen to what Thais actually say. There is also a massive difference between formal and informal Thai. Most of the time you will hear กินข้าวยัง but occasionally someone will be more formal and ask ทานข้าวยัง. There are many other examples. Knowing when to use formal or informal Thai can be difficult. If you speak to someone old or important, it is not considered polite to use informal Thai. Thais who teach foreigners Thai won't want the foreigner to get into trouble, so they will teach the formal version. However, using formal language to friends and peers can sound a bit strange. It's the same problem in German with 'du' and 'sie'. In 21 years I have never heard a Thai say ราตรีสวัส. I've heard ฝันดี but most Thais don't seem to say anything before going to bed, or just a simple ไปนอน. สบายดีไหม is fairly common (I use it), but a bit formal, and tends to be used with people you don't know that well. With people who you are more familiar with เป็นยังไงบ้าง is more common. Thais like to ask where you're going and I soon became familiar with ไปไหน. But when I heard ไปไหนมา I was confused - go where come? It's kind of present perfect 'where have you been?' I find it fascinating. The more you learn, the easier it is to tune into Thais, and then you can increase your knowledge. I'd love to do more on TH-cam about Hat Yai, the Thai language, and Thailand in general. The problem, as I pointed out in the video, is that I don't have a lot of time because of my family commitments. It's a case of being able to have anything, but not being able to have everything. I love being a husband and a dad, but it requires sacrifices in other areas of my life. TH-cam, I'm afraid, has to remain fairly low in my list of priorities.

@gangsom Gangsom, I need to give you a special award for being the first commenter on my videos! PS2s are going back a bit. When I came out here in 2003, I brought a copy of GTA for my brother's PS2 because it was banned in Singapore, where he lived. No one said anything today about the camera, despite there being a lot of fake and counterfeit goods for sale. I'm not sure if the aquarium is still open. I've been there 3 or 4 times in the past, but I thought I'd heard somewhere that it was closing. I need to check. The zoo is another option. I think the vegetarian festival starts tomorrow, so that will probably be the next video.

Good evening Sir, nice to hear from you again. Great info.

​​@@expatlivinginthailandthere used to be go karting next to the aquarium if memory serves me right. How safe it is i don't know 😂 The vegetarian festival is good not sure you'll get past youtube with the knives through the face in the evening.

@gangsom The go-karts (and, I think quad bikes) have definitely gone. I remember them from years ago, but they weren't there last time I went to the aquarium. Many years ago, I took still photos of the acts of self-mortification at the vegetarian festival and put them on my website. Google got upset and removed their adverts from that page. TH-cam would definitely get upset if I videoed that kind of thing, so it's not in my plans. Anyway, it only happens at certain times, and we probably won't be going when the locals are skewering their cheeks with all kinds of sharp objects.

@@lianjs5305 Thank you!

@roybaht They have a Grab sign outside. The only thing is that pizza tastes best straight out of the oven. By the time it's put in a box and delivered on a Honda Scoopy, it might not taste as good.

@@expatlivinginthailand I agree

@@roybaht I previously did a video about Sultan, and a few people made the same comment. However, I haven't been able to find it at Central yet. I need to try harder next time!

Probably 95%. A few Singaporeans, too, and I see the occasional Japanese, but yes, the vast majority are Malaysian. Hat Yai is only an hour from the Malaysian border, and it's cheap. Hat Yai hotels are the cheapest in the region. Food, massage and shopping are cheap. In Malaysia, I have seen package tours to Hat Yai travelling by bus for 300 Ringgits. When you consider all the factors, it's not surprising that there are so many Malaysian tourists.

How kind of you. I hope the girls you 'rent' realise how lucky they are. You're just the kind of foreigner that Thailand needs more of. Well done!

@g-lighttravels5742 They don't! And another thing I found out is that you can't go anywhere or do anything without being seen, even if you think nobody notices you. With the way things are in the UK, I suspect a lot of people are leaving. Much better off here!

@@expatlivinginthailand Very true that!!

@@jimirons833 Thank you! This kind of comment gives me a lot of encouragement. Much appreciated!

@@lianjs5305 Pleasure!

Gangsom tells me he doesn't like pizza, but if you do, as I do, it's definitely worth a try! I would suggest calling ahead, just to make sure it's open and not too busy. You're like me, and don't mind walking long distances. You could certainly walk back into town, provided there is no torrential rain! If you go, let me know what you think.

Thank you for your encouragement! If you like this style of pizza, this is a good place. Have a great time when you visit Hat Yai!

@@hkcheong2292 My pleasure! Thanks for letting me know 🙏

@gangsom I love it! Please do drop me a line. I'm not sure yet what our plans are for Christmas, but it would be great to put a face to the name. The rainy season here normally starts at the beginning of October, but this year it started a few weeks early. Chiang Rai has had terrible flooding this year. Today, I heard that Sukhothai is flooded, and there is a risk of flooding in Bangkok and other central provinces over the next few days. I've also been reading about floods in many countries, including the UK, US, Poland, Japan, and quite a few others. We're on high ground that shouldn't have any problems, so fingers crossed. That was the main reason why I bought a house in this location after living through a huge flood in 2010.

​@@expatlivinginthailandyeah I've heard they have had floods in the UK from relatives. The rain in Bangkok this year'seems worse Maybe the world is changing Who knows? I'll drop you a message on here when I'm in hat yai.

