Originally published via Armageddon Prose Substack:
“What do you mean, ‘return’?” you might ask. “Your bio says “Bangkok-based.”
Which is a fair question.
It reads that because a.) I’m a sucker for alliteration, b.) Bangkok is as much my base as anywhere, and c.) I haven’t had any better alternative to put there, as I’ve been on the move for quite a while now.
The reality is that, unfortunately, due to this and that circumstance, I haven’t set foot on Thai soil since 2020.
On October 21st, barring some natural disaster or nuclear apocalypse, everything gets set right when I return to the land I have a greater tenderness for than any other — save for, perhaps, the much-maligned and underappreciated state of Kansas with its majestic rolling plains.
A dozen, or maybe a couple of dozen, expat readers have contacted me over the last few years to offer to rendezvous in Thailand, believing I was there at the time.
Since I don’t remember everyone who did and, frankly, I don’t feel like poring over my email archives, if you are one of them and you’re still around, get at me (benbartee@protonmail.com) and let’s meet up.
Ben Bartee is an independent Bangkok-based American journalist with opposable thumbs.
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