Betong is as far as you can get from Bangkok and still be in Thailand. Often referred to as the 'town in the mist' as evidenced by the mist that tends to bathe Betong in the early morning, in Malay, Betong means 'bamboo' of which today, there is almost none as the town is largely a concrete egg-carton style place.

Set around 140 km from Yala, in a hilly district that borders with Malaysia, Betong is not a 'hill station' by any standard, though the nights here are cooler than elsewhere in the south. Almost completely surrounded by rubber plantations, Betong is a good place to see all the rubber being collected and trucked away.

Rubber and mist aside, Betong is famous for two other slightly more unusual reasons; firstly for its siberian swallows (it is easier for them to get here than you as they don't have to worry about the hairpin turns), hundreds of thousands of which migrate here every year to perch on the city's rooftops and weigh down the electricity cables, and secondly it has the world's largest postbox. It seems unlikely that Betong's postmen could ever get that busy, but built in 1924 this British style red pillar post box stands towards the northern end of town. The postbox is a functioning one so you can post your swallow shit covered postcards here for added prestige.

The town itself is compact and bustling and an interesting place to explore with plenty of friendly locals around. Due to the proximity to Malaysia, Betong has a very multicultural feel to it with the population mix being 50% Muslim, 40% Chinese and 10% Thai Buddhist. There is also a large recently constructed bronze sitting Buddha, a wat behind it which offers good panoramic views.