Tour Thailand

Source : http://www.wikipedia.org/


Bangkok Wonderous and Woeful
By John Hoskin
Source : http://www.travelthailand.com



Bangkok is not a beautiful city. But it is unquestionably a captivating one, exerting an irresistible charm as the epitome of all things Thai.Alec Waugh got it right in his 1970 book on the Thai capital: "Bangkok has been loved," he wrote, "because it is an expression of the Thais themselves, of their lightheartedness, their love of beauty, their reverence for tradition, their sense of freedom, their extravagance, their devotion to their creed -- to characteristics that are constant and continuing in themselves."
The characteristics seem contradictory, but Bangkok is a huge paradox, at once wondrous and woeful. For this it is one of the world's most distinctive cities, a place that fascinates by making innumerable contradictions seem consistent. It is at once chaotic and serene, ancient and modern, sacred and profane, pandering to nouveau riche greed and proudly caring of traditional values... the oddities are as endless as they are real.
The key to understanding Bangkok is to realize that beneath its modern facade it remains unmistakably Thai, traditional and essentially unchanging. Ultimately, the city is simply itself and you have to accept it as such if you are ever going to come to terms with it. The horrendous traffic congestion is perhaps everyone's biggest complaint, but even for those who complain, cars in Thailand are not firstly a means of transport, they are social cachets which once obtained are not to be relinquished lightly.
Traffic congestion is part and parcel of the Bangkok experience, and it is easier to accept when you realize it is not going to change. Nor is it new. There never were any halcyon days before the canals were filled in to make way for paved roads. Here's Queen Victoria's envoy Sir John Bowring on the hazards of Bangkok's then waterborne traffic: "Boats often run against one another, and those within them are submerged in the water...The constant occurrence of petty disasters seems to reconcile everybody to their consequences." That was in the 1850s but the idea of being reconciled to the inevitable hassles of city traffic remains true today
Located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, a few kilometres upstream from its outflow into the Gulf of Siam, Bangkok sprawls across a flat alluvial plain. It is the capital in every sense of the word. It is where the Royal Family resides, it is the seat of government and administration, and it is the focal point for virtually all major industrial, commercial and financial activity. It is the country's main port and home to more than one-tenth of the Kingdom's population. Such an all-important role is reflected in the capital's proper name, Krung Thep. This translates as "City of Angels" and is the first in a whole string of illustrious titles that properly define the place -- and, incidentally, earn a listing in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest place name. To the Thais Bangkok is always Krung Thep, the spiritual and symbolic as well as physical heart of the nation.
And yet Bangkok is a comparatively young city. A riverine village and customs post until the late 18th century, it was founded as the national capital in 1782 by King Rama I. Initially the city was intended to parallel the lost glory of Ayutthaya, the previous capital destroyed by the Burmese, and was accordingly developed as an island city with a web of canals. Palaces and temples in classical architecture were the only substantial buildings; houses and other structures were made of wood.
Change came in the mid 19th century when King Mongkut, Rama VI, ordered the building of the first roads for wheeled traffic. In the same reign, Bangkok was embarked on the path of commerce with the signing of international trade agreements. A pattern of modernization and commercialization along largely Western lines has been followed ever since.
Today most of the canals have been filled in to make way for roads, and the city has expanded far away from the Chao Phraya river, thereby losing its original focal point and abandoning any semblance of a downtown area.
In the last few decades the pace of growth has been rapid. First in the 1950s and '60s rows of functional but drab concrete shop houses began changing the face of city then, in the 1980s and '90s, came concrete-and-glass high-rises.
Today, Bangkok appears as a modern, dynamic metropolis bustling with today's business. The skyline is dominated by thrusting office towers, high-rise condominiums, luxury hotels, department stores and shopping malls. But this is just one aspect of Bangkok. Joyfully exuberant, the city embraces latter-day developments though, surprisingly, modern building does not obliterate a wealth of monuments to traditional glories.
In the soaring roofs and tapering gilded spires of the Grand Palace, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of Dawn and the rest of Bangkok's more than 400 Buddhist temples, you are presented with images of awe-inspiring Oriental splendour. Contained within such monuments are masterpieces of sculpture, painting and decorative arts attesting to the nation's artistic achievement
