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Bangkok, for all its gleaming malls and slick hotels, is still a place to luxuriate in history and heritage, and if you don't believe that, said National Geographic, get on your bike and go see.

The magazine's challenge was dutifully accepted by a hundred hardy cyclists recently - they got out and explored historysteeped Rattanakosin Island.

If there was any scepticism about Bangkok's surviving merits, it filtered away with every shift of gears.

After an earlymorning start at the King Chulalongkorn equestrian statue, Thanat Bhumarush of the city's Tourist Division led the way, first to Wat Benchamabophit Dusitwanaram Ratchaworavihan.

"The Temple of King Rama V", better known as the Marble Temple, set the tour's tone of architectural splendour with its ubosot designed in the European neoclassical style and Italian marble.

Inside are the revered golden statue Phra Buddha Chinarat and beautiful murals that show the different kinds of stupas. Along a lengthy marble corridor are more than 50 Buddha images in the Sukhothai style.

King Chulalongkorn was ordained in the wooden Song Phranuant Hall in 1873. You can see the bed in which he slept as a monk, and paintings of scenes from his life and Thai traditions.

The next stop was Dusit Palace, where the cyclists admired the graceful Vimanmek Mansion, built on Koh Si Chang in 1868 as King Chulalongkorn's summer residence and moved to Bangkok in 1901.

In the capital, the threestorey goldenteakwood mansion was refurbished in the Victorianstyle by His Royal Highness Prince Narisranuvattivongse, the King's halfbrother.

There are 72 rooms, although only 31 are open to the public as a museum. The walls in shades of blue, green, peach, ivory and pink enclose displays of rare collection of artefacts, art, handicrafts and royal portraits.

The Hong Si Fah - the blue room - has 72 turtleshaped black sapphires on view, created for His Majesty King Bhumibol's 72nd birthday.

In another room are lovely ceramic ware from Russia and the Netherlands and Shanghaistyle silverware used to test food for poison.

In the Hong Si Nga Chang - the ivory room - are carved ivory pieces, elephant's feet, crocodile skulls, antlers and buffalo horns and, in a weapons chamber, swords made over the decades of the early 20th century.

Also on the ground floor is 200yearold Japanes sasuma ceramic ware, Royal Copenhagen pieces from Denmark, tableware from Italy and a sevenhued tea set from England.

In the toy room are miniature ceramics and silver and kitchenware, and next door is a shrine room, with Buddha images from the Sukhothai, UThong and Ayutthaya eras.

The Hong Si Khiew - the green room - has an old piano of mahogany with ivory keys.

A thirdfloor octagonal hall above is where Rama V and his wives lived. The King's living room contains an old pianoshaped desk and a bookshelf.

The bathroom - the most modern in Siam at the time - had no water pumped in, but there's a copper shower and a separate bathtub.

An audience hall on another floor is filled with glittering glassware from Germany, Poland and Czechoslovakia.

The bike parade pedalled next to the Thai Press Museum in the Press Association of Thailand Building on Rajsrima Road.

Here's where you find out how you ended up reading ACE, but in the course of the long history that brought us here there are the stories of many wellknown journalists.

You can also see a French newspaper that carried reports of Rama V's travels in Europe and Siam's first postage stamp, termed "Court", which was issued as King Chulalongkorn began his reign.

At the 17thcentury Church of the Immaculate Conception on Soi Mitrakham in Samsen district - the country's oldest Catholic church - is a gorgeous stainedglass mural.

It depicts the lives of Jesus and other holy men. Also on view is a wooden sculpture of Cambodia's revered Mother of Health.

The terrific outing ended at Wat Rajathiwaswihan, which was built in 1276, in the early Ayutthaya period.

Inside the ubosot are a sacred golden Buddha image called Phra Niruntrarai and a mural by Italian artist Rigolee, relating the tale of the 10th bodhisattva.

The culmination of stirring Thai architecture may well be in the temple's teakwood preaching hall. Inspired by Wat Yai Suwannaram in Petchburi, the hall is home to one of the country's finest golden Buddha images, resting on Benjastyle altars alongside candles placed there by King Rama V.

Make your own way

The Marble Temple opens daily from 8.30 to 5.30; (02) 281 2501; www.WatBencha.com.

Vimanmek Mansion is at Dusit Palace and open daily 9.30 to 3; (02) 628 6300, extension 5120 or 5121; visit www. Vimanmek.com.

The Thai Press Museum is at 299 Ratsrima Road in Dusit district; no admission charge; (02) 669 71246; www.ThaiPressAsso.com.

The Church of the Immaculate Conception is on Soi Mitrakham in Samsen district; open 8 to 5 daily; (02) 243 0064.

Wat Rajathiwaswihan is at 3 Samsen Road 9 in Dusit; open 9 to 4 daily; (02) 241 4679 or (02) 668 7988; visit www.WatRaja.org.