FalangBaa

A comfortable apartment in Bangkok is going to set you back 60-70k a month. You're off the mark by a factor of 10. You clearly don't have sufficient funds to live in a major global city like Bangkok. My recommendation is to stay in your own country, because Thailand is obviously out of your price range.

what a giant load of rubbish. my Condo, not new but still in reasonable condition, has 78sqm and cost 9.900 + 900 THB maintenance fee, and I can reach the next BTS station usually within 15 minutes by Bus if it is not morning rush hour. Continue dreaming

Let's see the photos then of your amazing 9,900 baht "condo". When you said "a giant load of rubbish", were you referring to your condo? 15 minutes away from the nearest BTS by bus hardly seems convenient at all. So if you had to go out during the rush hour, it might take 1 hour by bus sitting in jams just to reach the BTS? I find it amazing how farangs with very little money always find some way of justifying their low and meagre existence. Is it perhaps because they know they could never afford to go back and live in their own country?

A comfortable apartment in Bangkok is going to set you back 60-70k a month. You're off the mark by a factor of 10. You clearly don't have sufficient funds to live in a major global city like Bangkok. My recommendation is to stay in your own country, because Thailand is obviously out of your price range.

Pattaya - plenty of great new condos available from 900,000 to 1.5 million, but of course you won't get 100 sq. m. for that.

If you do not possess a valid Thai work permit, doing ANY WORK of any nature while in Thailand, even replying to e-mails for your foreign company, is illegal under Thai law, and if caught you will be subject to deportation and up to a lifetime ban from ever re-entering Thailand.

You can't afford to live in Bangkok. I advise that you stay in cheap Chiang Mai, because if you want a nice "serviced apartment" in BKK, it will set you back at least 40,000 a month. What are these "serviced apartments" for 25k in central BKK that people are talking about? I think that only gets you a fairly standard, 1-bedroom self-service apartment, or if it's in a brand-new building it will be the size of a rabbit hutch.

Sorry, but I have found several serviced apartments in downtown BKK that are well below 20k. Yes they are single bedrooms the size of a hotel room, but I live alone so I don't have the problem of space.

I pay 14k for a fully serviced apartment in central BKK. I've been living here for nearly a year and have no complaints whatsoever. Compared to the previous places I've stayed in this is seriously the best deal I have come across. Here's a link potential future flatmates: http://www.libplace.com/EN/index.html

Not impressed at all by the photos! It looks extremely spartan and uncomfortable (virtually unfurnished), almost as I would imagine a prison cell to be like. Plus, the area is very bad and far from tourist areas. Enjoy your 14k a month stay in prison!

You can't afford to live in Bangkok. I advise that you stay in cheap Chiang Mai, because if you want a nice "serviced apartment" in BKK, it will set you back at least 40,000 a month. What are these "serviced apartments" for 25k in central BKK that people are talking about? I think that only gets you a fairly standard, 1-bedroom self-service apartment, or if it's in a brand-new building it will be the size of a rabbit hutch.

Knee kebab? Sounds delicious.

That looks like a terrible room from the photos! How much did you say it was again? Looks very spartan to me.

If you go to any expat bar in Bangkok, they are completely full of drones - by which I mean "worker drones", boring English teachers droning on about every subject under the sun as if they were an authority, whereas in reality they know absolutely nothing. They are the kind of people who would never be able to get a teaching job in their own country, but to be an English teacher in Thailand the main hiring criterion is being able to speak English. They make a 200 baht drink last a fairly long time, because each drink represents 1% of their monthly salary.

Jermyn Street in London, or Savile Row. Most farangs in Bangkok dress in a ghastly fashion these days. I have been looking for a shop that sells top hats and tails but I have drawn a complete blank all over Bangkok. It seems that the horrid fashion item known as the "tee-shirt" has become the clothing of choice among expatriates in Thailand these days. There are very few gentlemen of distinction left.

Another murder, and the police either moved the evidence (look how neatly the things are arranged on the bed) or staged the entire scene, or the perpetrator (not police) staged it. This is NOT a suicide or a heart attack. Welcome to the land of FAKE smiles. The only time the smile is genuine is when you open your wallet to hand over your money or credit card. This bears all the classic hallmarks of a ladyboy attack. Their weapon of choice is the combination of strong sleeping pills (benzos) and alcohol.

Yes, they consume more power than an entire province, but they also generate more money for the economy than some of the most rural provinces!

Seriously dude, do yourself a favor and GET A LIFE!! I'm paying 600 now for a hotel. You don't seem to know much about Thailand apparantly. As for your personal criticism the fact you're criticising random people you don't even know on Internet forums shows what a miserable existence you must have. I feel sorry for you.

