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The Thai Alangkarn Theater puts on nightly performances of its “Thai Extravaganza Show”, a collection of traditions and tales from the Kingdom's rich history. For anyone keen on understanding Thailand's great past, there really is nowhere better in town to be entertained and educated.

There's a certain cliche when it comes to ladyboys. Word has it that in order to disseminate fact from fiction, you only need check out the Adam's apple. Or failing that look at the hands. But try applying that theory to the ladies from Alcazar and you'll soon see that sometimes you just can't trust your eyes, or their hands.

England has Ascot, America has the Kentucky Derby and Chonburi has, well, buffalo racing. It may not attract the attention of the Sporting Times, but the races here in Chonburi can be every bit as tense as those at the Grand National. Every October, farmers from around the area drag their beasts to a field for a day of races in front of the provincial city hall.

OVER the years, many people have had their names linked to famous objects. There was Mr Jacuzzi, Lord Sandwich, and Mr Biro. Thailand has its own version – Mechai Viravaida, or Mr Condom. Mechai has become so associated with the contraceptive that Thais now use his name as a slang term for it.

Chances are you've experienced the maze of malls in Bangkok and been jostled by crowds or harangued by mobile phone sellers. Up until now Pattaya has had little to offer as competition. There are a few standard malls and cinemas, but nothing to compete with the likes of Siam Paragon. Not until now, anyway.

Jumping in to the sea and descending down into a new world is an experience like no other. Diving in Pattaya offers glimpses of stunning corals and exotic marine life. If you’ve never taken the plunge, Pattaya is a good place to learn to dive as it has several good dive schools.

YOU could argue that life in Pattaya is relaxing enough without the need for a massage. Days spent flitting between the beach and the bars are enough to sooth many who stay here. But there’s only so much sun and Singha the body can take.

Living in Pattaya offers a surfeit of both and it’s easy to over-indulge. But slug back too much Singha and you’ll be missing out on one of Pattaya’s healthier pursuits. For at Horseshoe Point you need to weigh in at under 85 kgs to get on one of the horses.

Ko Larn is a fairly remarkable island. Being so close to Pattaya you'd expect it to be a centre for commercialism, replete with 7-elevens, guesthouses and the like. But despite being the nearest island to Pattaya, it's remarkably undeveloped, and that's one of the reasons why so many tourists seek out its shores.

Thai Boxing, or Muay Thai, is becoming increasingly popular. TV shows such as the ‘The Contender’ have raised its profile and now many foreigners are keen to learn more about this martial art. Many training camps offer an insight into the sport, but few are like the Kombat Village in Pattaya.

There was an outcry even before the waxworks opened, as an advertising board on Sukhumvit proclaimed that ‘Hitler hasn’t died!’ as a way of promoting the new attraction and one of its starring figures.

Khao Kheow Open Zoo is more than just a collection of cages. Here, the animals’ habitats are cleverly merged with stunning natural surroundings, so that at times it’s hard to know where the zoo ends and the outside begins.

You’re armed with your digital, SLR, 16GB, multi-mode camera. You’ve tried to get a shot of the wife eating bugs but she won’t play ball. You’ve tried to shoot the jet-skies going past but got the back of a pineapple seller’s head.

THERE are two schools of thought when it comes to gardening. The first says that good gardening involves dedication and devotion – hours spent lovingly picking weeds and nurturing your plants.

They have fought for the nation, worked in the forests and provided employment for people who wish to sell you a bag of bananas for 20 baht. There aren’t many opportunities to see elephants in their natural environment in Pattaya, unless you head to the city’s own Elephant Village.

Floating markets are on the itinerary of most tourists. But there are two main drawbacks. Firstly, the nearest one to Pattaya is the other side of Bangkok, and secondly they're a crowded, bumpy affair, where traders hawk goods at you left, right, and centre.

Every day he would draw his own cartoon – while hanging upside down. He had a vast collection of cars and boats but could neither drive nor swim. And he loved anything that was as odd as himself. Ripley visited 198 countries amassing a bizarre and wonderful collection of artefacts, including totem poles from Alaska, shrunken heads from the Amazon, and torture contraptions.

Siam Country Club has a reputation for excellence and style. Back in 1971 Dr Thaworn Phornprapha opened the first private golf course in Thailand, the Siam Country Club. It became hugely popular but in March 2006 the course was closed in order to rebuild the site.

Snake charmer ‘Dam’ is soon taunting and teasing snakes that clearly would rather be left alone. A ‘jumping’ snake lives up to its name and leaps furiously up at Dam, who adroitly steps aside each time the creature lunges.

ZOOS aren’t in the habit of encouraging visitors to interact with deadly creatures. They don’t often invite customers to jump into the lion pit and dangle bits of zebra under their noses. So it’s something of a novelty that the Stone Park near Pattaya allows visitors to get a little closer to the action.

As a child, you must have fancied being a magician. The idea of making doves appear from your bare hands or just telling a friend what card they’d picked seemed a good way to impress your mates.

THE child with the bright orange ‘Nemo’ hat was loving it. He tried to stroke a box-shaped fish before it scuttled away, but soon removed his hand from the rock pool when the leopard shark slid by.