Once you start to explore Bangkok you begin to realize just how much there is to discover. In addition to the city's most famous monuments and sights there are numerous lesser known places of great interest. Wat Ratchabophit, for example, is a minor gem of a mid 19th-century temple, unusual in its Thai exterior and quasi-Gothic interior. It is located not far from the Grand Palace, yet it is often overlooked by visitors. The same is true of museums; the National Museum is not to be missed, though Wimanmek Mansion and Jim Thompson's House also contain spectacular treasures.
A stroll round the lanes of Chinatown, or a boat ride along the canals of Thonburi, again afford fascinating insights into Bangkok's past. But for an inkling of the city's quintessential character you can't do better than visit the Erawan Shrine, dedicated to Brahma and widely regarded as the most potent source of good luck.
Devotees flock daily to make offerings and pray for success in all manner of things from childbirth to winning the lottery, and there is heaps of atmosphere with the heady scent of incense and jasmine flower garlands, plus gorgeously costumed classical dancers. Everything is all the more startling for its incongruous location on the traffic-congested corner of Rajdamri and Ploenchit roads in the shadow of luxury hotels and shopping malls. Indeed, the Erawan shrine is Bangkok at its most serendipitous, and it can tell you more about the city and its people than a whole tour of the more obvious sights.
As culturally and historically fascinating as Bangkok is, however, it cannot be denied it is also a sybaritic city. In their unique character the Thais combine a respect for traditions with a joyful exuberance, a love of sanuk, having a good time. Here the modern aspects of the capital complement the old and offer a host of pleasures.
Not least is the joy of dining. Thai cuisine, rich and spicy, is a true gourmet's delight affording a huge variety of dishes to discover and relish. Seafood is also a national speciality and fish, crab, lobsters, shrimps and more are to be enjoyed in either spicy Thai style or in Continental recipes. And should you ever wish for change, Bangkok has restaurants serving just about every national cuisine deserving of the name from both East and West.
To match the variety of menus is the choice of eating places. From simple but good kerbside food stalls and right up through the whole dining gamut to elegant, expensive restaurants and dinner cruises on the river, there is something to suit all tastes and pockets.
When it comes to entertainment and nightlife, Bangkok has something for everyone. From displays of classical Thai dance to cocktail lounges and discos, the choice is wide open. Unique to Thailand, the traditional sport of kick boxing, in which the protagonists use feet, knees and elbows in addition to gloved fists, is especially thrilling. Bouts are held most nights of the week at one or other of Bangkok' two boxing stadiums. This is the country's most popular spectator sport and should not be missed -- the reaction of the aficionados, cheering and yelling, is often as exciting as the action in the ring.
For browser and dedicated bargain hunter alike, Bangkok is a shopper's paradise. In recent years smart plazas, malls and department stores have mushroomed to augment the facilities provided by markets and ubiquitous street stalls. At the top of anyone's shopping list should be Thai silk and gems and jewellery. Silk is a traditional material now produced in a wide range of colours and designs and offering excellent value. Bangkok is also a world centre for coloured gemstones, and you will discover a superb selection of gems and finished jewellery which, while not cheap, offer excellent superb value for money. Other top buys include tailor-made clothing, leathergoods, Thai, Burmese and Khmer antiques (some requiring export licenses) and an enormous array of handicrafts in teakwood, ceramic, bronze and other traditional materials.
Upmarket shopping spots include numerous posh plazas such as Siam Centre, World Trade Centre, Peninsula Plaza and Gaysorn Plaza, but this being Bangkok, shopping options further include the anomalous. Long established on the map but still offering hours of browsing is the Weekend Market at Chatuchak Park, the place for everything from pets to potted plants, cassettes to clothing, old books to younger antiques. Then there is Seacon Square on Si Nakarin Road, Asia's largest shopping mall and the world's fifth largest, brimming with shops, cinemas, amusement park, supermarket and restaurants, and drawing crowds of suburban Bangkokians at weekends.
Bangkok is the "City of Angels", a magic place where possibilities are limited only by the imagination. With its myriad thrilling sights and scenes it is the perfect complement to Thailand's more relaxed resort destinations.

Comment : It's true.