Bangkok is a city where expatriates, young and old, have a wild time. Tropical, relaxed and reasonably inexpensive, Thailand’s capital is custom-made for clubbers and partygoers. And the party scene has no real boundaries. Bangkok is a thrillseekers’ special order.

Some of the young at heart prefer to marvel at a sofa made of ice at the Q Bar, or loll around on a mattress at the Bed Supperclub. Others like to sip a sky-high cocktail in the Vertigo Grill and Moon Bar, an open-air restaurant and bar lounge 61 floors above the street.

The variety of nightlife is astounding in Bangkok – never-ending, with clubs reaching a zenith of popularity before fading into obscurity and on to a Phoenix-like rebirth.

Some clubbers like to whet their appetites for life by downing a drink at one of Bangkok’s hundreds of dingy fleshpots in Patpong Road or Soi Cowboy before moving on to an haute-couture cocktail at a five-star bar.

Since the Second World War, Bangkok has been known for its rest and relaxation. Here ladyboys with knobbly Adam’s apples and wearing latex and sequins fear no opprobrium, gays walk down the street hand in hand, and young Thai women find it easy to look past a Western man’s physical and chronological shortcomings. The notorious ping-pong-ball shows could be seen to be at one end of the equation – an “anything goes for the beautiful people” mantra is hummed at the other.

Young rich Thais join in the fun in many of the clubs, where the rules are lax. At the Santika, where so many partygoers died, it was a favourite party trick to dribble alcohol in a trail along the bar and set it alight.

Indoor fireworks may have ignited the Santika blaze. Danger appears to be largely ignored.

This New Year’s Eve, sparkling pleasure boats rumbled up and down the Chao Phraya river, shining neon green and peacock blue, some with lurching partygoers dancing precariously to thudding music on the vessels’ roofs.

Bangkok is close to the Golden Triangle, and although the laws punish those caught with drugs, the consumption is huge. Yaba, a methamphetamine-type drug, is big, as is Ecstasy.

But most young expats in Bangkok are high on life. It is warm all year round, family obligations can be kept to an absolute minimum and luxury living is comparatively affordable. It is easy to pay for someone to do the housekeeping, iron the shirts, cook the food. It is delightful to be appreciated for qualities that may be less appreciated – or even scorned – in the West.

It’s a two-year, three-year or five-year tropical holiday. And for some it becomes an addiction that is very hard to kick.

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