Travel Guide To Bangkok

The first impression of Bangkok is a modern urbanized city, where business life boils with inexhaustible energy. The appearance of the capital was strongly affected by the influence of England, although Thailand was not colonized by the British Empire. It seems that the city consists entirely of piercing skyscrapers, office buildings, luxury apartments and hotels and huge shopping centers. But this is just one of the many faces of Bangkok ...

Over 7 million people live in the capital, which is located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. The city is one of the most dynamically developing in the world, one of the largest international tourism and business centers. The royal family lives here, the government of the state and the administration of the region are located, the main industrial, commercial and financial enterprises are concentrated. Every year more than 2 million tourists visit Bangkok. To services of visitors more than 200 first-class hotels (including the largest in the world on 3 700 places), a huge quantity of restaurants. 

 

Names of Bangkok

The official name of Bangkok in Thai means "city of wild plum". Once called a small fishing village on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, on the site of which the city was later founded. Another name was given to Bangkok during the solemn ceremony of proclaiming it the capital of the state. This is the longest city name in the world: Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintara Ayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Nopparat Ratchathani Buriram Udomratchanivet Mahasatan Amon aux Piments Avatan Sathit Sakkathattiyya Vitsanukam Prasit (Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit) - which means "the city of angels, the great city, the city - an eternal treasure, the impregnable city of the god Indra, the majestic capital of the world, But the inhabitants of Bangkok call their city simply Krung Tep ("city of angels"). 

 

Districts of Bangkok

The historical center of the capital is on the island of Rattanakosin, formed by the Chao Phraya River, its channel, and the surrounding areas. Since the city began to be built in times of threat from the Burmese attack, the most important was security, and therefore the first buildings appeared on the island. Later, when the problem of invasions was solved, Bangkok began to expand (say, the temples of the middle of the XIX century are already outside Rattanakosin). On the island itself today are the oldest buildings - the royal palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, some other temples and historical monuments. Among them - the remains of the city wall of the XIX century and the first residential buildings. In the historical part of the capital are also the parliament, most government organizations, ministries. However, there are also buildings erected in the last decade,

In Bangkok, a strong Chinese diaspora. Initially, the island, where the royal palace is now, lived Huaqiao - natives of China. But as soon as the construction of Bangkok unfolded, they were all evicted, allowing them to settle for 3 km downstream. So there was a Bangkok Chinatown. In the XIX century. it was the main trade center of the country, and the Chinese controlled a significant part of the market in the state. To date, Chinatown is not so much an ethnic as a historical district, and one of the most prestigious in the capital. And in the inheritance from times of prosperity there were only a few large temples. 

The Silom region, which received its name from Silom Street (Wall Street, Bangkok), is a modern city center. Here is the majority of offices of large companies and in fact half of all foreign embassies. Here, the tallest buildings and the most expensive hotels are concentrated. Of course, in Shiloh, there are also inexpensive hotels, but thrifty tourists still prefer to settle in either the historical center or Sukhumvit. On the streets of Siphaya and Surawong in the northern part of Shiloh are numerous shopping arcades, individual shops, supermarkets. 

And to the north - the so-called Siam Square, the shopping center of the city. Here are the largest supermarkets - Siam Discovery Center, Colosseum Dep. Store, Tokyo, World Trade Center. In them, as in smaller shops, prices favorably differ from prices in tourist areas and are certainly lower than in Shilom. 

A little to the east of the main congestion of shopping malls in the Ploenchit area - the "meeting place" of the most expensive hotels (for example, Hilton International) and the rest of the embassies (the first one, as already mentioned, in Shiloh), including the United States, Britain and Switzerland.

The most popular among tourists is Sukhumvit: those who come to Bangkok live mainly here. The name of the district was given to its main street, which then begins the road leading to the southeast to the border with Cambodia. The main feature of the area: there are few busy intersections, the central street is crossed only by small streets, almost always ending in a dead end. They practically do not have traffic (despite the fact that the Sukhumvit highway is quite noisy and wide), but a lot - if not to say the lion's part - of the metropolitan go-go bars and pubs. Therefore it is not surprising that at night their life is boiling. 

 

Shopping in Bangkok

Shopping is an integral part of the life of Bangkok. In addition to numerous souvenirs, jewelry is usually bought, Thai silk, leather goods, tailored clothes, antiques, teak, ceramics and bronze products are sold all over the world. Each tourist, as a rule, seeks to bring home the living Thai orchids and strange fruits. For shopping in Bangkok, there are all the possibilities: small shops on the wholesale markets in Bo Bei and Pratunam, wholesale warehouses and sales offices selling clothes and shoes, in the vicinity of the Mahanak channel, the largest shopping complexes in the area of Rachada Street. Separately, mention the large supermarkets Yaohan, Robinson, Zen, and Tokyo - they are located next to each other, unlike similar department stores scattered throughout the city. 

 

Restaurants in Bangkok

Bangkok - a real paradise for gourmets. In Thai cuisine, the greatest choice of delicious dishes from fresh seafood. Fish, crabs, huge lobsters and tiger shrimps can be cooked both in an acute (Thai) version and in accordance with the recipes of European cuisine. Impressive is not only the variety of menus but also the abundance of all kinds of restaurants - from simple street to elegant and expensive. For example, on Rachada Street there is a world-famous open-air restaurant Tum Nuk Thai, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest in the world. It occupies such a large area that the waiters are forced to move on roller skates. And since Tum Nuk Thai can accommodate 1200 visitors at the same time, this establishment is simply ideal for organizing mass parties and the reception of tourist groups. 

 

We provide a list of several good restaurants -

Indian cuisine:  Indian dishes are best served in Indian Hut (311 / 2-5 Suriwongse Rd, tel .: 02-635-7876-7, 02-237-8799); unsurpassed Chinese food is served in Mei Jiang (the Peninsula Bangkok, 333 Charoen Nakom Rd, Thonburi, tel .: 02-861-2888), Shang Palace (at the Shangri-La Hotel), Silk Road (in the Plaza Athenee Hotel), The Chinese Restaurant (at Grand Hyatt Erawan); Sea delicacies are offered in Scoozi (160 Sribumpen Condo Home, Soi Sribumpen, Yannawa, tel .: 02-240-2070) and Seafood Palace (348 Sukhumvit Road, Asoke Square, tel .: 02-653-1145); according to the traditions of European cuisine, is prepared at the International Beerhouse (6 Soi 23 Sukhumvit Road, tel .: 02-661-7591), Tilac Restaurant (38 Soi 1 Sukhumvit Road, tel .: 02-255-6881), Le Banyan (59 Sukhumvit Soi 8, tel .: 02-253-5556), Le Cafe Siam (4 Soi Aksorn, Chua Ploeng Rd, tel .: 02-671-0030-1), Angelini Restaurant & Bar (at the Shangri-La Hotel). 

 

Nightlife in Bangkok

As for entertainment, there are no problems in the capital of Thailand: here and traditional Thai dances, and cocktail bars, and karaoke, and discos. But the taste of real nightlife can be known only as Khao San Road (Khao San Road) and in Patpong (Patpong). At Kao San Road, many European youth and lovers of night recreation, however, do not regard this street as a mere crowd of places, there are also good restaurants, a night bazaar, and shops. Here you can meet not only tourists but also local residents. You can have dinner, and talk at a table in a cafe until the morning, and have fun, finding entertainment to your liking. In Patpong are concentrated mainly go-go-bars.