@Utube1024 Wow, the town has changed immensely since I first saw it in 2002. It must now be almost unrecognisable compared to the 80's. Yes, a few of the old hotels are still there. I'm not sure about the massage parlor. Lots of old ones have closed, and lots of new ones have opened. ถ้าผมออกจากหาดใหญ่ ผมจะคิดถึงมันเหมือนกัน

@@expatlivinginthailand It sure changed a lot. Before the old Sukkontha Hotel was torn down to make new, the night before I sang the song - สบาย สบาย with the live band for fun. Now the hotel is rename to Centara Hotel if not wrong. th-cam.com/video/3nlwg6Bku7I/w-d-xo.html

@@Pat5208-j3n Apologies. Lots happening in my life. I'll try to do better!

@@expatlivinginthailand No worries . Hope everything is ok for you now .

@@Pat5208-j3n At this moment in time, life couldn't be better, thanks! However, it does mean less time for TH-cam 😒 Thanks for your concern!

@@expatlivinginthailand never mind .Do YT on your free time and at your own leisure .

@Pat5208-j3n Thanks again. We're currently trying to transition my wife from her teaching job to setting up her own business at home. If it happens, it will improve things considerably, but it takes time. The kids now have their mid-year break (about a month), my wife is at work, and I have the responsibility of looking after two youngsters, plus any of their friends who come to the house! I don't mind, but it's difficult finding time to do TH-cam. I'll do what I can!

@visitstomyneighbours LOL! I know what you mean. I never usually go to that area, but I wanted to test my new camera and do this video. It's only crowded in that small area. When I walked back to the car, the streets were deserted. If you're going to Phattalung, Trang is only another half hour, and the road from Phattalung to Trang (the Andaman Gateway) is a lovely road now that it's been upgraded. There are now a lot of motorbike rental places in Hat Yai, but I have never seen bicycles for rent. I wouldn't even know where to start looking, but I'll bear it in mind while I'm wandering around.

@nsiva8798 Just in one small area - and I guess Central Festival was also busy - but pretty dead elsewhere!

It's a new camera! I've been struggling with my crappy GoPro for a long time, so replaced it last week. I was pleased with the results. If it suits you, give me a call next time you're here, and I'll buy you a coffee to try to return some of your kindness. Thank you once again! It's strange that the majority of tourists just stick to certain places and only eat/shop at a few places. There's a lot to explore outside of the Lee Gardens area. I heard that the Ringgit was getting stronger. There have also been lots of articles about the Baht being too strong, thus hurting tourism and exports. I've heard a lot recently about Malaysia's growing microchip industry. Taiwan has dominated for a long time, but manufacturers are concerned about the geopolitical situation and are looking to relocate. A favourite place to relocate is Malaysian, which is great news for the Malaysian economy. Keep well!

@gangsom Thanks, Gangsom! I'm very well, thanks. Life is good, but I've been so busy that something had to give ... and that thing was TH-cam. I've been trying to catch up with my other channel, and I will try to do the same with this one. Hope you're well, too!

@alates09 I've never heard of this, and I don't know if it is available in Thailand. An effective, non-toxic system that lasts as long as the building would be perfect, but this wasn't an option when the house was being built.

Hello Seng. Not far. You can walk to Lotus, the Prince of Songkhla University, and Big C Extra. You can walk downtown, but better to get a motorbike taxi. You can walk to Phetkasem Road where there are a lot of sawng-thaews. You can go one way towards town, or the other way to the bus station, park, Songkhla, or Central Festival. The location is actually quite good.

That's interesting. Thanks for your comment. The whole animist thing is taken very seriously in Thailand and there are lots of superstitions concerning spirit houses. They can't just be thrown away in the trash with the other garbage, but where I live there are certain places around town that have a lot of discarded spirit houses. It seems they can be discarded, if discarded in one of these chosen places.

Hi! Sawng-thaews (the pickup trucks with benches in the back) tend to dry up after it gets dark. Also, in order to use them effectively, you really need to know the routes they traverse, and it's very useful to be able to speak and read some Thai. So, these probably aren't a good option for a foreign tourist on a short visit. In the popular tourist areas, you should be able to find tuk-tuks and motorbike taxis. The fares are actually regulated by the municipality based on distance, but drivers ignore the regulations and try to get the highest fare possible. Therefore, you need to negotiate. The metered taxis tend to travel between the airport and downtown area, rather than around Hat Yai. I have a car so drive myself, but my daughter uses Grab occasionally and I have been quite impressed with the service. While in Nakhon Sri Thammarat recently, I left my car at the hotel as I didn't want to drive and we called Grab. The drivers' app allows them to pick you up quickly and the fares are very reasonable. There are also a lot of Maxim taxis in Hat Yai and these are advertised as having a very low cost, but I have never used the service. Also, compared to somewhere like Bangkok, Hat Yai is quite small. Therefore a lot of places are within walking distance if you don't mind walking a little bit. To summarise, hopefully, you will be able to find a tuk-tuk or motorbike taxi. Obviously, tuk-tuks are more convenient if there are more than one of you. As an alternative, it might be an idea to download the Grab and/or Maxim apps before your visit. Metered taxis might be an option - there's a small taxi stand in front of Odean department store - but, as I say, the drivers are normally just interested in fares between the airport and downtown. Let me know if you have any more questions!

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!