From the country's political struggles against colonialism during the 19th century, to the internal reframing of the 20th century, as it changed its name to Thailand, abolished absolute monarchy, adopted constitutional rule, and underwent numerous coups and several uprisings, Bangkok has provided a point of national reference.

Bangkok's rapid growth, coupled with little urban planning, has resulted in a haphazard cityscape and inadequate infrastructure. Crippling traffic is notorious, The city has since turned to public transport to solve the problem, but congestion remains a prevalent issue.

Choosing life on the river felt like a rather nifty way to avoid the city traffic. We were smug!

We could not have made a better choice if we had tried. Okay the boat cabin was a minute cupboard but we are used to shoe horning into impossibly small spaces on safari. A bed is a bed after all.

We had about 1 m of floor space to stash our bags and a tiny bathroom next door where you could just about shower if you sat on the toilet but there was an air conditioner so we were happy.

From there we turned for home, across the inky black water, past the floating restaurants, ferries and dinner cruises.

On the banks of the river the night life of Bangkok was just getting started and we cruised past temples festooned with lights, restaurants and clubs, and the turrets of the Royal Palace.

It was an exciting start to our visit.

Sabai Sabai is owned and run by Roger, a German expat. Colourful, opinionated and larger than life , he entertained us with storys of life in Thailand, his health, his fitness routine, his life philosophy and his take on Naziism. Life was never going to be dull on board this Good Ship Lollipop.

The palace lay an easy 20 minute stroll down a wide boulevard. As we drew near the crowds appeared. The palace is surrounded in a high wall with ribbons and guards and huge bowls of beautiful flowering orchids. I think they must swap them out as they finish blooming. I cannot imagine dead flowers at the royal palace. It is very well curated.

At the gate we paid entry of 500 Bht. Expensive but this is, after all, the Buckingham palace and Westminster Abbey of Thailand rolled into one. I wanted an audioguide but you have to leave your credit card as collateral. South African paranoia kicked in. We would have to wing it. We followed the crowds into the security check. For the first time they were X raying our bags and checking us out for suspicious activity. The royal guard were prominent.

You are not allowed inside the majority of them but there is a lot of history in terms of the various Rama's, what they added and changed and what is housed where and why.

Each building is uniquely beautiful. One chedi is a replica from Wat Phra Si Sanphet in Ayutthaya, covered in gold mosaic and containing Buddha relics. The Royal Pantheon contains life sized statues of all the Rama's but is only open 8 days a year.

Everything is exquisite and the buildings and paintings are kept pristine. Our guide says they are hand washed every night. I believe him.

Essentially it is the story of King Rama and his beautiful wife Queen Sita, billed as the age old story of good triumphing over evil with a few twists.

Rama I wrote a fair amount of the currently accepted version. The story makes its appearance in various aspects of Thai culture and Rama II rewrote some as Khon drama, a type of classical Thai dance-drama, depicting tales from the Ramakien through elaborate masks, graceful dance, music, and narration.

She gives birth to twins and they eventually reconcile her with Rama. There are different endings. In one, still feeling judged, she choses to return to mother earth, which may be a code for suicide. She is , however, the daughter of Mother Earth so it also may mean she choses to return home. In another version they remarry and live happily ever after.

There are uncomfortable elements of guilt blaming the victims of sexual slavery and abuse here, but other interpretations state she is an empowering figure, always choosing her own destiny. I think perhaps we should go with that.

The current members of the Royal family prefer to reside in other palaces such as the Chitralada Palace.

Most of the buildings on this side were built by Rama IV and V with influence from British architects.

It is pretty but we were tired and footsore, and, for better or worse, we skipped the museum and headed out for some lunch.

Chinatown is a very famous area of Bangkok renowned for the Chinese culture, traditions, colour, food, jewellery. It is said to be the biggest Chinatown in the world.

There are so many Chinese temples, some old and dark, others brightly decorated, brimming with statues, ribbons, flowers and painted reliefs. Our old friend The Tiger God was well represented, as were the Naga statues. Luck and prosperity as we had already found out.

Despite this the Chinese immigrants thrived and grew in prosperity and the area remains a cultural enclave.

Yaowarat Road is the main artery running through Chinatown and lined with gold jewellery shops. In the twisting alleyways on either side are markets and temples and crowded stalls. Chinese lanterns, flags and banners run across the streets in colourful chaos.

The rain made an appearance but no one bothered.

On another occasion we wandered, pensioner style, into some sort of mango festival with wine tasting and people dressed up to the nines with photographers and film crew. People posing in the latest gear, selfies and photoshoots on every surface, immaculate makeup.

We nearly made it, Dudley had infiltrated the wine tasting, but I clearly lowered the tone and we both got thrown out on our ears. Well you win some and you lose some. There is a huge thirst in Bangkok to document your beauty!

This market is the biggest market in Thailand, it receives over 200,000 visitors a weekend, and spans more than 35 acres and 15000 stalls. You can buy anything here from exotic pets to food, plants, electronics, furniture, vintage clothing, thai art.

Dudley is always attracted to the life sized elephant, not the pocket sized stuff.

We bought dried fruits, scarves and Thai pants like proper tourists and then, after the best coconut ice ever, we bowed out.

