 Established
in 1782 as Thailand's capital, the official, full name of
the city is probably the longest in the world : Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayutthaya Mahadilokphop
Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan
Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathatthiya Witsanukam Prasit.
Bangkok, City of Angels, offers an bundance of sights and
attractions for tourists and is famous for its Buddhist
Temples (Wats) including the famous Temple of the Emerald
Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo), adjacent to the Grand Palace. This
temple, and other beautiful examples of carefully preserved
Thai architecture.
Bangkok, located in the centre of the country, is also an
excellent stepping-off point for visiting other parts of
Thailand.
Although the measured pace of old Siam is now a thing of
the past, the country's rich cultural and natural heritage
still survives.Hotel
accommodation in the city covers
a variety of price ranges but all offer high standards of
service presented by friendly staff. The city probably has
the highest concentration of luxury hotels to be found anywhere
in the world. Today, hotels and shopping venues offer amazing bargains
following the depreciation of the Thai baht currency in
1997 And for those in search of bargains, Bangkok has excellen
examples of Thai handicrafts; Thai antiques; paintings;
T-shirts; high-fashion accessorie high-grade Thai silks
and highquality jewellery.
The city also boasts a range off restaurants featuring mouth-watering
dishes from all regions of Thailand and international cuisine
from just about everywhere in the world. Many gourmets of
Thai food, now rated No.5 in the world's culinary top ten,
consider Bangkok to be on a par with Hong Kong for gastronomic
experiences.
The city offers a broad variety of restaurants, ranging
from simple noodle stands to the most elegant dining rooms.
Visitors from Europe and North America who consider themselves
connoisseurs of Thai food will find Bangkok a gastronomic
paradise!
GEOGRAPHY
Located in the centre of the country, quite close to the Gulf of Thailand, the greater Bangkok Metropolis (including the former capital of Thonburi on the other side of the Chao Phraya River) covers an area of 1,600 square kilometres. The city is situated right in the middle of the rice bowl of Asia, also known as Chao Phraya River Delta.
CLIMATE AND SEASONS
If you like it hot, Bangkok is the place for you.
Average temperatures rarely dip below 25 degrees Celsius during the city's three seasons. Between November and February the weather is warm and dry with temperatures from 19 to 33 degrees Celsius; March-May is hot with temperatures rising to as high to 42 degrees, and from June to October (rainy season) it is warm and sometimes wet, but never cold. Even the rain is warm!
December is the peak tourist month but if you want to avoid the crowds and enjoy offseason hotel rates, come during the summer time. The summer monsoon season may carry some heavy rains but these quite often occur during late evening and overnight and is unlikely to spoil your enjoyment. However, take note that August and September are the wettest months so visitors are recommended to take the weather into account when planning a trip to Bangkok.
POPULATION
Bangkok's resident population is said to total some eight million people, representing approximately thirteen percent of Thailand's total population.
Most residents are ethnic Thais with around twenty-five percent of the city's inhabitants being Chinese or of Chinese descent. Chinese influence is strong, particularly in the business sector. The second largest group is of Indian descent, whose heritage can be traced to northern India. The city is also home to illegal immigrants from Burma, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
RELIGION
Buddhism is the prevailing religion in Thailand and around 95% of the population are Buddhists. Muslims consti¬tute around four percent of the population and live mostly in the southern provinces bordering Malaysia. There are also small Hindu and Christian communities Since Buddha statues and images represent the Buddha, visitors are asked to behave respectfully to all statues and images so as not to cause offence to local people. It is illegal to take any Buddhist statues out of Thailand without the express permission of the Fine Arts Department.
MONEY
The Thai currency is made up of baht and satangs. Commonly used coins are 25-satang, 50-satang, 1 baht, 5 baht and 10 baht denominations. There are different sizes of 1 and 5 baht coins in circulation so be careful when you count your money. Banknotes, which are printed in both Thai and ask for some small notes when changing money.
TOURIST INFORMATION
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) sponsors a number of useful publications about Bangkok and the rest of Thailand including its own Holiday Time in Thailand. Tourist publications about the country provide useful information about things to see and do along with a useful calendar of festivals and events taking place in Bangkok and throughout the country.
GETTING AROUND
Getting around in Bangkok can prove perplexing for newly-arrived visitors, but once you become acquainted with the bus system, you can go to just about any place in the city. If you have appointments to keep, allow extra time to cope with the traffic congestion, which occurs during peak hours in several parts of town.
Visitors are recommended to try the Chao Phraya Express Boat System and, if you take to the roads, you will find the metered taxis quite reasonably price. The Open-Air Motor-Tricycles (called Tuk-Tuk or Samlor) are good for short distances if you want to avoid being exposed to automobile exhaust fumes.
LANGUAGE
The Thai language is tonal with each syllable having five different tones (high, rising, falling, middle and low). The meanings relate to the level of the tones used. Verbs have no tenses and most words are monosyllabic. There are also a number of regional dialects which can be confusing even to the locals.
Although English is not generally spoken, many Thai students understand and speak English to a certain degree and they could prove helpful during your stay in Bangkok.
Some visitors find Thai language one of the world's most difficult
to learn but, wit a little practice, most visitors can pick
up a few useful word or phrase. |
