Thongplew Mansion No Longer a Mystery

For those not in the know Ripley’s Believe It or Not is a chain of museums that show the visitor strange facts about the world we live In, most of these facts you would have no idea existed. There is so much to do that it will take you an entire day, especially if you get lost for hours in the infinity maze. When you are finished with the museum and maze you still have the Tussauds Wax Works and the 4D Moving Theater to explore. You will find a 1937 Jaguar that doubles as a motorboat as well as a replica of the Titanic made from a million matches. Wat Phra Khao Yai is also known as Big Buddha Hill, it is referred to as this because it is the biggest Buddha in the region, it stands at 18 meters tall and sits about 100 meters above sea level. This museum in Pattaya is home to over 300 items split over ten different subject areas.

The gallery is set up perfectly so you can take pictures in such a way that it looks like you are crossing an old bridge or flying over the dessert on a magic carpet. The building is split into ten sections and houses over one hundred pieces of art. At Art in Paradise you become part of the artwork by a series of optical illusions and other clever tricks. It is great fun for children as well as adults and should be on any to-do list. This is no ordinary art gallery, instead this gallery takes the normal art gallery concept and turns it on its head. 5. Amaze Yourself At Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Not all of the stalls are floating, some are in boats which move around the canals and some are stilted properties that stand at the sides on the banks. To experience the best of the market you should hire a small boat and discover all that is on offer.

You can see statues of dress makers, fortune tellers and liquor sellers which tourists often place one baht coins on. In 1996 a laser was used to etch the carving into the rock as part of a celebration for His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 50th year on the throne. Originally built to build friendships between the Chinese and the Thai’s Khao Chi Chan is a museum showing over 300 pieces of Chinese artwork, most of the pieces are brass and bronze statues of historical figures from various deities including Buddhist and Taoist. Khao Chi Chan or Buddha Mountain as English speakers refer to it is the biggest engraving of Buddha in the world. Split over the two floors the second floor has some much larger statues, the most noticeable being the Shaolin monks that have been created to depict various martial art poses. The Limestone hill that has the Buddha engraved on it used to be an active site for the construction industry before it was closed down.

The orphanage was founded by a priest called Father Ray in the 1970’s when a local gave their child to Father Ray as they were unable to look after the child themselves. From the top of the hill you have panoramic views over Pattaya City and Bay. Word soon spread among the people and so the orphanage had its beginnings. Sitting at the top of a forested hill between South Pattaya and Jomtien is a giant Buddha statue known as Wat Phra Yai, The statue has its origins at a time when Pattaya was just a small fishing village, and a long way away from the world Pattaya finds itself in now. Originally the children were ones born as a result of the US military being in the area during the Vietnam War, now the children are from misfortunate mothers who suffer from drug abuse, poverty or HIV/Aids. Founded nearly fifty years ago Pattaya Orphanage has continued to do good works for the less fortunate.