Everyone loves old travel, especially those from the early days of mass tourism. They were designed to tantalise travellers by reducing countries to charming clichés – Britain became Big Ben and cream-teas, Spain was known for bullfights and flamenco while Japan was all blossom and kimonos.
But for Thailand, floating markets were the theme: colourful photos showed widely-smiling ladies under broad-brimmed hats, paddling boats in packed canals, and selling exotic foods and fruit. A lovely image of course, but even the most nostalgic travellers know that the residents of Bangkok rather visit the nearest supermarket than the local canal when shopping for dinner