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Bangkok, known to Thai people as Krung Thep, is the Capital of Thailand and home to at least 6 million people. Add in the drifters and the tourists, over 400 hundred temples, countless cars and high rise buildings and you have one of Asia's busiest and brashest cities.
The first impression of any visitor arriving at Bangkok's airport is the rush of humidity, smog and noise which assaults the senses. Then comes a grinding hour or two crawling through an endless mess of traffic before arriving at one's lodgings and winning a brief respite from the bustle.
Bangkok is blessed with friendly people, incredible sights and temples, good shopping and eating and an uninhibited nightlife. The city is also cursed with traffic problems, pollution, grinding poverty for many and run down services. Despite of or perhaps because of these contrasts it is a fascinating place to explore.
Although Bangkok is a modern city with western style hotels and luxuries, behind the facade of money and modern facilities it is still a very much Thai city and operates accordingly. Western concepts of time and order become irrelevant - people jokingly refer to "Thai time" - a concept which explains why no one really worries about arriving on time.
It may be that nothing happens on time or gets done the way you expect it to - the trick is too learn not to let this worry you because the Thai people you deal with certainly won't.
Bangkok is a friendly city despite its size and crowds and if you can overcome the language barriers you will make many new friends. The city has its fair share of hustlers however so be sure to walk away from offers of "tour guide" or "shopping" from people who approach you on the street.
The city is easily accessible by air and is a major travel hub for the region. From Bangkok you can access many major Thai regional cities by air and all of the country by bus and train. Hotel prices are so low you can afford to stay in 5 star hotels which are extremely cheap by international standards.
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HOTEL RESERVATIONS 
