Here I am in a town called Songkhla. I had a couple of long driving days to get to and through the border. I looked for somewhere close to the border – the shortest drive possible. I chose Songkhla, a small local town on the coast.
I’d been to Koh Samui which was better than perfect – in terms of beauty and culture, and balancing all of that with a significant tourist population. I wanted to avoid Phuket and Krabi – just not me anymore.
However I was hoping to find a place with no white faces. And by luck Songkhla fell into my lap.
The place itself isn’t remarkable. But it’s authentic. It’s the real Thailand, a place without the bars and the girls and the pissed people and the desperation. It’s a sleepy little town on the coast, I think formerly a fishing village, where local Thais get on with the lives.
One fact I loved. WW2 changed when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbour. However, some 6 hours earlier they launched their first military campaign of the war – the invaded Thailand right here in Songkhla. This was the launching pad for the ‘bicycle army’. Everyone said Singapore was impregnable – it would never fall. They had huge armaments facing out to sea to destroy any invading force. I mean, of course they will come from the sea. There’s no way they’d ever be stupid enough to come down the Malay peninsula. It would be impossible to move a large army of men through that terrain.
Well, the Japanese never received that memo. The army that landed here in Songkhla unloaded their bicycles and headed south – through the rubber plantations. On 8 Feb 1942 the attacked from the rear. Most Brit senior military refused to believe what was happening – until the Japanese arrived at their door. True. Those huge guns that would protect Singapore from anything never fired a shot.
And it started here, in Songkhla.
I am just hanging, doing my restorative stuff of sleeping and exercising – and generally being healthy. Zero stress – that’s my goal. I had my first steak for a long time. I had a couple of long necks. I had a great Thai dinner last night. I took a long walk yesterday – the only distraction being a war between two tribes of monkeys that I was unfortunate enough to be in the middle of. The last thing I need is a monkey bite. But they were far more interested in attacking each other, thank goodness, than me.
Songkhla in on the coast and has a really nice sleepy feel about it. It’s perfect for what I want right now.
I am staying at the Tae Raek Antique Hotel. What a place. I think it has not changed since the Japanese arrived in ’41 – it’s probably where their military leadership stayed. All old mahogany and Chinese antiques. It really feels like I have arriving in the east, the orient. Very Thai – totally non-western. Everything I want.
From here I will work my way slowly up to a place called Hua Hin. A great old mate of mine, Dave, lives there. I cannot wait to see him. I have known Dave literally almost forever – he and I lived in Lambeth Crescent in Christchurch in the late ‘60s when we both went to Northcote Primary School – so we were 8-10. He and I bump through life, have great times whenever we are together. He is one of the funniest people on the planet.
I have to say with total honesty that some of the best times of my life have been in Dave’s company. I cannot wait to see him.