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Anek Kusala Sala (Viharnra Sien)
Built by the Chinese-Thai community in honour of His Majesty the King, Viharnra Sien (‘Abode of the Gods’) is a fascinating repository of arts, artefacts and religious statues from China and Thailand that is both a museum and place to worship Chinese gods. Visitors can discover a host of cultural treasures in this traditionally decorated pavilion next to a lake within the royal temple of Wat Yansangwararam. HM the King opened it in 1993, bestowing the name of Anek Kusala Sala (‘Multipurpose Pavilion’).
Interesting items include replicas of the famed terracotta warriors, white jade statue of Guan Yin (Goddess of Mercy), brass sculptures of Chinese gods and a pair of huge granite Peking Lions.
Open: 8.00 am - 5.00 pm (weekdays) or 5.30 pm (Saturdays and Sundays)
Fee: 50 baht
Tel: 66(0)3823 8367
All photos © Khao Kheow
Open Zoo |
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Khao Kheow Open Zoo
Thailand's largest zoo is open plan, meaning the animals roam freely without fences, enabling visitors to get close and personal with them. Covering 2,000 acres with over 300 species located in twelve themed zones, including Africa, Cats Complex, Walk Through Aviary, Penguin Park and much more, there's plenty to occupy a day with nature discovery and picnics. Visitors can drive their own cars around, or catch one of the zoo's guided auto-trams that cover a seven-kilometre route through the various zones, allowing you to get off and on where you like.
Additional attractions include the daily Animal Show, where cute animals perform amazing stunts and tricks; Night Safari by auto-tram to discover the nocturnal habits of many animals; Zoo School (with accommodation) offers curricula for students to learn about animals and the environment. Visitors wanting to support the zoo's activities can join the Animal Adoption Programme to sponsor food and medicine for the animal of their choice.
Open: 8.00 am - 6.00 pm daily
Tickets: 50 baht (adults), or 50 baht (cars plus occupants)
Night Safari: 7.00 - 8.00 pm
Tickets: 100 baht (adults), 50 baht (kids)
Animal Show: 11.00 am, 2.00 & 3.00 pm (weekdays)
plus 4.00 pm (Saturdays and Sundays)
Tel: 66(0)3829 8270, 8195
Web site: www.khaokheowopenzoo.com |
All photos © Nong Nooch
Tropical Botanical Garden |
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Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden
For a superb day out, Nong Nooch's 600 acres of beautiful gardens offer activities for all the family to enjoy. Here is one of Asia's largest private plant collections and research facilities, laid out for visitors to explore in a series of exquisitely landscaped themed gardens linked by pathways and skywalks. Highlights are enormous varieties of palms (1,400 species), bromeliads (over 300 species) and orchids (more than 670 native species), plus the stunning French Garden. There are also wonderful displays of ferns, cacti, bougainvillea, bon sai, and remarkable clay pots.
In addition to the plants, Nong Nooch has a butterfly house with over 1,500 attractive inhabitants; a mini zoo offering touch and photo opportunities with friendly birds and monkeys; a lake with paddle boats and canoes; a conference hall; a lakeside garden for theme parties; two restaurants; plus overnight accommodation in Thai-style houses. For some excitement, Nong Nooch puts on daily cultural shows of music and dance from Thailand's regions, Thai boxing, and a wedding ceremony, followed by fun elephant shows with the pachyderms showing off their skills at games, painting, and disco dancing.
Open: 8.00 am - 6.00 pm daily
Tickets: 100 baht (for gardens only);
400 baht (gardens and shows)
Cultural shows: 9.45 & 10.30 am, 3.00 & 3.45 pm
Elephant shows: 10.15 & 11.00 am, 3.30 & 4.15 pm
(Note: number of shows may increase according to demand)
Tel:66(0)3842 9321, 3870 9358-62
Web site: www.nongnoochtropicalgarden.com |
| All photos © Pattaya Elephant Village |
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Pattaya Elephant Village
Opened in 1973, the Pattaya Elephant Village is a private sanctuary where former working elephants can live out their lives in dignity, looked after by professional mahouts. The sanctuary generates funds to support the elephants by organizing popular tourist treks to highlight the rural way of life plus a daily show that demonstrates how elephants live and work, enabling visitors to ride and interact with them.
The Elephant Show every afternoon demonstrates bathing techniques, training methods, logging skills, ancient rites for elephant round-ups, and a performance of the War Drum ceremony (Glong Sabatchai), followed by a short elephant ride. There are also two trekking excursions: a one-hour Elephant Back Trek through fields and forest held four times daily and a Combination Trek twice daily that begins with the Elephant Back Trek and continues with a jungle walk, rafting, oxcart ride and a meal at the Village restaurant.
