Writing Retreat

Immersing yourself in a new place is a rejuvenating way to freshen the mind up for writing. Join writers Thammika Songkaeo (2022-23 National Geographic Explorer and "Soo Do Nim" as a travel writer) and Parisa Pichitmarn, Digital Editor of Sawasdee, at cozy, inspiring Baan Nai Nakhon in the Old Town of Songkhla, a hidden gem of southern Thailand.  

 

The 4-day, 3-night writing retreat allows ample time for you to focus on whatever you’d like to work on for at least four hours a day, while there will be some optional excursions and workshops that focus on the ethics of travel writing, as we question what roles and repercussions our writing of a place can have. There won’t be lectures, only discussions. 

 

Baan Nai Nakhon is a boutique hotel housed among old wooden homes of Songkhla, (traditional) ice cream shops, and other delightful eateries, situated on the Old Town’s quiet and slim main thoroughfare, where mostly the local people walk through. The hotel boasts six rooms each with its own personality, incorporating different patterns and textures as they cradle writers in a subtly stimulating environment. 

 

There are no writing desks in the rooms, but each carefully selected piece of furniture is bound to give you a whimsical blend of nostalgia and stimulation in which to rest and relax, firming your mind up in a comfortable wide bed, where your imagination can froth in preparation for you to arrive at your document, which you may work on in any of the cafes in the Old Town or in the hotel’s shared areas: a delightful and cozy lobby lounge dressed up with books in a small corner, or a garden, where the wind and trees provide cool shade. 

 

Many of our discussions will be in the hotel’s garden, which will be reserved exclusively for us, if we reach our maximum-four sign-ups.  The next session takes place from Thursday, February 2, 2023 to Sunday, February 5, 2023. 

 

Included in stay are breakfast each morning. The owner of Baan Nai Nakhon, Danai, a former flight steward who has traveled the world, is known for sourcing the freshest seasonal, locally sourced ingredients, to make his dishes—and that’s if he’s not out hunting dishes from other seasoned chefs from the morning markets around town. A simple lunch is also included, as we gravitate along with the serene simplicity of Songkhla and respect our roles as its temporary occupants. 

 

The excursions we will include are:

 

• Walks in the Old Town and a visit to the Songkhla National Museum

• A visit to Ranot Floating Market, a small hidden gem

• A meal by Lake Songkhla, Thailand’s largest natural lake

• Trip to Samila Beach 

• A trip to Phatallung province, Songkhla’s neighbor, for the Thale Noi Waterfowl Reserve, where the water lilies and lotuses will serendipitously be in full bloom and migrating birds will pass through. 

 

Program:

 

Day 1 (Thursday) 

 

• Arrive at Hat Yai Airport by 2 PM and head to hotel in the same car (a seven-seater)

• Your first three hours of free writing in one of the cafes in the Old Town or at the hotel

• Dinner at a simple neighborhood restaurant near the hotel (at your leisure)

• Return to the hotel for an hour more of free writing

 

Day 2 (Friday)

 

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Two hours of free writing in one of the cafes in the Old Town or at the hotel

• Excursion to Thale Noi Waterfowl Reserve

• Lunch at a local eatery

• Drive to Ranot Floating Market 

• Return to Songkhla for two more hours of free writing 

• Dinner at a simple neighborhood near the hotel (at your leisure)

• Return to the hotel for a discussion on travel writing and ethics

 

Day 3 (Saturday)

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• Breakfast at the hotel

• Two hours of free writing in one of the cafes in the Old Town or at the hotel

• A walk around the Old Town and a visit to the Songkhla National Museum

• Two more hours of free writing in one of the cafes in the Old Town or at the hotel

• Lunch by Lake Songkhla

• Meet with Thammika/Parisa for individual writing feedback 

• Evening at Samila Beach, for a writing exercise focused on the ethics of travel writing

 

Day 4 (Sunday) 

 

• Breakfast at the hotel 

• Two hours of free writing in one of the cafes in the Old Town or at the hotel

• A walk around the Sunday market, where good food, but also stretches of textile waste, can be seen

• Check out

• Lunch on the way to Hat Yai airport, where we say our farewells

 

 

Price: 1,080 SGD or 28,100 THB/pax. This price includes:

 

• Single occupancy for a room meant for double occupancy 

• Breakfast and a simple lunch 

• Transportation to/from Baan Nai Nakhon and Hat Yai Airport, and excursion sites. 

• Feedback on one piece of writing of no more than 3,000 words from Thammika and Parisa (this may be your application material)

• This price excludes flight cost (for you to purchase independently) 

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Language:

 

Participants should feel comfortable conversing in English, though their writing may be in any language.

 

How to apply:

 

Send an English-language writing sample (2000 words or fewer) and CV to tgwritingretreat@gmail.com with “Retreat Application — [Your full name]” in the subject headline, with the sample writing pasted in the body of the email. No attachments will be opened, for security purposes. Apply by December 10, 2022. You will be notified of decisions by December 20, 2022 and will have to confirm your attendance with a payment by December 27, 2022. Please note that there are only four spots available. 

 

For more information:

 

Contact Thammika via the Contact form or send a direct message to @two_glasses_tg on Instagram (please follow the account first to ensure your messages can seamlessly come through). For more information on Songkhla, view Thammika’s writing on Songkhla for Sawasdee’s digital edition, under her travel writing pseudonym.