BANGKOK, THAILAND

Reason to Visit 

Bangkok is also one of the world’s most popular exotic destinations, but also one of the places that could disappear due to global warming. The city is already sinking due to its too heavy urbanization on its too soft underground as well as the excessive pumping of groundwater. The location also makes the city exposed to floods, especially in the monsoon season. All these factors could send Bangkok underwater before the end of this century.

The location

Bangkok is located in Central Thailand, stretching from 13.45 N to 100.35 E. With an overall area of 1,569 sq km, it is the 68th largest province of the country. The most prominent geographical characteristic of the place is the Chao Phraya River that flows for 372 km, caressing the length of city. The presence of Chao Phraya is also the main reason behind the extensive canals (both natural and artificial) and passages that interlace the various districts of the place. Due to the canals and waterways, Bangkok has earned the epithet of 'Venice of the East'.

As previously mentioned; the many canals and water passages of Bangkok, along with Chao Phraya, highly contribute to the beauty of the place. However, there are many hitches or disadvantages that these various ducts and inland waterways pose. Due to their presence and the city's low altitude - of mere 2m (6.5 ft) above the sea level, Bangkok becomes susceptible to severe floods. Occasionally, after heavy rainfall, the water in canals and the river spills and floods the banks.

Even though Bangkok ranks 68th among the 74 provinces of Thailand, in terms of its size, it nevertheless has the highest population and the greatest population density in the whole country. The place is encompassed by Samut Sakhon and Samut Prakan in the south, Nakhon Pathom in the west, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Nakhon Nayok in the north and Chachoengsao in the east. Most of the nearby provinces find inclusion in the metropolitan area of Bangkok. The shoreline extends for a length of 4.4 km.

Ways to get there

Bangkok is well connected by air to the rest of the world and there are two airports in the city. The Suvarnabhumi Airport is located 25 kilometres east of Bangkok and the Don Mueang Airport located 24 kilometres to the north. Most international and domestic airlines operate at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, which is linked to the city by buses, taxis, and Airport Rail Link, a high-speed train service into downtown Bangkok.

Bangkok is well connected by rail to the rest of Thailand and to neighbouring countries like Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos. The main railway station of Bangkok is the Hua Lamphong Railway Station where trains from neighbouring countries and other parts of Thailand operate. The Thornburi Train Station (formerly known as Bangkok Noi Station) serves for local or nearby travel.

Buses to and from other parts of Thailand including Pattaya, Krabi, Phuket and Ko Samui and also to neighbouring countries operate in Bangkok. There are three major bus terminals in Bangkok; the Northern Bus Terminal, also known as Mo Chit, the Eastern Bus Terminal, also known as Ekkamai and the Southern Bus Terminal, also known as Sai Tai. A word of advice; book your bus tickets directly at one of the three public bus terminals and avoid travel agents and private buses, which are not the most reliable.

Things to do

a)Cruise the "Venice of the East"

Visitors often regard boating as their most rewarding city experience, even though the ‘Venice of the East’ label barely applies any longer, since most Bangkok canals have been lost to road-building. Yet khlongs still thread through the Thonburi west bank and branch into the plantations of Nonthaburi, stretching on throughout Thailand’s Central Plains, connecting rivers, rice farms, towns, temples and floating markets (see Floating markets beside).

Exploring the waterways requires some strategy. The rule to bear in mind is that the longer you spend, the greater the value and rewards. A half-day enables you to see the mostly urban canals of Thonburi, now heavily scarred by concrete flood barriers, because this delta instinctively wants to overflow. A full day takes you upriver and into a rustic canalscape barely modernised – though riparian lifestyles are changing fast.

b) Wat Suthat

Brahmanism predated the arrival of Buddhism in Thailand and its rituals were eventually integrated into the dominant religion. Wat Suthat is the headquarters of the Brahman priests who perform the Royal Ploughing Ceremony in May. Begun by Rama I (King Phraphutthayotfa; r 1782–1809) and completed in later reigns, Wat Suthat boasts a wí·hăhn with gilded bronze Buddha images (including Phra Si Sakayamuni, one of the largest surviving Sukhothai bronzes) and incredibly expansive Jataka (stories of the Buddha's previous lives) murals. The wát also holds the rank of Rachavoramahavihan, the highest royal-temple grade; the ashes of Rama VIII (Ananda Mahidol, the current king's deceased older brother) are contained in the base of the main Buddha image in the wí·hăhn .

Wat Suthat's priests also perform rites at two nearby Hindu shrines: Thewa Sathaan (Deva Sathan), which contains images of Shiva and Ganesh; and the smaller Saan Jao Phitsanu (Vishnu Shrine), dedicated to Vishnu.

The spindly red arch in the front of the temple is Sao Ching-Cha (Giant Swing), as much a symbol of Bangkok as Wat Phra Kaew. The swing formerly hosted a spectacular Brahman festival in honour of Shiva, in which participants would swing in ever-higher arcs in an effort to reach a bag of gold suspended from a 15m bamboo pole. Many died trying and the ritual was discontinued during the reign of Rama VII (King Prajadhipok; r 1925–35). In 2007 the decaying swing was ceremoniously replaced with the current model, made from six specially chosen teak logs from Phrae Province in northern Thailand.

The temple is within walking distance of the klorng boats' terminus at Tha Phan Fah.

c)The Train Market (Maeklong Train Market)

Passenger trains pass through this risky market 8 times a day for almost 30 years….located in the smallest province in Thailand, Samutsongkram, only an hour drive away from Bangkok (on the way to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market), you will get a breath-taking experience that you will never forget!!! 

t’s a real way of thai lifestyle…very unique for tourists , but it’s just a common fresh market for Thais in the area..You will get to see (and smell!)  a great variety of goods, vegetables, fruits, meat, unusual stuffs, fish, frogs, tuna, shark, mussels, fresh lives, dried seafood, sweets, curry, flowers sold along the way…Only 300 meters long  on the real train tracks..you will be entertained with the real atmosphere of  local businesses going on…some friendly and moody vendors..thai shoppers who don’t really care even when the train’s approaching…They just wanna shop till the last minute the train comes! Some lost tourists who don’t know which direction or how further to go…or some strangers who don’t really know that they are walking on the active train tracks!

d) Massage

Most people who visit Thailand have a to-do list of things that they want to experience, and Thai massage is always very close to the top of that list – it’s right up there with temples, pad Thai and elephant rides. With so many massage options available to visitors, it can be difficult to find exactly what you’re looking for. Unlike Western massage styles, the Thai massage focuses on pressure points. Treatment often begins with the feet and gradually moves upwards towards the head. Rhythmic compressions and manoeuvres are methods employed in order to relax and realign energies in the body. Varying amounts of pressure are applied to energy lines along the body in accordance with the Ayurvedic principles of balancing one's energy.

You can’t really walk down a street in Bangkok without coming across a massage shop, they really are as ubiquitous as 7-11. The massage shops are usually spread over several floors. On the ground floor you will find a row of chairs and footstalls where you will sit if you request a foot massage. Upstairs will be a series of mattresses separated by curtains that are used for Thai massage, and you get to put on some fancy pyjamas that make you look like a 19th century labourer, so the massage therapist can bend and stretch your limbs easily. Because there are so many in the city, it would be impossible to pick out a selection of the very best, so it’s more a case of common sense. Often smaller hotels will be able to make recommendations too. Most massage shops will speak basic English and prices will be advertised outside the shop; on average it costs 200 baht for an hour’s Thai massage.

Most of the hotels in Thailand are provided massage services too, but it is more expensive than the local massage shops.