Traveling in Thailand

Images of the King and Queen of Thailand can be seen throughout the nation. King Bhumibol Adulyadej is 88 and is in ill health, as is his wife, Queen Sirikit. The country is run by a military junta that seized power in 2014.

Fruit is on sale at a well-stocked countryside market outside Bangkok.

Large bundles of pink roses sell for less than $2 at the Flower Market, near the edge of Bangkok’s Chinatown.

A street scene filled with color in the Flower Market at the edge of Chinatown in central Bangkok.

A coffee shop advertises Elephant Dung Coffee made from beans that are eaten and passed through an elephant.

A raised palm lake is reflected in the mirror-like waters of a courtyard patio at the Siam Hotel in Bangkok.

Massage techs clown around as they give foot massages outdoors near Khao San Road in the backpacker district.

A motor bike carries a helmeted family of three near the Flower Market at the edge of Chinatown.

Traffic moves through the evening in Bangkok under the BTS Skytrain system.

The Thai tuk-tuk, also known as a three-wheeler or auto rickshaw, is a popular form of local transportation. It is used mostly in congested urban areas and is popular with foreign tourists in Bangkok.

Traffic backs up on Rama 4 road near the main business district. Bangkok is noted for having some of the worst traffic jams in the world.

A Longboat sails on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok on a rainy day. The river offers an alternate to using city streets, which are often congested.

Bhumibol Bridge was built to help alleviate traffic congestion in Bangkok.

An elevated train runs on the line linking Bangkok’s city center to Suvarnabhumi airport.

Vistors stroll the grounds of Ayutthaya historical park outside Bangkok. Once the capital of Siam, Ayuthaya was reduced to ruins by a Burmese invasion in the 18th century.

A monk sketches an image at Ayutthaya historical park.

A visitor poses for a selfie outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok on a cloudy morning.

Outside the Grand Palace, which is the No. 1 tourist draw in Bangkok, Thailand.

The massive Reclining Buddha, 150 feet long, is housed in Wat Pho temple complex, near the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Golden guardian statues protect the Temple of the Emerald Buddha at the Grand Palace complex in Bangkok.

This guardian statue is a colorful protector of the Grand Palace complex.