Bangkok Thunderstorm

The currents of fresh air and falling rain wash away the city grime, ushering in a seaside freshness to this swarming city that you have not felt in some time. You passionately award the heavens your thanks and spread your arms to accept the divine donation, a temporary deprive from the industrial anarchy that spreads along this ancient lush coastline. Bangkok is the capital city and largest urban area in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, or simply Krung Thep. Bangkok was a small trading post near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 15th century. It eventually grew in size and became the site of two capital cities: Thonburi in 1768 and Rattanakosin in 1782. Because of its strategic location in Southeast Asia, it acted as a buffer-zone between the French and British colonial empires. Bangkok itself has gained a reputation as an independent, dynamic and influential city. Bangkok is the political, social and economic centre of Thailand, and one of the leading cities in Southeast Asia. The etymology of the name Bangkok is unclear. Bang is the Central Thai name for a town situated on a riverbank. The name may have been derived from Bang Ko, ko meaning "island", a reference to the area's landscape which was carved by rivers and canals. Another theory speculates that it is shortened from Bang Makok, makok being the name of Spondias pinnata, a plant bearing olive-like fruit.