The deep South: Malay, Muslim and Thai

Thailand's far South, the provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat with parts of Songkhla, is home to a Malay-Muslim majority. Many people speak a Malay dialect at home, mosques and Islamic schools shape the towns, and food is ฮาลาล: try ข้าวยำ, roti and the region's curries. The wider South, from Chumphon to Phuket, is mostly Buddhist and known for fast, clipped speech and fiercely spicy food (หรอยจังฮู้). Since 2004 a long-running insurgency has made the three border provinces sensitive; check your government's travel advice before going. Talk about it with care and without generalising; it is a complex local conflict.