Bangkok is without a doubt one of my favorite cities in Asia, it offers everything one can imagine: impressive cultural heritage, numerous golden temples, street food to lick your fingers, fun nightlife…. It‘s also a city full of contrasts where old Thailand meets the super modern skyscrapers. These are some photos that I have selected from my trips to the Thai capital. I hope they inspire and encourage you to discover this exciting city.
Interestingly Bangkok is not the official name of the city but instead is called in Thai Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep. With over 8 million inhabitants in the city and around 14 in the metropolitan area, it is the capital and most populated city in Thailand. The city dates back to the 15th century and after many transformations has become a fast growing economic hub.
Bangkok is among the most popular tourist destinations worldwide and annually attracts millions of tourists as it has a lot to offer whatever you are looking for. The top things to see and do are the royal palace (pictured below), as well as a multitude of temples such as Wat Arun or Wat Pho, the numerous floating markets, Muay Thai fighting, visiting the floating markets … There are also many short trips that can be organized from Bangkok such as the visit to the ancient ruins of Ayutthaya (in right).
The nightlife is also one of highlights of the city since it has numerous discos and bars, but best of all it has fun people willing to have a good time. On the other hand, it must be taken into account that sadly Thailand in general has a great problem associated with sex tourism and that this is very normalized in the party scene. As for the areas with the most active nightlife, most tourists and backpackers stay and party in the area near Kao Shan Street, the mecca for all backpackers who come to this part of the world. However, there are many more places to go to enjoy a drink, such as its numerous Sky Bars or other bar streets such as the Patpong area with a street more focused on the LGBT + community.
Religion is undoubtedly a fundamental pillar of Thai society and it draws much attention to visitors who are not used to Buddhist beliefs, temples and aesthetics. To me, it’s one of the most curious aspects since architecture and beliefs are unique to the country and religious elements can be found everywhere.
To sum up, Bangkok is a very fun city as well as culturally, gastronomically or socially interesting. I personally recommend it to everyone as you will find everything, it’s also very easy to get to as it has connections to all the countries in the area and is the perfect entrance to Southeast Asia.
