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PulaGong Evening Bazaar on the Road Sides
View PulaGong VDO

Evening Bazaar or Pasar (Bazaar) Malam in Malay and Nat Malam in Malay of Patani Dialect is introduced in the 4 southern border provinces of Patani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla around the 1990s. It was an imitated the Pasar Malam in

Malaysia

which had been introduced long time before. Nat Malam or Evening Bazaar now become part of Muslim Malay of Patani life, nearly every big Kampong (villages)had been set up the Nat Malam. Nat Malam is the natural born of buying–selling (essential Economy)organized unofficially by the villagers, selling and buying from villagers to the villagers, probably it born out from the way of living of Muslim Malay of Patani in the 4 southern border provinces.

PulaGong Village

Opening–Closing Time

The majority of people in the 4 southern borders provinces are normally involved in agricultural production which in the day time they are fully wasted in the paddy field, farm, fruit orchard or rubber plantation, there are plenty of day time markets for purchasing goods but they have to travel, some time far from their village and essentially they have to left their jobs, the Nat Malam is an alternative to them both in time and space. Nat Malam is probably started functioning at 4 pm. and close at about 20 pm. that depend on how famous the Nat Malam is, more famous- people are crowded and time is extended but not later than 21.00 pm. The sellers come from the villages or nearby and sometime come as far as the cities of Yala or Patani or Narathiwat or Songkhla. The buyers largely from the village that Nat Malam situated, nearby villages or sometimes the famous Nat Malam attracted the costumers from far away villages or city dwellers(In case that Nat Malam had special goods that can’t find from other places or the price is more cheaper).

Open Air Ice Cream

Things Buy and Sell at Nat Malam

Nat Malam is commonly provide the necessary daily living things for people, price is more cheaper if compare to the usual markets available in 4 southern border provinces. Traditional food like Nasi Kerabu(Rice mixed vegetable), Nasi Tineh(rice cake in coconut leaf), Jagong Rebus(Boiled corn) are abandon in Nat Malam situated in the village(sometimes difficult to find in usual market), modern well known food like Burger, fish and beef ball, French fried, Ice cream, Somtam including fresh fish, cooking materials, Nypa and tobacco(local cigarette), fresh vegetable etc. are also available. We can find watches, ornaments, modern clothes, traditional clothes, reused clothes and many others at Nat Malam.

PulaGong Evening Bazaar

Pulakong is a 2 Malay words, Pula + Gong (Pulau + Gong), Pula means Island and Gong may translated as Gong Island(This Island may refer to a remote or isolated village that established far from other villages, since the village in Patani is an area that consists of Paddy field and a high land that can growth fruit, vegetable and build houses, this PulaGong village originally surrounded with paddy field on all sides while the high land (where village was built) was in the middle like an island when see from distance), people said that in the past there was a beautiful Gong in this village, its sound is great and heard from a far and people named this village ‘Pula Gong’). PulaGong village is situated in PulaGong(Pulakong) sub-District in Yaring(Jering) district, Patani province to the south is Mayor district Patani province. There’s about 1, 370 people in Pualkong sub-district, people are mainly working on paddy field, plantation and fruit orchard while clothing productions and vegetable grow are the secondary work of the villagers. PulaGong is well known country wide from novel written in Thai Named "Pulakong" and later become the movie shown all over the country .

Shopping at PulaGong evening Bazaar

We come and visit our family in Mayor district, some 7 or 9 kilometers from Pulakong, one of our family members wanted to eat a boiled corn, asking our family in Mayor, they said that there’s no one sell on Friday except at Pulakong evening Bazaar, the only market that open on Friday evening in this area and now the time is 5 pm., we decided and drive a while and lost the unfamiliar way and reached the crowded bazaar at nearly 5.30 pm, the Pulakong Bazaar is organized on both side of the road sides which run across the village, we see more crowded when the time nearly 6 pm. we search for boiled corn, we shop difference things including sit and have ice cream at the ice cream open air shop with cheaper price than in Patani town but the same taste, after finishing ice cream we have to hurry back home because it getting darker and darker, we see all who come to the bazaar, good on motorbikes, car or walking back home are carrying plastic bag in their hand less or more with things they bought from PulaGong Evening bazaar with smiling face.