"We'll always have Bangkok."

Going to Thailand for a short holiday seems to have evolved into a kind of ritual for us. And there are several reasons for that.

First of all, the country is just a couple of hours' flight away. If you take an early morning flight to Bangkok, you can finish your hotel check-in before noon and then go out to have lunch at your favourite restaurant. Second, most Thai people are friendly and simple, and they provide good service. Third, even with the Hong Kong dollar's unfavourable exchange rate against the Thai baht these days, accommodation and dining in Thailand still represents good value for money. Last but not the least, Thailand offers such a wide range of places of interest for people with different preferences that it is almost impossible to get bored. Just take Bangkok for an example. We've visited the city several times, but we are still able to find new attractions on top of our old favourites. Bangkok has a much more international ethos than Hong Kong which calls itself "Asia's World City", and that is one thing that makes the cosmopolitan city so lively and vibrant.

Bangkok, therefore, is one exception to my rule of travel that the capital cities of countries can and should be skippe

The film Casablanca has a parting scene, regarded as one of the most poignant in film history, in which Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman were prised apart at the airport. Bogart said the immortal line "We'll always have Paris", referring to the zenith of their love affair.

Maybe years later, when we look back at our younger days, we can make the proud declaration that "we'll always have Bangkok".