Sanctuary of Truth has four entrances respectively representing images from the Buddhist and Hindu religions and mythologies of Cambodia, China, India and Thailand. According to the official website, the purpose od the Sanctuary is to use art and culture as a reflection of the Ancient Vision of Earth, Ancient Knowledge, and Eastern Philosophy. This work indicates that humans are only dust in the universe and will ultimately become one with it. Physical beings deteriorate, ravaged by the time but truth and goodness are immortal. True happiness is found in intrinsic spiritual pleasure. Determination to go to the ideal world is something desired by all men.
The Sanctuary of Truth is an all-wood building filled with sculptures based on traditional Buddhist and Hindu motifs. The top of the building is 105 meters high and the building covers an area of more than 0.32ha. It features contemporary visionary art based on traditional religious themes. The project was initiated as an idea of Thai businessman Lek Viriyaphant in 1981 and is scheduled to be completed in 2050.
The style of the sanctuary evokes
Khmer architecture, displaying hand-carved wooden sculptures indicative of the imperial setting at Angkor.
We bought bananas and fed two elephants near the Sanctuary but had no time to ride them. Others were more lucky.
Pattaya has derived part of its reputation as a tourist destination due to the sex industry and the resulting nightlife. This notoriety has influenced the city's evolution in many ways. Prostitution in Thailand is technically illegal but tolerated in most cities, including Pattaya. The city's vast numbers of host bars, gogo bars, massage parlors, saunas, and hourly hotels serve foreign tourists as well as locals. This is especially prominent on Walking Street as well as other areas around the city. On 26 February 2017 at 20:00, 60 police officers and soldiers raided Pattaya's notorious Soi 6 to check for violations of the law. When the checks were completed, police announced that all licenses were in order and there was no law breaking of any kind.
Pattaya Beach restaurants can be anything from an adventure to a divine pleasure thanks to the amazing variety on offer. Within a few hundred metres of each other, you can go from downing stir-fried insects from a street vendor’s cart to savouring the finest haute cuisine. The city’s diverse population of locals and expatriates from around the world is represented in the list of eateries to choose from. The truest taste of Thailand is naturally found on the street stalls, with the variety even in this cuisine being quite wide. Try out the excellent snacks from the wandering vendors on the beach, get some fast food from a push-cart or take a seat for first-class no-frills dishes at the regular pitches of the established stalls. Even some of the small restaurants in Pattaya Beach still show signs of their street heritage.
As this guide to Pattaya Beach will show, there is a lot more to this 4 km crescent of coastline than just sand and sea. In fact, the beach is not even the star attraction, even if it is home to a huge number of speedboats, parasails and jet skis, as well as diving boats and floating restaurants. Pattaya Beach Road, which is just a line of palm trees away from the shore, is the place to be. Our Pattaya Beach Guide will show you where to find the best attractions, the best shopping, the best eating and the best partying in the the main part of the sprawling conurbation now known as ‘Greater Pattaya’. Between Pattaya North Road (Pattaya Nua) and Pattaya South Road (Pattaya Tai), there is a wealth of experiences to enjoy, ensuring that you will never be bored.
During our guided, eco-friendly tour through Ko Samui's green and pristine forests the 4x4 vehicles took us to the Elephant Village where we participated in a trekking on the back of the elephants through the tropical plantation and forest.
Getting on the elephant back required using a special, built for tourists, platform.
Mahout, the person who works with and rides an elephant in SE Asia, uses elephant's help to climb up there.
Treating ourselves to a once-in-a-lifetime experience of a ride on the back of the elephant was one of the main highlights of our 20 days in SE Asia trip. We seized the opportunity to feed the elephants in Pattaya but had no chance to ride one until Ko Samui.
In Thai society elephants have played a substantial role in labor, war, royal iconography and the tourism industry. For thousands of years, elephants were captured and trained to be a form of transport and heavy labor. Since the logging industry became illegal, elephants trainers had to find other ways to feed their elephants, most of them turning to the entertainment industry and tourism. Organizations were established to better the lives of the elephants. They generate revenue by letting people experience elephants in their natural state. They have a schedule of elephant shows which are not harmful or too tiring for the elephants.
Na Muang Waterfalls, a majestic set of two cascades on Koh Samui, show that the island’s beauty is not limited to its beaches. Found inland about 12 kilometres south-east of Nathon Bay, the Na Muang falls are reached by taking a walking path from the entrance to the park. The first waterfall, Na Muang, flows down into a pretty natural pool that provides a cool escape from the heat.