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Published on February 2, 2008

The chief attraction for visitors to Chachoengsao is Wat Sothorn Wararam Vorivarn, with its magnificent Buddha image, but right now the temple is temporarily taking a back seat to another lure - the World Sand Sculpture Festival.

 It's an odd billing for a province that doesn't have a beach worth writing home about, but until the end of March there are several dozen amazing works of art on display that are expected to draw hundreds of thousands of tourists.

The outdoor exhibition, sprawling across 12 rai next to the local Carrefour outlet, is just 800 metres from the famed temple.

Edutainment Planet, which invested Bt60 million in the show, has flown in 70 sand sculptors from the Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, the Czech Republic and the US to create masterpieces alongside Thai artists in tribute to His Majesty the King for his recent birthday.

They've spent months in preparation, from research and blueprints to the manufacture of the wooden blocks that form the core of their artworks, all before they could lay a hand on the 4,000 tonnes of sand brought in for the occasion.

We are not, of course, talking about mere sandcastles here. Instantly recognisable sculptures of well-known buildings catch the eye and, from there, the imagination is unleashed.

The three zones in the exhibition can be covered in less than half an hour, which is a good thing because it can be stifling inside the showcase tents despite the electric fans provided. Only one tent, which hosts a light-and-sound presentation, is air-conditioned.

You should arrive early or in the evening - the displays are open from 10 to 7.

One zone has celebrated Thai scenes and characters from Thai literature, like Sunthorn Phu's Phra Apaimanee. King Naresuan the Great rides his elephant into battle in view of the Temple of Emerald Buddha, and Sud Sakorn is astride his horse-dragon, the mah mangkorn.

Then it's off on a world tour. You might never get to Paris, but you can have your picture taken in front of an Eiffel Tower made of sand, as well as London's Big Ben and even the Great Wall of China.

There is a small area set aside where visitors can try sand sculpting themselves, but the real fun is in posing for "travel pictures" with the huge replications of far-away places.

The outdoor exhibition is all on one level, making it ideal for seniors and the disabled to get around comfortably from entrance to exit.

The enjoyment is in figuring out how the artists tackled their formidable assignments to create complicated structures in startling, highly textured detail.

But some tips on how they pulled it off would be appreciated. The main flaw of the event is the lack of information about the individual sculptures. There are signboards, but little detail is provided. To really find out more about the artists and what went on behind the scenes, you have to visit the official website, ThaiSandCity.com.

Considering the size of the investment and the months of preparations involved, the event could have been made more interesting with this added dimension of information.

The World Sand Sculpture Festival is open daily.

Admission is Bt80, Bt40 for children. Call (038) 515 120 or

fax (038) 515 121.

Check out the writer's post on the Nation blog site,

complete with a photo slideshow, at http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/veen.

For information on other Chachoengsao attractions,

go to http://www.tat8.com/index1.html.

Veena Thoopkrajae

The Nation