Tai and I are back from a week home in Thailand. It was hard to come back to the sandpit.

 

We had a few days in Bangkok and spent three nights in Pai in the North West. Pai was quiet and green and peaceful and a real escape. It is the perfect antidote for Dubai. The inaccessibility of the town is part of the attraction. You have to make a conscious effort to get there and when you are there you will stay in guest houses and small cottage resorts not in big named hotels; not yet anyway.

 

One of the great attractions of Bangkok is how easy it is to travel from the city around Thailand or South East Asia. A one or two hour flight can take you to the beaches of Samui or Phuket; to the historic cities of Luang Prabang, Rangoon or Chiang Mai; to the big cities of Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Saigon; to Angkor Wat or Hanoi. Or a drive and a boat to Thailand's remote beaches and islands.

 

It is all easily accessible and very affordable.

 

Where can you go to in two hours from Dubai. You can drive around the UAE and look at more sand and building sites; fly or drive to Oman, or take a trip to Iran or Saudi Arabia; neither being major tourist destinations.

 

Five hours takes you to Greece or Turkey but that is effectively a day of traveling.

 

What about if you want to stay in town. In Bangkok you have endless malls and markets. Siam Paragon is more attractive that any of Dubai's malls. And Dubai will never have a JJ market or Suan Lum.

 

In BKK you can eat by the river in 5 star comfort or from food stalls. Dubai has the creek but its just not the same.

 

Spas, nightlife, food or every description, Thai hospitality and that little bit of mystery and craziness that always makes Thailand so interesting. The politics are a mess but people dont truly care that much as long as they are making a reasonable living.  There is always something to see or do. Traveling there with Tai I experience so much more of the city. We will have street noodles one day and eat at a nice restaurant the next. We visit the Erawan Shrine and pay our respects. We shop; drink street coffee and soya. And then go to Starbucks. Bangkok is a true fusion city and it was great fun to be home.

 

I did not play golf during our visit - and I dont miss it; I am quite happy exploring the city or traveling with Tai. We did have the pleasure of dinner with some dear friends and the time simply flies by as we all catch up on our news.

 

I do need to improve my Thai so that I can tell Tai's family that I am happy I am to be with them and to tell them that home is with Tai and that we will come back to Thailand.