Narathiwat Shopping and Travel Guide

Longan

Longan is a tropical fruit indigenous to Java, Malaya, the Philippines and the south of Thailand. It grows well in loamy sand or loose soil in shady areas with regular rain and good drainage. The sweet and fragrant fruit has a thin peel and only a little latex. The most popular variety is called long-kong see poh and it grows in Ra-ngae District. There are similar fruits called langsad and duku. Longan is in season from August to October. It is also exported, especially to Malaysia and Singapore.

Korlae boats: Ban Thon

A traditional Thai Muslim fishing village, Ban Thon is located approximately 16 kilometers from the city. The village is a well-known center for production of real and miniature Korlae boats, which is considered to be an exquisite form of local art. Boys over 13 years old traditionally make the miniature boats, costing from a few hundred baht to 2,000 baht. Moreover, some children spend their free time making these miniature boats.

Korlae Boat is a small, coastal, fishing boat that is used in the lower southern provinces. The boat ranges in size from 1, 250, 1,100 and 1,000 centimeters. The boat has a unique style, with the bow and stern being higher than the hull. Designs on the boat are a combination of Malay, Javanese and Thai styles, with emphasis on Thai patterns. Such patterns include a running scroll design, lotus, serpents, magic monkeys, and heads of birds in literature like Burong Si-ngo or Singhapaksi (a creature with the body of a lion and the head of a bird holding a fish with its beak) at the bow. The creature, which has sharp fangs and claws, is powerful, and is a good diver, and has been a favorite of Korlae fishermen ever since ancient times. The boat is like an artistic masterpiece on waves and is considered life art as the Korlae boat not only shows off the greatness of its design, but is also the primary instrument used by fishermen to make a living. It is said that a Bang Nara villager without a Korlae fishing boat is like a person without clothes.

Local Handicrafts are products made from Krachut sedge and Panan leaves, miniature Korlae boats, and ceramics.

Batik

Mu Ban Yakang This old village is where unique and famous batik, cloth printed with exotic patterns, is made. It is located about 4 kilometers from the town on the road to Amphoe Rangae.

Batik is a Javanese word used to describe a kind of dyed fabric that combines artistic craftsmanship with dyeing techniques. There is evidence that batiks have been in existence for about 2,000 years.

The art of making Batiks is quite interesting. The simple process of “drawing designs with candles” uses a tool called “Wan Ting” that is dipped into melted wax for drawing designs on the fabrics. When dyed, colours will appear only in parts where the melted wax was not applied and the colours will be absorbed into the cracks of the hardened wax, creating unusually lovely patterns that are distinctively Batiks.

Longkong

Longkong is the most famous fruit of Narathiwat. The most popular type is Ban Sipo Longkong of Amphoe Rangae. It is in the same family as Langsat. It has a thick skin and does not have resin like Langsat. Though it has less fruity substance, it is sweeter. Another delicious type is Tanyongmat Longkong that is actually Ban Sipo Longkong grown at Ban Tanyongmat. Longkongs are in season around mid-August-September.

Salted Threadfin is a type of salted fish that has soft meat. It is the most delicious and most expensive salted fish in Thailand that is highly sought after by people everywhere. It is made at Tambon Chehe in Amphoe Tak Bai.