Pattaya, Thailand

Our first visit in this southeastern Thai coastal city was the Sanctuary of Truth. This remarkable building, which began in 1981 and is still under construction, is a museum, a shrine and a monument to Thai culture and values. It is a stunning piece of art that tells the story of “our truth journey.” Each intricate sculpture depicts values and guidelines to live a meaningful life.

At the sanctuary we walked through the workshop where wood carvings for the building are being made. The thousands of pieces of sculpture are held together without a single nail.

The sanctuary complex is full of serene settings like this one.

This is a detail of the outside of the sanctuary.

Looking out from inside the sanctuary to the sea.

You can see the construction still going on in this picture. At the top are the three faces of the god Shiva.

In the center of the Sanctuary is a shrine with a relic of the Buddha.

The late Thai king (father of the current king) is so revered that his statue is prominent in the section honoring great individuals who have left a profound impact on the world.

The final carved installation at the exit is a sculpture of a happy family. The message is that this is the fundamental basis for a serene, moral life. The photos in the top corners are of the billionaire and his wife who funded this project.

Our next visit was the Elephant Park. We got a kick out of this Thai Cultural Show. The performers were dancing with local animals, including the snake around one dancer’s neck. And the Thai Cultural music being played? Disney songs!

We didn’t get to ride an elephant, the line was too long, but we watched the riders and saw one trainer submerging his elephant. The people sitting nearby squealed with pleasure when they got sprayed.

The lovely lady performing on this elephant is what Thais call a ladyboy, or transexual. The term is used by transexuals themselves and is not considered offensive in Thailand, which has a very gay friendly reputation.

We bought bananas to feed the elephants. They weren’t shy about grabbing the bananas right out of the basket.

The Pattaya Floating Market is billed as one of Thailand’s largest floating markets. The setting is pretty and there is lots of local merchandise. You can also see the effects of COVID with many empty stalls.