Laem Son-on (แหลมสนอ่อน)

Thai. ‘Peninsula of Young Pines’. Name of a spit of land in Songkhla, which at its northernmost tip has a memorial dedicated to the Krom Luang Aphakon Kiatiwong, i.e. Prince of Chumphon and Father of the Royal Thai Navy, a small park that doubles as a traffic roundabout and called Suan Song Thale (สวนสองทะเล), i.e. ‘Garden of the Two Seas’, as well as a naga statue that spews water from its mouth and which in more than one way is reminiscent of the mythical Merlion in Singapore's Marina Bay (fig.). The name Garden of the Two Seas refers to the park's position in between two large bodies of water, i.e. the Gulf of Thailand to its east and Songkhla Lake, known in Thai as Thale Sahb Songkhla, to is west. The northern part of Laen Son-on peninsula faces the Songkhla Deep Sea Port on the southern tip of Singhanakhon (สิงหนคร) District on the opposite side, across of the strait that connects the sea to the lake and which can be crossed by a car ferry service. The peninsula is also home to the Songkhla Naval Base, Songkhla Aquarium, Chaleum Phrakiat Sculpture Garden, the 80th Anniversary Commemoration Park, etc. Halfway the peninsula, the area is also known as Laem Samila (แหลมสมิหลา) and is home to a number of attractions, such as the Golden Mermaid (fig.), the Cat & Mouse Sculpture (fig.), Tang Kuan Hil, the Songkhla National Museum, etc. See also TRAVEL PICTURE and MAP. 回