Situnated at the geographic center of the eastern hemisphere, Bangkok's modern Don Muang airport is the hub of the regional air traffic for planes en route east to Japan and Hong Kong, west to Europe and the Middle East, north to China and south to Australia.Lying exactly on the opposite side of the globe from New York, Bangkok time is 7 hours + GMT. When it's noon in Bangkok, it's midnight in New York. Planes leave for the United States take almost equal flight time whether east or west bound. Now, Bangkok is also the gateway city to the emerging Indochinese countries: Laos, Kampuchea, Vietnam, Myanmar, even to China.A Metropolis of over of over 9 million daytime population and two million vehicles, spreading out over 600 growing square kms, Bangkok traffic is simply notorious. The city has only street bus for mass transportation. However, Bangkok is perpetually overrun with taxis, which come in two forms. The ordinary passenger cabs are mostly new, over 1600 c.c. air-conditioned sedans, with and without meters. Bangkok's own is the motorized tricycle version with canopied passenger seat in tandem. Its two-cycle engine spits out staccato noise, hence its name: Tuk-Tuk is a cheap and frisky vehicle, which can find its path through the thickest traffic.