Elephant Show: 2.30-4.00 pm; 500 baht
Elephant Back Trek: 9.00 & 10.30 am,
12.30 and 4.00 pm; 900 baht
Combination Trek: 10.30 am & 4.00 pm; 1,800 baht
Tel: 66(0)3824 9818 or 9853
Web site: www.elephant-village-pattaya.com |
| All photos © Ripley's World of Entertainment |
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Ripley's World of Entertainment
For fun, thrills and even a few scary moments, Ripley's World of Entertainment offers some unusual excitement in four fascinating attractions. Ripley's Believe It Or Not! Museum houses a unique collection of over 300 oddities from around the world in ten themed galleries, including the world's tallest man, shrunken heads, a six-legged cow and microscopic bibles among many other curiosities.
If strolling through a museum sounds tame, Ripley's Haunted Adventure will frighten the life out of you. The scary story of the Grimsby and Streaper Casket Company, as told by actors, is guaranteed to bring screams at every twist and turn. Or how about a thrilling ride in Ripley's 4-D Moving Theatre, where special glasses, moving seats, digital surround and a giant screen will whisk you on a thrilling ride into another dimension. The latest attraction is Ripley's Infinity Maze, a spectacular illusion of mirrors and light that will turn reality inside out.
Open: 11.00 am - 11.00 pm daily.
Tickets: 580 baht for all four attractions
Tel: 66(0)3871 0294-8
Web site: www.ripleysthailand.com |
| All photos © Sanctuary of Truth |
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Sanctuary of Truth
One of Pattaya's most amazing sights, the Sanctuary of Truth is a gigantic structure made entirely of teak, with enormous spires adorned with superbly carved figures of angels, gods and animals. At 105 metres tall and 100 metres long, you have to see it to believe the enormous scale of craftsmanship involved. Begun in 1981 by philanthropist Lek Virayaphan, the Sanctuary is intended to preserve the heritage of Thai artists and reflect eastern philosophies. It is still not finished, despite the continuous work of numerous artisans and woodcarvers for the past 24 years.
In addition to guided tours of the building, the Sanctuary offers dolphin shows twice daily in its small lake, horse riding, horse carriage trips, speedboats around the bay, and demonstration of woodcarving from the resident craftsmen.
Open daily: 8.00 am - 5.00 pm.
Dolphin shows: 11.30 am & 3.30 pm
Tickets: 500 baht (includes guided tour of Sanctuary,
dolphin show, and woodcarving demonstration)
Tel: 66(0)3836 7229-30
Web site: www.sanctuaryoftruth.com |
Silverlake
Owner Surachai Tangjaitrong is developing Chonburi province's first vineyard and winery in the beautiful valley adjacent to Khao Chee Chan Buddha image and bordering the glittering reservoir he calls Silverlake. To date 400 rai has been planted with a dozen varieties of table grapes, which are on sale at a tented reception area, together with fresh grape juice, jams and other items. In addition they are experimenting with shiraz and cabernet sauvignon grapes to make wines after the harvest in March 2006 with the help of experienced winemakers from the Napa Valley.
Silverlake is an exciting attraction for the future, with plans for a modern winery next to the lake with its own tasting room, horse and carriage tours of the vineyard and surrounding areas, a large event area with a natural amphitheatre for festivals and concerts – ‘Jazz in the Vineyard’ -- is on the drawing board, along with an attractive restaurant on the rise commanding views of the whole valley, a boutique resort in the style of a Tuscan village, and possibly a golf course. All except the resort and golf course will come on stream by mid-2006.
Web site: www.silverlakethai.com (under construction)
| All photos © Three Kingdoms Theme Park |
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Three Kingdoms Theme Park
Built by his six children in memory of Kiarti Srifuengfung, a successful Chinese-Thai businessman, this beautiful and peaceful park highlights various aspects of Buddhism, Thai and Chinese culture and philosophy. It also contains 56 episodes of his favourite Chinese epic, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, in a huge continuous mural of hand-painted tiles stretching around the park.
Stroll around the manicured gardens, admire the exquisitely painted epic tale and visit the three elegant Chinese pagodas containing works of art, sculptures, Buddha relics, statues of Guan Yin and Guan Yu, plus figures depicting the characters of the Three Kingdoms.
Open: 10.00 am - 5.00 pm (weekdays),
6.00 pm Saturdays and Sundays
Tickets: 150 baht (adults), 80 baht (kids)
Tel: 66(0)3842 1428-29
Web site: www.3kingdomspark.com |
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