Jim Morrison was an architect and became fascinating by Thai customs and art. He salvaged several old teak houses and then rebuilt them on his property in the city close to the river, and furnished them with Thai arts and sculptures, to the extent he amassed one of the largest collections of Thai art.

Around the houses he curated a garden, also in traditional style with many sculptures.

He revived the silk industry in Thailand, founding the Thai Silk Company and finding and preserving the traditional methods of weaving and dying. He hosted everybody at his house, the who's who of art, literature and politics.

It was, however, more than that. Another of the most beautiful temples we visited. In the compound are more than 99 chedis of different sizes covered in porcelain mosaic. The 4 main chedi are dedicated to the first 4 Rama kings, and have various artefacts from Ayutthaya as well as Buddha relics entombed in them.

The temple is considered the earliest centre for public education in Thailand, the first Thai university if you like. It is recognised by UNESCO. It houses a school of Thai medicine, and is known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage which is still taught and practiced at the temple. There are 2 pavilions in the temple grounds where you can go for traditional massage.

The lift was bigger than our entire cabin on board the Sabai Sabai. You could have a party in it. I guess that solves the Rolls Royce problem!

We took the lift up to the top and found a broad viewing deck overlooking the river and the skyline of Bangkok laid out before us. Many of the buildings were decorated with portraits of the king for his upcoming birthday.

We watched the world go by and surveyed the scurrying crowds like tiny ants below before indulging in the most expensive coffee and cake ever. We really were in retail central!

On the day we headed to the West Bank of the river it was the Kings birthday and we were surrounded by people in traditional dress. Whole families including little toddlers were in matching costumes crowding the ferry. Beautiful silks, perfect makeup, diamond studded belts and sashes, complicated hairpieces.

We assumed it was part of the traditional celebrations or some religious festival as we followed them to our destination for that day at Wat Arun. Well there was nothing religious that we saw, they trailed about the temple complex with photographers and props taking photos at every conceivable viewpoint. No worshiping in sight. Lining the streets at the back of the wat were rows of costume shops where, for 500 Bht , you could hire the full caboodle. Fancy!

We thought Roger was maybe doing a promotional shoot so we stayed away to give them space. I certainly hoped they were not staying over.

As it got late we paid our bill and strolled down to the boat. There were lights and cameras all over. The hero was posed in a tuxedo brandishing a gun with a beautiful scantily dressed girl on his arm facing 2 villainous characters. Very James Bond. They looked surprised to see us and we were shooed up to the upper deck out of the way.

Just as we were wondering if we would get to bed anytime soon, Roger came rolling home from the gym. They told him to leave and he exploded in a rage and threw them off the boat with curses and crashes.

This is traditionally a public holiday so maybe it was not the best day to experience normal life there. Because of the war in Cambodia a lot of the days celebrations had been cancelled, including the fireworks, which made me sad. We were treated to a 21 gun salute however.

The temple is a central prang with 4 chedis at the points of the compass. You can climb the prang and walk around a walkway which overlooks the courtyard.

The central prang is topped with a seven-pronged trident, referred to as the "Trident of Shiva". Around the base of the prang are various figures of ancient Chinese soldiers and animals so there is Chinese, Hindu and Buddhist influences in the temple

The prang and surrounding buildings are covered in shards of porcelain and shell arranged like flowers and really beautifully decorated. The porcelain and shell were taken from ballast previously used in boats sailing from China to Bangkok.

Crisscrossed with narrow waterways and canals the houses are crowded on the edge, either floating or on stilts. The water pipes and electrics looked precarious to say the least.

The canals are crowded with colourful boats, taxis, tourist vessels, as well as working vessels.

They all have a little gate onto the water and usually a gazebo with seats on the waters edge. Maybe to fish or just to relax in the evening. The walkways, when present, are narrow and precarious. Everyone has masses of plant pots and flowers, so some areas are really pretty but there are a lot of areas that look about 1 step from falling into the water.

The orchids are being grown suspended on nets over tanks of water

After a couple of hours we turned back the way we had come. We stopped at a temple pier and they gave us a big bag of cheese curls to throw to the fish. Those cheese curls must have a hidden nutritional value as the catfish that boiled to the surface were huge. A lady on the jetty threw in a crust of bread and the fish surge created a tidal wave which nearly capsized our boat. I am not usually squeamish but I did not want to end up in that water!

They danced to scenes from the, increasingly familiar, Ramakien. It helped that there were some subtitles which explained the scenes. There was a small orchestra playing traditional instruments. The costumes were beautiful. The dance was graceful and stylised.

I remain in awe of the flexibility, indeed hyper mobility, the artists exhibited. To be honest you see flashes of this in many Thai people just in day to day life and gestures. The way they issue tickets or serve you. I get the impression that Thai dance lessons from an early age are common to develop this particular type of grace.

Increasingly I see people who’s idea of a good hotel is a soulless cream coloured room with big bed, white sheets and European food. Or a stereotyped beach resort. Then why come to Thailand? Those hotels look the same the world over.

The places to stay are with the people who really make Thailand the Land of Smiles. Eccentric, eclectic and welcoming. A bed is just a horizontal cushion to sleep on. You don’t need a palace to make you feel important.

Anyway enough of the lecture, everyone has a place in Thailand, which ever way you decide to do it. Beautiful people with amazing lives, ancient agriculture, chaotic towns and cities which seem to have space for everyone.