Sanctuary of Truth

When I first heard about this tourist attraction in Pattaya I was, I must admit, a little sceptical... It sounded like yet another cheesy, tacky, gimicky site that I could well afford to miss. However, being the thorough and inquisitive traveller/writer that I am I finally acquiesced and added it to Pattaya “to-do” list. And well, let me tell you, I was COMPLETELY wrong, this actually turned out to be the highlight of my trip!

The Sanctuary of Truth (also called Wang Boran and Prasat Mai) is a 105m-high wooden building of contemporary fantastic religious art that resembles a temple. It’s dramatically located on a rocky beachfront strip of land with thunderous waves lapping at its heels. When you arrive to the site you first take a somewhat uncomfortable and mortifying buggy ride from the main gate/ticket booth to the site itself; and rightly so, for who would want to walk a pleasant 150 metres through wooden parkland tsk tsk tsk! From here, at the top of the cliff, one can look down and get their first glimpse of the sanctuary.... Visible peaking about the tree line are some turrets and roofing, like the tip of an iceberg bobbing above the water. Many an involuntary gasp is uttered here, so the guide tells me, as the site truly is something otherworldly. One of those moments when the eyes do battle with the senses for control of the mind: what the hell is this?!

Construction begun back in 1981 and is scheduled to be completed in 2025. It has been initiated and sponsored by Lek Viriyaphant [1914-2000], an eccentric Thai millionaire and patron of culture who is also responsible for construction of the Ancient City and Erawan Museum. The sanctuary is in the style of ancient Khmer architecture like Angkor Wat in Siem Reap and is entirely covered in hand-carved wooden sculptures. It has four gopura (monumental halls) respectively representing images from the Buddhist and Hindu religion and mythologies of Cambodia, China, India and Thailand. The whole structure covers the area of more than two rai (just under 1 acre). It is being purposely constructed to withstand the wind and sunshine on the seashore at Rachvate Cape, Pattaya. I could have gleaned more nuggets of information from our enthusiastic guide who rattled through her prepared speech with military efficiency, but in truth I was so gobsmacked by the place that I paid scant attention.

 
According to the official website, the sanctuary’s purpose is to use art and culture as "a reflection of the Ancient Vision of Earth, Ancient Knowledge, and Eastern Philosophy. Within this complex, visitors will understand Ancient Life, Human Responsibility, Basic Thought, Cycle of living, Life Relationship with Universe and Common Goal of Life toward Utopia". Well, I don’t know about all the cosmic love, but it sure is a damn fine sight and worth a visit. For myself, I was quite blown away by the intricacy and workmanship that continues to go into the massive structure. Every section is truly unique and distinct and it’s captivating to see how amazing shapes can be carded out of wood and fastened together without using a single nail! When touring everyone must still wear a hardhat as worker bees are scrambling all over the place, underfoot and overhead, adding touches here and there. You can also inspect some of the carvers hard at work out back in the “preparation” shed.

Getting there: From the Siam Bayshore Resort & Spa or Siam Bayview Hotel you can easily get a car or moto taxi to take you there, about a 10 minute ride from the centre of town. The entrance fee is Bht 500 per person, which includes a horse and cart ride to/from the site, tour guide and dolphin (?) show.

Explorer Museum

Although I had heard all sorts of wonderful things before going, I was unprepared for just how cool the Siam Bayshore Resort & Spa’s Explorer Bar & Lounge really is. This uniquely designed and fitted out bar is a veritable mini-museum. I was able to leisurely examine up-close a painstakingly collected array of precious antiques, artefacts, sunken treasure, ancient relics, old maps, curios, exploring equipment and paraphernalia from around Asia and the globe.

The bar, or “museum” is it’s referred too in-house, is the brainchild of Kamala Sukosol, president of Siam Hotels & Resorts, and her youngest son, Krissada ‘Noi’ Sukosol Clapp, best known as front man of the iconic Thai brand Pru and winner of a Best Actor award for his critically acclaimed performance in the film “13”. What the owners have done is create a magical and enchanting world, a time capsule if you like, juxtaposed to the hurly-burly of modern-day Pattaya. To my mind, this is the kind the establishment where you can truly step back in time to relive a bygone era when travel was a real adventure and intrepid men and women traversed the oceans blue in search of distant and exotic lands...

An unbelievable plethora of curios from around the globe are on display. Of particular interest are Thai daily household tools and belongings, along with sunken treasures from China and Ayutthaya, Thailand’s ancient capital city. Furniture and ornaments take pride of place, such as a 1920s Sino-Thai herbal medicine cabinet, baskets from Mozambique, Tanzanian fabrics, vintage weaponry, magnifying glasses made of horn and ivory, Naga tribal spears, Burmese antique mah jong tables and a Thai pushcart used to sell fabrics. More curios artefacts include vintage cameras, Vietnamese stamps, a forest tiger’s skull, volcanic rock from Bali, medicine ‘tubes’ from Java and a cane made from snake bone. There are (of course) essentials for ship travel too: an English deep-sea diver’s mask, a cast iron chest, a naval telescope and compass. Lastly, there is a canal boat from Thailand’s famous Floating Market. Bangkok was once dubbed as the ‘Venice’ of South-East Asia and such a boat was very much a part of everyday life, selling everything from fresh market food to clothing, toys and whiskey.

Ships that sank in the South China Sea are also of particular interest because many of them were sailing on the Marine Silk Road, carrying wondrous bounties from China. These shipwrecks are veritable time capsules giving us a picture of life in a bygone era. Perhaps the most famous of all is the Nanking cargo which attracted worldwide media attention when it was auctioned by Christies Amsterdam in 1986. The Geldermalsen set sail in 1751, loaded down with 160,000 pieces of porcelain, tea, raw silk, textiles and gold ingots. Sadly, just 16 days after setting sail it hit a reef and sank in the South China Sea. The cargo was recovered and sold two hundred and thirty four years later! At the Explorer Bar you can view the remnants of similar great wrecks, such as the Binh Thuan, Ca Mau and Vung Tau, ranging from the 14-18th century.
More than even a museum and bar, the Explorer is a cosy and inviting lounge (open 9:00 am – 1:00 am daily) where you can just sit-back and relax with a beverage or snack [my tasty sabai-sabai cocktail set me back Bht 190++ and generous club sandwich Bht 195++]; play a few rounds of pool; try your hand at a board game (connect four, chess, checkers); watch sports on the flat screen TV or snuggle up with a good book [an extensive library of books and magazine is on offer]. Best of all, the bar has a great daily ‘Happy Hour’ from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, with a very tipple-worthy ‘buy one get one free’ offer.

To end, I defer to a more eloquent writer, Ping Amranand, an internationally renowned Thai photographer:

“Entering the Explorer Bar & Lounge is like taking a step back into nostalgia, to an era of the gentleman’s club, where in dimly lit corners one can expect to find dusty travellers – gin fizz in hand – regaling each other with stories of their latest adventure.”