With an estimated population of 10 million in a country of only 64 million, Thailand's capital is the urban and cultural heart of the land: where all trends originate, where all roads meet, an exaggeration of every aspect of life in the kingdom. Choked with traffic, polluted, and corrupt, the city is also the financial capital of one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. Central Bangkok is all columns of glass and steel, hulking shopping complexes, and hotels linked at the city center by an elevated monorail, the BTS skytrain, and a slick new subway.
Bangkok was founded when King Rama I moved the city across the river from Thonburi in 1782. Today, the capital's stunning temples share space with skyscrapers and Starbucks; luxury condominiums stand stridently just a stone's throw from labyrinthine slums along dirty canals; glittering shopping malls cast their shadows over dusty open-air street bazaars. The city is less "Asian" than what many visitors often expect, but there are still gems to find in and among the new construction and suburban sprawl, and exploring Bangkok is certainly a highlight.
