I was a little stunned to learn that Travel+Leisure magazine’s readers – 16,000 of them voted – awarded the No. 1 ranking to Bangkok as the world’s best city (to travel to). I do think their hospitality is top-notch. And the temples are gorgeous, the airport is great and modern. But for the rest – a somewhat run-down metropolis with high-rise buildings dotting it. What about Paris in the spring? Or Cape Town in April?
The readers cast votes from December to March and the polling stopped a few days before civil disorder erupted in Bangkok that lasted 10 weeks and ended May 19 with nearly 90 dead and 1,400 hurt. Picture – Bangkok Gov. Sukhumbhand Paribatra poses with World’s Best city award during a press conference in Bangkok earlier this year.