Bangkok has dominated Thailand's urban
hierarchy as well as its political, commercial and cultural life since the late
18th century. Although you can shop in air-conditioned comfort in its
Western-style malls, the city is a long way from being tamed by commercial
homogeneity. Bangkok proper seethes on the east side of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya
(Chao Phraya River), drawing rural Thai folk into its cluttered fold daily. The
city is reportedly sinking at a rate of 5cm (2in) every year, but there's too
much sànùk (a Thai sense of fun) going on for that to get anyone down.
Bangkok boasts of some of the world's best hotels. Oriental Bangkok and Shangri-La have consistently figured in Travel and Leisure Magazine's top hotels of the world.