Six Ss for Songkhla
by prudence on 05-Jan-2013
We're back in Songkhla, southern Thailand, while we wait for a work visa for Indonesia. I very much like this unpretentious, low-key town. No doubt you're going to complain that not all the below Ss are specifically Songkhla. I don't care. Songkhla is where I'm enjoying them at the moment.
Sea: Songkhla sits on a spit. So it is surrounded by sea. In the sea are islands. On the sea are all kinds of craft, large and small. When we arrived on Wednesday, the sea was surging up the beach in dramatic fashion, all riled up by a stiff wind. Today, it was like a kitten.
Sculpture: At one point Songkhla had a mayor who loved sculpture. So it's everywhere. The cat-and-the-rat, the mermaid, the three bits of the naga, and many other more abstract pieces. And why not, after all? A steady stream of people get themselves photographed in front of these various erections, so they must have a significant power of seduction.
Sois: Songkhla's sois are just so pretty. And so serendipitous in terms of what you find in any given one. True, pot plants, cats, and chickens are ubiquitous, but depending on the soi, you get simple little wooden houses, stately old trees, bits of redundant railway line, delicate little windchimes, and any of a number of small businesses.
Songbirds: I'm not sure it's actually fair to keep birds in cages. But they certainly brighten the day of residents and passers-by alike. And if their crockery is anything to go by, they must be pretty cosseted -- the cage of one lucky linnet we passed sported Benjarong bowls.
Streetscapes: The whole of the old town is unpretentiously atmospheric. Not brashly out there for you to trip over, but definitely not concealed, are an old fortress, part of the old city wall, a former royal palace, the Chinese gate, lots of pretty temples, and a lovely mosque.
Streetfood: Thailand is a running buffet. It's all there, out in the streets, all day. I'm particularly drawn to packages, having the unshakeable conviction that if something comes in a leaf package, it will taste delicious. Today's package was sticky rice wrapped around banana. My conviction still stands...
Sea: Songkhla sits on a spit. So it is surrounded by sea. In the sea are islands. On the sea are all kinds of craft, large and small. When we arrived on Wednesday, the sea was surging up the beach in dramatic fashion, all riled up by a stiff wind. Today, it was like a kitten.
Sculpture: At one point Songkhla had a mayor who loved sculpture. So it's everywhere. The cat-and-the-rat, the mermaid, the three bits of the naga, and many other more abstract pieces. And why not, after all? A steady stream of people get themselves photographed in front of these various erections, so they must have a significant power of seduction.
Sois: Songkhla's sois are just so pretty. And so serendipitous in terms of what you find in any given one. True, pot plants, cats, and chickens are ubiquitous, but depending on the soi, you get simple little wooden houses, stately old trees, bits of redundant railway line, delicate little windchimes, and any of a number of small businesses.
Songbirds: I'm not sure it's actually fair to keep birds in cages. But they certainly brighten the day of residents and passers-by alike. And if their crockery is anything to go by, they must be pretty cosseted -- the cage of one lucky linnet we passed sported Benjarong bowls.
Streetscapes: The whole of the old town is unpretentiously atmospheric. Not brashly out there for you to trip over, but definitely not concealed, are an old fortress, part of the old city wall, a former royal palace, the Chinese gate, lots of pretty temples, and a lovely mosque.
Streetfood: Thailand is a running buffet. It's all there, out in the streets, all day. I'm particularly drawn to packages, having the unshakeable conviction that if something comes in a leaf package, it will taste delicious. Today's package was sticky rice wrapped around banana. My conviction still stands...