WildTime

I'm sorry to ask before doing more research myself but I've been procrastinating and now I'm running out of time. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

I need to leave on 26th and come back on 27th or later to activate second entry TR visa. Going from Bangkok and back.

I would prefer to go by train to any land crossing and stay one night in a hotel. Second preference would be to go by bus. What would be my best options for this?

I'm also considering whether to fly to Vietnam and back (no visa needed). I'd prefer not to fly though unless the alternative is two 12 hour bus trips.

Like I said, I should do my own damn research but I've messed it up and here I am. Thanks for your time.

• You can get a train to Nong Khai. You'll need to book soon if you want a bed on the night train.
• Cant help with buses but there are services to all the major border towns. Long trip by bus.
• You could book with a visa run company who will organise everything for you and take you to the border and back the same day by mini van.

Thank you very much.

After considering the options I decided to book the flight to Ho Chi Minh City, it was only 4000 baht both ways. I would have preferred to go to Aranyaprathet by train but since that crossing seems to be problematic I think this was the best option for me. Laos is just so far away and not necessary since I don't need to apply for a new visa. Also I'm a little bit excited about getting to see Vietnam, should be fun.

I'm sorry to ask before doing more research myself but I've been procrastinating and now I'm running out of time. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

I need to leave on 26th and come back on 27th or later to activate second entry TR visa. Going from Bangkok and back.

I would prefer to go by train to any land crossing and stay one night in a hotel. Second preference would be to go by bus. What would be my best options for this?

I'm also considering whether to fly to Vietnam and back (no visa needed). I'd prefer not to fly though unless the alternative is two 12 hour bus trips.

Like I said, I should do my own damn research but I've messed it up and here I am. Thanks for your time.

Just a final update for those who helped me out and anyone curious.

Signed the contract today for a small but very nice studio on Ekkamai. Usually 15 000 baht/month for short stay but I managed to knock it down to 13 000 by offering to pay the whole sum up front.

Consensus seems to be, both here and among other people I've asked, that I'd be lucky to find anything cheaper in the area. Like I said I went to check out Sutti Mansion II right on Thong Lo BTS but the standard and general feel of the place is not that great.

Somewhat regret not taking more time to walk around and knock on doors but overall I'm very happy with the place I found.

Thanks again for taking the time to read and advise!

Someone pointed out I've been misspelling "baht" which is embarrassing since I'm normally such a <deleted> stickler for spelling and grammar. Sincerely hope I did not offend anyone. Unfortunately I can't edit my posts to turn things right.

You did not offend me,But I was wondering

What you were doing with so many baths.

[emoji12]

I sweat a lot. Even for a farang.

Anyway I think I may have found an apartment. Going there to sign the contract tomorrow...

Someone pointed out I've been misspelling "baht" which is embarrassing since I'm normally such a &lt;deleted&gt; stickler for spelling and grammar. Sincerely hope I did not offend anyone. Unfortunately I can't edit my posts to turn things right.

I think you might struggle to get proper advice on this, as the budget is a bit tight for those areas. I definately think you would struggle in finding anything in a newer building.

That is proper advice, man. I walked around today for a few hours and most buildings you can tell by just looking at them they're probably out of my budget (fancy reception, big car park, etc..). I found one place for 20 000 that I didn't even bother to look at the room. I also went to Sutti Mansion II on the advice Jspill and he's right, it's not very nice (but admittedly it fits the description of what I asked for).

I found one place for 15 000 bath and I'm seriously considering it. It's 5000 bath more than Sutti Mansion II but if 5000 is the difference between waking up in the morning feeling happy and having a nice place you can bring friends around to and waking up in a bachelor pad right next to sukhumvit road wondering what the hell you're doing with your life then it might be worth the expense.

The landlady seemed a pretty shrewd saleswoman, the apartment I viewed was the only one available (true or not, who knows?) and they apparently fill up quickly. No discounts until you lease for a year or more. I might try to barter down to the year long price (13 000 vs 15 000) but only if I find a good second option.

Best bet would be walking down side soi's etc and see if there are any rooms for rent in older townhouses, or apartment blocks. Also towatds the top of Thonglor nearer Petchburi road you might have more luck.

I'm going to ask a Thai friend to come along who can maybe help me find some of the less prominent places and ask for directions. But I think I'm going to have to stay close to the BTS especially since I'm too much of a bitch to ride the motorcycle taxis.

Thanks for the great advice, I'm really starting to get a better feel for the area and what to expect.

Sutti Mansion II is a few steps onto Suk Soi 38 on the right, so right next to Thonglor BTS. Another entrance by the stairs leading up to the BTS.

Not very nice but you don't mind that. It also does short term stays, 5 months will be fine. About 8k and up.

Hey, I don't need it to be fancy but I'm not going to live in a place that's dirty or unsafe just to save a few thousand bath. Hope that's not what you meant though

Appreciate the suggestion, I will go check it out!

Hey!

I've been living on On Nut since I got here a month ago and it's time to find somewhere I can spend the rest of my stay.

Budget: 8000-15000/month, but prefer the lower end of that range. Call me cheap but I'm just not that fussy.

Length of stay: 5 months.

