THAILAND: Bangkok
Get ready to be wowed. Bangkok's got spirit. It's got verve. And it's got enough mind-boggling contrasts to keep your head spinning for a month. Dazzling temples that have glittered through the ages sit in the shadow of slick, new-age skyscrapers. Saffron-robed monks share pavement space with suited and booted city slickers. And barrow-pushing old women serve pad thai by the plateful beside chi chi restaurants loved by the rich and famous. Make no mistake about it, a trip to this city will go down as one of the most exotic and chaotic experiences of your life. Now, first things first, if you want sights to sigh for, cast your eyes over the glittering spires of the Grand Palace. It's here you'll find the royal temple, Wat Phra Kaeo, whose intricate walls harbour a small but beautiful emerald Buddha with a 14th-century birthdate. Then call in at Wat Pho, Bangkok's biggest temple. It's famous for its gigantic gold leaf Buddha whose feet alone measure a whopping three metres. Fancy a shopping spree? Well besides the usual air-conditioned malls and designer boutiques, there are some more unusual venues well worth checking out. You can hop in a boat and glide into the great tangle of vessels that is the famous floating market. You can hit Patpong's night market and haggle 'til midnight. Or you can get yourself along to Chatuchak, a weekend affair where 15,000 stalls are scattered across 35 acres. Retail therapy aside, when the sun goes down, Bangkok stirs like a great slumbering beast. One by one, dazzling pockets of neon light up all over the city until it feels like you're looking through a great big kaleidoscope. From uber-trendy cocktail lounges to those eye-opening go go bars – you'll find it all on offer here. And as for the food, well, simply put, Bangkok has no rival when it comes to eating, and you'll find restaurants to suit every palate and pocket. That said, some of the finest food comes from the vendors. So, eat on the street. Take a white-knuckle tuk tuk ride. Sail the snaking Chao Phraya river. And soak up as many sights, sounds and adventures as you can in this cheeky slice of South East Asia. There's nowhere quite like it.
Beaches
An inland city, Bangkok doesn't have beaches, but Pattaya, 95 miles southeast, has a sprawling 3km stretch of snow-white sand that softly dissolves into tranquil turquoise waters. Backed by tropical greenery and a tree-lined promenade, this coast is popular for snorkelling and watersports and is laced with restaurants, bars and shops.
Eating out
Bangkok is a city full of food sensations from fiery Thai cuisine with its fusion of spices and sweet and sour flavours to dishes from every country across the globe including Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Arabic, Italian and French. Whether you choose from good value food courts, riverside restaurants, authentic teak pavilions or try the roadside stalls - Bangkok offers a unique eating experience. Sample classic Thai dishes, such as Khao Mok Gai, chicken with yellow rice and fried garlic or Pak Thai, fried noodle with peanuts, shallots, dried shrimp and tofu, perhaps accompanied by a spicy green papaya salad. Speciality seafood features on many menus including Barracuda, Lobster and Snapper, often served with fragrant sauces and try sweet infused desserts like coconut cream and rice, flavoured with jasmine essence. Specialities like fried grasshoppers, cockroaches, beetles, ants eggs fried with garlic, and various grubs are not for the faint-hearted!
Nightlife
A glittering nightlife awaits you in Bangkok with anything from Thai boxing matches and night markets to cultural shows and pulsating nightclubs. Much of Bangkok's nightlife is around Patpong and Soi Cowboy - vibrant, hectic streets brimming with cocktail bars, restaurants and filled with people throughout the night and evenings here have a very relaxed ambience with the main aim being fun whatever your plans. Don't miss the captivating night market between Silom Road and Suriwong Road where you can buy counterfeit goods and gifts or book an evening of culture where you can dine to classical Thai dance performances.
Shopping
Arguably the best shopping in Asia, you'll be spoilt for choice in Bangkok from gleaming chrome and marble shopping centres to smiling street vendors and bustling market places. Whether you're seeking designer labels, bespoke tailoring with a whirlwind turnaround, flea markets full of unique treasures, local handicrafts or aromatic food markets, the city is a bargain hunter's paradise. Wander the colourful street bazaars and the weekend market at Chatuchak Park - the largest indoor market in the world, buy gold in Chinatown and browse the furniture in Thieves' Market. Good buys include silk, precious metals, gems such as rubies and sapphires, pearls, painted umbrellas and fans, ceramics, wickerwork, woodcarvings and leather goods.
Local information
Discover Bangkok's legendary temples from Wat Trimitr with its five and a half ton solid gold Buddha, to Wat Banjamaborpitr made of dazzling white marble. The Grand Palace is Bangkok's most famous landmark a glittering walled complex adorned with exquisite tiles and ceramic and home to the sacred Temple of the Emerald Buddha, covered with jade. Take an exhilarating boat ride along the canal, passing snapshots of traditional teak houses and exotic orchards, to the Damnoen Saduak floating market filled with small vessels ready to stop and barter with you for their tropical fruits, coconut juice and bowls of steaming nooles. Wind your way through the oldest part of the city where Bangkok becomes the Venice of the East with its labyrinthine canals or travel to the famous Bridge over the River Kwai, a moving scene and an area of natural beauty with wooded mountains and atmospheric valleys.
