Love it or hate it, buzzing, sweaty and exotic Bangkok is a city that truly is larger than life. For some, the frenetic pace, heat, traffic and lack of personal space can be overwhelming and are good reasons to get across the city as quickly as possible, but for many others, the dynamism is intoxicating. A curious blend of traditional Orient. with the modern West, every street in Bangkok has a surprise in store for the visitor. Dilapidated buildings sit alongside exotic temples surrounded by lovely gardens, themselves dominated by modern hotels and offices. Bangkok has become a major global city with the traffic jams that come with it, as well as ubiquitous cell phones and designer clothing taking up significant space on the streets. The chaos on the roads is reflected in the heavy traffic on the Chao Phraya River, which divides the city and is regularly crisscrossed by long-tail boats, river taxis and small rowing boats, all miraculously missing each other. But traditional Thai life is never far away. Weaving through morning rush hour traffic, saffron-robed monks can still be seen collecting alms, while just minutes from the city center, entire communities live in houses on stilts on the edge of the river. river, earning a living using skills of their own. have not changed for centuries. In 1782, Bangkok became the capital of what was then Siam, following the destruction of the old capital, Ayutthaya. Bangkok is not the name used by Thais – they call it Krung Thep, which is actually a very abbreviated version of its extremely long full title. The absolute rule of the monarchy ended in 1932 when it was replaced by a system of constitutional monarchy. To this day, the monarchy is viewed with almost religious respect and it is a crime, punishable by imprisonment, to insult the royal family. His Majesty King Bhumibol is the world's longest-reigning monarch, having come to power in 1946. After the end of absolute monarchy, Thailand moved towards democracy, but this development was thwarted by the The army, which often staged coups to protest the government. policies. The role of the military in domestic politics has now been reduced, but the 1990s saw a succession of governments, although some stability has been observed since the government took on the task of tackling the economic crisis at the end of the 1990s and to fight against SARS and avian flu. more recent crises.