Thailand is a country that is full of surprises. It offers what is most modern and trendy about the world, and what is most traditional and even ancient. Side by side exist the old and the new, the jetsetter and the proud owner of a street stall in the family for forty years, on the same corner, serving the same rice with chicken and basil. Thailand is beauty and filth, splendor and squalor, kindness and coldness, rich and poor.

To explore Bangkok is to explore Asia at its most raw and unspoiled. The modern world has more than intruded upon Thailand -- it has torn it apart, redefined it -- but what is unique and most native to the country still exists and persists in spite of the intrusion of the modern world upon it. That is what is so fascinating about Thailand. You can experience what Asia was fifty and even two hundred and fifty years ago, and you can experience what Asia is becoming and will be in the future. The unabashed addiction to progress is everywhere, in its ultra-modern and very new mass transit rail system, its unique and varied skyscrapers, its unbearable and stubborn traffic, dirty air, and dedication to the art of entertaining the tourist. You can spend a week in Bangkok touring the ancient sites and modern wonders, or you can spend months on end seeking out the less travelled destinations hidden away in its mountains and islands. But whatever you decide, you will feel inspired, safe, and often in awe.

Bangkok is the capital of Thailand and its main tourist attraction. A bustling city of approximately 6 million people, the pace is constant, frenetic and fantastic. Food is ever present and you are greeted by a kaleidoscope of colours, smells and tastes where you can eat at street side vendors (don’t worry, people have rarely become sick) or at one of the world’s finest restaurants -- and enjoy them equally for the cuisine and the experience. Thais love buffets, and almost every hotel offers an extravagant one at very modest cost. The best can be found at the Shangri-La, with their amazing barbeque buffet served poolside daily, or at the Landmark (less costly, but no less impressive). For sheer taste factor, the Peninsula serves up a buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner that you will not soon forget. There is a restaurant for every budget, serving cusine of every country, with Asian cuisines being the most common. There is one thing true about every meal in Bangkok -- you'll never have a bad one, regardless of price.