Light sleeper

[Husain Tula]

Can anyone enlighten me if it is a normal thing that most motorbikes, no matter how small they are, produce ear deafening noise.  I live by Ramkhamhaeng road, Bangkapi and our little soi is buzzing with traffic, mainly motorbikes being private or taxi 24/7 with rare couple of minutes intervals of peace.  The problem is the sound produced by those bikes sounds more like living next to an airport runway.  Add to that the occasional car drivers who like to use the soi for drawing attention by revving up their engines very loud and wheel spinning.  And to top it all, the non-stop of small local shops alongside the soi who start preparing food and create loud noises from pans banging and chopping starting as early as 3 or 4 am and most of them are quiet by 10 or 11 pm but some will continue to 2 or 3 am.  But the motorbike taxis are the number one culprits as they are active all the time which makes sleeping almost impossible.  Trying to close windows and balcony doors will help in noise reduction but requires switching on the air-conditioning which is bad for environment not to mention extra cost.  I know the simple answer is to move out but out of curiosity, am I wrong to think that locals love it if a motorbike, or car for that matter produce loud noise? and the more sound the better? because everyone I spoke to gave me a strange look or simply didn't care.

[CharlieH]

Perfectly natural normal everyday life in some areas.

 

If you dont like the noise, take steps to eliminate it from your dwelling.

You wont achieve anything outside thats for sure, its a way of life.

[1FinickyOne]

5 minutes ago, Husain Tula said:

those bikes sounds more like living next to an airport runway.

have you lived next to an airport runway? 

 

5 minutes ago, Husain Tula said:

most motorbikes, no matter how small they are, produce ear deafening noise

or just prone to exaggeration?

 

But yes, road noises can be annoying... if you are that sensitive then maybe consider moving out of town... those are typical in-town annoyances... 

[Husain Tula]

2 minutes ago, kenk24 said:

have you lived next to an airport runway? 

 

or just prone to exaggeration?

 

But yes, road noises can be annoying... if you are that sensitive then maybe consider moving out of town... those are typical in-town annoyances... 

I must admit that I have not lived next to airport and yes, there is exaggerations in my statement to express how loud. Anyway, thank you for the comments

[tinca tinca]

dont think there are any Environmental Laws in this country unlike the Uk, where one can complain to the local councils regarding loud noises !!

[Youlike]

I live far away from the road but here we have a lot of noise from barking dogs from the Benz owning neighbours around who must have 3 chiwawa's which don't listen at all...or the doves, roosters from far away.....Thailand is just very noisy.

 

But i agree that the motocycles make extreme much noise, there was a crackdown on them some weeks ago but of course that was only for show, as usual. Most of them also don't carry a license plate....

[Husain Tula]

14 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Perfectly natural normal everyday life in some areas.

 

If you dont like the noise, take steps to eliminate it from your dwelling.

You wont achieve anything outside thats for sure, its a way of life.

I totally agree and I do understand it is how the traffic flow in the city.  But those vehicles are not producing the normal sound as they should be, I think they have been modified to magnify the sound making them sound more like HOGs (Harley Davidson's Owners) on the move.

[KC 71]

Sometimes if you think too much about the noises they can become louder.Noise cancelling earphones might do the trick.

[Husain Tula]

4 minutes ago, tinca tinca said:

dont think there are any Environmental Laws in this country unlike the Uk, where one can complain to the local councils regarding loud noises !!

True, I tried. I even had records of the noise level but came to dead end.  After all, we are quests here and cannot dictate or change the way of life that doesn't belong to us.

[ChouDoufu]

try to find a white noise machine, one with a wide selection of noise patterns.

 

"rain forest frogs" tends to be as annoying as "roosters in village."

[ratcatcher]

20 minutes ago, Husain Tula said:

True, I tried. I even had records of the noise level but came to dead end.  After all, we are quests here and cannot dictate or change the way of life that doesn't belong to us.

One the one hand, I sympathize with your predicament. However, I doubt very much that the environment in which you are presently living, has changed very much since you first found your accommodation. Did you do due diligence and check out the area first?

You basically have three choices.

1. Buy some noise cancelling ear protection.

2. Move to another quieter location in the neighborhood, away from shops and through streets.

3. Get right out of town.

My biggest problem where I live is the cacophony of the birds at sunrise, that's just fine by me. It wouldn't be with you.

