Home»BEYOND BORDERS»Asia»Asia Portfolios 2018»THAILAND 2018»Songkhla - street art & shop houses

Songkhla in Thailand's deep south, close to the Malay border is considered by some to be a no-go area due to potential terror attacks. Despite this, its old town, often referred to as Singora (City of lions) has been undergoing an artistic & cultural revival. Shophouses, often dating back to as early as 1836, now proudly display scenes of Songkhla's everyday life. This is street art which is relatively gentle compared to much of what I've seen elsewhere in the world but it's an art locals are proud of. Songkhla's identity is essentially multicultural - Thai, Thai Chinese - Thai Muslim. The unspolit old town is reminiscent of Phuket, Penang or even Malacca with not a shopping mall in sight.