Phuket bird paradise Next was Phuket bird paradise. A new collection which hasn’t completed construction. A few birds in small cages and a small show arena make up the site. The birds of prey are used for photos but appear to be ready for falconry displays, and almost all the parrots are used in the show. Again, the show started with just me in the audience, so I was picked on for all the volunteering. It was a standard parrot show, but every act was repeated at least once, and there were at least 12 members of staff on hand at any single point (most of the time they were just providing the applause – a great contrast to the total of 6 staff at the snake park). There seem to be a few large aviaries under construction, but given that the place has already been open since November, it might be a while before they’re finished.
@devilfish - I have not followed this thread and I confess I do not have the determination to read all 142 postings (no offense). Just wondering if you ever got to see a marbled cat on any of your visits?
No problem - I knew it would be a bit tough, and I'm just writing relatively short posts as I go. Unfortunately no marbled cat, and only one flat-headed cat (in Taiping, Malaysia). The only real remaining chance is Bangkok and the surrounding area, but I won't have long there at all.
Phuket aquarium The next stop was Phuket aquarium, which was very very good. A small aquarium but very nicely done, with informative signage, clean and decent tanks, and some interesting animals too. Side displays (with no live specimens) include marine mammals of Thailand and deep sea fish. Being attached to the Marine Biology Institute, the aquarium is a centre for research. There is also a brilliant science & nature trail leading along the beach between the institute buildings. There are interesting signs and labeled trees and habitats along the way. Buildings on the route include the excellent breeding centre, which visitors are welcome to walk around, small public displays in the mammal museum and specimen collection buildings, and five sea turtle pools – home to rescued turtles. Apart from the magnificent view from this stretch of coastline, the highlight of the trail for me is a large breeding pool for olive ridleys. This must be one of my favourite small aquariums, and was by far the best collection of my day. (entry only 100 baht – to contrast with the snake show. )
I was hoping to visit Koh Samui aquarium whilst here but the prices which have been quoted are ridiculous, even as a group trip. Set trips don't plan much more than 30 mins in the aquarium, so it's obviously very small. Group tours focus more on the tiger, bird & sealion shows anyway. I'll probably spend a few days on a beach and then hope to go to Pattaya, Chonburi and maybe Bangkok for a few short days.
Phuthai Souvenir Market I’m not sure how to split this up, so I'll keep it under this heading until I determine what was actually going on. Effectively this souvenir market’s large car park was shared by a number of other shops, as well as a crocodile enclosure, single young elephant, and a snake show. The snake show had at least two large amphitheatres, and a large area which I wasn’t allowed in. The available enclosures housed many snakes; although some would be considered rare in Thailand (e.g. green & yellow anacondas), there’s not much of significant interest, although the centre and its staff hold a number of Guinness world records.
Phuket zoo A poor zoo. Some ridiculous enclosures, some dubious practices (e.g. photos with tigers, monkeys, elephants) and a general sense of inadequacy in many places. It’s actually quite a nicely landscaped zoo with some very interesting animals (such as a juvenile frigatebird and single-wattled cassowary), but just not really good enough. They boast their own aquarium and bird park, but on my visit the aquarium was closed, and the ‘bird park’ was a single walk-in aviary housing spotted doves. Excessive numbers of crocodiles and - oddly enough - grey-crowned cranes, which seem to be breeding quite well.
I think indeed that staying at the beach in Samui is the best you can do. As you already know, we've been there a few weeks ago. There is a Crocodile Farm including a Snake show and other small animals, but it is mostly disapointing (small cages and dirty croc pits) and also very expensive. You can skip that with no regret. At the Na Muang Waterfalls, there is an Elephant Ride with a small zoo adjected. And it is the same: Overpriced and bad exhibits (and no rarities as well). Only the butterfly park in the South of the Island might be interesting. But according to some reviews (tripadvisor), you have to be there in the morning or at times where it isn't too hot (whatever that means in the tropics). Keep safe and enjoy the rest of your stay.
Thanks! My ideal trip would be a morning split between the aquarium and butterfly park, but costs are far too high.
International mini golf An 18-hole mini-golf course on Koh Samui where the owner keeps a few domestic animals and occasionally rescues some wild animals. At the time of my visit there was a friendly Brahminy kite, some scorpions, and a squirrel had recently been released.
A busy few days. But very good. I had a 20 hour journey by truck, boat, bus, train and tuktuk from Samui to Bangkok. I spent a lazy day in the city, eventually gathering enough energy to visit the excellent snake farm. The following day (yesterday), i went to Pattaya for the day. I then had a great day around Chonburi, and a couple of productive days in Bangkok. The Thai leg of my journey ends this week, but flights might be changed due to civil unrest in Egypt.
