"Imagine a city of 10 million people that’s twice the size of New York with no decent subway and traffic that feels like all 10 million hit the road at once. Maddening, right? Not when it comes to Bangkok, whose unconventional charms make the far larger impression. Instead of little shops or galleries down the alleyways of its old districts, you’ll find neighbors drinking tea and laughing in small plazas where their homes meet."