"Pain?" she remarked, quite matter-of-factly considering that my face had twisted into a grimace. I think this was the only word the Thai woman knew in English. Her right leg was wrapped under my left one, and her arm had somehow had found its way to my right shoulder via my spine. I tried to smile. But ouch.

I was wrapped in a Thai massage or "nuat phaen boran" which literally means the ancient-manner massage. Over the scheduled two hours, the woman beat and kneaded every known and heretofore undiscovered muscle in my body, gradually turning me into a soupy piece of human chewing gum. I didn't even get her name.

There's a special mystique the comes with returning to a particular place over and over again. The big sights are checked off the list, and you can dig into the little adventures, back streets and daily rythms of the place. On my fourth trip to Bangkok, I felt no obligation to pay respects to the Teak Palace, the Wat Pho or the Emerald Buddha. (Although, I still confess an unusual attraction to the Chatuchak Weekend Market.)

Instead, I've begun to develop a bit of a habit. First, a stop to see Victor at Rajawongse Tailors on Sukhumvit. He does an excellent job with my custom dress shirts (THB 1,000, about $30) such that I've never bought one in a store since. Then, there's Health Land Spa in Ekamai where a two-hour Thai massage in a luxururious and clean setting can be had for only THB 500 (about $15). Make reservations, though, this place is popular with the locals. For a meal, it's either Cabbage & Condoms, a touristy dive with unabashed flair off of Sukhumvit Road. Or Mali Restaurant, a tiny hole-in-the-wall near the Austrian Embassy that serves a hot, buttery green curry for THB 150 (about $4.50).

On Sunday morning, after over-indulging on dragon fruit at the breakfast buffet, I floated through the greasy, hot June air to Lumpini Park. It's one of the few open spaces in the city. As such, the park tends to attract morning joggers and Tai Chi practitioners seeking relief from the honking horns and pollution. So-called "monitor lizards" are also daily guests in the park. These 1.5 metres long cousins of the Komodo Dragon glide through the water and dash across the park lawns at astonishing speeds. During my morning walk, I happened to startle one in the tall grass and I think we both jumped five feet in the air before it dove head-first into the water away from me.

Perhaps it was out of envy that I returned to the hotel, donned my swim trunks and dove into the swimming pool. From ouch to ahhh. All in a days work.