Things I value:

• Walking distance to BTS, Tesco/Big C. If not then at least close to a bus line as I don't ride motorcycle taxis. (planning to live forever)
• Walking distance to Panjit Tower, where I do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (see map I attached!)
• Some kitchen space, including a hood & a sink.
• Freezer
• AC
• Some furniture (bed, table, closet)
• Neighbourhood with nice coffee shops, outdoor food markets.

Things I don't give a damn about:

• Television
• Gym/Sauna/Pool/etc.
• Balcony
• WiFi
• Lots of space. The smaller the better, to a point.

I've spent some time walking around and I really like the Japanese neighbourhood north of Thong Lo BTS. I know some japanese and I really like the culture but I'm guessing it's an expensive area. I could tolerate living as far away as Phra Khanong though if I can't afford anything decent on Thong Lo. Wouldn't object to living on Asok or Phrom Phong either but I'm guessing it grows more expensive in that direction.

I'm not just hoping for suggestions of houses with vacancies but maybe someone knows if I should avoid any areas or if I have to re-adjust my expectations. Going to knock on some doors today but in the meantime all advice is welcome. Need to find something before the end of the month.

Thanks for reading!

Ive used a camping stove for a couple years in small condos. Worth every penny. No problems with gas, fires anything.

It's real tempting. They're cheap as hell and they should put out more heat than induction.

Not sure why you would "want more heat than an induction" in a small apt??

Induction cookers heat food as quick as, if not quicker than gas.............and you don't have to worry about exploding gas cans. or running out of them!

The constant problem when cooking at home is to produce enough heat to sear proteins rather than stew them. If ventilation wasn't a problem I would prefer gas to induction any day but like you say, I do live in a small apartment

Anyway I bought the Electrolux display unit from Big C today. Looks a bit worn but they let me turn it on to see if it works and still gave me the 2 year warranty so it should be fine. Looking forward to cooking some healthy food now!

Ive used a camping stove for a couple years in small condos. Worth every penny. No problems with gas, fires anything.

It's real tempting. They're cheap as hell and they should put out more heat than induction.

Unfortunately I went to 3 Big C's today (on nut, ekkamai and rama) and they were all out of the Electrolux model. Tesco didn't even stock it. Another friend recommended the Electrolux as well so I'm kind of wary of buying a cheap asian brand instead. Going to keep looking for it tomorrow but if anyone has any suggestion where to find it I'm all ears, or if there's another model that's good.

Thanks a lot for some excellent advice! I half expected ridicule when asking about using a camping stove indoors but this has been really helpful.

I really had no idea a rice cooker could be so useful but I've decided on an induction plate for its versatility. Went to Big C On Nut today but they were out of the Electrolux model (1700 TBH when in stock) and they only had cheaper models at Tesco. I'm going to a different Big C later today to try to find one.

Another couple of things to remember............. buy a rice cooker with a "slow cook" function and you can produce some lovely soups, stews and exotic dishes (beef bourguignon/lamb shanks in red wine etc etc) so easily by pressing the slow cook function and basically leaving it for up to 4 hours.

Also remember with the induction cooker that you will need special pots and pans to work, because they will not work with those made of all aluminium. If you are keen on going down this route then search out the pots and pans which have the little induction sticker on the labels or look for those aluminium pans which have little metal "studs" embedded in the bases.

Someone once told me that if you can stick a magnet on the bottom of a pan, then it will work on an induction cooker and I think that's probably about right knowing how they work.

Good luck with your search.

That sounds very convenient and I like doing braises. Braising meats should be pretty cheap here too, at least if I stick mostly to pork. Only downside is most studios don't have a freezer so it wouldn't be worth the time to do things like chicken stock as a base. And of course wine ain't cheap either. Maybe I can braise pork shanks in chang?

When I first came to Thailand, I rented a studio apartment - just a room with a balcony and bathroom. I used a rice cooker and induction hot plate, no-one complained and I think most Thais cook in their apartments anyway. I wouldn't recommend a camping stove. Over the year I stayed there, I bought a number of appliances: a kettle, toaster, rice cooker, hot plate, microwave with grill function and a small oven from Makro. I could cook pretty much anything I wanted and once I got the oven I was making pizzas with pre-made bases from Foodland. If you find anyone complains about the smell, you could always use the balcony but I never found this to be the case.

Yeah I've gotten the hunch that many people cook in their apartments and I doubt the smell will bother anyone, I'm just cautious because it's technically not allowed in my lease (although I'm moving at the end of the month, I assume most places have the same contract in that regard.)

Thanks a lot for some excellent advice! I half expected ridicule when asking about using a camping stove indoors but this has been really helpful.

I really had no idea a rice cooker could be so useful but I've decided on an induction plate for its versatility. Went to Big C On Nut today but they were out of the Electrolux model (1700 TBH when in stock) and they only had cheaper models at Tesco. I'm going to a different Big C later today to try to find one.

I want to cook at home but it's not easy to find an apartment with a kitchen. I want a small hot plate or camping stove and even though it's not allowed in my lease I'm hoping it won't be a problem if I do it discreetely. At the very least I should be able to blanch vegetables, boil eggs and cook sous vide, so no smells and not a lot of heat output. Ideally I would want to be able to sear meat though.

Anyone have related experience? Did your neighbors or landlord complain? Which type of stove did you use?

Hoping to get some feedback before I rush out to buy something. Thanks for reading!