Anyway, I hope you find relief from your suffering. You may think you are a guest, but some Thais are also bothered by noise.

[tifino]

take a quick down to/and/or over the Border...

 

 

and then decide what is worse? 

 -the bikes

or

 - awakened daily at 4am, by the  'praise the white barms' horns    

 

think of the blat blat blat rangadang pipe farts, as the little boy bike equivalent of what little lady does to her shoe soles:

 - putting noisy heel caps under shoes, to give plenty of warning to others... to help prevent being bowled over 

 

[Husain Tula]

8 minutes ago, tifino said:

take a quick down to/and/or over the Border...

 

 

and then decide what is worse? 

 -the bikes

or

 - awakened daily at 4am, by the  'praise the white barms' horns    

 

think of the blat blat blat rangadang pipe farts, as the little boy bike equivalent of what little lady does to her shoe soles:

 - putting noisy heel caps under shoes, to give plenty of warning to others... to help prevent being bowled over 

 

I guess we should be thankful for what we have. There is no such thing as living in a perfect world and no matter how bad things may seem, there are other places that are much worse.

[poohy]

Thailand for the most is noisy

What OP describes is a normal city street with its annoyances, the locals dont care or even notice

 

I had 5 years in Cairo then 13 in BKK then moved to house in sticks with no neighbours!

 

Birds Cows and frogs then started to keep me awake

 

 

 

[bkk6060]

Go to Home pro or Big C and spend 2,000 b on a qualiry powerful motor fan.  At highest speed, sounds like a jet engine.  Put it on a stand next to your bed drowns out any noises.

[bbi1]

Can anyone enlighten me if it is a normal thing that most motorbikes, no matter how small they are, produce ear deafening noise.

 

Wow, you must be Superman with your super human hearing abilities! The rest of us unfortunately weren't born on planet Krypton with any superpowers.

[Husain Tula]

5 minutes ago, poohy said:

Thailand for the most is noisy

What OP describes is a normal city street with its annoyances, the locals dont care or even notice

 

I had 5 years in Cairo then 13 in BKK then moved to house in sticks with no neighbours!

 

Birds Cows and frogs then started to keep me awake

 

 

 

Shifting from one environment to another requires some time to get adjusted to but some hostile environments become difficult to get accustomed to.  being in a quiet environment makes a person alert of any slight noise which the brain picks up as a warning signal.  On the other hand, if a person is used to being in a noisy environment, bad things could take place without notice not to mention health problems such as high blood pressure, mental issues, behavior, etc.

[metisdead]

An offensive troll post advocating illegal activities and the replies have been removed. 

[Husain Tula]

11 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Go to Home pro or Big C and spend 2,000 b on a qualiry powerful motor fan.  At highest speed, sounds like a jet engine.  Put it on a stand next to your bed drowns out any noises.

Another option to consider

[CygnusX1]

On 2/14/2020 at 11:42 AM, Husain Tula said:

have you lived next to an airport runway? 

 

or just prone to exaggeration?

I used to live a couple of km from Sydney Airport, directly under the flight path, in the days of 707s, not today’s quiet jets. I can confirm that noisy motorbikes are way worse, and I’m talking about Australia as well as Thailand. I actually have no problem in Thailand, as with vastly lower property prices, I can afford a condo on a high floor in a great location with almost no traffic noise. In Australia, I can only afford a miserable flat next to a road, and some motorbikes are a real problem, the ones that make a level of noise far above any reasonable limit. Curiously, it’s something that the country with the world’s most draconian road rules can seem to do nothing about, so I don’t hold out much hope for Thailand.

[Just Weird]

On 2/14/2020 at 11:51 AM, Youlike said:

I live far away from the road but here we have a lot of noise from barking dogs from the Benz owning neighbours around who must have 3 chiwawa's which don't listen at all...or the doves, roosters from far away.....Thailand is just very noisy.

What's the relevance of Benz-owning ?

 

"...or the doves"

The ear-shattering cooing from those damned doves is the worst!

[bbi1]

On 2/15/2020 at 8:41 AM, Thainess said:

If you're a light sleeper, Thailand is definitely not the place for you. I recommend that you go back to live in your home country.

x2 - fully agree with this.

