Bangkok has dominated Thailand's urban hierarchy as well as its political, commercial and cultural life since the late 18th century. Distinctly modern and Westernised, Bangkok is still a sleepy Thai village with a louder soundtrack of traffic and nightlife.

Bangkok proper seethes on the east side of the Mae Nam Chao Phraya (Chao Phraya River), drawing rural Thai folk into its cluttered fold daily. The city is reportedly sinking at a rate of 5cm (2in) every year, but there's too much sànùk (a Thai sense of fun) going on for that to get anyone down.

Bangkok and Central Thailand are well within tropical latitudes and experience alternating periods of a dry and wet monsoon climate. The south-west monsoon arrives between May and July and lasts into October. This is followed by a dry period from November to May, a period that begins with lower relative temperatures until mid- February (because of the influences of the north-east monsoon, which bypasses this part of Thailand, but results in cool breezes), followed by much higher relative temperatures from March to May. According to the official Thai agricultural calendar, the rains begin in July; however, the arrival of the monsoon can vary. Occasional rains in the dry season are known as 'mango showers'. In Bangkok it usually rains most during August and September, though it can flood in October since the ground has reached full saturation by then. If you are in Bangkok in early October, you may find yourself in hip-deep water in certain parts of the city.