Some things are just hard to give up.  Once you get the taste for them, once you find out how good they are or how fun they are you just have to do it again.  This is how we feel about Thailand, our home for over four years, now an irresistible magnet which was drawing us back.  So since we were in the neighbourhood after visiting Sri Lanka we had to drop in to see some old friends and visit some of our favourite places in Bangkok and elsewhere.  This was a side trip down memory lane.

The huge metropolitan conglomerate of Bangkok is a poster boy for the ongoing dramatic change all across Asia.  New skyscrapers have appeared since our last visit and dozens of building cranes spot the skyline.  Bangkok is a city that never stands still and this was never more apparent than on our old street, Soi Langsuan, which is sprouting up new buildings on both sides, including the luxurious huge shopping, entertainment and condominium complex that runs four city blocks and when completed will transform this street into a major shopping and living attraction.

But fortunately at least some things stay the same, including our favourite old night time stomping ground, the popular street called Soi 11, where we had a few beers at some of our favourite haunts, followed by an excellent Thai dinner.  We finished it off with a Black Russian at a tiny little street bar, a great way to end an amazing first day of deja vu.

Every visitor to Bangkok takes a ferry down the Chao Praya River and for Julie and I it also meant a chance to visit some of our favourite places and eat lunch at a great spot an hour upstream in Nonthaburi.  Boats of all sizes were prowling the river – little short tail boats and the bigger long tail boats, private boats, ferries, hotel private boats, local shuttle boats, tug boats, huge barges and luxury tourist boats all vying for space and piers up and down the river. We never tire of it.

We also caught up with old friends from ANZWG (Australia and New Zealand Women’s Group) and had a great night hearing the latest news in town and comparing travelling stories.  But the biggest surprise was the unexpected arrival of Natthuwat, the young guy we’ve been sponsoring for many years as he studies and works his way from living in a bamboo hut in a remote Northern Thailand hill tribe to university life in Bangkok.  He’s 19 now, tall and handsome, living in the big smoke, studying hard while working part time.  We’re very proud of him.

One of the highlights of Thailand’s crowded festival calendar is Loy Krathong and the best place to not just celebrate Loy Krathong but to experience the whole Thai immersion into this festival is the northern Thailand town of Chiang Mai.  So we just had to fly up there for two days of celebration and fun in one of the most enjoyable and livable cities in the country.

One of the festival’s key features is a nightly parade down the main street connecting the historical Tau Pae Gates to the river.  We found a rickety front row table in a little local restaurant and set ourselves up for the evening, having a few beers, ordering our food course by course and enjoying all the people walking by in party mode on the first big night of the festival.

We later went down to the river to see the hundreds of booths set up to sell home-made Krathongs, all the fantastic street food, bands entertaining people inside and outside venues, and thousands and thousands of people crammed on the streets, putting their Krathongs into the river, amateur fireworks in all directions,  just wild.  A great night.

One of the real highlights of any visit to Chiang Mai isn’t actually in the town at all.  Doi Suthep, as it is commonly known, is a magnificent Buddhist temple originally built in the 14th century sitting high on the mountain overlooking the city.  We have visited it many times and enjoy it each time.  We caught a song thaew, which is a red open-sided pick up truck with two bench seats in the back, up the steep winding road to the sacred temple which sits on top of the hills overlooking all before it.  The blindingly gold stupa, the true believers burning candles, the locals and tourists paying their respects in this auspicious setting and the spectacular views over the valley below made this a great diversion.

That evening we joined the throng in one of the many open air beer bars on the banks of the river with live music, cold beer, great views and a very festive atmosphere.  After all, tonight is the crescendo of the Loy Krathong celebration and even if you stumbled upon the moment amongst your travels you couldn’t help but be caught up with the great buzz of the place.  We later fought our way through the throbbing masses and pulsating street party to a restaurant on the river to enjoy the whole spectacle of people lighting their lanterns and sending them off into the evening sky.

These beautiful paper kites that are shaped like a huge upside down paper bag gain their loft from the ring of flammable material that fills the lantern with hot air and sends it skyward with a bright glow.  As a one off it looks great but if the sky is filled with thousands of them, all slowly drifting overhead with the light breeze, the scene is just spectacular.  We crammed our neck all during dinner just soaking in this magnificent scene.

After dinner we went down to the restaurant’s little pier and lit our krathong that Julie had bought earlier.  A krathong is a cute little homemade figure made of various materials, usually leaves and flowers, set on a floatable base.  Julie had chosen a beautiful krathong which looked like a peacock with his feathers fully extended and we lit its candles before I gently set it afloat in the Ping River.

The idea behind the krathong is that once a year on this special day you can load all your troubles and worries onto this little floating symbol, launch it in the river and let all your problems float away.  You start a new year without any burdens or worries or troubles.  Sounds fantastic – why didn’t we think of that? – and Julie and I immediately felt unburdened as our krathong floated away.

We slowly made our way through the crowds to the main bridge where we bought our own lantern and after a little help from a local set it aloft to join thousands of others.  A sky full of illuminated lanterns floating away is a joyous heart-lifting sight and the thousands of people milling about in full party mode made the moment really special.  But you also had to be careful not to get in the way of these kamikaze fireworks guys who were setting off their home made crackers with varying degrees of success.  This sort of thing will never happen in Australia!

Back in Bangkok the next day, a little worse for wear after back to back nights of street celebrations, we checked out some of the massive new glitzy shopping centres in the city.  These are huge complexes and their size, scope and design in this city which already has dozens of spectacular shopping centres absolutely defies logic.

We also visited a very special person who is very dear to Julie.  Sister Joan is one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met.  Now in her mid 80’s and perhaps slowing down a little, she has lived in the slums of Klong Toey, one of the poorest and most disadvantaged areas of Bangkok, for almost 25 years.

From her very humble little home set on stilts above the rubbish-filled high tide of the river she has been providing food, clothes, funds, love and support to thousands of families, mothers and their babies who live in the area.

With the partial financial support of her convent in Perth, and more so the financial and volunteer support she receives from ANZWG and other groups in BKK she has primarily focused on giving these young mothers every opportunity to raise a healthy baby, initially through the provision of nutritional milk powder and as the children grow – hopefully healthier due to Sister Joan’s contribution – she helps them with clothing and programs to ensure they eat a decent meal at school each day.  Sister Joan’s impact on these struggling people living in very difficult circumstances is almost incalculable.

Through our very biased lenses Bangkok offers an endless array of activities and experiences for first timers and old hands.  The rich history, vibrant culture, beautiful people, delicious food, dynamic economy and ever-changing political landscape make Bangkok a very special place to visit.  It certainly has its problems with too much crime and corruption but the city needs to be seen as a full package with a very complex character for that is its greatest strength.  We’ll definitely be back.