Beach Road
Central Pattaya
SHRUNKEN heads, ghosts, and 9ft tall men, what more could you want from a day out?
Ripley’s hosts all these things and many more, and is ideal entertainment for a few hours.
Robert Ripley himself was a strange chap. An accomplished cartoonist, he would draw a self-portrait every day, whilst hanging upside down. He travelled to nearly 200 countries, collecting the bizarre and often ridiculous, and then told of his adventures in cartoons and films. Eventually he opened a museum to show off his hoard, and ever since then people have flocked to see his strange artefacts.
The museum has a collection of more than 300 items, ranging from models of the world’s tallest man (nearly 9ft) to old African fertility symbols. Everything is neatly categorised and there’s enough explanation and reason to prevent it from becoming merely a freak show.
The haunted house is staffed by a variety of Thai workers dressed in ghostly garb. Victims are soon abandoned in the house and left to make their own way out – often in the dark. Darkness itself is the scariest thing in the house, and you’ll soon find the Japanese people in your group are a close second as they shriek and holler their way around.
The 4-D movie is just like any other IMAX screen. Special glasses enable the viewer to see things in 3-D, and there’s a variety of films to sit through while your chair is being tossed around in time with the movie.
An Infinity Maze is perhaps the most unusual attraction. Wearing white gloves and socks, groups are sent into the maze and have to find their own way out. Each of the dozen or so rooms is futuristic and filled with small lights and mirrors. It soon becomes confusing as there is no clear exit and you are left to push every mirror until someone finds the door.
It’s a fun, educational centre that will provide you with several hours of scares, dares, and an insight into the mind of Mr Ripley.
