Amazing Thailand. This is the one fitting word to describe Thailand.

Yes, yes, one tends to think of Thailand as a place of seedy nightlife, cheap souvenirs, and nice if somewhat overcrowded beaches. That was why when the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) sent an invitation to visit Hatyai and the surrounding areas, I was not exactly bouncing off the walls in excitement.

But, it turned out, the tourism tagline "Amazing Thailand" is not without merit.

Despite the unrest in the south and the political uncertainties in the capital, tourists have not stayed away from Thailand. According to TAT Advertising and Public Relations Department executive director, Vunsadej Thavarasukha, tourist arrival in southern Thailand did initially drop considerably because of the unrest "but things have changed. In fact, the place is crawling with Malaysians."

"To the Thai Government, tourism is something that we take very seriously. We depend a lot on the tourist dollar. As such, we have the tourist police, the local security guards, the provincial police, and various other agencies, to keep an eye out for the foreigners," he added.

Of course, Thailand has plenty to offer to tourists too, like good food, entertainment and a rich culture and heritage, he said.

Hatyai City

At first glance, Hatyai is like any city in Malaysia.

It was the morning of the first day when we blurry-eyed reporters and tour agents first trudged through the immigration checkpoints at the Sadao border crossing, a few kilometres north of Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah.

Pretty sight: The Thale Noi Waterfowl Reserve in the Phattalung province of Thailand is covered in a garden of multi-coloured water plants like lilies and a variety of lotus flowers.

As we rode into Hatyai via coach, I took in the messy and dusty surroundings, daring the city to impress me. Save for the scores of portraits of King Bhumipol Adulyadej, the claustrophobic shophouses, haphazard street signs, and occasional plantations were similar to Malaysia.

But Hatyai is the tourist hotspot of southern Thailand. Within the city itself, one could make stopovers at various Buddhist temples, notably the Kuan Im temple behind the city's municipal park or the Wat Hatyai Nai where there is a large statue of the reclining Buddha.

The real fun begins after the sun has set over the city.

There are numerous massage parlours along the streets. Traditional Thai massage is not to be missed. You can get a two?hour, full-body massage for just RM24! Shopaholics will have a field day, for the night bazaars are everywhere and the goods are reasonably priced.

The city also boasts several shopping malls like the Lee Garden Plaza, which sits amongst some of the cheapest shopping bazaars in Hatyai, the Odean Shopping Mall, and Diana Shopping Mall.

Southern Thai Studies

The Institute for Southern Thai Studies in Koh Yor is located near the foot of the Tinsulanond Bridge in Songkhla province. This is where visitors can get a rare insight into the history of southern Thailand.

The institute, established in 1978, records the southern Thai way of life - their trade, technology and achievements. It comprises 30 different rooms and boasts some 49,000 comprehensive structures, models, pictures, videotapes and figurines that depict the different facets of their lives.

This includes the various tools used for woodwork engravings, a variety of handcrafted lamps, the use of metal alloy and glassware in jewellery, and the history of Islam in the region.

There are also scores of woven products on display, from fine knitted works to beautifully fashioned bags.

The institute itself is something of an architectural wonder. Nestled comfortably on a hilly 3,000sq/m of land, it is a series of small intricate structures linked to one another by gorgeous, tree-lined stairwells that snake around the entire institute.

Each structure represents one of the 30 rooms in the museum and is designed to look like a small home with low-hanging roof. The institute is also surrounded on the outside by pretty botanical gardens, mini lakes and statues facing the Tinsulanond Bridge.

Loy Krathong

On our first night, after a mouth-watering Thai meal, we went to the Bueng Si Phuwanat Park at the city centre to join in the Loy Krathong celebration. This full moon festival is celebrated annually on the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar.

The word loy means "to float" whilst krathong means "small raft". This krathong is made from banana trunk decorated with banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense sticks. During the festival, the Thais would place a piece of their fingernail or a strand of hair on the krathong and float it out on the river.

This is a symbolic way of releasing one's troubles, anger and worries, and making a new start of things. The festival is celebrated in an elaborate way in Hatyai. We found the city to be as brightly lit as Las Vegas, with hundreds of glowing lanterns strung across the streets and tens of thousands of people gathering near the lake to float their krathong.

