Thailand

Thailand — I went back once, which says a lot about how much that first trip marked me. Two stays, two different paces: the first solo, island-hopping through the south; the second more relaxed, as a couple, between national parks and Bangkok's heritage.

What strikes me every time is the welcome: they sell you a lot of things, but with a smile that feels genuine. And then there are these two Thailands living side by side. On one hand, places like Kaeng Krachan, still untouched, almost frozen in time. On the other, mass tourism — Khao San Road-style, or the lines in front of Wat Arun for the perfect Instagram shot in traditional dress — worth seeing once, certainly, but not for everyone. The country is there too, in that same contradiction.