Hat Yai arrival!

I was coming from the island of Koh Lipe to Hat Yai, and that journey entailed a hairy speedboat ride and then a transfer to a van and a pretty long ride. There were other people in the van as well, and I sat in the very front next to the driver. When we were finally getting close to the city, I was excited, and ready to check in to a hotel and find some food. But to my dismay, the traffic once we reached the city proper was incredible. I realized that I had probably an hour or two more before I arrived at my hotel, but once I did finally arrive, I was amazed. This place called Bhava Residence looked so much better than the photos had on Agoda. It was fancy and modern; also the huge room had a basic kitchen -- microwave, large refrigerator, and sink (to wash dishes?), and a balcony. I was stoked.

Arrived!
Very excited to be staying in a room bigger than a closet 
(i.e. the last hotel I had stayed in).

The evening I arrived, I was a bit tired from the long travel day, and since the hotel was so nice, just wanted to grab a quick bite to eat and relax for the night.
I saw on Google Maps that there was a supermarket pretty close to the hotel, and thinking I could grab some street food and maybe pick up some veggies at the market, I headed out. 

Approaching the "supermarket" called MAKRO, I realized that it was a lot huger than I had anticipated. I started to wonder.

It turned out to be pretty much the Thai version of Costco with samples and everything!
It was exciting to find it, but also a bummer, as my suitcase at that moment was already about to burst at the seams and even if I saw some incredible bargain, I wouldn't be able to buy it. I walked around for a while anyway, just to feel the atmosphere.
Before I had gone in, I'd seen this chicken stall outside. I'd seen other FIVE STAR outlets around and I wanted to investigate. I realized that this was probably not a chain that had originated in Hat Yai (turns out it's from Bangkok), but have you ever realized that at chain stores the food may taste different depending on the location? I figured if Hat Yai locals were going here, it had to be up to their high chicken standards.
They had many different types of fried chicken, so I decided to order two different kinds, one that had a really crunchy looking coating (like Popeye's) and one that almost looked like a roast chicken with a crackly skin.
I apologize as I was really hungry, and this is the only shot I got before this chicken was devoured. 

AMAZEBALLS.





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