What makes you think I'm a teacher? Were you drunk when writing this and confusing me with someone else?

I have a life. That's why I don't need to pay 600 baht for a hotel. I don't know much about Thailand. I've only been living here for 7 years, which is nothing compared to some guys who've been here for 30. I'm not criticizing at random. (DELETED) My existence is far from miserable, and I don't drink alcohol. I think I've answered all your points. Apologies if I missed anything.

So you think all the thousands of people who stay each year at my 600 baht hotel don't have lives ? And guess what I just found another 600 baht hotel across the street which has brand new rooms. Aircon, huge window, private bath, wifi, 10 minute walk to BTS. You are clueless, dude, so next time just don't waste people's time with your arrogant and utterly stupid posts. Thank you.

Well, congratulations to you. Enjoy your luxury lifestyle in your 600 baht hotel that has (gasp!) both a window and a bathroom that isn't shared with 10 other people. Admit it, you're an English teacher - one of those without any formal qualifications.

RIP. But it seemes to me farangs die too often in Thailand

They only die once! But too many die.

That entirely depends on whether you believe in "only one life" or in infinite reincarnation as the Thai Buddhists do. Personally I think we will be born again, perhaps not as a human. There is only one infinite consciousness in the universe that cannot be destroyed, just as matter itself cannot be created or destroyed.

Buy peanuts and make your own. Couldn't be easier. Google it.

I recommend you adopt a healthy lifestyle and do what I do. Refrain from smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs. Exercise at least 2 hours every day. Become vegetarian or vegan, or at least cut down on meat. Buy your foods in health stores. Then if you do all these things, you won't need any health insurance.

BIG C sells large condoms. The ones they sell in 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, etc. are always far too small for me. By "large" I mean extra extra large.

I'm afraid if you're from Wigan you need to apply for a visa before arriving in Thailand. It's one of those parts of the world with a bit of a reputation. ;-)

This is a worrying fall for Bangkok! It's normally ranked no. 1 in the world for the past decade. Instant drop of 18 places on the list... What on earth happened? Did people realize it's a chaotic, stinking, dirty, dangerous, noisy place full of people who don't really like foreigners but are happy to try to scam them at every opportunity?

Utter nonsense. if you are being scammed at every turn, I might suggest you are visiting the wrong places. Stay away from tourist traps because you will get scammed in every city in the world there. Stay away from establishments catering to Westerners because you are asking to be a sucker. Stay away from the sex trade because scamming is what they do. If you live in a nice residential area you will not get scammed everyday. Years in BKK and the worst that has happened to me is 1) paying too much for a Tuk Tuk ride but it was hot and I was lost. 2) having someone over weigh a Dragon fruit and charge me an extra 20 baht.

More often than not, local Thais will always make the correct change and in several cases I have had them chase after me when I gave them an amount that I thought was correct and walked away but change was owed. You are really a cynical, old expat apparently who came to BKK to live as a Westerner. if you hate it here so much...why are you staying ?

Fine, keep looking through your rose-tinted glasses at Bangkok if that's how you justify living there. I see it for what it is: A dirty, smelly, sweltering hot, poverty-riddled, completely unplanned, chaotic Third World city that increasingly charges First World prices. At least a couple of decades ago it was a Third World city that charged Third World prices. If I'm paying 1,000 baht for a buffet dinner, I prefer not to gaze the window of my 5-star hotel and see legless beggars crawling along the streets among rats the size of a small dog, surrounded by dozens of prostitutes selling their wares, and dozens of street stalls selling sex toys, fake sex drugs, knives, porn DVDs and ninja throwing stars. You see all these and much worse every single evening in Bangkok. Any civilized city (in Europe or Asia) would ban such things because it has to be concerned about its image and the rule of law. The hallmark of Third World cities is that such illegal activities are allowed to go unchecked on in full view. Bangkok, for all its shiny outer packaging in some areas, is still very much a Third World city.

Just buy a new belt, . If money is so tight that you even need to repair a belt, you should consider going back to your home country.

You seem to be into health and natural living. What are you doing in a place as unnatural and unhealthy as Pattaya?

Don't worry. In a few weeks time when the rainy season starts, you'll have about 6 feet of water right outside your door. Better buy a canoe already.

Your avatar picture and your username are both backwards. You probably don't even realize that. I'd say you shouldn't even get on a bicycle if you're stone-cold sober. Besides, riding a bicycle in Pattaya could be classified as suicidal tendencies at the best of times.