Thailand Keeps Calling You Back
Thailand is a country very dear to my heart.
I was first introduced to it back in 1994–95, when I took a job at a Thai restaurant called The Royal Barge in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was instantly hooked on the food, and to this day it remains my favorite cuisine. That early introduction quietly planted a seed that would shape the next few decades of my life.
I ended up moving to Asia in 2004, and made my first trip to Thailand (and Cambodia) in early 2005. I wasn’t planning on spending the next 11 years on that continent — but that’s how it turned out. Countless trips around Southeast Asia unfolded over the years, with Thailand always pulling me back in one way or another.
After a 13-year hiatus, I was finally able to return — this time with the entire family together — and it didn’t disappoint. If I had to guess, I’d say the kids will return here many times over the course of their lives as well. Thailand is one of those places that never really lets go. It keeps calling you back.
Getting There Is Half the Battle
Getting to Thailand from Tajikistan is nearly as difficult as flying from the United States. As much as I love Tajikistan, it’s one of the more challenging places I’ve ever lived when it comes to getting in and out.
We had a 15-hour journey ahead of us, routing through Urumqi and Guangzhou before finally reaching Bangkok. Unfortunately, a delayed flight out of Urumqi caused us to miss our connection from Guangzhou to Bangkok. China Southern put us up for the night at the China Southern Pearl — the first time I’ve ever stayed in a hotel owned and operated by an airline.
To their credit, the accommodations were quite nice, and they gave us two rooms. We were back in our old stomping grounds for a brief night, but unfortunately Gavin wasn’t feeling well, so we weren’t able to head into the city to reconnect with old friends.
Early the next morning, we boarded the first flight out. By 10 a.m., we were already in a van heading toward our Airbnb in Bangkok.
Coming Home to Bangkok
Landing in Bangkok is one of only four places in the world where I feel like I’m coming home as the plane makes its final descent. It’s also the only one of those four where I don’t have family waiting for me. There’s just something about the place — a sense of joy in simply being back.
The contrasts you find in Bangkok are incredible. There truly is something there for everyone. I’ve known plenty of travelers over the years who want to hop straight onto a domestic flight without ever leaving the airport, and honestly, I can understand why. It’s hot, humid, chaotic, grid-locked, and packed to the brim.
But if you’re willing to get out of the most congested areas, you can still find sides of Bangkok that feel surprisingly calm and local — though there’s no escaping the heat and humidity.
A Quieter Corner of the City
We decided to spend our first four days in the city showing the kids around Bangkok. I wanted them to experience a little bit of everything, but we preferred staying somewhere quieter.
We found a great three-bedroom Airbnb near the shrine of King Taksin at Wat Nak Klang. It’s an older temple neighborhood with a serene, local feel — a welcome contrast to the city’s more frenetic areas.
One of our favorite nearby spots was a small restaurant called Baan Ploen Dee, located right on the Khlong Mon Canal. From their dock, you can hop on a canal tour straight from the restaurant.
A private boat with a driver runs just under $100 for a few hours, or much less if you’re solo or a couple and willing to join a larger group. Being a family of five, we opted for our own boat.
Life Along the Canals
According to our boat driver, not much has changed along the canals in the past 50 years. Old teakwood homes line the banks — some beautifully maintained, others showing their age. It felt like slipping into a quieter, slower version of Bangkok.
The artist village just up the canal from where it meets the Chao Phraya River was busier, but still a great place to wander, explore, and browse small shops.
When we arrived in Bangkok, one of my favorite humans, Charlie, came down from his winter abode in Kunming to hang out with us for the first four — and last four — days of the trip. Charlie isn’t much of a beach person, so when we eventually took off for Krabi and the islands, he headed north instead for another motorcycle loop around the Golden Triangle.
Those first four days were all about city life.
We quickly fell into a comfortable Bangkok rhythm — homemade ice cream, excellent coffee, and Thai teas at our local spot, Pricillas. We feasted on an endless variety of tropical fruits that aren’t so easy to come by in Dushanbe. Water taxis carried us up and down the Chao Phraya River, which is still one of my favorite ways to move through the city. There’s something about seeing Bangkok from the water that slows everything down just enough to make sense of it all.
A trip over to Lumphini Park was able to verify all the stories I had told my reptile loving children about the Bangkok Dragons (Asian water monitors), the second largest lizard species after the Komodo Dragons. We spent an entire morning slow walking the park and admiring these ancient docile creatures. The kids insisted we come back to the park everyday we were there, but it was a bit of a journey from where we were staying. They were pleased to find them scattered throughout the canals basking in the sun along grassy banks, or up on peoples docks, and some swimming up under the stilted homes.
On our very first night, the city surprised us with fireworks lighting up the sky near Wat Arun. They were part of a celebration called Vijit Chao Phraya — a festival celebrating Thai culture, honoring Queen Sirikit, and giving tourism a much-needed boost. Watching fireworks explode over the river with temples silhouetted below felt like a pretty strong welcome back.
Markets filled our days — morning markets, night markets — and we were eating everywhere we went. The fresh orange juice stands alone nearly bankrupted me. Vendors squeezing oranges at tiny street carts on almost every block… just take my money. I wanted one from every stand we passed, and somehow they seemed even more common than 7-Eleven locations. (I’ve heard the same thing said about cannabis shops these days too — and yes, that checks out.)
Anyone who’s spent time in Thailand knows how omnipresent 7-Eleven is. You never have to go far for a cold drink or a quick snack. Between that, the juice stands, and endless street food, it’s nearly impossible to go hungry — or thirsty.
Those first four days in Bangkok flew by. One moment we were bouncing between cafés, boats, and markets, and the next thing we knew, we were packing bags for an early morning flight south.
Krabi was calling.
Wise Clan in Stanland 
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