Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bangkok & Around Highlights
Basking in the glow of all the gold at
Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace
(
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)
Taking in the immense Buddha statue at
Wat Pho
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)
Skipping between sightseeing spots on
a cruise of Bangkok's canals
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)
Encountering the best of Thai architecture and artwork at
Jim Thompson House
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)
Burning baht at
Chatuchak Weekend Market
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)
Learning to make authentic Thai dishes at one of Bangkok's
cooking schools
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)
Toasting the stars and the twinkling skyscraper lights atop one of the city's
rooftop bars
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)
Being blissfully pounded into submission at one of Bangkok's terrific-value
Thai massage centres
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)
Eating yourself into a stupor at
Chinatown's street stalls
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)
Getting out of Bangkok and visiting the nearby canalside town of
Amphawa
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)
History
Now the centre of government and culture in Thailand, Bangkok was a historical miracle
during a time of turmoil. Following the fall of Ayuthaya in 1767, the kingdom fractured in-
to competing forces, from which General Taksin emerged as a decisive unifier. He estab-
lished his base in Thonburi, on the western bank of Mae Nam Chao Phraya (Chao Phraya
River), a convenient location for sea trade from the Gulf of Thailand. Taksin proved more
of a military strategist than a popular ruler. He was later deposed by another important mil-
itary general, Chao Phraya Chakri, who in 1782 moved the capital across the river to a
more defensible location in anticipation of a Burmese attack. The succession of his son in
1809 established the present-day royal dynasty, and Chao Phraya Chakri is referred to as
Rama I.
Court officials envisioned the new capital as a resurrected Ayuthaya, complete with an
island district (Ko Ratanakosin) carved out of the swampland and cradling the royal court
(the Grand Palace) and a temple to the auspicious Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew). The
emerging city, which was encircled by a thick wall, was filled with stilt and floating houses
ideally adapted to seasonal flooding.
Modernity came to the capital in the late 19th century as European aesthetics and techno-
logies filtered east. During the reigns of Rama IV (King Mongkut; r 1851-68) and Rama V
(King Chulalongkorn; r 1868-1910), Bangkok received its first paved road (Th Charoen