Read previewA friend recently said that living in Southeast Asia was akin to winning one of Willy Wonka's golden tickets. AdvertisementIt's been 14 years since the author arrived in Southeast Asia. Yet Western media obsessions — US presidential elections and divisive identity politics, to name but two — are not given the same relentless prominence here. I've not lived in Scotland since 2007, and the axis of my life — wife and son, friends, work networks, clients — is almost entirely Asia-orientated. We are heading back to Scotland this July, and I can't wait to catch up with friends and family and show my son Alex the Highlands for the first time.

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Persons: —, Willy Wonka's, batty, Mr Wonka, Thailand's, It's, Duncan Forgan, kao, he's, Chiang Mai, Alexander, I'm, Alex the Organizations: Service, Business, South, Tamil Nadu, Royal, Alex the Highlands Locations: Southeast Asia, Bangkok, Chinatown, Thai, Jok, Ojo, Thailand, Vietnam, Asia, Pacific, soi, South, Western Australia, Scotland, London