Bangkok is the capital and the most populous city of Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung
Thep Maha Nakhon. The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres
(605.7 sq mi) in the Chao Phraya River delta in Central Thailand,
and has a population of over eight million, or 12.6 percent of the country's
population. Over fourteen million people (22.2 percent) live within the
surroundingBangkok Metropolitan Region, making Bangkok an extreme primate city, dwarfing Thailand's other urban centres in terms of importance.
The Asian investment boom in the 1980s and
1990s led many multinational corporations to locate their regional headquarters
in Bangkok. The city is now a major regional force in finance and business. It
is an international hub for transport and health care, and is emerging as a regional
centre for the arts, fashion and entertainment. The city's vibrant street life
and cultural landmarks, as well as its notorious red-light districts, have given it an exotic appeal. The historic Grand Palace and Buddhist
temples includingWat Arun and Wat Pho stand in contrast with other
tourist attractions such as the nightlife scenes of Khaosan Road and Patpong. Bangkok is among the world's top tourist
destinations. It is named the most visited city in MasterCard's Global
Destination Cities Index, and has been named "World's Best City" for
four consecutive years by Travel + Leisure magazine.
Top Tourist Attractions
An overview
of the top tourist attractions in Bangkok:
Khao San Road
Khao San
Road is, technically speaking, a small road located about a block from the Chao
Phraya River. Khaosan translates as “milled rice”, a reminder that in former
times the street was a major Bangkok rice market. In the last 20 years,
however, Khaosan Road has developed into a world famous backpackers hangout. It
offers cheap accommodation, ranging from dorm style hostels to reasonably
priced 3-star hotels as well as bars, food stalls, restaurants, convenience
stores, internet cafes and travel agencies.
Bangkok
Klongs
“Klong” is
Thai for canal. Historically, people used klongs throughout Thailand for transportation
and commerce, earning Bangkok the nickname, “The Venice of the East.” Today,
most klongs have been filled in for use as streets. But you can still visit a
tourist version of a traditional floating market on the Klong Damnoen Saduak in
the Ratchaburi province or take a boat through central Bangkok on the Khlong
Saen Saeb to avoid city traffic.
Jim
Thompson’s House
The infamous
CIA operative Jim Thompson revived the Thai silk industry after World War II
and had this house assembled from six traditional Thai-style houses. As
Thompson was building his silk company, he also became a major collector of
Southeast Asian art. Jim Thompson’s House sits on a klong across from Bangkrua,
where his weavers were then located. Tourists must take the guided tour through
the buildings, which are given in plenty of foreign languages.
Wat Arun
Situated on
the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, Wat Arun (“Temple of Dawn”) is one
of the oldest and best known tourist attractions in Bangkok. The temple is an
architectural representation of Mount Meru, the center of the universe in
Buddhist cosmology. Despite its name, the best views of Wat Arun are in the
evening with the sun setting behind it.
Central
World
Opened in
1990, the eight-story Central World marketed itself as a middle class shopping
center, opposed to the upper class-marketed Siam Paragon. On 19th May 2010,
CentralWorld was one of the many properties set on fire by anti government
protestors. The fire raged for two days and the Zen department store collapsed
in the fire. After months of repair works, the shopping complex reopened on
28th September with 80% of its retail space open for business.
Temple of
the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho)
Wat Pho is
famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses. It is one of the largest
temples in Bangkok and also one of the oldest, constructed nearly 200 years
before Bangkok became Thailand’s capital. Wat Pho holds the distinction of
having both Thailand’s largest reclining Buddha image and the largest number of
Buddha images in Thailand. The gold-plated Reclining Buddha statue is 46 meters
long and 15 meters high, and commemorates the passing of the Buddha into
Nirvana.
Grand
Palace & Wat Prakeaw
The
construction of the Grand Palace started in 1782 when the capital of Siam was
moved from Thonburi to Bangkok. The palace served as the residence of the Kings
of Thailand until the mysterious death of King Ananda Mahidol in 1946. His
brother King Bhumibol Adulyadej who succeeded him moved permanently to the
Chitralada Palace. Today the palace is a major Bangkok tourist attraction. Part
of the palace compound is dedicated to a royal temple, Wat Phra Kaew, the most
sacred temple of Thailand and home to the famous Emerald Buddha. A jade statue
adorned in gold clothing.
About PRABISH BISHUNGKHE
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