Royal Park Ratchaphruek, Chiang Mai

The Royal Flora Ratchaphruek was originally a celebration hosted by the Royal Thai Government in honor of King Bhumibol  Adulyadej for his 60th anniversary of accession to the throne and his 80th birthday. The first exhibition was held from November 1, 2006 to January 31, 2007 and the second one  from  December 14, 2011 until March 14, 2012.  After the success of the two world-class horticulture expo, Thai government decided to retain the condition of the park as an addition to Chiang Mai's travel destination.

The park was named after the national flower of Thailand, the Ratchaphruek or Golden Shower Tree.

Ratchaphruek Tree or Golden Shower Tree

The Royal Park Ratchaphruek is located at the Royal Agricultural Research Center in Mae Hia sub-district, Mueang district, Chiang Mai Province in Northern Thailand.  It covers 240,000 sq meters.

The Royal Pavillion

The Royal Pavillion

At the center  of the park is an authentic Lanna architecture of Ho Kham Luang Royal Pavilion, actually it is the most beautiful thing in the park for me.  Inside you will find  a painting exhibition about the life and works  of King Bhumibol.

Inside the Royal Pavillion

The Royal Pavillion from afar

the entrance to the park

They have corporate and 22 International Gardens inside the park, 2 to 3 hours is just enough to see everything. We tried to walk but it's just not possible due to the heat so we just took the tram ride on some areas to see the whole park.

Sharing here some pictures of the gardens:

Other zones include the World of Insects and Rare Plants.

Bug World

It is advisable to hire a private driver so you can take your time roaming the place.  The park is open daily from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm daily. Entrance fee is 100baht for adult and 50baht for children.

There is just so much to see here.  You can roam around the park by foot, by bike (20baht per hour)  or by tram  (20baht for adult and 10baht for children). Make sure to visit early morning or late afternoon as it can be really hot during the day, bring an umbrella, a bottled water and your camera with fresh batteries! Make sure to eat also before you come and visit, they have limited stores inside the park.

Enjoy Ratchaphruek Royal Park! Ciao! 

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Adventure Cove Waterpark @ Resorts World, Sentosa

Adventure Cove Waterpark is one of the attractions at Marine Life Park which is a part of Resorts World Sentosa and sharing the grounds with the S.E.A. Aquarium.

Since I love the water, I've been to a lot of water parks and Sunway Lagoon in Malaysia is one of my favorites. But even my Wild Wild Wet  experience is better than this place. The size is quite a disappointment, everything was cramped into a small space and the crowd is just too much so it takes forever to take any ride. 

Actually when I was planning for the trip I already have the things in mind I want to experience with my husband specially the Rainbow Reef, unfortunately due to the long queue and the weather (once it starts to rain, everyone will be asked to get out of the water for safety reasons), we don't want to waste our time waiting in line so we just toured the area, and stayed longer at Bluewater Bay and the Adventure River. Don't even get me started on the super long queues even in the changing rooms and shortage of benches to sit and relax! We were able to use the benches only after everyone was asked to prepare to leave because it started to rain and the queue in the shower room/changing room is too long, haist! We waited for everyone to finish and took our time lounging by the pool, we deserve it! 

Let me share some of the attractions this Waterpark has to offer:

Seahorse Hideaway - a shallow wading pool for kids

Big Bucket Treehouse for kids... and kids at heart.. hehe

Rainbow Reef

I really felt bad that we were not able to try this.  This is the best area for most of the reviews, its a snorkelling activity, a chance to swim with around 20,000 population of tropical fishes and over 100 species of marine life living among the coral reefs. I still hope I can try this with hubby next time.

Bluewater Bay

At last a place where there is no need to queue! The pool is only 1.6M at its deepest but waves can go up to 2 meters high. Even this place is quite small as compared to Wild Wild Wet but still good that they were able to squeeze one  here.  Use a float to enjoy the wave!

Dueling Racer

You can race with your friend here on a duelling high-speed plunge.  Not new for me however, they have this one too at Sunway Lagoon and way better than this one.

