All this month I’ve been going on about things I forgot I missed about living in Bangkok. It is only appropriate I end with a bit of history.

I first came to Thailand in 1999. It seems a lifetime ago … it seems like just yesterday. This August I moved back to Bangkok from Pattaya. This marks the fourth time I’ve attempted to be a permanent Bangkokian. Needless to say, this city and I have some history together.

I rode on the Skytrain the first day it was open. I’m quite proud of that. I predicted the BTS would change the way people live in this massive city. I bought condos strategically located along the Sukhumvit BTS line. It was nice to be right. I wish I still owned all of them.

I was here when Thaksin ran the show. I was here when the King turned 80. I was here when the Red Shirts burned down Central World. I was here for the Yellow Shirt storming of Suvarnabhumi Airport. I remember when Don Muang was the airport.

I also remember when it used to take five hours to get to Pattaya. Well, it didn’t always take that long, but it always could. Completion of the tollway was like throwing a rope around Pattaya and pulling it closer. Now it’s basically Bangkok Beach.

A few years ago I dragged myself out of the sweltering Bangkok heat into the old Bourbon Street Restaurant and Bar located in Washington Square. Everyone at the bar was glued to the television set watching CNN coverage of the most recent coupe unfolding around us in Bangkok.

I grabbed a stool and joined in the discussion. Bourbon Street’s owner Doug Harrison greeted me with his customary slap on the back and “Hey Buddy, is this your first coupe?” “No man, this is my second” I said. “My third” another patron added from the end of the bar. We traded stories, sipped our beers and marveled at Thai democracy in action, right there in the safety of Bourbon Street, Chuck Berry playing in the background.

Last month I made a point to stop in Bourbon Street’s new home in Ekkamai. Doug and crew are celebrating 30 years. Take a closer look at this picture and you’ll see the commemorative beer glass tells the story. Three decades of oysters, crawdads and Mexican buffets. Three decades of punters, pros and Thanksgiving dinners. And 17 years of me, curing hangovers with their Eggs Benedict and crab cakes. It was the first place I ever ate in Thailand.
I’m happy to be back in Bangkok. It’s nice to live in a place where you have personal history.

Orlando Barton