One of the first surprises about Bangkok is that the city is not called Bangkok in the Thai language. It is called Krung Thep (‘the City of the Angels’) and the name Bangkok refers strictly to only a small part of the city. These days most Thais understand what foreigners mean when they say “Bangkok”, but it is also useful for us to understand what Thais mean when they say “Krung Thep”.

Thais have deep respect and love for the monarchy and portraits of His Majesty King Bhumibol and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit are proudly displayed across the Kingdom.

Bangkok is unusual in that it is difficult to say where the heart of the city lies, although, if forced to choose, one would probably opt for the oldest part, around the Grand Palace. That is, after all, where King Rama I established the City Pillar and his own residence in 1782, when he moved the capital from the west (Thonburi) to the east side of the river. Good views of Bangkok can be had from the top of the Baiyoke Sky Hotel which is open to visitors and will help you find your bearings.

Large roads such as Silom or Sukhumvit are called thanon often shortened to Th. Side streets are called soi. Sois are numbered, with even numbers on one side and odd ones on the other. Many sois have an additional name for example Soi 3 is "Soi Nana" and has the address "25 Soi Nana". Some short alleys are called trok.

Some of the larger streets such as Sukhumvit change names at different stages and for example is called Sukhumvit on one side of the tollway and changes to Ploenchit just at Thanon Witthayu and then Thanon Rama I. A good landmark is the Chao Phyra River as it passes around most of the tourist areas.

Bangkok is a large city and has distinct areas that will meet your particular needs.

Khao San Road, where so many budget travellers stay, lies just north of, but outside the limits of, the old city, but within a few minutes walk of many of the interesting sights. Here one can find cheap to medium priced accommodation of all types and qualities in a street of restaurants, travel agents, souvenir shops, taxi drivers and hawkers of fake student cards. It is also a good place to look for onward tickets and for useful information. North of this area, incidentally, the old markets still exist, especially near the banks of the river. They have just been pushed back a little by the foreign influence. Made famous in the film "The Beach"

To the south-east of the old city and west of Hualampong Station lies an extensive and interesting Chinatown full of crowded, narrow streets. Many of the Chinese shops deal in gold and jewellery, but there are also fabric merchants, food stores, Chinese hotels and many other types of businesses. Visit the "Thieves market" with its antiques, many of which are reproductions. The largest Chinese temple is Wat Mangkon Kamalawat.

Moving south-east along Rama IV Road we come to an area named Patpong. This district is an odd mixture of sexy bars and nightclubs and airline offices, but rather more famous (or infamous) for the former. Patpong is the name of two roads running the short distance between Surawong Road and Silom Road and these two roads are just packed with bars, which start to wake up in the early evening and continue all through the night. It is an interesting area to wander through in the evening with a market in the middle.

North of Patpong is the Siam Square area. This is the high class district of Bangkok where many of the first class hotels can be found, together with expensive restaurants and department stores selling luxury imported goods. Everything here is modern and clean. Siam Square is linked to the Skytrain.

Running away from Siam Square to the east and then turning south-east, and eventually south, is Sukhumvit Road. This road actually continues for several hundred kilometres, but you do not need to go that far to find the collection of moderately-priced hotels which makes this a popular area for travellers to stay. With the hotels patronised principally by overseas customers, restaurants catering to foreign needs have sprung up, together with plenty of bars, frequented by plenty of bar girls. There are bookshops selling foreign language books and newspapers, together with numbers of travel agents.

In fact, the old city is not so very old, especially in comparison with many other towns in Thailand, but it is full of temples, palaces and monuments, making it a most interesting place. The limits are easily defined, for King Rama I used the Chao Phraya River as the western boundary of Bangkok and then dug a canal to define the eastern boundary. Thus he had created an artificial island easily defensible if necessary. The atmosphere of this area is historic. It is not primarily a residential district. It is an area of temples, government offices and official institutions and an area containing the most important of the city's sights.