Day 4: 27 May 2022, Friday

It was a joy to wake up at 7am this morning and be greeted by a beautiful ocean view. I spent a few minutes standing at the balcony just to take in the view and sounds of the waves before the usual din of traffic began. It was really calming to watch the waves gently lap onto the shore rhythmically, as if it was nature’s heartbeat.

At 7:45am, we went to Edge restaurant at level 14 for our breakfast. The colour scheme was gorgeous and the décor was relaxed and casual, putting me in a good mood instantly. There was an indoor, air-conditioned seating area and an outdoor terrace where you could have a wonderful view of the beach below. I would normally have chosen an outdoor table but it was rather breezy in the morning so we chose an indoor table instead. The buffet spread was great, way better than the one at Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri in Bangkok. That’s the difference between a 5-star international hotel and a 5-star local hotel chain.

After breakfast, we went to the swimming pool at level 7 to take some pictures. The infinity pool at Hilton Pattaya was really nice, especially with the calm blue sea, crisp morning sky and wispy white clouds as the backdrop. There were plenty of sunbeds and cabanas to lie in, and you could also order a smoothie or cocktail from the Shore bar to complete the experience. It would have been lovely to go for a swim there and then, if not for the fact that we had somewhere else to visit.

At 9:25am, we left the hotel to go to the Sanctuary of Truth (click here) in north Pattaya. Coincidentally, we got the same Grab driver as the one last night, a very careful and courteous young man. The drive took around 15 minutes and the fare was 109 baht (S$4.50). My cousin had recommended the Sanctuary of Truth so I booked our tickets via Klook the night before. On Klook, the entrance ticket costs S$14.65 per adult. If you purchase a ticket on site, it costs 500 baht (S$20.75), so it’s definitely cheaper to buy it on Klook. We collected our physical tickets at the booth, just in time to catch the next guided tour starting at 10am.

From the ticket booth at the entrance, we walked past a field where some horses were lazing away. The starting point of the tour was only a short distance away. As we had a few minutes to spare, we snapped some nice pictures from the viewpoint and popped in to the Mini Zoo to see the small herds of goats and deer there. 

At 10am, following a short briefing, the dozen or so of us were each issued a white protective helmet, which we would need to wear when visiting the main building. This is because the Sanctuary of Truth is a work in progress and it is still being constructed as we speak. Hence, the helmets are required for safety purposes.

The tour started with a visit to the workshop, where we saw many artisans at work, using chisels and hammers to painstakingly carve each sculpture. The most fascinating thing about the Sanctuary of Truth is that the building is constructed entirely out of wood. Instead of using nails, ancient Thai craftsmanship and traditional techniques are used to hold all the wood pieces together, including the building’s structures. The result is a magnificent wooden building standing over 100 metres tall, with intricate carvings adorning its every surface.

Our guide was a Filipino lady named Pamela. She was excellent. Her explanations were very clear and she shared with us her favourite spots and sculptures in the massive building. Without her explanation, it would have been hard to decipher the meanings behind the sculptures and appreciate what we were seeing. I also liked how she interacted with all the guests to make us feel comfortable, involving us in the Perpetual Calendar to test the accuracy of our personalities. The guided tour took around one hour. After that, we were free to explore the building on our own.

The Sanctuary of Truth started construction in 1981 and work is very much still in progress today. Pamela said that many guests have asked her when construction is due to be completed, and Pamela says she has no definite answer. This is because the younger generation of crafts persons will always have new ideas, so it may never be completed.

So, what exactly is the Sanctuary of Truth? Simply put, it is not a temple but a museum, and it aims to guide visitors to find answers to the Seven Truths of Life:

First Truth: “Who are we? Where are we from?”
Second Truth: “How do we live our lives?”
Third Truth: “The End of Life”
Fourth Truth: “Samples of Civilisation”
Fifth Truth: “What is a life goal?”
Sixth Truth: “Society is like a two-sided coin”
Seventh Truth: “The beginning of society”

The answers are exhibited through the wooden sculptures around the museum and they are not meant to steer you towards a certain way of thinking. They are intended to be thought-provoking and provide a guide for individuals to find their own answers to some of life’s philosophical questions.

The Sanctuary of Truth is not a temple because it does not advocate any particular religion. Created by Thai businessman Lek Viriyaphan, the museum includes aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Confucianism. You will see sculptures of Buddha, Guan Yin, Confucius, the Hindu Trinity of Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and Lord Ganesha, among many others.