The park was a kaleidoscope of colours, what with rows upon rows of lanterns everywhere, large and small and in all kinds of brilliant designs. But it is not so much the dazzling lights that give the whole city the festive feel ? it is the people.

The Thais are a very friendly lot and as they are familiar with Malaysian faces, so don't be surprised if they call out "Apa "? to you everywhere you go.

Khao Tangkuan

The Khao Tangkuan or the Tangkuan Hill is located to the west of Khao Noi in Songkhla province. The hill is about 2,000ft above sea level, with steps leading up to the peak.

You could, however, take the cable car, which resembles a lift. At the summit lies an ancient pagoda constructed by King Rama IV in the year 1886. Up here, the view of Songkhla town is breathtaking, to say the least. A short distance away lies the gorgeous white sands of the Samila beach where the famed statue of the Songkhla mermaid lies.

Anyone travelling to the Songkhla province must make sure they take a trip up to the Phattalung province to visit the Thale Noi Waterfowl Reserve.

This bird sanctuary is the largest in Thailand and is under the jurisdiction of the Royal Forestry Department. It covers an area of over 450 sq km (roughly the size of Penang Island!) comprising 94% of land and the rest of water.

It is mostly made of swamps and marshlands and is known to have one of the largest freshwater lakes in Thailand. During the winter season in the northern hemisphere, the reserve becomes the roosting ground for over 100,000 migratory birds.

Hunting is strictly forbidden and the entire reserve is kept in its natural state.

To explore the reserve, tourists are taken out on motorised sampans with experienced guides who are trained not to destroy the beautiful surroundings. The entire lake surface is a sight to behold as it is covered completely by water plants like lilies and a variety of lotuses.

Long wooden perches and twigs are placed in strategic spots across the lake for the birds to sit on. The bird species here include the yellow bittern, great egret, painted stork and red stork. Duck species include the whistling duck, cotton pygmy goose, and the garganey.

Then there are the cormorants, the grebe, the white-browed crake, waterhen, common moorhen, Eurasian coot, pheasant-tailed jacana, black-winged stilt, red-wattled lapwing, common kingfisher and others.

Not far off from the reserve, one can find the OTOP (One Tambon, One Product) Handicraft Centre, which specialises in basketry and items fashionably weaved from rattan. OTOP is a government initiative that emulates a programme in Japan that promotes the expertise of each district in Oita prefecture.

Every tambon or district develops their particular skill in one product or one kind of trade, whether it?s coconut shell products, artificial flowers made of para rubber leaves, or ceramics.

Shadow puppet theatre

Mention the name Suchart Subsin, and most Thais would nod their head in recognition. The 70-year-old man has for years been welcoming people into his home at 110/18 Soi, Si Thammasok Road, in Nakhon Si Thammarat to witness the traditional puppet theatre (Ban Nang Thalung) show.

This is what is known in Malaysia as the wayang kulit.

Suchart, who won the Best Cultural and Historical Site award from Thailand Tourism in 1996, has been performing the show practically all his life since he discovered his passion for it in his teens.

What is most amazing about Suchart is that he is not only a performer, but also a puppet maker. In fact, his home also doubles up as a mini-museum for tourists, and showcases hundreds of his intricate puppet designs. Though well into his senior years and dabbling in what some consider a dead art, Suchart has cleverly found a way to reach out to modern audiences - by infusing modern-day storylines, prop designs and humour into his shows.

Suchart's shadow puppets today use mobile phones and ride on motorcycles and even airplanes to move about!

"I have always had a passion for this. I never tire of it," said the good-natured Suchart.

Today, his 32-year-old son Senee helps him to make the puppets and plays the background music for his shows. The puppets are made from treated cowhide, which is dried for three days on a frame before a design is drawn on the leather.

Once done, the designs are carved out in great detail and can take hours or months to complete before they are painted and attached with bamboo rods to help create the puppet's movement.

Nakhon Si Thammarat also has loads of temples and ancient ruins.

One of these is the Wat Phra Mahathat, which was established approximately 1,700 years ago during the founding of the town and is one of the most significant historical temples in Thailand.

It is said to contain a tooth relic of the Buddha and comprises a 78m-tall Sri Lankan-style chedi that is surrounded by 173 smaller ones.