Splashworks

Splashworks is an activity centre for good swimmers.. of which we are not! You'll find here a lot obstacle courses and a diving board. Water depth is 4 meters, so off we go.. but we watched them try the activities for a while.

they only have 1 restaurant inside the park, good thing we ate lunch before we went inside,

And the only place we really enjoyed is the Adventure River, it is a 620 meters long of adventure and fun! It will take you around 20 minutes to complete 1 loop, and we ended up doing it again and again. The water here is only 0.9 meters deep so you can walk around if you are tired of the tube provided. We just laze on and off a tube and made fun of each other the whole afternoon! What a relaxing ride! 

Let me share some of our photos:

underwater tunnel

The Grotto

Here's an area of the Adventure River that we adore so much! Who needs to pay $38 extra for Ray Bay experience? You can have a close encounter with the rays here also at no extra cost!

Don't forget to bring a small waterproof pouch for your camera!

Floats are free, but the locker is quite expensive for $20 (big ones) and security is their top priority so they have lifeguards everywhere. You have to pay extra to enjoy some  areas like The Ray Bay (up-close encounter with dozens of rays for $38);  Dolphin Island (up-close encounter with dolphins, rate starts at $68 for just "observing", dolphin discovery is at $198,) the SEA Trek Adventure ( your chance to stroll amongst colourful marine life for $238) and  Shark Encounter for $38.   Entrance fee at Adventure Cove is $38, I got ours for $50 per pax including SEA Aquarium so check for discounts and promos before you book! 

Not a bad day after all, thanks to the Adventure River and of course to my favourite companion.. my hubby!

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S.E.A. Aquarium, Marine Life Park, Singapore

S.E.A Aquarium used to be the world's largest aquarium, but it was overtaken by China just January of year 2014 with the opening of Chime-Long Kingdom. The Aquarium features more than 100,000 marine animals from over 800 species across 49 habitats. 

At the entrance of the museum, is the Marine Experiential Museum. It is a journey by travelling back in time to discover Asia’s maritime heritage. You will learn and expirience here the history of sea exploration and trade in Asia, you'll find out about Maritime Archaeology and so much more.

Next is the Typhoon Theatre, it is a 360º shipwreck adventure enhanced by special effects. This area is only free during off-peak season, if not, then it will cost you $6 for adult and $4 for kids. Since the queue is too long when we arrived, we opted not to squander our time so off we go to the Aquarium. But I still hope to get the chance to try it next time.

OPEN OCEAN:

S.E.A. Aquarium has the world's largest viewing panel, 118 ft wide and 27 ft tall. The place looks like a theatre, the viewing area is huge enough for everyone to sit around and just enjoy a day of open ocean experience.

Can you see those distracting "windows" in the background? They do not make you feel you are one with the "Open Sea", anyway I've read somewhere that those are the windows of Marine Life Ocean Park's Ocean Suites which offers a private viewing panel into the open sea. Terrible right? It spoils everything! Urgh!

We went there during Easter weekend, they even had a diver in Easter Bunny suit to interact with the crowd.

SHIPWRECK HABITAT:

Enjoy here a shipwreck harbouring the sea's marine life treasures.

OCEAN JOURNEY:

You will find here various schools of fish, the cool marine life in their cold water habitats and the fascinating sea jellies.

enjoying their floor aquarium

The S.E.A Aquarium also houses the world's largest collection of manta rays, including the only giant oceanic manta ray in captivity.

OCEAN DOME:

In here you will enjoy a panoramic 180º view of the Open Ocean habitat and features the world's largest underwater acrylic dome at 9m in diameter.

SHARK SEAS: 

Shark Seas transport you into an exciting world of those majestic predators of the marine realm. 

Aside from the "windows' spoiling the view of the "Open Sea" the other thing that bothered me during our visit is the crowd. You can't even enjoy the view anymore, the gallery gets too noisy and you can't even walk straight! I will suggest for you to drop by here during weekdays and avoid the rush hours!

Ticket (one day pass)  is $38 per adult, $28 children (4 to 12 yrs old and seniors). I bought mine for $50 for 2 pax! So watch out for promos, check Resorts World website before you go and purchase ticket online to avoid wasting time waiting in line. Have fun!     

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