Enough with the Sunshine! - Two Recommendations for Indoor Entertainment in Thailand

Bathing in the sun, tourists live out what they expect of Thailand - the exotic country with its almost transparent blue sea and sky, stunning beaches and beautiful sunshine. But sometimes, like most things in life, one might want a little break from their beach hours and retreat back to air-con, artificial light and modern shopping malls.

Out of curiosity, I tried to blend in the crowd of Thais, like taking the subway in Bangkok and go to their shopping malls, to get a taste of the everyday life in Thailand. As for the shopping centers, I was lucky enough to know two that were provided with exciting and fun indoor entertainment which added a little spice to my window shopping spree. If you wish to have some modern indoor elements in your Thailand itinerary, I recommend the following:

1) Siam Paragon - Bangkok

Siam Paragon is acclaimed as 'the Pride of Bangkok'; one may find multifarious kinds of products in this landmark complex. The basement of the complex is a large indoor aquarium - Siam Ocean World. The number of visitors on the day I went to the aquarium was just about right: not too many which may block the marine creatures, but not too few which makes you feel creepy. Years have passed and yet I could still vividly recall the tranquility of sitting there on the aquarium bench, watching the sluggishly moving jellyfish in a big tank. I believe more facilities, programs or features have been added at the aquarium after my last visit. For more information, you may check out their official website.

http://www.siamoceanworld.co.th/

2) Royal Garden Plaza - Pattaya

We spent an entire morning at Royal Garden Plaza since it was close to our hotel in Pattaya. It was a much smaller shopping center than Siam Paragon and less 'fancy', but it houses Ripley's World of Entertainment - Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, Ripley's Haunted Adventure, Ripley's Infinite Maze and Ripley's 4D movie theater (and there should be a wax museum opened afterward.) I always have a thing for strange things; the Ripley's Believe or Not Museum immediately caught my eye. But it was not my first time paying a visit to the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, so all I can say is I had the 'familiar' and/or 'déjà vu' fun. I almost fainted in the first room of the Ripley's Infinite Maze because of its extreme darkness; however, the rest was fairly 'built for kids'.

http://royalgardenplaza.co.th/