It was called "Fanta Sea" and it was pure Magical Fantasy

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Paris has a tower, London has an eye, and Thailand has Phuket FantaSea. It’s packed with tourists, cameras are a required accessory, and there are an untold number of souvenir shops to spend money in.

With building designs that are occasionally wacky, over-the-top costumes, and elephants milling about, Phuket FantaSea has all the subtlety of a mouthful of Thai chillies. But it can’t be avoided; everyone should go once. We all arrived by our scooters and the idea was to get the cheapest tickets possible. tish went to the ticket booth and came back with Gold VIP tickets including a meal in the The Golden Kinnaree Buffet Restaurant, this change turned out to be a fantastic change.

Phuket FantaSea bills itself as “the ultimate cultural theme park”, and it’s tough to come up with a better description. The evening peaks with a stage show, but that’s not the only excitement. There’s a village with an assortment of shopping choices - from t-shirts to beachwear to jewellery - as well as carnival games, elephant rides, and restaurants. Everything is big, bright, ornate, and made to impress. Operations at Phuket FantaSea are slick. The size of this well-oiled machine is astounding, and makes its flawless execution that much more impressive.

The Golden Kinnaree Buffet Restaurant is a perfect example of the park’s grand scale. It cavernous hall seats 4,000 hungry diners, and does so effortlessly. Two long buffet counters serve a mix of Thai and international food, while a changing selection of special dishes get their own kiosks at the front of the room. Wrap up the meal with coffee and a plate of scrumptious bite-sized desserts. We found our pre-booked table and then set out to fill our bellies as much as possilbe, plate after plate of tasty Thai and even Sushi soon took its toll on us all and we all left with our bodies filled to the max. In fact Tish and me did fill a bit sick before the show started from the fact that we could'nt breath with our shorts being to tight.

The Golden Kinnaree’s golden exterior, with an intricate peaked Thai-style roof and several statues, is a favourite backdrop for an untold number of pictures annually. But it’s not the only photo op. The Palace of the Elephants, a theatre made to look like a majestic, centuries-old palace - think Angkor Wat - is even more impressive. The luxury boutique is clad in shimmering mirrors and brilliant whites. However, nothing causes shutters to click like the koi pond at the park’s entrance, where a writhing mass of orange, yellow, and white battle for food. Both Chris and Frankie went back into the restaurant and appear moments later with bread rolls and spent the next few minutes feeding the biggest fish in a pond l have ever seen.

There’s no shortage of ways to pass the time before the show starts. Jump aboard an elephant for a trip around the Songbird Luminarie. Head to Similan Adventure Center, a sea-themed arcade full of games the kids are sure to love. Watch the bartender spin, flip, and toss bottles while dancing a techno-jig at the open-air bar. Shop for that perfect memento; there’s a store (or stall) for every taste and budget. Or visit the photo studio and dress the family in traditional Thai costumes for a unique keepsake.

The theatre opens at 20:30 and guests start filing through security. Cameras aren’t allowed inside, and they take it very seriously. Video cameras, digital cameras, camera phones - basically, everything short of pen and paper that can create an image - must be checked in. Both myself and Tish tried to hide our cameras but their scanning machines soon found them and we checked them in. The process is quick and painless, and two minutes later you’re in a large hall full of costumed staff, baby elephants, and young tigers, all of which will pose for a photograph with you - for a fee.

The show kicks off in grand style at 21:00. The stage is huge, but the performance space is even bigger. Aisles, ceiling, audience - every part of the theatre is used. While the eye is treated to modern effects like smoke, explosions, lasers, rain, soaring people, the brain gets insights into Thai culture in the form of traditional dances from different regions of the country, shadow puppets, and a fascinating wardrobe. It’s not tough to believe elephants can become accomplished actors, but this show also employs goats, roosters, water buffalo, and doves in supporting roles, but the best were the chickens. "How do you train chickens to run across the stage" Tish said many times after the show.

There were even two magicans that entertained us during the show where they even made a tiger appear and a Tuk-Tuk disappear. Even with spoken words from them both they made us laugh out loud.

The story isn’t easy to follow, and it doesn’t matter. Loud and funny moments interrupted by quiet, beautiful interludes do a great job conveying the emotion. The end result is a display that’s as dazzling as the sights outside the theatre. Young children, old children, and adult children all enjoy the show.

The pictures are from before and after the show. If your ever i Phuket you must see "FantaSea" its worth every penny/Dollar/Baht/Rand/Rupee or what ever you use.

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Photos

Happy New Year
In Thailand it will be 2552 this year