Unlike most people writing about Thailand, my stories do not come from typical vacations – whether in the Western style of boozy islands and full moon parties, the hippy style of elephant sanctuaries and northern temples, or the Eastern style of beachside family holidays.

You see, most of the time I travel to Thailand, it is for work.

Sometimes, when I am able to add extra time around those trips, my Thai colleague would take me/us to see spots around his country where we happen to be. Or sometimes, as colleagues we would organise a trip together – and then this would resemble an Eastern ‘family’ style vacation.

So my experience travelling Thailand is a little niche. The location is opportunistic, the timing usually short – and always mediated by a true blue local guide who came to know pretty much his entire country through one of his former jobs.

These are the stories of my jaunts into my neighbour, the Kingdom of Thailand.