EVENING IN ANCIENT SIAM

Just south of Bangkok and about 100 km northwest of Pattaya lies the small Thai province of Samut Prakan. The province is familiar to many visitors because it is home to Thailand’s largest airport — Suvarnabhumi. It also holds several outstanding sights; on this wonderful tour we visit the three most remarkable of them. First comes the majestic Erawan Museum in the form of a three-headed elephant, then the architectural-historical park “Ancient City” (Muang Boran), and finally Wat Hong — a temple set in the Gulf of Thailand, especially beautiful in the light of the setting sun. *** Muang Boran (also Ancient City or Ancient Siam) is the world’s largest open-air architectural park-museum. The park’s official name is Ancient Siam (formerly Ancient City). Muang Boran covers some 320 hectares. Its grounds are shaped like the outline of the Kingdom of Thailand. The park-museum was created to preserve the country’s architectural monuments and to recreate copies of landmarks that had been destroyed or lost. Construction began in the early 1960s and continues to this day. Within Ancient City you will find purchased or restored original monuments that were at risk of ruin and oblivion, as well as exact or scaled-down replicas of architectural and landscape masterpieces — some of whose originals were lost forever. Experts from the National Museum, historians and archaeologists took part in recreating them faithfully. The founders also brought in traditional dwellings with everyday objects, and craft workshops. Today the park holds 116 architectural monuments, arranged by their geographic place in Thailand from south to north, woven into the landscape and recreating the country’s unique atmosphere. Ancient Siam lets you immerse yourself in Thailand’s history, religion, culture and daily life. You can explore by open shuttle bus, bicycle or car. Long-tail boats ply the park canals — rides are free for everyone. Spotted deer wander the lawns. *** The Temple of the Three-Headed Elephant — the Erawan Museum — is an impressive and unique landmark of Thailand. This temple-museum is a gigantic three-headed elephant sculpture set in a beautiful garden of statues, water channels and benches. The elephant weighs 250 tonnes of pure bronze, stands 29 metres high and 39 metres wide. Erawan is the Hindu mythological symbol Airavata. This remarkable sanctuary, like the Ancient Siam park, is the creation of Thai magnate, philanthropist and billionaire Lek Viriyapant. *** In the final part of the tour, in the evening at sunset, we visit yet another unique temple — Wat Hong, built on stilts in the sea in the Gulf of Thailand. Wat Hong is beautiful, unusual and charming. Its name translates as “hidden gem”. On 1 February 2023 a new glass bridge over the bay to Wat Hong was opened. Tour program: 10.00 Departure from Pattaya. 12.00 Erawan Museum. 13.30 Muang Boran — Ancient Siam Park. 14.30 Lunch. 15.30 Boat ride along the park canals; viewing the fleet of royal barges. 17.00 Glass bridge over the bay and seaside temple Wat Hong. 19.00 Return to Pattaya.