to object to poor workmanship. The way to avoid this scam is to choose tailor shops yourself and not offer any more than a small deposit – no more than enough to cover your chosen fabrics – until you’re satisfied with the workmanship.

The card-playing scam starts out very similarly to the gem scenario: a friendly stranger approaches the lone traveler on the street, strikes up a conversation and then invites him or her to the house of his relative for a drink or meal. After a bit of socializing, a friend or relative of the con arrives; it just so happens a little high-stakes card game is planned for later that day. Like the gem scam, the card-game scam has many variations, but eventually the victim is shown some cheating tactics to use with help from the ‘dealer’, some practice sessions take place and finally the game gets under way. The mark is allowed to win a few hands first, then somehow loses a few, gets bankrolled by one of the friendly Thais, and then loses the Thai’s money. Suddenly your new-found buddies aren’t so friendly any more – they want the money you lost. Sooner or later you end up sucking large amounts out of the nearest ATM. Again the police won’t take any action – in this case because gambling is illegal in Thailand and you’ve broken the law by playing cards for money.

Other minor scams involve túk-túk drivers, hotel employees and bar girls who take new arrivals on city tours; these almost always end in high-pressure sales pushes at silk, jeweler or handicraft shops. In this case greed isn’t the ruling motivation – it’s simply a matter of weak sales resistance.

The best way to avoid all this is to follow the TAT’s number-one suggestion: disregard all offers of free shopping or sightseeing help from strangers. You might also try lying whenever a stranger asks how long you’ve been in Thailand – if it’s only been three days, say three weeks! The con artists rarely prey on anyone except new arrivals.

History
Since the late 1700s, Bangkok has been Thailand’s largest and most important city. In 1767, after the Burmese sacked and burned Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Siam (now named Thailand), the capital was moved down the Chao Phraya River to Thon Buri or Old Bangkok, on the west bank of the river. In 1782 King Rama I (1737–1809;r. 1782–1809), upon ascending to the throne, moved the capital to a village across the river. This move was strategic, putting the wide Chao Phraya River between the capital and the often-invading Burmese. The village across the river was then composed mostly of Chinese traders and was known as Bangkok, which translates as “Village of Wild Plums.”

Rama I wanted his new capital to equal the splendor of Ayutthaya, which had served as the country’s capital for more than 400 years. By the end of his reign, Bangkok was a thriving city, and King Rama I had established a walled palace complex, the Grand Palace, and a major Buddhist temple, the Wat Phra Kaeo. To fortify the new capital, Rama I ordered the construction of a seven-kilometer-long (four-and-a-half-mile-long), three-meter-high (ten-foot-high) wall along the river, which further protected the city from invasion.

During the reigns of King Rama II (1768–1824; r. 1809–1824) and Rama III (r. 1824–1851), many of the city’s Buddhist monasteries (called wats) were constructed. In addition to their religious functions, the wats served as centers of learning, medicine, and recreation. Major temples included the Wat Arun, the Wat Yan Nawa, and the Wat Pho. During this period, however, the rest of the city was neglected. The kings built few other major public buildings and almost no paved roads. Average citizens relied on a series of interconnected canals (khlongs) for transportation.