Good Bye, Hat Yai 30 Dec 2019

We will be leaving Hat Yai and travelled back to Malaysia. Initially we would like to take the train going back, but it seems like all the train have to pre-book online and there were no more seats.

We checked for the express coach too, it is the same. As we were lucky that there are still seats available for 4 of us, we immediately purchased the tickets yesterday. The time is around 9.30am. Thus, we had arranged Yuri to come to collect the rental car from us.

We had our breakfast at one of the coffee shop nearby. We just had a simple noodle soup then we went to the express coach tickets agents there to board to our coach back to Malaysia.

Along the way we can see the green paddy fields when the coach passing by Perlis and Kedah. The scenery is so beautiful. We can rarely see this scenery in the middle of Kuala Lumpur.

We came back quite late to home from our Hat Yai and Phatthalung trip. Well, it is not saying that late but it was almost 10 hours of journey on bus. We started around 10.00am and when Alisan Golden Coach reached TBS, it was almost 7.30pm.

We had almost 45 minutes LRT rides from TBS Station to Puchong Prima Station. It was merely 9.00pm when we reached our home sweet home.

Well… this trip is worth while for us as the monies that we spend and we had almost 1 week holidays with travelling to Hat Yai and Phattalung. Overall we were very happy and satisfy with our year end holiday trip this year.

Phra Maha Chedi Tripob Trimongkol Hat Yai 26 Dec 2019

After our Big C Supermarket trip, we straight way headed to our next destionation – Phra Maha Chedi Tripob Trimongkol or better known as Stainless Steel Temple.

It is a good idea that we went there by driving ourselves as it is located on the summit of a hill and if we chartering grab car, it will cost a lot!

It is not easy to make one’s way to Phra Maha Chedi Tripob Trimongkol, located off Punnakan Road, without private transport. It is considered far from the city and the winding and narrow road to go up the hill.

Although Phra Maha Chedi Tripob Trimongkol is one of Hat Yai’s top tourist attractions, we felt surprised when locals give us a blank stare when we ask them for directions to this temple

After that, literally that we know that they would call it Stainless Steel Temple. This is world’s first Buddhist stainless steel temple and it is interesting to visitors.

It is said that the temple looks more alluring at night. We were there during the day.

I wondered how the driver can go during night time to see the alluring temple but from the photos from internet, it is indeed beautiful.

Once we were there, we visited the left side of the temple ground. There are 12 Chinese animals zodiac statues and a few Buddha statues.

The base of the stainless steel pagoda (or stupa) is made up of circular-shaped chambers that depict the days of the week.

Each circular has been installed with one or two Buddhist deities and framed murals on the wall. The murals that seems to tell different tales of Buddha.

On ground level, you can see two circular stairs to the top of the pagoda which lead to the upper level of the pagoda.

On the upper level within the bowls of the pagoda are more stainless steel structures.

Similar to the ground level, these too indicate time, in the form of Year and Month.

The upper level has wind chimes installed, the sound it made when the wind blows is so tranquil and serene. We really enjoyed the peacefulness from the wind chimes.

Even though the whole upper level is open and it’s under the hot sun, but we do not really feel the heat at all.

A visit to Phra Maha Chedi Tripob Trimongkol does not require too much time, except the journey to it.

However, once you are there, you would want to stay longer to enjoy its tranquility, especially on the upper level of the pagoda.

We would like to stay longer, but we need to continue to our next destination as we need to be at Phatthalung town by end of the day. There are still some places that we need to go before we check-in to the City Park Hotel.

Chue Chang Temple Hat Yai & Big C Supermarket 26 Dec 2019

After our breakfast, we walked around the wet market outside Gim Yong market. There were already a lot of people at the market already.

I can see a monk was giving blessings to the believers or followers.

We can see many vendors already out for their daily routine in the market, selling all types of local food.

Suddenly the street just turn to a breakfast street or food street.

Then we just wondering around and came to a huge big temple called Chue Chang Temple.

Inside the centre court of the ground floor alter hall, sits the golden Buddha, and both side of the wall sits 30 statues each wall.

At the side hall there is a golden image of Avalokitesvara with multiple arms and heads.

It is remarkable for being the male embodiment of this bodhisattva rather than the far more common female version, Kuan Yin.

The temple is well crafted with chinese ornaments and architecture. We left the temple around 7.30am and walked back to our hotel as we need to pack up and prepare to check out.

We checked out from Asian Hotel around 9.30am and leave both children at the hotel lobby to wait for us. Alvin and I were walking towards Lee Garden Plaza and we waited at the Regency Hotel for easy parking.

We rent a Toyota Yaris Ativ model year 2018 for 4 days from Yuri Car Rental. We actually get a really good bargain and deal. We paid for 3000 Baht for 4 days.

What required are the copy of driving license and the passport, and deposit equivalent 3000 Baht or Ringgit Malaysia 400.00.

After we got the car, we just drove back to Asian Hotel picked up both Issac and Annabelle and we started our journey up to north.

After we got the car, we went to Big C Supermarket. It is actually on our way towards the north. Big C Supermarket is just like our local Tesco or Aeon Big Hypermarket.

We just shop at the instant noodles section and to check out the instant noodles which we cannot find in Malaysia. Mainly we are looking for Tom yam flavour and some other flavours. We bought Pringles potatoes chips too!

Lee Koh Fook Dim Sum Hat Yai 26 Dec 2019

We woke up early today because we had a good sleep last night. Alvin is well rest last night too. All of us are fully recharged.

We walked out from the hotel and looked for our breakfast at 6.30am. We were looking for Dim Sum. We just walked towards the Gim Yong wet market area, then we came across a shop at a big house compound.

The shop is run by a Chinese couple, they are really friendly and nice people. The shop was just opened and we are their first customers. The uncle was so eagerly wants us to try every dish of their dim sum.

We ordered each type from so many varieties of the dim sums, such as:

Steamed Siau Mai

Stir-Fried Radish Cake

Braised Pork Ribs

Steamed Chee Cheong Fun

Congee

and my favourite Braised Chicken Feet

We ordered the Penang Char Keow Teow from outside the shop and soya bean drink too, but the taste is so so only. I think still our original Penang Char Kuew Teow nicer.

The dim sum is a little bit different from the usually Hong Kong dim sum that we eat back in Malaysia, but the meat itself is nice and soft.

I think it is because all these dim sum are homemade by the aunty. At least is is not taste like frozen dim sum that just steamed.

Alvin said the dim sum at Lee Koh Fook is better than the 108 dim sum which he ate during his Hat Yai trip previously.

We had a photo with the aunty before we left to have a morning walk at the nearby area before we go collect the car that we rent for the coming 4 days.