During our Southeast Asia cruise in November 2025, our ship docked at Laem Chabang, Thailand – a port that’s two hours from Bangkok and 45 minutes from Pattaya. We visited Bangkok on the first day and Pattaya on the second.
Pattaya is a beach resort city. We drove along the busy beachfront road but didn’t stop. It’s a typical tourist beach, with endless blocks of 7-Elevens, restaurants, bars, hotels, souvenir shops, massage parlors, and the like. The beach itself was nice enough, and it was lined with lounge chairs for rent.
What made our visit to Pattaya remarkable was our stop at the Sanctuary of Truth. We were amazed and inspired by the beautiful building and the thousands of wood-carved figures. It was a truly magnificent (even over-the-top) display of artistry and craftsmanship.
As described by Wikipedia, it’s “a hybrid of a temple and a castle that is themed on the Ayutthaya Kingdom and of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. The building is notably constructed entirely out of wood, specifically Mai Deang, Mai Takien, Mai Panchaat, and Teak. It contains only wood-carved idols and sculptures. Construction first began in 1981 and is still under construction, though visitors are permitted inside with hard hats.
“The museum features a four-faced Hindu creator god Brahma statue on its rooftop to show respect to father, mother, teacher, and the king, and the elephant-headed god Ganesha. The Northern hall features Buddhist Guanyin and other sculptures featuring the wisdom of emancipation. The Southern hall features astronomical themes, namely the sun, moon, and other planets impacting people’s well-being. The Western hall features representations of the classical elements (earth, water, wind, and fire) and sculptures of the Hindu Trinity: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the gods who conquer the four elements. The Eastern hall features familial representations. The main focus is to visually portray important Eastern religious concepts and the cycle of life.”
Before entering the museum, we walked through the workshop where artisans were carving figures to be added to the museum.
Many of the figures depict the various gods and significant figures of Buddhism and Hinduism. Others tell various stories. We suspect others are simply figures employed to fill all the available spaces. But even if we didn’t understand the meaning and symbolism of it all, it was inspiring and impressive.
The building itself was a marvel. It’s the largest wooden castle in the world. Remarkably, there are no nails or bolts used. All of the wood is fitted together using various types of interlocking joints.
We took dozens of pictures. Here are some highlights.
This statue depicts Bhumibol Adulyadej, a.k.a. Rama IX, the ninth King of Thailand. He reigned for over 70 years until he died in 2016. His wife, the Queen Mother, died on October 23, 2025, and the nation is now in a year of mourning and commemoration of her life.
Fun fact: In addition to being an avid photographer, as depicted above, King Rama IX was an avid jazz fan and played the saxophone. He released an album of his compositions, The Jazz King, recorded with the help of American jazz heavyweights such as Larry Carlton, Tom Scott, Earl Klugh, and more. He was good friends with the legendary jazz trumpeter/bandleader Maynard Ferguson, who performed for the King’s 80th birthday party.
Outside the museum, there were elephants! We didn’t ride them, but it was nice to see them up close.
After visiting the Sanctuary of Truth, our tour took us to the Pattaya Floating Market for the obligatory shopping stop. It’s a misnomer. Except for a couple of long canoes, the market is not really floating; it’s a chain of large platforms on stilts a foot or two above the water
It was filled with all the usual tourist junk: clothing, trinkets, toys, and souvenirs of all types.
There was plenty of food, too, and we were supposed to obtain lunch on our own. Fortunately, Dave asked our tour guide (Opal, the same excellent tour guide we had for our Bangkok excursion the day before) where to go for the best food. She recommended the restaurant in the center of the market.
Her recommendation was correct. Dave ordered Pad Thai, and Jeff ordered Pineapple Fried Rice. Both were delicious. Along with a bottle of water each, our bill came to 130 Thai Baht – equivalent to $4 USD.
Now for your moment of WTF, we witnessed the following battle/contest/competition taking place. Two men straddled a log mounted a few feet above the water. Their objective was to knock their opponent off the log and into the water. By the time Jeff pulled out his phone and started recording a video, one contestant had been deposed from his seat atop the log and was hanging on as best he could, despite having his crotch hammered relentlessly.
He held on valiantly for quite a while, but inevitably fell into the water. Classy entertainment, right?
And finally, we passed this as we were leaving the floating market. We couldn’t resist snapping this picture.
