"Krung Thep" Bangkok by seagoingJLW

Bangkok is one of the safest capital cities of any third world country. And it is beautiful and exotic.

The Grand Palace with its roofs and spires and the historic temples, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of Dawn, etc, make visiting this city a wondrous adventure.

You will see saffron robed monks everywhere. Yet you also have a backgound of soaring high rise buildings.

The Chao Phraya River and the canals earned Bangkok the name "Venice of the East."

History

Thailand was a conglomeration of many city-states before Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke was invited to become the first king of the Chakri period, eventually known as King Rama I.

After Ayutthaya was burned by the Burmese army in 1767 the Thai army established Thonburi, a community of Bangkok, as the new capital. Under the rule of King Taksin the Great Thonburi flourished for 14 years.

King Taksin was overthrown by a group of his noblemen. They betrayed him and seized power while the Grand Army was waging war with Khmer. The army was led by Taksin's most beloved commander, Yodfa Chulaloke, who quickly returned and fought back. But it was too late. King Taksin and the Royal Familywere all assassinated.

The Palace, which had been located in Thonburi, was threatened by erosion and sandwiched between two monastaries which prevented expansion of its precincts.

Rama I moved the Palace to a more strategic site across the river where it stands today. The city pillar was raised on April 21, 1782 at 6:45 am. King Chulaloke ordered a moat to be dug 2 km from the Royal Palace and for a distance of 7.2 km. Today the moat is called Klong Bang Lamphu and Klong Ong Ang. Walls 3.6 meters high and 2.7 meters thick were built with 16 gates and 16 forts. Two of the forts, Fort Mahakan and Fort Phrasumen, remain today.

Foreignors had been expelled from Thailand in 1688. They started coming back to Bangkok in the 1830's. By 1860 many European countries as well as North America had trade treaties with Bangkok.

King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910) was responsible for the modernization of the city and the country.

Memorial Bridge was constructed in 1932 to connect Thonburi to Bangkok.

Miscellaneous Information

The official name of Bangkok is really:
Krungthep Maha Nakorn Amorn Ratanakosindra Mahindrayudhya, Mahadilokpop Noparatana Rajthani Burirom Udom Rajnivet Mahastan Amorn Pimarn Avatarn Satit Sakkatuttiya Vishnukarm Prasit.
Would you believe it?

• Pros:Wonderful palaces and temples
• Cons:Traffic, crowds and the filthy river.
• In a nutshell:Great for sightseeing and for food.