Muang Boran - Ancient City

[WujouMao]

here's some pictures of Muang Boran which i visited a few years back. currently sifting through my photo's.

anyway, the Ancient City is billed as the biggest outdoor Museum in the world. it was huge. even the land which the reconstructed temples sit is mapped on the outline of Thailand and its so big i gave up trying to walk round it in a day. it took 3 days infact to see everything

this is the front gate. modelled of something from Sukhothai


now i'm not going to show things in order cos 1, long time ago and 2, you dont really need to know where everything filts. also i bought a book, so thats why i some of the pictures have descriptions


Ancient Theatrical Pavillion


Bang Rachan


Bell tower


Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara


Chachoengsao


Pavillion of the Enlightened


Thai Junk


Sumeru Mountain


Chedi Chet Yod, Chiang Mai


Chedi of Cham Thewi, Lamphun


Dvaravati Period Buddha


Fish Trap


Floating Market




Folk Museum


i was looking for a cow that can give me milk without UHT, sadly this was a male




The Garden of Sacred Stupa


Garden of the Gods






Grand Hall, Wat Maha That, Sukhothai

[WujouMao]

Sukhothai


close up of Buddha statue from Great Hall






inside Grand Palace. To top it all off, they even close it to the public


decorated Ceiling


Think this is in Lampang




another building from Sukhothai








someone's footprint


where Buddha's footprint is held, Sababuri


Sanphet Praset Palace




some of the artwork is fab, even if it is a copy






i think you know this


Monkey Temple, Lopburi


and some sort of scale so you know how big some of these reconstructions are


Nang Usa look out tower


Market town


a very long effing boat - real


Sala of 10 Reincarnations

[WujouMao]

look at the knockers on her


Ku Khu Maha That


Lan Chang scripture Repository


Pha Daeng-Nang ai


Phang nga


think its Praset Phimai


Phra Maha That, Ratchaburi


Pra Maha That, Surin


Phra That Phonom


Phra That Ya Khu


Prasat Sikhoraphum, Surin


no, its not dodgy Thai workmanship. it really is built on the piss




Sala of Ramayana


Salao of 80 Yogi




ouch!


Spirit houses


Royal Boats


Wat Chong Kham, Lampang




Wat Pho Prathap Chang Gateway


another decorated ceiling


Buriram




Preah Vihear


the only people i saw in 3 days at the museum

[sabang]

Theres a part of me that looks askance at these sort of Theme parks. Or there was. Then I got lazy- I mean I've seen loads of ancient stuff in various states of preservation, from Borobodur to Avebury to Macchu Pichu, etc.

These theme parks do a pretty good job, and they make a good day out. Kind of a compact look at things. In Shenzhen, near HK, you've got two such places pretty much next door to each other- one being miniature reproductions of old Chinese sites, one being replica's of world sights like the Eiffel Tower & so on. Somewhat to my surprise, I enjoyed visiting them both. Sure, it ain't the 'real thing'- but so what.

I may well check it out next time I've got tourists in tow. Cheers Wujou.

[deathstardan]

Absolutely fantastic photos....

Officallly on my * To do list*

( Why the fuck can they build things of such precision and beauty but they can't build a bloody pavement without it sinking? )

[deathstardan]

I really want to go, looks great!

I have just found their website....Admission lets them down though.... dual pricing!

Foreign B350....ah well...

[sabang]

Foreign B350....ah well...

Come on, ain't that bad.

[good2bhappy]

got in using my Uni card a few years back
Also can take the car
think that cost an extra 100

[Bangyai]

Excellent pictures WM. Puts my own offering in the shade. Yours give a lot better idea of how big the place is. I'm a bit of a skin flint myself but for once I thought the entrance fee well worth the money as the place really does take a long time to do justice. There are not many places I would pay 350 to visit twice but I'll probably take my mother here next year as its so user friendly

[WujouMao]

I really want to go, looks great!

I have just found their website....Admission lets them down though.... dual pricing!

Foreign B350....ah well...

350 baht!!, lol, you should of gone in 2007 then, cos i paid 100 baht

[Marmite the Dog]

Nice pics. Here's mine.

