A New Trip — We have had a few days to transition from the end of our trip in Myanmar to the beginning of our month-long travel around SE Asia. We meet our group tonight in Bangkok and set out for Northern Thailand by train tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, we have had an opportunity to get to know Bangkok – not that you can truly know Bangkok – and certainly not in three days. But here are some of our first impressions:

Bangkok — Our first discovery: its name is not Bangkok!! Only non-Thais call it that — after a little trading post founded on the Chao Phraya River in the 15th Century. Thais call it Krung Thep (“City of Angels”), which is short for: Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, itself shorter than its actual official name, which holds the Guinness Book record for world’s longest city name.

Bang Makok (“Olive Plum Riverbank”) started as a small Chinese trading port on the Chao Phraya River. In 1767, the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya, the capital of Siam, and the remaining Thais moved the capital south to Thonburi – a town across the river from the trading port. The then King of Siam went mad and was executed and replaced by one of his generals – Phraya Chakri – who became Rama I —the first of the Chakri dynasty that continues today with Rama X.

Rama I moved the capital across the river in 1782 for better defense and built the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in a massive walled royal enclave on the river. Canals (Khlong’s) were dug around the new capital to serve as a moat and a small fort was paced strategically.

Today, the city of Bangkok is home to 10.5 million people — roughly one in seven residents of Thailand. The city has grown rapidly in recent years and experiences traffic congestion, poor air quality, and high housing prices as a result.

Thailand — Our second discovery was that the King of Thailand — Rama X — doesn’t live in Thailand — he actually lives in Munich, Germany, but did return to Thailand for his coronation ceremony. The country is actually ruled by a military junta that took power in May 2014, after yet another failed attempt at popularly-elected government.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy that has been governed by the same family since Rama I founded the Chakkri Dynasty in 1787. Rama VIII was found in his bed dead of a (perhaps) self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and his younger brother (who was born in Cambridge MA) became king in 1946 and ruled for 70 years, dying in 2016 and was succeeded by his son, Rama X.

Old Bangkok today lies within this ring of canals created by Rama I and is characterized by small shops, narrow streets with very small sidewalks and vendors crowding the sidewalks and spilling onto the small streets. Walking the streets requires weaving around and through the vendors and occasionally exchanging space with motorcycles working their way down the street.

New Bangkok starts on the other side of the klongs and is a modern city of wide boulevards with ample sidewalks, the elevated Sky Train, high-rise office buildings and more.

Chinatown — We are staying in Chinatown, which is across the canals outside of Old Bangkok. The presence of a large Chinese ethnic population dates back to the origins of Bangkok as a Chinese trading port. When Ramas I built the palace and moved the capital across the river, the Chinese population was moved down river and Chinatown was established.

Chinatown is a submersive experience in Chinese food and culture. It is one of the top locations in Bangkok for street food, and our hotel is at the intersection of two streets that are alive with outdoor dining and brightly lit by neon signs by night. Night crowds are almost too thick to get through — by morning after the garbage trucks, hoses, and mops have done their work all evidence of the previous night’s dining has been stowed away somewhere and the streets are squeaky clean.

Stay Tuned – More coming on Bangkok. Trains, Tuk-Tuks, and Boats – the many ways to get around the city; Temples and Royal Palaces; good food, 7-11, and more.