I decided to call in to have a look around the newly opened Camel Republic on the way home from Petchaburi. Camel Republic is situated just North of Cha-Am on the main Bangkok Road.
- amel Republic is now open.
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We arrived at about 11am, and there were only about a dozen cars in what seemed to be a more than ample car park. From the outside everything was looking shiny & new.
- From the outside everything was looking shiny & new
- From the outside everything was looking shiny & new
- From the outside everything was looking shiny & new
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- From the outside everything was looking shiny & new
- From the outside everything was looking shiny & new
As we walked through the car park, they were testing one of the attractions rides, the Sky Fly. This was a ride I'd only ever seen on TV. Basically people thrown themselves into a 20' deep pit (I didn't actually measure it), and put their faith in being caught in a massive air cushion. Once caught, the rider then flies Superman style on the air cushion as the operator turns the speed of the air up. Unfortunately, I was so fascinated watching this, I didn't think of taking a photo until the test was over. For some reason, this attraction is situated outside of the park walls, although I can't really see the connection with camels.
- the Sky Fly
We walked into the entrance, and were given a very personal welcome, and were led to the ticket office.
- the entrance
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- the entrance
- the entrance/attractions inside
Now the sting........ like other attractions in this area, there is dual Thai (including resident)/Farang pricing. I thought, "I know how much they're going to charge me
" I was wrong, my wife told them that I was resident, and that was good enough. Children were charged at 80 Baht (free under 1 metre tall).
- Admission costs - rides extra
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We were inside. Everything was still new and shiny. As we walked in, there were a couple of fairground rides, and as with other attractions close by, there were plenty of photo opportunities.
- We were in - photo opportunities everywhere
- photo opportunities everywhere
- a couple of fairground rides
- a couple of fairground rides
- a couple of fairground rides
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There was the mandatory food court, selling fast food at fast buck prices. This was supplemented by small fast food outlets around the park. Mind you, the entire park was relatively small, and a walk to the main food outlet wasn't exactly vigorous exercise.
- the mandatory food court
At last, we'd spotted the camels, what a disappointment. You know, you imagine what is going to happen inside a new establishment. I imagined that people would be taking camel rides into the nearby hills (I wouldn't have been one of those people by the way, I'd have probably been the proverbial straw). There were half a dozen camels inside an inadequate cage, being fed bits of grass by young kids. The camels looked in good condition, but I still felt quite sorry for them.
- the camels
- the camels
- the camels
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- the camels
There were quite a few animals in the little zoo. All but one of the animals looked familiar, apart from these guys, which looked like a cross between a dog and a rabbit. Does anybody know what they are?
- Does anybody know what they are?
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The highlight of my day were the ostriches (or were they emus?). Again they were locked behind a huge fence. I spotted some steps up to a platform. As I approached the platform, the birds came towards me - absolutely fantastic. Around the corner from the platform was a bucket of food, and at feet level, there was a little feeding trough. I took a handful of pellets from the bucket, and the birds became quite excited. I reached down to put the handful of food in the trough, but one of the birds was too impatient - he grabbed my hand with is huge beak - wow, brilliant
. I love most animals, and didn't panic, I just waited for him/her to release my hand. Once I'd been given my hand back, I released the food into the trough, and watched them eat.
- the birds came towards me
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- watched them eat
I then moved on to the big bird cage. Unfortunately, although there were some beautiful birds there, they were either chained to their perches, or in very small cages.
- beautiful birds - chained to their perches
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- beautiful birds - in very small cages
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When we'd finished looking around the mini zoo, we came upon a large shed (obviously a nicely decorated shed) full of smaller rides and attractions.
- smaller rides and attractions
- smaller rides and attractions
All rides and attractions seemed to work on a ticket basis i.e. 1 ticket for a small ride, 2 tickets for a large ride (this is what I saw, but no guarantees that I am entirely right). I did not see how much a ticket cost. In fact, I didn't see tickets on sale.
On 3 sides of the park are small shops. However, I only saw 2 units occupied (again, that was my view, and it might change - especially on weekends).
So, what did I think of Camel Republic? There has obviously been a lot of investment, and it was looking very nice. However, this is just another 'plastic attraction' with a few fairground attractions. The animals in the mini zoo currently look well cared for, but how will they look after a few months in the IMHO inadequate cages? The weekend Bangkokians will love the place.
I went there today for the Forum. It is not somewhere that I would normally go to without my granddaughters who were at school today. Now that I've been, I wouldn't rush back.
Probably a nice day out for a young family, or big kids.