There is so much to see here it will take hours for you to cover every inch of the museum. I really liked the carvings of the Apsara, which reminded me of the Angkor temples in Siem Reap. Pamela told us that a scene in Season 3 of the Netflix series La Casa De Papel (aka Money Heist) was filmed here. At the time of our visit, I hadn’t watched it yet, but I have since done so. With such a spectacular backdrop, it is no wonder why the producers of the hit Netflix series decided to film here, albeit for a very short scene:

By the time we finished snapping our fill of pictures, it was around 11:45am. It was very hot and sunny outside so it wasn’t good for outdoor photography. We caught the free minivan shuttle bus to take us back to the entrance. All in all, we enjoyed the visit to the Sanctuary of Truth. I highly recommend it if you ever visit Pattaya.

Next, we went took a Grab car to Mike Shopping Mall, a moderate-sized mall along Beach Road, just 450m away from our hotel. Upon entering the mall, we saw many stalls selling knock-off goods like T-shirts and shoes, with sporting brands like Under Armour and Nike, and luxury brands like Polo and Chanel. The kind of stuff you will find at night markets.

Towards the back of the building was a department store but it was very pathetic as there were no customers around. On the second level, only a handful of shops were open, and the upper levels were closed. Apparently, there used to be a food court on the third floor. The COVID-19 pandemic has really decimated the tourism industry here and I think it will take a while more for them to recover. Mum decided to patronise one of the shops and bought a couple of souvenir tote bags, before we left shortly after.

We went back to Central Pattaya and had our lunch at the Food Park food court. We ordered a serving of the crispy egg and rice each, and tom yum soup to share. The crispy egg smelled really good and it was quite yummy. After lunch, we went for some free-and-easy time to shop around the mall before I went to take a dip at our hotel pool.

Unlike the beautiful weather this morning, heavy clouds were gathering in the distance when I stepped into the pool. I swum a few laps, soaked in the bubbling Jacuzzi pool and laid on the sunbed for a while before leaving. And not for a moment too soon, because the rain started to pour, and boy, was it a heavy downpour. I then retreated back to the room, where I found dad enjoying an extended afternoon nap. Either the bed was soooo comfortable, or he was really tired from the past few days’ exertions.

It was still drizzling slightly when we left our hotel at about 5:30pm. Again, it was so coincidental that we got the same Grab driver as the one who sent us to the Sanctuary of Truth earlier this morning. Or maybe the pool of Grab drivers in Pattaya is just very small.

Our destination for the evening was the lighthouse at the southern end of the bay, near the Pattaya City sign. Seemed like it wasn’t a very popular place to go because I couldn’t find the location in the Grab app. And when I told the driver that we wanted to go to the lighthouse, he seemed surprised and unsure of what I was referring to. About 20 minutes later, I spotted the lighthouse and asked the driver to drop us there. It was sort of in the middle of the road with no proper drop-off point.

I was hoping to see a nice sunset but the cloudy skies and drizzle thwarted my plans. Besides us, there was no one else around except for a young couple taking pictures. On a non-cloudy day, the sunset would have been nice, but even then, I don’t think it’s worth making a trip here specially to catch the sunset.

We walked along the bay and reached the foot of the hill of the Pattaya City sign, where there were some restaurants that were open, but with no customers. I expected the area to be nicer but it had a very neglected and run-down feel.

We continued walking along the water’s edge and soon reached Bali Hai Pier. This is where you can take a ferry to the nearby Ko Lan island for some beach-hopping. Soon, we reached Walking Street, the entertainment and red light district of Pattaya, stretching for about 650m long. It must have been a totally different scene pre-Covid, because when we were there in late May 2022, it was like a ghost town. Most of the bars/clubs/restaurants were shuttered and there was a lot of construction work on the road. I can only imagine how raucous and lively it must have been pre-pandemic. Well, this wasn’t really my thing, but it would have been good to see what the real Pattaya nightlife scene was like.

As we walked along Beach Road, we chanced upon Royal Garden Plaza, a large shopping mall with many nice shops and restaurants. It’s better than Mike Shopping Mall for sure. There is also a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum here. For a change, we had pasta and burgers at The Coffee Club and it was good.

After dinner, there was nothing else left to do so we took a slow stroll back to our hotel and we were back in our room by 8pm. That night, we hung out at the balcony for a while to chat, have some drinks and listen to the live music that was coming from a few of the pubs along Beach Road. A simple but lovely end to our stay in Pattaya.