[justin case]

[Kerryd]

If it isn't motorbikes it's dogs barking. If it's not dogs, then it's the chickens. If it's not chickens it will be tookays/jingjoks or a hundred other things.

I live at the back end of a small "village" on soi Khao Noi and sometimes I sit outside and marvel at how quiet it is. A couple times a month one of my neighbours has a bit of a party but I found that closing the windows and glass door and sleeping in the "middle" room eliminates most of the noise (to the point it's barely noticeable).
I'm close enough to soi Khao Noi that I will here the occasional loud scooter but far enough that it isn't a bother. Right now it is very quiet outside in fact. I should go start the Harley just to break up the quiet !

I've spent a little time out in Isaan and it wasn't much better. Barking dogs and chickens and tractors early in the morning, noisy scooters when the kids go to school. Noisy dogs and chickens (again) all day after that. And in the night it's the lizards, crickets and frogs. The quiet spells are few and far between, even in a village of just a few hundred people.

There are some places around where, for various reasons, it may be a bit quieter but you have to look for them (or be able to afford them) and you will still hear (pretty much everything already mentioned) on occasion.

Maybe not as often as you do now though.

[samsensam]

 

not surprised by your experience, the level of noise here is familiar to anyone who has spent time here, and you're not going to change it so go with the flow and manage your life appropriately.

 

i took the time to research the location and building i live in, it was well worth the effort. i live in a very quiet soi, yet only 100 metres from a busy road, the apartment building is well managed; quiet - noisy tenants, foreign or thai, are ejected, staff are friendly and helpful, owners speak excellent english, maintenance carried out swiftly and never any hassle over money. there was building construction work being carried out nearby, the management negotiated for work to only be carried out between 9am and 9pm. so early morning pile driving only occurred indoors...

 

 

[billd766]

On 2/14/2020 at 12:25 PM, ratcatcher said:

One the one hand, I sympathize with your predicament. However, I doubt very much that the environment in which you are presently living, has changed very much since you first found your accommodation. Did you do due diligence and check out the area first?

You basically have three choices.

1. Buy some noise cancelling ear protection.

2. Move to another quieter location in the neighborhood, away from shops and through streets.

3. Get right out of town.

My biggest problem where I live is the cacophony of the birds at sunrise, that's just fine by me. It wouldn't be with you.

Anyway, I hope you find relief from your suffering. You may think you are a guest, but some Thais are also bothered by noise.

I live in a small moo ban next to the Mae Wong national park.

 

It is rare that the dogs around here bark in the night hours unless there is someone around. They do go off about 06:30 when the guy that sells pork from his truck comes around but not so much when the other pick up traders come along.

 

I hear. but ignore the night birds and the house tookay, and I mostly enjoy the day birds in the daylight hours.

 

I am partly deaf so I don't need cancelling ear protection.

 

As we are the road leading to the national park we get a lot of bikers on big bikes down to scooters going up to the park on a Saturday and back down on a Sunday. There are a few local boys using the bridge road as a test/race truck but they are usually gone by 23:00.

 

Something is being built up the road so there are a fair number of 20 wheel truck/trailers going up and down the road but after the first 2 or 3 I filter them out .

 

There are few quieter locations than where we live and we are 6 km from the big village and are right out of town anyway. After a while you get used to the noises around and you (or at least I) just ignore it.

[talahtnut]

Do some hard work or strenuous exercise

until completely knackered, achieve some

target or other, eat a bowl of rice, and you

should be set to dive into the sack.

 

[JoeInSurin]

Get the wax ear plugs from Boots Pharmacy. They work great. Don't get the foam ear plugs, they are worthless.

[Xonax]

Thailand is the land of noise. Hard to find a quiet place to live here. I believe Thai´s love the noise. Just listen to the mandatory yelling woman in the supermarket, with the volume button on the speaker always turned to highest position. It makes me search for another place to do my shopping.

I have often booked a nice resort for a quiet weekend getaway, only to find, that the noise seems to be everywhere. The first thing many Thais do, when they buy a new motorbike or car is to modify the exhaust pipe, so everybody can hear when they are passing by.

[Beggar]

Move to Pattaya. The bar noise will cover up any other noise that could disturb you.