When news of the pandemic started to circulate at the end of 2019, I was a copywriter working in one of Bangkok’s most luxurious office towers. The building itself is part of a larger development called Gaysorn Village, a high-end shopping centre and retail space in Ratchaprasong, at the heart of Bangkok’s central business district.

One of Ratchaprasong’s most distinctive characteristics is the wide walkway that connects the entire area from Siam to Chit Lom (also known as Chidlom) and Pratunam. High above street level, this structure forms a road of its own, with tourists and locals passing each other like tiny signals between neurons. It was along this skywalk that I commuted to work each day, slipping past the tourists and the other office workers before entering my building. And, each day, I passed The Papersmith—the saving grace of my daily grind.

• Tags: Issue 26, Nicharee Phatitit, Thailand, The Papersmith