When I was in Bangkok three weeks ago, I got nostalgic, remembering how I came to Thailand for the first time in 2011, how cool this journey into the unknown was. After escaping a flood in Bangkok, I arrived in long-anticipated Krabi Town without a booking and searched for a place upon arrival. I lived in a basic room with a fan, enjoying every breath of hot, humid air. Every day was filled with anticipation for a beautiful future, and every day was a discovery...
This memory prompted me to search for a new destination somewhere in southern Thailand, although I had originally thought about revisiting Krabi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, or Ko Samui. And that's how I found Songkhla. Saying right away - I made the right choice.
On March 7, I arrived in Songkhla without booking but I had the name of a small plank guesthouse you couldn't find on booking sites, and that's where I rented a super lovely room for 6000 baht (180$) a month.
The city isn't large, with only around 60,000 people and 4,000 monkeys 😮 according to mass media reports.
This colony was another reason why I made the final decision to try Songkhla.
Living on a mountain, they travel through the city, walking along wires.
Funny and curious but wicked - not that different from people, lol.
Check out my post about a group of monkeys on a foraging expedition in a residential area.
Monkeys really add a flavor to photography as soon as you don't focus on the animals themselves but try to combine them with the urban environment.
Besides the monkeys, Songkhla has many bird species, including ones I never saw in Bangkok - Asian glossy starlings, red-breasted parakeets, and Brahminy kites. Great mynas (in the image below) surprisingly outnumber even pigeons in Songkhla.
The variety of birds and their accessibility for observation is impressive – perhaps it's even cooler here for a birdwatcher than in Bangkok. Read my post about my first birding impressions in Songkhla.
Songkhla has a beach. Its quality depends on the weather: when it's windy, large waves come, making the water unpleasantly yellow and swimming uncomfortable (although it's fun to play a fight against waves).
On calmer days, the water has nice shade and waves aren't disturbing.
What I love the most: the shore is not shallow – the depth reaches my shoulders about seven meters from the surf.
However, nobody swims at the beach (except for sometimes local kids splashing by the surf) since Songkhla isn't a beach destination, and there are no foreign beachgoers in the city except for unusual characters like me or this kitesurfer.
3 weeks passed but I feel many things are undiscovered in this area so thinking of staying in this city for another month or two. Feel very comfortable in this city, absolutely love it.
As a soundtrack to the post, I offer you to listen to a cover of a famous Thai song Made in Thailand by Carabao; they had it in White Lotus 3; the performer is a charismatic farang, I like his version better than the original. Enjoy:
I took these images with a Nikkor 70-300mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 on March, 2025, in Songkhla, Thailand.
Man, this post makes me want to just drop everything and head to Thailand. The way you describe Songkhla feels so raw and real, monkeys, birds, beach, all of it. Also, those monkeys would be like little troublemakers, but in the best way hahah
If you can enjoy the simple lifestyle without luxury, you really should try spending a few months in Thailand away from major tourist destinations to enjoy the wonderful Thai lifestyle, fantastic street food, watching animals and plants...
Yup, they are funny to watch them but when you live near them, they are serious troublemakers.
hahaha yes indeed. Oh and Rain, man Acidyo recommended that I check your posh reddit compilation.. I'm interested in starting it and I'm about to get a fresh reddit account for it.
Any guides or tips man
basically a trip to the unknown
the monkeys on electric cable are strange to see... adaptation with humans...
beach doesn't suit well imho for black and white, you lose all sea colors!
Rather monkeys discovered (not without a surprise) that humans (who never were friends to them) constructed for them an amazing transport infrastructure that connected numerous roofs into one huge rooftop terrace for monkeys' leisure.
Lol that's a good point of view from monkeys
The monkey climbing the electric wires is my favorite. but hope its safe for it to do that, since it involves electricity?
:) I don't know if they are completely safe but partly yes: they mostly walk along communication cables while electricity often is above these cables, and many pillars have special bell-shaped limiters preventing monkeys from reaching electric wires.
ohhh ok, they feel safe doing that though and they look like enjoying every bit of it
Good job!
Thank you!
My pleasure!
Great all the monkey crossing the wires or the one sitting on the wires I can't decide. They are my favorites.
Thank you for this feedback! Yes, monkeys on wires are a spectacle you can't pass by without admiring even if you've seen this many times.
Amazing photography work, this time in B&W!... Applause!
Gracias! Always glad! 😊
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