October in the Salzkammergut can resemble a damp tea towel with a postcode. Bangkok seemed a reasonable response.
Salzburg, Istanbul, then warm air and a city already operating at full volume before breakfast. The Airport Rail Link and BTS delivered me towards Wireless Road and The Athenee: a remarkably civilised place to recover from the business of getting there.
A little calm, with a Negroni
Good light, a warm welcome and a room that understood the value of quiet. My Marriott status has its uses, but feeling properly looked after is harder to reduce to a loyalty balance.
Later, a Negroni by the pool. Bangkok below; a brief ceasefire above.
At Royal Osha, the Massaman lamb made a persuasive case for abandoning all other dinner plans. The fish went on the next-visit list before this visit was over. Always a promising sign.
The bits you cannot schedule
Thai coffee caught my attention. So did a forty-minute conversation with a bartender about bitters. Neither would impress a stopwatch-wielding sightseeing guide. Both stayed with me.
That is the trouble with Bangkok: the best moments keep slipping between the landmarks. Seventy-two hours is enough to get attached, not enough to finish.
Back to Austria, then. The weather had almost certainly learned nothing. I, at least, had acquired another reason to return.
Edited and shortened from Batty’s original. Personal impressions reflect the visit described; details may change.