Bangkok

Country:	Thailand
Time Difference:	7 hour(s)
Flight time from UK:	12 hrs
Visa required:	No
Currency:	Baht
Health advice:	Hepatitis A, Malaria & Typhoid recommended. Yellow Fever depending on the area visited.

Bangkok is blend of old and new, of traditional Oriental splendour overlaid with a modern Western facade. During the past two decades the Thai capital has undergone more change than probably at any other period during its history. What had been reasonably steady growth from the city's founding in 1782 up to the mid 20th century surged spectacularly in the 1980s and '90s. Fuelled by a highly successful export drive and foreign investment, the Thai economy boomed at that time, resulting in unprecedented infrastructure development. Concrete and glass high-rises reshaped the skyline and multi-lane expressways re-mapped the city's thoroughfares, while at the end of 1999 the Skytrain mass transit system was completed and now, soon to be finished, is the subway. Most flights into Thailand touch down at the new Bangkok International Airport which is located 15 miles east of downtown. The impact of the development is that Bangkok is now greener, it's more comfortable to experience and it's quicker and simpler to get around town. Popular destinations, such as the Weekend Market, are now much easier to visit, while the Skytrain also provides convenient links to and from many major hotels around town. Amid all the new development, however, Bangkok is still a city of temples and palaces, of golden spires and orange tiered roofs, of saffron-robed monks and serene Buddha images.