Smile Because It Happened: Antidotes to Melancholy in Thailand, the Land of Smiles

Smile and the world smiles with you; so says the song - but it sometimes seems that we are assailed on all sides by melancholy. So many people we cross paths with are apparently unable to crack a smile. It can get you down and we need an antidote. Some people are cheerful, there is a "smile city" in America and one country, Thailand, is known as "the land of smiles". The author has visited often and reckons that if anywhere can make you smile this is the place. Whether you are idling on the beach, and missing arrest by a whisker; visiting the ancient city of Sukhothai and climbing to a hidden shrine; or walking through a nature reserve and dodging wild elephants, it is a delightful place. With festivals, temples and a relaxed and laid back attitude to fun - sanuk - there is so much to make you smile. Even circumventing Bangkok's airport when protestors closed it for 10 days can be satisfying. The miscellany of incidents, places and people catalogued in light hearted fashion here illustrates delightfully something about a beautiful country with so much more to offer than just beaches. Whether you know Thailand or plan to or just dream of the exotic east, it will put a smile on your face.