The reason for my yearly trip to Bangkok is to visit the Erawan Shrine. The shrine feels a lot less chaotic and busy since the ban on lighted candles and joss sticks since 2020. This is my first visit after the ban. There is no more jostling to place the burning candles and joss sticks into the urn hence the place feels a lot more calm. Previously, there was also the added stress and risk of being poked by someone else's lighted joss sticks. While the peace and calm is gained on the one hand, there is a slight disconnect when placing the unlit joss sticks into the urn. It feels weird, it just does not feel the same as before. I guess you gain some, you lose some. But some things never change - my love to photograph the place especially when it is swarmed with devotees.