Bangkok

514,000 km²
(12.4x the Netherlands)

UTC +7

Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, English

Doi Inthanon - 2,590 m

The first official flag was adopted in 1855 by King Rama IV. A white elephant on a red background. The current flag dates from 1917 and exists of five horizontal stripes in the colors red, white, blue, white and red. The middle blue strip is twice as wide as the other four. The three colors red, white and blue consecutively symbolize the nation, religion and the king.

The baht is the currency of Thailand and originally stands for a weight of 15 grams of silver. Until 1925, the silver tical was used, which had a weight of 15 grams. Depicted on the banknote is king Bhumibol (Rama IX). He was king of Siam and Thailand from 1946 until his death in 2016 making him the longest reigning king in the world.

Bangkok is located on the Chao Phraya River. King Taksin founded his capital Thonburi on the west bank after the fall of Ayutthaya. His successor Chakri, King Rama I, moved the capital to the east bank to Rattakosin island. During the early days of the city most people lived on the river or channels. Usually in floating houses. The waterways were the main way of transporting goods and farmers who depended on it for irrigation. These channels are one of Bangkok's main attractions. Visit Yaowarat road in Chinatown in the evening and line-up with the locals at the numerous food stands. For nightlife visit Rambuttri alley an Khaosan road, just north of the Grand Palace.

Bangkok has beautiful temple complexes. What Arun (temple of Dawn) is located at the west bank of the Chao Praya River. This Buddhist temple complex is named after the Hindu God Aruna, God of the Dawn. The temple was built during the reign of Rama I and II. The temple has a central tower (prang) which is 86 meters high. The temple is richly decorated with pieces of porcelain.

Wat Pho is the largest and oldest Buddhist temple in Bangkok and is known for its reclining Buddha. It is 46 meters long and 15 meters high. The 80,000 m² site contains 91 chedis (stupas), 4 viharas (hall) and a bot (central shrine). 71 smaller chedis contain the ashes of the royal family and the remaining 21 larger ones contain the ashes of Buddha. The 16 entrance gates are guarded by stone Chinese giants which were originally used as ballast on merchant ships. The temple is also the birthplace of traditional Thai massage.

The easiest transport in Bangkok are the numerous colorful taxis. They are rather cheap. Traffic is quiet on weekends. From Monday through Friday there is always a large traffic jam of vehicles into town. A nice way to discover the city is a bike ride with the Co van Kessel company through the narrow alleys of Chinatown and the quieter part across the Chao phraya River, Thonburi. You will also visit some beautiful, lesser known temples such as the Chao zhou shi kong, dedicated to a Chinese monk from Fujian and on the other side of the river, in Thonburi, Wat Kalayanamit with his seated 15 meter high Buddha.

One of the most beautiful beaches in Krabi province is Railay beach. The area is closed off from the rest of Krabi by karst mountains so it can only be reached by boat. From a viewpoint on the rocks on the south side you have a beautiful view of the peninsula. The climb to the viewpoint is very steep and runs between tree roots and dried mud. Thick ropes are fixed along the route as an aid. When it has rained, the climb is not recommended (very slippery) and your clothes will get orange from the mud. At the eastern beach you have a good chance to see the spectacled monkey (Dusky) and hornbills. When you take the boat back to Ao Nang after six in the evening the boat will be a little bit more expensive.

Khao Sok Natl. Park in Surat Thani Province was established in 1980. The park measures 739 km² and includes the 165 km² Cheow Lan lake. This is an artificial lake which supplies the south with electricity. The Ratchaprapha Dam was completed in 1987. It took about a year to flood the area. 385 families were resettled. Eye-catchers in the lake are three karst formations called Khao Sam Kloe. The Khao Sok Natl. Park also includes the largest jungle area in southern Thailand which is older and more diverse than the Amazon rainforest. The park is crossed by a limestone mountain range which is 950 meters at its highest point. It is the wettest area in Thailand with up to 3,500 mm of annual rainfall.

The Phi Phi islands are a few hours by boat from Krabi or Phuket. The small island, Ko Phi Phi Le, is not inhabited. It is known for Maya bay where the movie 'The beach' with Leonardo DiCaprio was shot. The beach was recently closed because it was overrun by tourists. There are several snorkeling spots around the island. It is a beautiful island where many speedboats and longtail boats visit. Especially in the Pileh lagoon it is bursting with boats. The resorts are located on Ko Phi Phi Don, the big island. Ko Phi Phi Don has been populated since the 1940s by Muslim fishermen and later it became a coconut plantation.

Ao Phang Nga Natl. Park was founded in 1981. Most of the park consists of part of the Andaman Sea dotted with many karst islands with limestone towers. The most famous of these is Ko Ta pu, also known as "James Bond Island "because it was used as the location for the 1974 James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. The rock is about 20 meters high and is located about 40 meters from the shore of the island of Khao Phing Kan. To admire the rock in full splendor you have to go ashore there. It's a very touristic small island. Ko Panyi is a fishing village on stilts under a high rock. It is almost half an hour away by boat from James bond island. The population consists of 360 families with 1,685 persons who descended from two seafaring Muslim families from Java. The settlement was established in the late 18th century. The village has a floating soccer field. Children built up the field from old wood and fishing rafts. As of 2011, Panyee FC is one of the most successful youth soccer clubs in Southern Thailand, and the boys who built the field in 1986 are now adult men. They won the Young Youth soccer Championships of 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010.