48 Hours in Bangkok
Text by Roy Hamric

The Thai capital is blessed with urban adventures. Here are 11 to start with.

Thais know Bangkok as the City of Angels, Krung Thep. There's definitely something heavenly about the Thai capital, especially at sundown when towering skyscrapers glow in soothing greens and blues, and incense from spirit houses curls skyward. But then there's the other Bangkok, where temptations run from the innocuous (a bonanza of huge shopping malls!) to the downright raunchy (garish Patpong and the "entertainment plazas" along the Sukhumvit sois—side streets—that could have been lifted from a Hieronymus Bosch painting). Few capitals are as open to life.

1. Walk in Royal Footsteps Thailand's current monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, now lives in Chitrlada Rahotan palace, but until 1901 his predecessors resided at the Grand Palace. A window into royal opulence, the Grand Palace blends traditional Thai architecture and 19th-century Beaux Arts. Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), located in the palace compound, has colonnades lined with 178 murals depicting the Thai version of the entire Ramayana epic, the classic Indian morality tale. "The paintings here have provided spiritual and stylistic inspiration for temple murals around the country," says artist Thamnu Haribhitak, who worked on Wat Phra Kaeo's mural restorations for the city's 1982 bicentennial. "Their influence extends even to contemporary Thai art."

2.Take to the River River taxis and tour boats can deposit you near most of the city's main attractions, help you explore life along neighborhood khlongs (canals), or drop anchor for a candle-lit dinner. The Bangkok Noi Canal, tour passes by old teakwood homes and neighborhood temples.

3. Hunt for Market Treasures "Chatuchak Weekend Market is the emperor of Asian markets," says writer Joe Cummings, a 20-year resident. With about 10,000 vendors spread over 25 acres, you get a close-up feel for Thai style and culture. It's all here: rare books, antiques, Asian kitsch, Thai designer clothing, furniture, Buddhist art, and one-of-a-kind items plucked from someone's house. Get a Nancy Chandler Map for a colorful lane-by-lane guide to the sprawling market.

4. Chill Out at a Wat Home to a large collection of Buddha statues, Wat Po also houses the nation's most famous traditional medicine and massage school. Surprisingly accurate fortune-tellers cluster along the compound's eastern edge.

5. Groove to Backpacker Row International backpackers years ago turned the strip of cozy guesthouses, tiny restaurants, and tour agencies along Khao San Road into a heady brew of world youth culture. Recently, young Thais have given the area new vigor as a night-out destination. DJs spin house and trance at both The Club and Susie Pub. Seasoned expats hang out at nearby Ad Here the 13th, Bangkok's best blues and R&B club (13 Samsen Rd.).