Thursday, February 3, 2011

Plants, plants and more plants...

Located at Sukhumvit Highway, between Pattaya and Sattahip is the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden and Resort. A very large area to cover in a day indeed. It was the morning of Boxing Day 2010 but tourists had started pouring into the Garden. Since it was already time for the cultural and elephant shows to begin, the staff directed us to park our car nearest to the show area (after we paid the entrance fee that is!) What greeted us first was of course the elephants that were to perform shortly.



The Thai cultural show showcased dances from most of the Thai provinces (above picture depicts the Southern region dance which uses the bamboo), short sketches in which the elephants were brought in, and also muay thai (Thai boxing). The five of us sat in a theater-like area.


Lots of elephant antics here. Ball game, bowling, dancing, tricycle ride and painting. The paintings by the elephants were offered for sale. Bananas were also sold here for tourists to feed the elephants. On our way out, after the show, a tiger cub was spotted on one of the rocks held by its keeper/trainer. Some took the opportunity to take pictures with it.

And yes, after this, it was a long walk... However, the plants and flowers kept me going though I do admit it was tiring. So, garden lovers, this is one attraction you should not miss when in the area of Pattaya-Sattahip. Based on the leaflet, the garden covers 652 acres! Variety of plants here which include the bromeliads, palms, cycads and other tropical trees and flowers. The garden is segmented to a few areas such as the French garden and the bromeliads. Water spouts coming from big, colourful vases further enhanced the serene and beauty of the areas. Walkways were also built to make it easier for visitors to walk and enjoy the garden.



Vertical planting was used extensively in certain areas (as in the above pic - background).

The French Garden. For more pictures, click here.
There was also elephant rides but we already had one in Damnoen Saduak before. Replicas of flamingos adorned an area. Other animal replicas include colourful birds and frogs. Oh yes, there was also an area where fish were kept. Arapaimas were also in one of the large ponds and smaller fish in the aquariums.

After that long and tiring walk, we headed back to the car park. Next, we ventured to Sattahip town.