The complete name of Bangkok is composed of more than twenty words, which when translated mean “City of angels, the great city, the city of eternal joy, the impenetrable city of the god Indra, the magnificent capital of the world adorned in precious gems, the happy city that abounds in the colossal Royal Palace, which is like the divine home where the reincarnated gods reign, a city blessed by Indra and built for Vishnukam”.

Bangkok, the largest and most populated metropolis of Southeast Asia with its almost 10 million inhabitants, is climbing the toward the top of the list of the most extensive and busiest cities on the planet.

Located on the banks of the Chao Praya River, up until 1782 Bangkok was like any other town. Since then, thanks also to the fact that King Rama I made it the capital of Siam, it began its commercial, political and diplomatic climb.

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Khao San Road (ถนนข้าวสาร, in Thai) is a road that’s approximately 400 meters long in the Phra Nakhon district. Located in the western part of Bangkok, this neighborhood became famous for its Rattanakosin area, which the locals call “Rattanakosin Island”.

The name comes from the fact that the area has the shape of a small island: in the southwestern part it’s surrounded by the Chao Praya River while in the northeast two artificial canals have been built – Saphan Lek and Khlong Rop Krung.

The birth of Rattanakosin Island goes back to 1782, when King Rama I of the Kingdom of Siam decided to move his capital from the Thonburi area south of the river (where the famous Wat Arun Temple stands today), to the north at Rattanakosin. This era is considered to be the fourth after the kingdoms of Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, and Thonburi.

Besides changing the location of the capital, King Rama I (the first monarch of the Chakri Dynasty and once a war general) also had the artificial canals built so as to protect the entire area around the royal palace. As a result, the Chinese merchants that lived there were forced to move into the area that today is called “Chinatown”.

Thanks to its history, these days the area of Rattanakosin is what contains the highest number of tourist attractions in the city:

• the great royal palace (Wat Phra Kaew);
• the temple of the reclining Buddha (called Wat Pho);
• the city Pillar Shrine;
• the Giant Swing;
• the national and royal theaters;
• the national and Siam museums;
• the Rama VIII bridge;
• Santi Chai Prakan park with the Phra Sumen fort inside;
• the Rama I, Rama III, and democracy monuments;
• several Buddhist temples (Wat Intharawihan, Wat Sam Phraya, Wat Makutkasattriyaram, Wat Bowonniwet, Wat Chana Songkhram, Wat Mahathat, Wat Ratchabophit, Wat Ratchapradit, Wat Suthat).

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In the heart of the city center, bordering with Ratchathewi, is the Pathum Wan district. This neighborhood covers the entire area that goes from the BTS stop called National Stadium, up until Ploen Chit, going down south to also include Si Lom and the metro stations from Lumphini as far as Hua Lamphong.

The name “Pathum Wan”, instituted in 1914 by the monarch of the time, is derived both from the Buddhist temple Wat Pathum Wataram (which in Thai means temple of the lotus flower), as well as the lotus pond building, Sa Pathum.

The neighborhood has a smaller population than Ratchathewi. In fact there’s no more than 50 thousand inhabitants, spread across a total of a little more than 8 square kilometers.

Bangkok is divided into 50 districts called “khet”, which in turn are subdivided into subdivisions called “khwaeng”. The area of Pathum Wan is no exception; starting from the westernmost part, you can separate them into four sub-neighborhoods: [Read more…]

One of the most stimulating areas of Bangkok is Victory Monument. As the name suggests, this area includes the area adjacent to the Victory Monument, which in Thai is called “Anu Saowari Chai Samoraphum”, and is located in the northern part of the city.

The Victory Monument rotunda has Italian origins. In the middle there’s an obelisk that was erected in 1941 and designed by the sculptor Corrado Feroci. During the 20’s, Feroci was invited to Bangkok to teach Western sculpture at the capital university. In 1944 he was even declared a Thai citizen, and from there he changed his name to “Silpa Bhirasri”.

Before the creation of the obelisk, Victory Monument was a simple rotonda with a lawn and Thai flags. The obelisk you can see today was built in the 40’s to celebrate the Thai army’s victory over French colonials and the later expansion of Thai rule into certain regions of Laos and Cambodia. After Thailand’s defeat in the Second World War, Victory Monument became a symbol of embarrassment for its people.

Today the area adjacent to the Victory Monument is considered one of the biggest transport hubs of the city. Besides the BTS line that connects the northern part of Sukhumvit to the southern part of the city, from Anu Saowari minivans also depart for nearby cities, such as Sukhothai, Ayutthaya, Pattaya, the islands of Koh Chang and Koh Samet, and also towards the floating markets of Amphawa and Damnoen Saduak.

On the two sides opposite the rotonda (the one near the shopping malls and the one near the hospital, to be clear), you can take local buses toward almost every district of the city. For a more detailed guide on how to get around by bus and minivan in Bangkok and Thailand in general, read here. [Read more…]