Pattaya dolphin world My first real dolphinarium. My aim of being more open-minded this trip might be realised. I was pleased to have discovered this place online last year, especially as of the three recent Irrawaddy dolphin holders locally, this is the most accessible current holder. Unfortunately the attraction has been sold and used as only a show and little else, despite there being so many other activities on site. There are also 2 pink dolphins about. One of them has horrid fungating lesions which staff claim were there prior to his arrival, but i don't remember seeing them on photos. The show is 45 minutes long, but i was bored after 12. The dolphins - who perform five times a day - seem fed up too, as the trainers appear to be trying to get their attention for most of the show. It's a shame that this place could easily be so much better.
And now I'm back in the UK. Limited computer access means I'm a far behind on posts. I cancelled the second stay in Cairo due to planned riots. With the exception of Safari World, I didn't manage any day trips out of Bangkok since coming back from Chonburi.
Yep, a little over 9 weeks since I was last in the UK. It's not over yet though, with Istanbul and hopefully Zurich next weekend.
Bangkok snake farm I forgot to mention Bangkok snake farm, which I visited on my lazy first day in Bangkok. For some reason I’ve been momentarily forgetting that I even visited – shameful, but it’s a nice feeling to remember that I went to this excellent collection. Part of the Red Cross and associated memorial institute complex, the snake farm is very nicely done, with the best snake show I’ve ever seen. The sheltered outdoor enclosures in the centre of the park are really good, and some of the satellite enclosures for large snakes are also decent. The ground floor of the snake house at the end is reminiscent of a normal reptile house, but it has a very nice collection and some great displays. The upper floor is a brilliant little museum. The show itself is great - engaging, educational, funny and interactive. They do cause the cobras to spread their hoods, and there were a couple of strikes, but staff seem much less aggressive than at other snake farms. It would still be nicer if they tried not to agitate the snakes, but this way I got the impression that everyone else in the audience was satisfied. The signage throughout was of a high standard. I’d happily visit again and spend even longer.
Nong Nooch botanical gardens My second Pattaya visit was to Nong Nooch botanical gardens. This was fairly low down on my list, but my moto driver said it was close by, and everyone had said it was very beautiful. From a zoological point of view, one of the most interesting features is the huge number of elephants kept here. The small aquarium tanks dotted around the park are also quite interesting. There are a lot of animal models around, and a lot of models around the park have a fantasy theme. Some of the enclosures are absolutely appalling, but a few are very large, and good. This is another place offering photos with tigers, and behind the tiger enclosure, off-show cages are visible housing no fewer than five solitary tigers. Worth a visit if you have plenty of time, but I’m still not sure what to make of this place.
Pattaya underwater world Next was another little aquarium with a few surprises. Among them a nice collection of water snakes, and three large tanks with underwater tunnels, one of which housed giant freshwater fish (inc. Mekong giant catfish, but giant carp and giant stingrays were labelled but absent). I didn’t have very high hopes on entry, as the first specimen I saw was a mislabelled mangrove whipray, but things improved quite quickly. Some of the tanks are too small or unpleasant, some of the labels are wrong, and screen signs hard to follow, but it was still a pleasant visit. The layout of the aquarium is nice, and I generally felt it was quite good. After visiting I had planned to continue with at least one more collection, but we were close to my hotel so my driver was keen to drop me off and end the day soon. She spent about half an hour getting random drivers to convince me the next trip was too far and where I wanted to go wasn’t popular – perhaps I meant ‘dinosaurs’ instead of ‘monsters’? A mess, but I was too determined to let it pass, and so we went on to Monster world.
Monster World After some procrastination and getting lost, we arrived at the Siam Elephant complex (Chang Siam) with about 35 minutes to go before many attractions closed. The top of my list of priorities was Monster world, having been rated quite highly by Peter Dickinson. So I thought I’d start with that. Although I didn’t mind much at the time, I’m now regretting slightly not seeing the shark-hunting aquarium before it closed that day – purely out of curiosity. But I went to Monster world and I’m very glad I did. A very nice list of species, with many interesting animals. The main issue here is that the place is well suited for small-to-medium-sized reptiles and fish, and maybe some smaller mammals, with most enclosures being typical reptile house vivs. However, animals on display include a Brahminy kite, serpent eagle, hornbills, fennec foxes, red giant flying squirrel D) and large pythons. A large more open area was home to some domestic animals and pets, as well as crocodiles, civets and peafowl in larger enclosures. Given their name, there’s obviously a little bit of an obsession with albinos, hairless and general mutants, but it was also nice to see pride in unusual wildlife. With over triple the area, this place could be amazing. Definitely worth a visit for any animal nuts in the area.
