Day 12: Off to the South (Hat Yai)

Today was the day: we're flying south to the beach. Just a quick delicious breakfast and off we go...

Two hours flight from Chiang Mai to Hat Yai. Why Hat Yai and not Krabi or Phuket?! Well, the flight was simply the cheapest... We've never heard of Hat Yai before but it doesn't matter. It's just a stepping stone to the beach anyway.
Departure from Chiang Mai with a great view of the mountains.

After a very calm flight, we took a taxi to the hostel in the city center. What caught our attention during the taxi ride was that Hat Yai is very influenced by Islam. We immediately arranged for a shuttle to Koh Lipe upon check-in and then went to our room. Since all double rooms were fully booked, we got a 6-bed room for the two of us.

In the evening, we took a short walk into the city and felt really uncomfortable. Kathrin was being stared at by a lot of men. It really spoiled our desire to explore the city further. So we went to McDonald's for dinner, we just felt like eating something familiar. Then we went back to the hostel and went to bed early. Tomorrow will be a long and tiring day.