I found this Nelumbo nucifera – the Sacred Lotus – growing quietly beneath The Green Mile, the relatively new skywalk that links Benjakitti Park with Lumpini Park.

Through this elevated ribbon of concrete and greenery, the two parks now bridge the Sukhumvit area with Silom and Saladeng in Bang Rak district – a soft, walkable seam stitched into an otherwise relentless city.

Bangkok is always evolving. Shifting gears. Testing new ideas. I love this about the Thai capital. There is an ambition at work here that feels so confident. It’s on a level that perhaps only an ancient city can pull off without erasing its identity in the process.

Much of what I fell in love with nearly forty years ago is still here. The vibe. The contradictions. Above all, the people – still remarkably open, friendly, and good-hearted, in a way that feels neither staged nor strategic. It is this continuity, running quietly beneath all the change, that awakens my wanderlust and keeps pulling me back.