Hello everybody: I am new here. New to the board, and new to cooking... But eating has always been my life-long passion. After all, I am a Chinese born in Thailand. And both Chinese and Thais LOVE to eat. So I guess that somewhat qualifies me to join this board. Hi Pan: I noted you have expanded your travel plan from the"Southern part of Thailand" to "various parts.... Laos and Cambodia" Anyway, the Malay-majority part of Thailand are concentrated on the five border cities: Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, Satoon, and Songkhla. The only place I think you can afford to miss is probably Satoon. (OK, I don't really know Satoon-- that's why...) I recommend visiting Betong, the border point for Yala, as it is quite a unique place, even for Thai. I would say it is much more Chinese than Malay, though. The Chinese food there is supposed to be one of the best in Thailand. The town's specialty is Stir- fried Watercress. (Puck Naam) I am sure you can find a good Halal place there. As the road from Betong to the rest of Thailand can be an adventure in itself, you can opt to go back into Malaysia and enter Thailand again at Sungai Kolok, in Narathiwat, and go to Pattani from there. It is reasonably safe if you are careful and use good sense. If you travel alone, be very careful, especially when you cannot speak the language. I would stick to the city and market place, unless you have a certified guide. If you are traveling with a few other people, you might want to consider hiring a driver-guide in Thailand. Converting back into US dollars, it is really reasonable. I once hire a minivan for about $70 per day, all-inclusive. He ate with us, of course, but that also guarantees a good eating place everywhere we go. He could also go in and out of Malaysia, spoke some English, good Malay, and perfect Thai. That took a lot of guesswork out but we can still do whatever we want to do and stay as long as we like. But if you plan to travel alone, that's fine too. Just be careful not to venture out alone in the dark, or where there are no other people around. The economy hasn't been the best lately, so crime rates have increased a bit. And here are some recommendations on eating place: If stopping in Narathiwat, go to the morning market and buy your breakfast there. Yes, it's certainly not the cleanest place in the world, but I never had any problem with the food there when I visit. Pick your breakfast from the variety of Malay and Southern Thai food there. My favorites are - Poo-Loh: Sweet Sticky rice cooked with brown syrup with grated fresh coconut and fried fish - Kaaw-Yum: (Literally, mixed salad rice) Blue riced (as someone mentioned earlier) with about 10 kinds of fresh thinly julienned-cut or sliced vegetables & herbs, crumbled pomelo, toasted coconut flakes, dried shredded fish or shrimp. The best part is the dressing - Budu --sweet and salty syrupy fish sauce. Yummy and nutritious. Muesli and Cereals would not even compare. Another popular breakfast is Chicken noodle soup at the Ritz Hotel. (Not to be confused with Ritz-Carlton. This Ritz is an old guesthouse. hee hee.) Smooth thin noodles in clear aromatic soup. You just can't find it anywhere else. Again, I am not sure whether it is halal, but I have seen some Islamic locals buying them. So it should be OK. Pattani is another interesting place. I don't remember the name of the restaurants, but everything I had there was good. You might want to stop at the PSU (Prince of Songkhla University), known to the locals as "More Or". The Pattani campus housed the institute of Islamic study, and there should be interesting things to see. I grew up in Songkhla. My hometown is called Hat Yai, which is the favorite place for Malaysians and Singaporeans. One of the reasons is its variety and quality of food. One of the best known street food is fried chicken. Nothing like the southern fried, or any of the fast-food chains we know. The chicken is marinated, but not battered. The skin is crisp and very brown. This is eaten with sticky rice, crispy fried shallots, and sweet/spicy syrupy sauce. OK... not healthy.... but worth every calorie and cholesterol point. And it is definitely halal. Locals call them Gai-Todd-Islam. (Gai Todd = fried chicken) OK. I'd better go. This is making me homesick... and hungry. Have a great trip.