Yala province
The name Yala is derived from a folk word, 'yalor' which means fishing net which is quite odd as, of the 14 southern Thai provinces, Yala is the only land-locked one. Much of the province is mountainous, especially the southern border area stretching towards Betong and in parts, the scenery is stunning. The lowlands are mostly rice and rubber, the latter of which can be a lucrative business making it one of the wealthier of the far southern provinces. As is the case in Pattani and Narathiwat, Yala has a history of autonomy from Bangkok until fairly recently and remains one of Thailand’s more conservative muslim provinces.
From a tourism perspective, Yala's biggest claim is being home to the biggest mailbox in the world, which can be found in Betong. With Betong being one of the souternmost towns in all of Thailand, it is a long way to look at a mailbox, but apparently mailbox-spotters do. The general scenery is attractive and the province has a very low key feel to it, but if you're after keynote attractions, you're probably in the wrong province.
