When people at work asked where was I going on holiday they seemed disappointed with the answer of South East Asia. For most, they went before they were successful bankers and the appeal back then was affordability and group travel with friends. Now with families and money, why return? Except for the oldest one, who I am sure meant well when he cheerily exclaimed, “you’ll come back tanned and thin!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was my turn to choose a holiday after Dec chose Japan last year. Affordability, sun exposure and weight loss were not really factors influencing my decision come back to Thailand. I missed the intensity of Thailand. The time altering traffic. The clinging humidity. The endless variety of food and drinks and dessert. The poverty behind street food cart vendors. I feel freed by how different it is but how instantly you are part of it. Japan was different but it would never acknowledge you: a tourist was an observer at best and a nuisance at worst. In Thailand, from the moment you land you are involved and wanted and engaged. It makes the country seem so full of life that it is going to burst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My favourite Anthony Bourdain episode is his Thailand one. He opens with this poetic pledge of love for the country: “It was like discovering a colour I never knew existed before”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n