The south of Thailand holds historical and archaeological significance. Phatthalung province is one of the region’s ancient landmarks. Its history dates to the 7th century when it came under the influence of Mahayana Buddhism from India

By virtue of its location on the west coast of Songkhla, Phatthalung abounds in natural beauty. Its most famous attraction is Lake Thale Noi (which means little sea in Thai). At sunrise on the shores of Lake Thale Noi, I was treated to silhouettes of fishing huts on stilts, their large nets planted in the gentle water under a sky bathed in warm color, an image which has become emblematic of this province. Here, life is pared down to basics. I followed the locals as they go out to sea at dawn for the day’s catch.

I joined them in the lazy afternoon as they gathered around in the village watching traditional shadow-puppet play called Nang Talung. Similar are found in Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. Nang means “leather” – leather puppet and talung is abbreviation of Phatthalung and are 15 to 50 cm in size. The performance consists of the puppets, the narrator, the actor, and the musician. The actor and the audience are separated by a white screen during the show. Nang Talung. has been a favorite folk entertainment for the people of southern Thailand for a long time. Sadly, this art form is slowly disappearing because it is complicated.

It didn’t take long before I realized I had come under spell of Phatthalung’s rustic charm. I found an idyllic place in Phattalung.