Had I not married a Thai woman, it's unlikely that I would have come to know 'Thai Town' in Sydney's Haymarket area. I would probably have noticed the area, running along Campbell St and roughly bounded by George and Castlereagh Streets, but not in the way I do today.

Here you find a lot of Thai restaurants and cafes, Thai grocery shops, Thai travel, Thai massage and so forth. There used to be a Thai music library and other services, but they seem to have disappeared, or moved elsewhere.

My wife Ann regularly goes to the city to get specialised groceries and vegetables. Sometimes she picks up a home-made food order or even buys fresh durian when it gets flown in during the growing season. I admit to having hung out there quite a lot, though I am not the only farang to do so. 

Ann often directs me to wait on the footpath outside whichever grocery shop she is in. I guess this must be a Thai thing because other foreign husbands are similarly positioned, all looking mildly uncomfortable. I'd rather be inside looking at the produce on the shelves, but mine is not to reason why, is it?