Off the beaten track in Thailand

Betong is a town in southern Thailand, near the border of Perak, Malaysia. It is often refer to as the 'town in the mist' as evidenced by the mist that tends to bathe Betong in the early morning. Almost surrounded by rubber plantations, Betong is famous for three unusual reasons.

First it is the Siberian swallows that migrate here every year to perch on the city's rooftops, and weigh down the electricity cables, and not to mention the poop they bring with them to the small town. Secondly, it has the world largest mailbox, located at the Clock Tower Intersection in the tower center. It was built in 1924 by Mr Sa-Nguan Jirajinda, the former head of Betong Post and Telegraph Office and the Lord Mayor of Betong. It has a total height of 320 cm (126"), and it is presently used as an ordinary mailbox.

I came to Betong for the third reason. Betong is home to the Piyamit Tunnels - tunnels excavated by the Malay communists in 1976 to avoid bombardment by the Malaysian government. My brother-in-law, Jeffrey drove me and Jack (a history teacher in New York) to the border between Perak and Betong from Kuala Lumpur. It took about 4 hours in driving. We parked the car in Perak, and hired a taxi to drive us to Betong. 

It took us another hour before we arrived at the Piyamit Tunnels. The entrance fee was 50 bht ($1.50). To reach the bunker, we had to walk up the hills through lush forests where sounds from the insects were deafening. Once we reached the bunker, I could feel that the temperature dropped as the weather became less humid and cooler. The Pyamit Tunnels stretches for over one kilometer (2 miles) in the jungle. The tunnel was dug by the Malay Communists Party fighting for their ideologies in the 70s'. It served as a hide-out with resting and sleeping areas, and a cooking area. There is a museum that displayed the artilleries and communications tools used during the party occupancy. As it was Chinese New Year, firecrackers were set off from a nearby temple for the devotees. 

We met an Ex-Sergeant from the Communist Party, Mr Chiam, who was a survivor from the camp. He was involved in building the tunnel from 1976 till 1987 when the tunnel was eventually closed. Although Mr Chian is a Malaysian citizen, he is not allowed to return because of his involvement. So now he stays there to help run the place. 

Betong is compact and a pretty interesting place to explore. The locals are friendly, and the cuisine is a mix of Chinese, Malay and Thai. Not too many tourists know about the place, but I hope more will do after reading this.