Bangkok info
Bangkok facts: Despite the opening in 1999 of the two-line sky train and the metro system in 2005, Bangkok continues to suffer from chronic traffic congestion, which usually starts as early as 6:30 am and lasts until 10 am, it starts again at 3:30 when schools are let out and may continue well into the evening. Late in the rainy season (September and October) flood waters from the North create particular havoc, especially when combined with high tides and tropical storms.
Bangkok facts: The area of Rattanokosin Isle and Banglamphu are part of the Royal quarter and contain many of the most popular attractions, such as the Grand Palace, Wat Po and National Museum – therefore no mass transit systems have been permitted to penetrate the area. They can only be reached by bus routes and taxi or boat.
Bangkok facts: The Siam square and Silom areas can now be considered the city’s unofficial centre, where the transport intersects and many tourists invariably end up. Over the last three decades the ex-pat community has based itself in the areas along Sukkumvit Road which now boasts the biggest cluster of hotels, restaurants, bars and shopping areas.
Bangkok facts: Towards the end of the nineteenth century, during the reign of King Rama V, the Dusit area was laid out with broad boulevards and leafy suburbs. Today much of the government departments are based here, including Government House, as well as the Vimanmek Palace, National Assembly Hall and Chitlada Palace, Zoo and Royal Turf Club.
Bangkok facts: One of the most famous streets in Bangkok is now the backpacker magnet of Khao San Road which attracts a kaleidoscope of culture from around the world, including bemused Thais. It is one of the liveliest and busiest tourist areas of the city yet twenty years it was nothing more than a cluster of guesthouses that then found their way into the Lonely Planet and the rest is history.
Bangkok facts: One of the most tradition areas of the city, which has retained it’s old character, is Chinatown and Phahurat, where life continues in a timeless fashion. Another area that is on the tourist map for different reasons is Patpong – two streets nicknamed after the original owner in the sixties who rented the shops out to go go bar owners who wanted to cash in on the influx of Westerners (mostly GIs on R&R from the Vietnam war).
Bangkok facts: There are believed to be 200,000 US$ millionaires in Thailand and 95 percent live in Bangkok. The average factory worker salary in Bangkok is 8,000 baht ($200). A 45m² Luxury studio in the centre of the city rents for about 40,000 baht a month. You can eat a bowl of noodles from a pavement restaurant for 20 baht, but a pint of Guinness sells for 250 baht at a typical Sukkumvit bar. If you’re really feeling flush you can buy a Maserati, Bentley or Ferrari in the newly opened Siam Paragon shopping mall near Siam Square.
This is page 2 of 2. Go to Page 1: Facts on Bangkok.