[WujouMao]

Nice pics. Here's mine.

sorry mate. i didnt know there was another topic. as for the price, looking back now, 100 Baht does sound a bit cheap. i really cannot remember how much i paid. but it wasnt 350 baht. and i was there for 3 days.

i have a book in English with the price insde and found the english website from 2007 which quote 100 baht too, so i just stated it was 100 for me too

you really have a good knack at the angles. like the chinese temple overlooking the water. i would try and get the whole thing, and feck it up, where as you get one portion of it in the water plus the reflection.

[Marmite the Dog]

sorry mate. i didnt know there was another topic.

No worries. It was a while ago.

you really have a good knack at the angles. like the chinese temple overlooking the water. i would try and get the whole thing, and feck it up, where as you get one portion of it in the water plus the reflection.

It's been downhill since. I was in Vientiane for the last couple of days, and the only pictures I took were of the midget in her birthday suit. I didn't see anything else to inspire me.

[Bobcock]

and the only pictures I took were of the midget in her birthday suit

I didn't see that thread....sure it'll be up soon.

[Marmite the Dog]

^ Very unlikely.

[JoGeAr]

I've been there a couple of times. The last time I think was in 2004. Unfortunately I chose one of the hottest day of the year to take a couple of friends from Aus to have a look at the place. After a bit of a late start, we didn't get there til midday and then suffered severely walking around. The place is humungous with very little shade between the exhibits. We ended up spending quite a bit of time in the village set around the floating markets. They actually have people living in the display homes set on the klongs. Very interesting place but try to avoid the heat of the day.

[pone]

B. Y. T. FULLLL
i try to open the second half of the pictures next time,but the littles X
are quite nice too...

[masuk]

wow. that is so amazing!!

I'll have some days just for visiting places like this. could you spell out its location for me please??

I'll be in Chiang Mai so hope its not too far away.

ad

[Marmite the Dog]

I'll be in Chiang Mai so hope its not too far away.

Only halfway across the country. It's near a little village called Bangkok.

[Fabian]

^ That's probably why this thread is in the Bangkok forum.

[Beadle]

Foreign B350....ah well...

Come on, ain't that bad.

It's called having principles. You do remember them don't you?

I notice on the official site they haven't even got the balls to state that Thais get in free.

It's as if they think foreigners won't find out this place operates dual pricing.

It's just another demonstration of that little dishonesty when Thais think they are being clever.

[dantilley]

I notice on the official site they haven't even got the balls to state that Thais get in free.

They don't, they have to pay about half the price that foreigners do. But, as is often the case in this kind of situation, showing a work permit will get you in for the Thai price no problem.

I's a great day out, I've been twice and there's no way I've seen everything on those two visits. Best way to get around is on bicycle, which you can hire near the front gate. In fact, if I remember correctly, the farrang ticket includes the hire of a bicycle also, making it even less of a mark-up on the Thai price.

[Beadle]

They don't, they have to pay about half the price that foreigners do. But, as is often the case in this kind of situation, showing a work permit will get you in for the Thai price no problem.

You are right, they pay 100thb less but their ticket includes the tram ride which foreigner's ticket does not.

The work permit/driving license thing is bullshit also, I have been refused Thai price at many places. It doesn't always work.

if I remember correctly, the farrang ticket includes the hire of a bicycle also

Bicycle is an extra 50thb according to the official website, or 100thb for a tandem (they call it a 'duo'), or 150thb for a 'triple'.

[Thaiguy]

Great post and good pics - thanks for sharing .
Much of the statuary reminds me of some I saw at Por Foi Loom near Nong Khai - outstanding stuff almost looks to frail to hold together.
I hope to do a post one day when I get over the frustration of the last 2 attempts.
Maybe with the rereading of the post by Klongmaster I might give it another go.
I also visited a very old small Wat ruin outside Korat ,( I don't mean Phimai) it also was very interesting- does anybody else know anything about it? - The history from the inscriptions was particularly interesting .
Once again , thanks for a top job.

[Thaiguy]

It's as if they think foreigners won't find out this place operates dual pricing.


Wish the Gold Coast rip off attraction operators were smart enough to follow the Thai example - then maybe the locals would attend and promote the idea to visitors and not have to downplay the parks in case they are asked to go with friends and fork out a $100 bucks for the day out?