Bangkok

Overview

Thailand's capital city is a fantastic place to visit. It is the travel hub for the whole Southeast Asian region and a must. Most people come back and forth if they visit the different regions of Thailand, for example Chiang mai, Koh Samui or Phuket or Trang . Its bad reputation for long traffic jams and pollution is no longer justified. At the end of 2000, the new BTS Sky Train went into service and new roads have been built. To get around there is also now the MRT metro (underground railway), which serves a number of locations in the centre of the city. In comparison to other mega-cities, Bangkok is also a very safe city and has one of the lowest crime rates in the world.

In the 'City of Angels', you'll soon find out that walking, instead of taking a taxi or bus, is often the quickest option. Another good option is the water-taxi (catch it at the end of the Silom sky train line at Saphan Taksin). Besides the fact that it is an experience in itself -defy the polluted canals with the wind in your hair and see the back part of life in Bangkok , many of the city's attractions are near to the various stops along the river. Make a stop at the Temple of Dawn and tour the klongs in order to find the floating market (sorry to disappoint you, but it has been transferred to solid ground) or just get off nearby Kao...more

History

Sometimes it is said that Rama II is supposed to be the founder of Bangkok as his capital while before the capital has been Thonburi. To be accurate Bangkok has existed already for some time and European merchants had stopped at Bangkok on their way to the first capital Ayutthaya. The story behind the foundation of Bangkok was the Burmese invasions of Siam in both the 16th and 18th centuries, capturing Chiang Mai and destroying Ayuthaya. The Thais expelled the Burmese and moved their capital to Thonburi. In 1782, the current Chakri dynasty was founded by King Rama I and the capital was moved across the river to Bangkok.

King Taksin's rationale had been to have the river flowing through the capital as he feared another Burmese attack after Ayutthaya had been leveled by Burmese armies in 1767; in the case of a new attack he wanted to have an easy escape option.