the major power in the middle east. your bones influence continues to grow politically economically and above all militarily. doesn't want truly peace. the country's opponents have their doubts to isolate. iran from theocracy. the coa last august test on g.w. . with. king rama other fast wanted to make his mark. so he decided to turn a small fishing village in today's new residence. bellicose neighbors had reduced his hitherto beloved capital into rubble.

the dogs were consulted and the evil spirits put katie. good advice was explained no efforts was bad and high flying plans were for. the wise prophesied a golden future a residence for the gods they even saw a capital of the world. there was also a new name to disklabel government. never heard of it that's no surprise outside the country the new city continued to be now under its own name. considering that i am. my love. this.

boisterous. welcome to contact paths it short for bangkok's official name still is the longest name of any capital in the world. with more than twenty million visitors bangkok took the top spot of the most visited citizen in the world in twenty sixteen well ahead of london and paris. to what our own named after the indian god of dong is one of bangkok's best known landmarks and thailand's most famous temple and.

it's adorned with flower patterns made of shells and chinese porcelain more than a million individual pieces were used. to maintain the temple shine these men's eggs a polished and the stucco freshened up every ten years this has to be done by hand on the watch out on. a local we use very traditional and very simple methods in our restoration works who are like hands the white stucco is made of ground and fired sandstone making it more durable than any modern paint. it dries in just a few minutes. you can wash it and it's very resistant to rain in oyster the technique takes a lot of time and it's expensive that's why it's only used for the restoration of royal. temple's so much.

these easiest way to reach the wot i don't is by ferry those who up to come here by car when encountering bangkok from its least pleasant side. the dream of the car friendly city for nearly an entire century planning and construction in bangkok focused almost exclusively on motorised personal transport . these days it's possible to cross the city center on three lines with a sky train or the underground there's no better way of getting from a to b. in a quick and safe manner in thailand's capital. the

greater metropolitan area of bangkok is home to more than fifteen million people with a population density two and a half times that of los angeles. it is sky train lines and no less reliable than trains in switzerland compared to the chaos on bangkok streets they feel like a parallel universe and almost clinically clean and perfect organized world of punctuality ice cold definite add conditioning units and polished granite. passages mustn't make a mess and then offer it out to eat or drink either. the problem with this system is that with its thirty six kilometers and its capacity or from. the seven hundred

thousand passengers a day it's still far too small for this sprawling city. an airplane graveyard in the middle of bangkok the shells of several retired planes fly here from shore to craft a jumbo jets. it's not an official museum and not an actual destination for tourists the compound is in private hands and that's why it's possible to visit it for a fee of around five years. the investor had originally planned to use these wrecks for event oriented dining experiences alternatively he hoped to sell off parts neither plan worked the airplane graveyard isn't listed in travel guides yet and most bangkok residents haven't been here either the best way to find this

place is to look up the address online and show a taxi driver the map. it's much easier to find the while trying it's the temple of the golden buddha. the. it houses a treasure that seven hundred years old and had long been thought lost the statue of the sage on whose teachings buddhism was founded it was hidden under a simple stucco coating covered in colorful glass shards this coating was accidentally damaged during renovation words in one thousand nine hundred fifty five revealing its gold interior the statue weighs five and a half tons and consists depending on the body part of up to ninety nine percent gold the material value of the gold is around three hundred million euros but its spiritual value is a measurable. chinatown unmistakeably starts right behind

the temple long before bangkok became the capital there was already a large chinese community here. this immigrant community has maintained its traditions and faith to this day just like chinese architectural styles and a post shown for bright bold colors. houses that look like film sets and night time crowds to rival airports at peak travel times anything with between two and eight legs plans in the pots and on the plates here except of course the tables and chairs.

you need a bit of courage but not a critical. then a robust stomach to a chill felt. the west spilling out onto a narrow sidewalk spurred the crowd bangkok's bustling pavements the tourists love it and the locals have learned to live with it. but many street vendors don't pay property taxes at best we're told they make unofficial donations to the police. that said thrown in the side of the military that seized power in twenty fourteen and a problem for its state coffers. if it were up to the government all this trading would take place in the regulated monitored context of organized markets some street and as have already did.

