Temperature:	Between 19c - 38c with the average being 29c
Humidity:	Between 66% and 83%
Seasons:	Hot - March - May, Rainy- June - October, Cool - November - February
Time to Visit:	Avoid rainy season

Bangkok, for all intents and purposes, is hot. This is made worse by the humidity levels which can sometimes make being outside unbearable. This is why you'll rarely see Thai people just wandering around on the streets or out shopping like you might do in New York, London, Paris and so on.

Bangkok is trying to become more cosmopolitan and is introducing Paris style coffee shops which allow you to sit outside and watch the world go by, but unfortunately, three factors prevent this from being a serious option: 1. The heat. 2. The pollution. 3. The noise. However, the heat is the real factor.

Thailand, as has been mentioned is hot. The hot season can be very hot indeed and the shortest walk outside will result in the need to get back inside and take a shower.
We've seen visiting business men, wearing jackets, dripping with sweat as they wander around office buildings trying to determine whether they are at the right place or not. It's not a pleasant experience.

The strange thing about Bangkok is that even though it's hot and the sun shines just as much as in other provinces, you never seem to catch the sun or get a sun tan. Most non-Thais are all as white as the day they arrived. It's when you get out of Bangkok that you start to change colour. This can only be attributable to the smog and the fact that there are so many places to get out of the sun.

The Bangkok heat is inescapable and the Thais fear it. Heat = the sun and the sun = dark skin and dark skin = "low class" and so every effort is made to keep the skin as white as possible.

Bangkok women, if forced at gun point, to walk in the sun, will do their best to walk with an umbrella up. Now, this immediately spells danger. As mentioned in the article about shopping, Thais are not at all concerned about who is near them and so a Thai with an umbrella is a dangerous weapon and one that will easily take your eye out. Sure, they don't get any darker, but we lose and eye. Not a fair trade off.

The heat makes going to Chatuchak market feel like being in the worlds largest sauna and so it's advised to carry a bottle of water with you. However, there are plenty of places selling drinks. Chatuchak is the only place that I have felt like I could pass out from heat exhaustion.

The rainy season has become a bit sporadic recently. 10 years ago, it would rain daily and usually at the same time. The storm clouds could be seen gathering over Bangkok, the winds would whip up and then the rains would start with a vengence. It was often an impressive sight and I would relish the chance to stand on my balcony watching the forked lightening strike distant or near buildings. Sometimes the rain would be so heavy that visibility would be reduced to a few feet and the claps of thunder so loud that the windows literally shook.

Bangkok rain, however, has a terrible effect on the traffic and the slightest hint of rain jams up the traffic for hours and for no apparent reason. Rain can easily add hours to your journey as roads flood and




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