I had lived in South East Asia for half of my life and this is my first time in Thailand! So overdue, but I was super excited and had high expectations. Those were completely smashed! I had such an awesome and refreshing time that I couldn’t bear to come back home, but I know for sure it won’t be my last time in Thailand.

I started off in Bangkok. It felt so much like home. Home home. Organized chaotic traffic, warm and humid, smelly roads and cheap food. I love every part of it, even the unpleasant parts. Everything is so colourful and busy, as if Covid never happened.

As much as I hate to admit it, Icon Siam is such an amazing mall and the owners did a great job bringing the vibe of outdoor markets to the indoors. I thought we would just have a quick look at the mall but I ended up enjoying it a lot more than I expected.

The old and new buildings stand together as a lesson of history for Bangkok’s visitors. The Thai culture is rich and I can see the country emerging as a prosperous hub connecting South and South East Asia. Maybe the future is here?!

I also had time to explore the old streets of Chinatown. I thought I was walking into small, dirty alleys, but the stores with almost anything I could imagine buying open up and I felt like I was in a world of shopping.

Bold and transformative, I was so mesmerized by the city’s diversity and its eagerness to adopt new ways of doing things. I saw street food vendors use cashless payments, 24hr laundromats that don’t need staff, seamless subway (though the connection to BTS could be better…) payment. Even with the rush hour deadlock traffic, the city feels really connected and bustling. Can’t wait to come back!