a good compromise between a chaotic street food stalls and the polish night market is a hearty time of barbecue. diners help themselves to as much food as they can eat for around five years then they could qualify it at that table to that taste. that he'll make when tourists should definitely join more than their certain typical tourist press the ingredients are fresh and properly cooked that's why everything here is very high jinks map what you can get if you i. i would recommend you go to a regular places like dallas are all these folks who are facing but you going to decide side roads because they're called choice and that's where you can buy the real price report that you have something different than the popeye. from herring

filets to nassau man carries this duck chef. and his colleagues get plenty of inspiration from thailand street kitchens even after years in bangkok. that inspiration takes the shape of fresh shrimp ta-ta seasoned with chili for the typical time spiciness with mango for a touch of the exotic and avocado to turn it all into a small in a salad. a very small salad. the part society restaurant prefers to boast with their view it affords. when dining on the roof terrace the goal mayors have half the city and bangkok's biggest urban greenspace pinney poc at their feet.

speaking in park. saw unknown peony or swan known for short is thailand's biggest open air fitness venue when temperatures drop a little in the late afternoon locals head here for a workout. everyone's allowed to train spontaneously without a contract so those who come just the one time pay fifty cents the monthly price is roughly five euros. thank. you ripping yourself into shape is completely free if you use the many other operators is in the pocket and then there's stretching and

juggling too but be aware. there are rules there's a designated area and jokers have to run in a counter clockwise direction. there's more exercises have to keep an eye on the time because there's a day forty second state mandated pools in the park that strictly enforced. alice. and her. led her to leave her. however. it. was now however. now. and

high now. the two. that was the national anthem wherever it's played people are expected to stop in their tracks it's frequently confused with thailand second anthem which also brings public life to a standstill but it's dedicated just to the king one of the richest men in the world. on october the thirteenth twenty sixteen a world ended for millions of ties this film footage was taken minutes before the death of king rama the ninth the oldest male monarch in the world.

at the time people were praying for their king who may venerated fall more than his successor but nobody would talk about that publicly because insulting the monarch is a crime that carries a sentence of up to fifteen me as in prison. beloved venerated idolised the mourning period for the dead king was set at one am off to seventy years on the throne many people in thailand feel that that's too short rather than too long. public life is now back on track except on the roads of course that's why for our trip from the historic to the modern center we've chosen a mode of transport that's definitely congestion free the clone boat.

over the past century almost all of bangkok canals have been filled in to create room for roads there are speed boats in regular operation on one of the few remaining waterways. when the water in the clump festus off to long dry periods the stench from the canal rivals venice at the height of summer. but never mind around it on a clone boat is an experience nobody should miss. the trip on the canal is a trip along the city's future possed. properties are classed as premium locations in bangkok if they can be reached by sky train by

underground all by one of the major. arterial roads that's not the case for the area around the can now as a result property prices are more reasonable here and the pace of urban densification is slower to me. when money speaks the truth is silent. and time neighborhoods in bangkok often have to make way for new construction projects heritage buildings town planning they've heard of that here but such things tend to get in the way it did then atlanta. we have is that in an area that so far been able to withstand the construction boom at least in part located by the embassy quarter. the starting point of our tour

is somerset pop one of the few private that publicly accessible green spaces in the city it's right on the attractive so long people road to get going with choose not to move instead we are firm a load of transport this characteristic engine noise gave it it on a map to pick a name that we had at home but it took jokes are a symbol of thailand most tourists have never taken the top job before and they want to try at least one it's no wonder it's fun and usage in the cool breeze in contrast to taxis top dogs don't have a meter prices are often too hot i mean a lot that's why it's best to get your hotel reception to organize a top joke and negotiate a good price for you in the bonds i do what i back up. it's worth looking at the ground in bangkok from time to time because that's where one of the city's

