BANGKOK

Bangkok can be all things to all people. Essentially a paradox in its blend of old and new, of traditional Oriental splendour overlaid with a modern Western facade, the Thai capital defies easy definition. Yet the inescapable fact is that the city is ultimately totally enchanting, "impossible to resist", as travel writer Pico Iyer has remarked. The endearing attraction springs in large part from
the city keeping its essence even in the wake of massive modern development. It may in part echo other great cities, but an immutable "Thainess" nonetheless prevails so that Bangkok is Bangkok in the same way as Gertrude Stein's rose was a rose.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, whileat the end of 1999 the Skytrain mass transit system was completed and now, soon to be finished, is the subway. The ultimate impact of all the development is that
Bangkok is now better than it has ever been - it's 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. Travellers who remember the city of old - like the days when it could take a couple or more hours to get into
town from the airport - will be agreeably surprised with
how Bangkok appears today, a city now reached from the airport in half an hour or less. 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. Amazingly, in the midst of dynamic growth, the city Bangkok manages to preserve its culturalheritage to a marked degree. In the Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the Temple of the Dawn and the city's other evocative historic sights the visitor is presented with a picture of medieval Oriental wonder, the very stuff of Eastern fairytales. And contained within Bangkok's
monuments and museums are treasures of the nation's artistic and cultural endeavour that typify the land and the people. Perhaps what ultimately makes Bangkok so much fun is the comfort it affords, with every modern convenience offered as the perfect complement to the historical and cultural.

Party Time

All the major hotels can create exciting theme parties to suit your requirements. Or you might like to organize something really special. How about treating something really special. How about treating your guests to a Royal Afternoon with a Garden Party at Suan Pakkad Palace museum, a cultural extravaganza at either Her Mahesty Queen Sirikit's Bang Sai Royal Handicrafts Center or The Rose Garden.Other exclusive venues that are available for theme parties are Kamthieng House, The Royal Thai Navy Covent ion Hall and the privately owned Prasat Museu