Sawatdi Khrap! Welcome to the metropolis of Bangkok, one of Southeast Asia's most thriving com?mercial centres. To help you get the most from your visit, and to make your stay as pleasant as possible, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration extends to you an invitation to browse through this Amazing Bangkok Metropolis and learn something about the city and its residents. To make it easier to check on those aspects which most often come to mind, we have set out some of the more essential items of information in paragraph form.
BANGKOK IN BRIEF Many first-time visitors to Bangkok have little idea of what they will actually encounter. Bangkok metropolis, home to around eight million residents, is a sophisticated, fast-growing and, on occasions, traffic-dogged city. Referred to today as the City of Angels (Krung Thep in Thai), Bangkok was once called the Venice of the East because of its many canals. Although many
canals have been filled-in, taking away some of the city's old-world charm, it is still one of the most intriguing places worth visiting in Southeast Asia. Many visitors keep coming back to the city, some for business, some for vacations and some even to settle down here. With-
out doubt, modern-day Bangkok is a tourist mecca of the East offering a greater variety of things to see and do than any other city in Southeast Asia.
Established in 1782 as Thailand's capital, the official, full name of the city is probably Ie longest in the world: Krung hep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin lahinthara Ayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon PimanAwatan Sathit Sakkathatthiya Vitsanukam Prasit.
Bangkok, City If Angels, offers an bundance of sights and attractions for tourists and is famous for its Buddhist Temples (Wats) including the famous Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo), adjacent to the Grand Palace. This temple, and other beautiful examples of carefully preserved Thai architecture, are referred to in more details in our section on day tours.
Bangkok, located in the centre of the country, is also an excellent stepping-off point for visiting other parts of Thailand.
Although the measured pace of old Siam is now a thing of the past, the country's rich cultural and natural heritage still survives.
Hotel accommodation in the city covers a variety of price ranges but all offer high standards of service presented by friendly staff. The city probably has the highest concen tration of luxury hotels to be found anywhere in the world.
Today, hotels and shopping venues offer amazing bargains following the depreciation of the Thai baht currency in 1997 And for those in search of bargains, Bangkok has excellen examples of Thai handicrafts; Thai antiques; paintings; T-shirts; high-fashion accessorie high-grade Thai silks and highquality jewellery.
Our section on Amazing Shopping direct: you to some of th best spots in the city for bargainhunting.
The city alsi boasts a cornucc pia of mexpensr restaurants featuring moutl: watering dishes from all regions Thailand and internationalcuisine from just about erywhere in the world. Many gourmets of Thai food, now rated No.5 in the world's culinary top ten, consider Bangkok to be on a par with Hong Kong for gastronomic experiences.
The city offers a boad variety of restaurants, ranging from simple noodle stands to the most egant dining rooms. Visitors from Europe and North America who consider themselves connoisseurs of Thai food will find Bangkok a astronomic paradise!
Despite the country's co nomic downturn, Thai eople continue to be out wardly friendly, greeting visitors with their usual gracious hospitality and sincere expressions of friendship - traits which have earned Thailand the title of "Land of Smile". And this is no gimmick as you will discover by the time you have to leave Thailand.
When the time comes, we hope you will leave the city of Bangkok feeling a deep warmth for its many charms and tind it fascinating enough to enable us to welcome you back again and again.
GEOGRAPHY Located in the centre of the country, quite close to the Gulf of Thailand, the greater Bangkok Metropolis (including the former capital of Thonburi on the other side of the Chao Phraya River) covers an area of 1,600 square kilometres. The city is situated right in the middle of the rice bowl of Asia, also known as ChaoPhraya River Delta.
CLIMATE AND SEASONSIf you like it hot, Bangkok is the place for you.
Average temperatures rarely dip below 25 degrees Celsius during the city's three seasons. Between November and February the weather is warm and dry with tempera¬tures from 19 to 33 degrees Celsius; March-May is hot with temperatures rising to as high as 42 degrees, and from June te October (rainy season) it is warm and sometimes wet, but never cold. Even the rain is warm!
