The Grand Palace was once Thailand's royal residence. Today it is used occasionally for ceremonial functions.

BANGKOK,Thailand -- Knee-deep in the steam and gleam of Bangkok, it is easy to feel torn in two. It\'s hot and sweaty, busy and crowded, smoky and dirty. The air is smoggy and thick with vehicle exhaust.

But the charm of this buzzing city is intoxicating -- the majestic temples, the vibrant people, their customs and artistry keep backpackers strolling the streets in droves. Most are slurping Pad Thai for a nickel from the ladies whipping it up on the side of the road or soaking up the energy oozing from outdoor restaurants and canopied shopping huts.

Bangkok and its international airport serve as a landing strip for travellers going on to discover the rest of Thailand. Visitors often stay a day or two in the city before they\'re gasping for the clean, serene air of the southern islands.

But pollution and sticky weather aside, experiencing the city\'s glittering temples and main thoroughfare -- the frenetic Kho San Rd. -- is worth its weight in gold, or jade, Thailand\'s prized gem. The cosmopolitan city sits in the middle of the most fertile rice-producing area in the world.

Kho San Rd. is chaotic, clogged with darting cars, pickup trucks with up to 30 people crammed in the back, open-air minibuses, scooters, motorcycles and tuk tuks (pronounced tuke tuke). These three-wheeled covered taxis are named for the sound they make and are never a problem to hail, multiplying like fruit flies around visitors.

Big packs

Sometimes it feels like Bangkok\'s 7.6 million people are all together on Kho San Rd. Any space on the wide street is snatched up by travellers lugging their big packs and hammocks.

The busy road is peppered with bars, restaurants, Internet cafes and guest houses. Intertwined are canopied huts selling every craft -- from jewelry and delicate Thai silk, to used books swapped by travellers and fake media cards and drivers licences. Everywhere you step, little Thai ladies are begging for you to look at their clothing shops, to sell you a sarong at \"best price for you.\"

The busy scene, coupled with exhaust fumes and heat that averaged 40C when I was there in April, makes a visit longer than three days unbearable, many visitors say.

Off Kho San Rd., the city slows down, except near the temples and markets, which are bursting with camera and phrasebook-wielding tourists.

Travel to the sites via tuk tuk unless you can stomach hopping on the back of a scooter with no helmet. Foreigners, however, should be on guard for scams. Some tuk tuk drivers, who give the honest ones a bad reputation, will charge more than the ride is worth. Or they may tell you an attraction is closed and shuffle you off to a store where they get a kickback for bringing you.

Never mind the tuk tuks, I almost didn\'t make it to Thailand at all. After pleading, bargaining and almost resorting to blackmail, I finally gave in to airport security and relinquished my beloved tweezers, which I had absentmindedly packed in my carry-on luggage. As most women can attest, good tweezers are tough to find.

The man beside me on the plane had a strange relaxation ritual of rapidly tapping his eyelids. I almost needed to borrow his calming techniques when I coincidentally came across a two-page feature on tweezers in a Hong Kong newspaper.

Thai Airline has beautiful attendants in long silk dresses who bow at the entrance. The entire plane was done in shades of purple, with a purple barf bag way too pretty to use. There were fresh orchids in the giant washrooms, which had full length mirrors. We were handed our own mini-bouquet on a pin, which I proudly planted on my chest.

In Bangkok airport 22 hours later, I had my first encounter with Thai culture. I couldn\'t figure out how to use the washroom. Only ritzy establishments, I found, have flush toilets with seats, so you must squat and scoop buckets of water until it\'s replenished. Discarded toilet paper is placed neatly in an adjacent bin. Most have a B.Y.O. toilet paper premise. Thais use the hose dangling in each stall instead.

Stepping out of the airport, the intense heat slapped me in the face and I quickly forgot my toilet troubles, concentrating then on how to keep my sweating under control. I found the secret in air-conditioned Internet cafes and refreshing Thai banana shakes. Relief came in the rainy season, which promptly began the moment May hit and continued for the duration of my visit. From May to October, Bangkok gets steamy, smelly and slick but the city\'s charm reigns year-round.

If you go:

ACCOMMODATIONS: Guest houses, the Thai version of a hostel or dormitory, range from 200-500 baht a night. (One hundred Thai baht is about $4 Cdn.) If you are willing to forfeit a fan or air conditioning and don\'t mind shared facilities, you can sometimes stay for as little as $4 per night.

Ch 1 Guest House on Koh San Rd. is right in the middle of the action, clean, safe and the staff will mind your stuff while you travel.

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TEMPLES: If it\'s possible to claw yourself away from shopping, explore some of the 1,000 Buddhist temples or monasteries -- called wat. In most cases a temple is a collection of buildings, shrines and monuments within a courtyard.

Some ancient temples are in ruins as fascinating as the massive gold-trimmed structures with their giant Buddhas surrounded by praying monks.

Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo have the Emerald Buddha, the most revered Buddha image in Thailand. Admission is 200 baht ($8). Neighbouring Wat Pho contains a gigantic gold-plated Reclining Buddha 46 metres long and 15 metres high with inlaid mother of pearl soles.

Inside temple gates, visitors must cover their shoulders and knees. Only sandals similar to the ones monks wear are allowed. Gigantic Thai wraps and shoes are provided but shoes must be left outside with the rest of the footwear adorning most entrances in Thailand.

Feet are very symbolic in Thailand, and shoes mean dirt. Tourists must adapt to walking everywhere in bare feet, even into public washrooms. More than once I took my shoes in because the floors were disgusting.

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FLOATING MARKET: Natural and artificial canals weave through the city, hence its nickname Venice of the East. The Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is a popular attraction about 80 km west of Bangkok. Every day, hundreds of vendor boats crowd the market area early until noon.

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MORE INFO: Visit the Tourism Authority of Thailand Web site at http://www.tat.or.th/