biggest problems becomes apparent bangkok is sinking. if you pull the plug in a bathtub full of water and star a fan beats they sink to the bottom something comparables happening in bangkok because vast quantities of drinking water are being depleted from the ground beneath the city. in the second half of the twentieth century the growing city sank by up to one metre per decade if that had carried on at the same rate parts of the city would already be below sea level. how can you tell by looking at the streets which are often in perfect condition easy while the houses and private plants are slowly losing height the road level is regularly raised with a new layer of asphalt concrete. this road here was recently resurfaced even in heavy rain this it is hardly get wet feet

in the covered food stalls of this side straight off the swan. unfortunately this any moves the problem because the water finds its own way onto other roads and properties as well as into the now lower lying ground floors of nearby houses. when i started my shop twenty seven years ago that time. was lower than the mush lot in my shop and all was really lower than before and all they have the order by nearly seven years and tomatoes and orders higher than the four by nearly thirty by the what is a little. wild mountainous landscapes and i'm taking nature this cannot be bangkok one might think but it is.

admittedly the rocks are all miniature. and the natural setting is styled rather than untangling even the fog that waltz mysteriously over the grounds is not real. but everything's real in the turtle pond including the powerful jaws that's why it's important to bring the correct tools to a private wild beast feeding session. towering in the middle of the lake there's a rock that looks like it's being cast out of wax the many small buildings are dedicated to the spirits of the dead them an orioles not temples. the small haven of green is located on the grounds of the what. it's bell shaped building is a change the tire version of a buddhist stupa buildings of this type originally housed

a relic of buddha but since the number of relics is limited change is up primarily a religious memorial symbolizing the founder of buddhism and his teachings their places of quiet prayer. the bell shaped building style originated in sri lanka like a walled burial mound it isn't suited to be a self-supporting down and chain day's other for usually solid. that's different in the what to pry unit it's charity is hollow and can be entered to pray meditate only devotional offerings such as the gold leaf on the walls all

religious objects. this is a tos can also marvel at the simple trick the builders used to give the necessary stability. at the end of our film we were ten to the beginning the naming of the capital two hundred and fifty years ago there was just a smooth fishing village path with a relatively an imaginative name plum grove on the river bank called. king rama the class decided to build his new residence here bigger and more beautiful than anything seen before its glory was to be summed up in its name.

many suggestions were made and in the end and most all of them were adopted. pick up a karaoke microphone and single honeck with us. was . a hundred and sixty nine that has without spaces and tie a superstar among city names city of angels and the emerald buddha impregnable

city. god great capital of the world rick gentile this is the true sample the heavenly home of the real born of god and up against it by the god into that's the very quick translation of this mouthful. to learn the name by hod there's help in the form of this nine hundred eighty nine hit by the group a sunny wasan many people in thailand use it as a memory i had. was. the best time to practice this musical brain training is probably a trip in the challenge express but. it's the breeze iest way of crossing bangkok from the east to south. and features spectacular

views of the capital which owns the record for the longest place name in the world . i. feel.

like i'm going to. the to. the bar. for the twenty first century. tourney illtreat for an off. unique interpretation. as ling concert and the world of a young piano. parts twenty one presents johnny in

a tree for nothing. coming. in thirty minutes on. board for. the big news i was committed she's the unsub. the baltimore changes i'm not going to come to the side by philosophy. or an old people i have put big dreams on the big screen i am above me magazine on the dummy. must. love the open air festival in northern germany. fucking medal battle will showcase

dozens of newcomers from the. w s club experts are going to. fucking open air two thousand to take charge of this segment to double the money. sarno just couldn't get this song out of his head. musicologist began searching for the source of this captivating sound. and found that deep in the rain forest in central africa and electable in the closing table book left him with the only one still a. money living so he was so fascinated by their culture that he stayed local . only approve his toys son made sarno leave the jungle and return to the concrete and glass trying to work. the result reverse culture shock.

the prize winning documentary from the forest starts aug ninth w. players . playing. this is d w news live from berlin off the polings thousands from the rubble in syria it's now the turn of the so-called white helmets to be rescued themselves hundreds of the volunteer rescue workers are in. to jordan as part of a rescue plan it was feared they could have been killed by the forces of syrian leader bashar al assad also on the show authorities in iraq struggle to contain

growing anti-government protests thousands.