December is the peak tourist month but if you want t avoid the crowds and enjoy offseason hotel rates, come duri the summertime. The sumn monsoon season may carry some heavy rains but these quite often occur during late evening and overnight and a unlikely to spoil your enjoy¬ment. However, take note tl August and September are tl wettest months so visitors an recommended to take the weather into account when planning a trip to Bangkok.
POPULATION Bangkok's resident population is said to total some eight million people, represent¬ing approximately thirteen percent of Thailand's total population.
Most residents are ethnic Thais with around twenty-five percent of the city's inhabitants being Chinese or of Chinese descent. Chinese influence is strong, particularly in the business sector. The second largest group is of Indian descent, whose heritage can be traced to northern India. The city is also home to illegal immigrants from Burma, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
RELIGIONBuddhism is the prevailing religion in Thailand and around 95% of the popula
tion are Buddhists. Muslims consti¬tute around four percent of the population and live mostly in the southern provinces bordering Malaysia. There are also small Hindu and Christian communities Since Buddha statues and images represent the Buddha, visitors are asked to behave respectfully to all statues and images so as not to cause offence to local people. It is illegal to take any Buddhist statues out of Thailand without the express permission of the Fine Arts Department.
MONEYThe Thai currency is made up of baht and satangs. Com¬monly used coins are 25-satang, 50-satang, 1 baht, 5 baht and 10 baht denominations. There are different sizes of 1 and 5 baht coins in circulation so be careful when you count your money. Banknotes, which are printed in both Thai and ask for some small notes when changing money.
Banks are open fror 9:30 hours to 15:30 hour. during weekdays. In Bangkok, you will find many of the banks have foreign exchange service open until late in the Western numerals, increase in size according to value and are in different colours: 10 baht is brown; 20 baht green; 50 baht blue; 100 baht red; 500 baht purple and 1,000 baht grey /beige. I t is difficul t to change large notes in some market areas, so remember to evening every day, particular! in popular tourists spots. travellers' cheques give the highest rate of exchange. The American dollars is the most widely-accepted foreign currency, but most other maj foreign currencies can be exchanged at ianks. Payments by credit cards are becoming increasingly .ornmon at most major tourist ipots and in most hotels and good-class restaurants.
TOURIST INFORMATION The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) sponsors a number of useful publications about Bangkok and the rest of Thailand including its own Holiday Time in Thailand. Tourist publications about the country provide useful information about things to see and do along with a useful calendar of festivals and events taking place in Bangkok and throughout the country.
GETTING AROUND Getting around in Bangkok can prove perplexing for newly-arrived visitors, but once you become acquainted with the bus system, you can go to just about any place in the city. If you have appointments to keep, allow extra time to cope with the traffic congestion, which occurs during peak hours in several parts of town.
Visitors are recommended to try the Chao Phraya Express Boat System and, if you take to the roads, you will find the metered taxis quite reasonably price. The Open-Air Motor-tricycles (called Tuk-Tuk or Samlor) are good for short distances if you want to avoid being exposed to automobile exhaust fumes.
LANGUAGE The Thai language is tonal with each syllable having five different tones (high, rising, falling, middle and low). The meanings relate to the level of the tones used. Verbs have no tenses and most words are monosyllabic. There are also a number of regional dialects which can be confusing even to the locals.
Although English is not generally spoken, many Thai students understand and speak English to a certain degree anc they could prove helpful durin your stay in Bangkok.
Some visitors find Thai language one of the world's most difficult to learn but, wit a little practice, most visitors can pick up a few useful word: or phrases. Please see Append USEFUL THAI WORDS AND PHRASES.
Sawatdi Khrap! Welcome to the metropolis of Bangkok, one of Southeast Asia's most thriving com?mercial centres. To help you get the most from your visit, and to make your stay as pleasant as possible, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration extends to you an invitation to browse through this Amazing Bangkok Metropolis and learn something about the city and its residents. To make it easier to check on those aspects which most often come to mind, we have set out some of the more essential items of information in paragraph form. 
