Bangkok – City of Angels and Wild Plums.

13 May 2010

Bangkok is often referred to as the city of chaos and many contradictions - both contrive to create its unique atmosphere. Skyscrapers soar over gold and red temple roof-tops, tiny ghost houses guard the entrances of modern hotels, and from the spindle-shaped boats traversing the canals you can switch onto an ultra-fast driverless overhead railway – the Skytrain.

Thailand | Magnificent temples create a unique atmosphere of the town (by timparkinson )

The city’s official name

The word „Bangkok” means „the village of wild plums”. The official Thai name of the city is extremely complex, with 21 words, and is listed by Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest geographical name, with 167 letters -
Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit

Translated into English - "The city of angels, the great city, the eternal jewel city, the impregnable city of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated god, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarma".
The combination of all these phrases suggest a very colourful mixture of power, religion, tradition, modernity and beauty. Bangkok bewilders, stuns and delights.

The beauty of diversity

The best starting point for a trip to Thailand is Bangkok, which is characterised by the same huge degree of diversity as the rest of the country. This is where the seat of the Thai Government and administration is located – and, above all, the residence of the Royal Family. It is estimated that as many as 10 % of all Thailand’s inhabitants live in the capital. On might talk for hours on end about Bangkok, its beauty, history and extraordinary atmosphere - you should spend at least a couple of days exploring its nooks, mysteries and contradictions.

Thailand | The traditional means of transport - tuk-tuk (by jensenchua )

History

Bangkok, famous for its magnificence, was in fact founded only 200 years ago. Originally, where the present-day metropolis is located, there once was a small village called Bang Makok. In 1782, Rama I moved the capital to this inconspicuous village on the eastern banks of the river Chao Phraya (Menam) and named it Krung Thep – the City of Angels. On the western side of the river is the small town of Thon Buri, which, for a short time, between the fall of Ayutthaya and the foundation of Bangkok, fulfilled the role of capital of the country. Today, it is located within the metropolis and is one of the most interesting tourist attractions. 

Modern metropolis 

At present, Bangkok is a dynamically-developing economic centre with prosperous shipbuilding, automotive and electronic industries, and also, due to its location on a river, one of the largest sea ports. It is perhaps this combination of modern life in a huge metropolis, with its extraordinary culture and exotic nature, that was a decisive factor in making this city so attractive to tourists from all over the world.

Bangkok’s standing as an administrative division of the country is surprising - officially, as a Metropolitan Area, it has a status equal to 76 provinces of the country.

Thailand | Bangkok is also a modern metropolis full of skyscrapers (by zenowai )

Getting out and about in Bangkok

The capital of Thailand is located on The Chao Phraya River, which splits the city into two parts and is its main transport route. Due to the considerable distances between different areas of the capital you can choose between advanced land transport (buses, taxis, tuk-tuks), water transport (scheduled boats and ferries) and elevated transport (Skytrain). However, it’s often difficult to avoid traffic jams, a measure of the capital’s undiminishing popularity. Bangkok is vibrant with life 24 hours a day.

What’s worth seeing in Bangkok?

Bangkok is associated with chaos and beauty. The uncanny, religious aura of the metropolis arises from over 400 magnificent, richly-decorated Buddhist and Hindu temples. The travellers who would like to learn more about the culture and history of the city should go The Royal Old City, located on the artificially-created Rattanakosin island. It is where the greatest gems of Bangkok can be found, including the Grand Palace, the National Museum and the National Gallery, as well as numerous temples and the largest university building in the city. The palace building complex includes many sacred buildings, notably the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo). The entrance is guarded by huge, 6-metre-tall, figures of demons from the Ramakian epic. This temple houses the most famous – statue of Buddha – a 75 cm figure, made of green jadeite. The oldest temple of the capital is Wat Pho, dating back to the 16th Century, which houses the monumental statue of the Reclining Buddha. The magnificent Wat Arun – Temple of the Dawn - with spires beautifully decorated with porcelain - is located in Thon Buri, across the river.

Thailand | Young monks in Wat Arun (by irene2005 )

Bangkok is not only colourful temples and opulent palatial edifices. “Things worth doing” include a visit to Bangkok’s Chinatown, shopping in the Chatuchak weekend market, and dropping into the splendid museums, such as the Museum of the Royal Barges and the Museum of the Royal Elephants. As the city is criss-crossed with canals (it’s called “the Venice of the East” not without reason), you will have a lot of fun provided by floating markets and rides on the so-called “water tram”.

Dusit Park, in the north-eastern part of the city, is also well worth visiting – this is where you will be delighted by the beauty of nature constituting the background for the splendid Royal and Government buildings. You can also take a break from the hustle and bustle of city life in Luphini Park.

The nearest outskirts of the metropolis are highly interesting, with, for example, Muang Boran (the Ancient City) and the Crocodile Farm.

Thailand | Klongs in Bangkok are still in use (by travlinman43 )