It is 2,554 BE in Prathet Thai. Prathet Thai or "Land of the Free," Thailand celebrates year 1 as the 543BC the year of The Buddha's death(thus BE: Buddha Era). In 1939 Siam was renamed Thailand to feed a growing nationalist spirit reveling in the fact that, unlike it's immediate neighbors, it had never been a colony of any Western nation. Many of its kings, notably Rama IV (of "King & I" fame) and lately, Rama IX (born to his Harvard medical student Father in Cambridge, MA), have kept favorable ties to the West. Bangkok, Thailand's fourth capital city, boasts 12 million people. Despite the usual urban blight areas and congested traffic, everything seems a little less frenetic because there is that peaceful Buddhist overlay of graciousness, fully 95% of its population.
Ten Things to do in Bangkok:
#10 Learn to say "Sawadee Ka" (Mom) "Sawadee Krap" (Dad)-not just for Dad, I think all men say this) with palms together and a slight bow means "hello" and/or "good-bye"
#9 Video the jumping carp in the Chao Phraya River
#8 Hire a Fish-tail Longboat for a $10 pp 2 hour tour along the main river and the smaller "Khlongs" or canals
#6 Have the 7 course vegetarian set menu at the Shanghra-La Hotel's Thai Restaurant and have the entertainment revolve around your table
#5 Visit the Royal Palace to see the Jade Buddha and refresh yourself with lotus "holy water"
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