The Capital of the Land of Smiles(a)|曼谷：微笑国度里的欢乐天堂

by Matthew Brown

There's a good reason Bangkok is one of the world's most popular destinations.

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is a city of excitement, adventure, and strangeness. A mix of old traditions and rapid changes, Bangkok is home to over 10 million people, while the whole country consists of 64 million. The easiest way to get around is its new public transit system, but if visitors want to stroll beyond that network, they might have trouble. Heavy traffic, intense heat, and smog make it difficult to enjoy wandering around the business districts.

Still, Bangkok is a city that has a lot of flavor. Maybe that's why it is sometimes called the Big Mango, a play on New York City's Big Apple nickname. It's a city of contrasts because it's common to see monks in bright orange robes walking down the streets next to chic businesspeople drinking expensive cups of coffee. There are stunning glass skyscrapers right beside broken-down shacks and polluted canals. Then there are attractions, such as the Grand Palace. This beautiful complex of buildings, which was started in 1782, was the palace of King Rama I when he moved the capital of Thailand to Bangkok. The Grand Palace reflects wonderful Thai architecture and features a shining tower of gold.

Another historic site is Wat Pho, also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Wat Pho has over 1,000 images of Buddha, and it even has a cutting from the tree Buddha sat under while waiting for enlightenment. Then, if you're ready to shop after seeing Bangkok's history, head over to the Chatuchak Weekend Market. This market has about 5,000 stalls, and anything and everything is sold there, including clothes, food, Thai crafts, and even live animals. It's the ultimate Bangkok shopping experience.

曼谷：微笑国度里的欢乐天堂

曼谷身为全世界最受欢迎的旅游胜地之一不是没有原因的。

和奇异的城市。混杂了古老传统以及快速变迁，曼谷拥有 1 千多万的人口，而整个国家则有 6,400万人。悠游曼谷最方便的方式是搭乘新建的大众交通运输系统，不过如果旅客想要在此交通运输网络以外的地方闲逛，可能就会碰上麻烦。繁忙的交通、酷热的高温和烟雾，让人很难悠闲地漫步在这些商业区。

　　不过，曼谷是个有多种风貌的城市。或许这就是曼谷有时被称为『大芒果』的原因，而大芒果是从纽约市的昵称『大苹果』衍生而来。曼谷是个充满反差的城市，因为你常常可以看到穿着亮橘色长袍的僧侣走在街上，而时髦的商务人士就在旁边喝着昂贵的咖啡。令人惊叹的玻璃摩天大楼就盖在破败的木屋以及受污染的运河旁。再来，曼谷还有许多景点，像是大皇宫。这座美丽的建筑群始于 1782 年，是国王拉玛一世将泰国首都迁到曼谷时的皇宫。这座皇宫反映出绝妙的泰式建筑，闪亮的黄金高塔则为其特色。

Wat Pho 则是另一个历史遗址，也就是人们所知的『卧佛寺』。卧佛寺内拥有超过 1 千尊的佛像，甚至还有佛陀在悟道之前静坐其下的那棵树的树枝。接着，如果你已经准备好在看完曼谷的历史后要去血拼，那就前往札都甲周末市集吧。这个市集内约有 5 千个摊位，贩卖的东西应有尽有，包括衣服、美食、泰国手工艺品，甚至还有活生生的动物。这里提供了最极致的泰国购物体验。