Bangkok ranks 6th out of 50 cities worldwide in Expat City Ranking 2022, Friendly atmosphere a highlight

[Andrew65]

25 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

A bit like your first love..?

That's a very good way of putting it!????

[blazes]

1 hour ago, sambum said:

The main thing I can recall was that a pack of pomelo slices used to cost 35 baht in Tesco Lotus - now it's more than double that - just one example that I can remember)

Nice coincidence:  I was reading the above quote just as my wife came in from the market with a load of fruit and veg.  She brought home a pomelo. I asked her how much.  90 baht for the whole thing.  According to her the size of the pomelo would make 3 packs at Tesco Lotus (where I last week paid 89 bt for one pack!)

[blazes]

37 minutes ago, Dustdevil said:

Yes, Vancouver has a reputation for unfriendliness; this is not the first time I've heard that. But comparing to Mexico City? Come on.

Vancouver languishes in this "survey" simply because it is one of the most expensive cities in the whole world to buy or rent accommodation.

Otherwise, it should be in the top 3 for sheer beauty and convenience.  If it's "unfriendly", you've just met a  person who is super-worried about how he is going to pay next month's mortgage or rent.....

[webcrawler00]

What a lot of bull!!! Another poll only reported by ponies! Not worth reading! Sorry I did!

[Andrew65]

1 hour ago, Dustdevil said:

I've lived both in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the last time I visited Dubai was in 2015. Was working in Abu Dhabi 2002-2004. I don't think they belong anywhere near the top 10. Well at least at that time it was nothing but a hick town with no interesting or fun places--you know you're in purgatory if the best thing in town is a mall--and it was difficult to get a drink. You really had to get a liquor license, and it wasn't all that easy.

 

I'm sure it's better now. But to be in the top ten in the world? I'll tell you why foreigners rate it highly, because these are highly paid executives and professionals, their salaries are tax-free, and they get amazing free housing. Even I, as a lowly Petroleum Institute English lecturer, got an apartment that must have been 2,000 sq ft (181 sq m). But unlike in Dubai, where all apartment buildingshad to have underground parking, it's not (or wasn't) required in Abu Dhabi, and a LOT of apartment buildings are still there with outside parking lots. People don't know how to drive anywhere in the Middle East, and my car was scraped, keyed and smashed three times in two years just sitting in the parking lot. My wife's car, too, although that was in Dubai while she had it parked above-ground. I saw some Emirati lady bump into it. And there were no other cars around, either. They just can't drive.

 

And nobody likes the hot months. Dubai used to be a half-decent place, and is probably the best city in the Middle East, but mind your Ps and Qs, it's not as free as Thailand.

I spent 3 years in Saudi, 6 months in Oman, was on a training course for a few days in Dubai, but never really worked in the Emirates. Many say Dubai is 'soul-less'. I think many Brits and Europeans go there thinking it's like the Spanish costas, which it most certainly isn't (besides the weather and the sea).

[webcrawler00]

1 hour ago, biggles45 said:

'but are unhappy with the digitization and local bureaucracy' 

 

I went into K bank yesterday, a simple transaction, I wanted my recorded contact phone number changed due to a new sim. I had all my ID, sat down and spent 20 minutes while the service officer entered stuff on her computer. 

Finally she printed out 4 sheets of paper, filled in a form and I signed them. 

Let's not even mention Immigration Visa extensions????????

Oh don’t even try to open a new bank account .. can take four hours filling out tens of forms and all must be signed and chopped. Ridiculous. But I love living In Thailand as I’m writing this from my hammock on a remote island in the Andaman Sea.. daily cost is about $10 including inflated national park fee for foreigners, tent plot and food). Love it! Thanks Thailand for allowing me to live here! 

[Andrew65]

5 minutes ago, webcrawler00 said:

Oh don’t even try to open a new bank account .. can take four hours filling out tens of forms and all must be signed and chopped. Ridiculous. But I love living In Thailand as I’m writing this from my hammock on a remote island in the Andaman Sea.. daily cost is about $10 including inflated national park fee for foreigners, tent plot and food). Love it! Thanks Thailand for allowing me to live here! 

Years ago you used to have to get your passport notarised etc at your embassy to open a bank account. I haven't lived in Thailand for 4 years now, but will always keep my Bangkok Bank account open, remembering the hassle of opening it! (If I ever won the lottery I would return to live in Thailand, so would need the bank account).

[bradiston]

49 minutes ago, webcrawler00 said:

What a lot of bull!!! Another poll only reported by ponies! Not worth reading! Sorry I did!

Is that pony and trap ponies? And a bull?

[bradiston]

33 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Years ago you used to have to get your passport notarised etc at your embassy to open a bank account. I haven't lived in Thailand for 4 years now, but will always keep my Bangkok Bank account open, remembering the hassle of opening it! (If I ever won the lottery I would return to live in Thailand, so would need the bank account).

Make sure you keep it topped up. They'll shut it down if no transactions or balance falls to zero.

[Andrew65]

9 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Make sure you keep it topped up. They'll shut it down if no transactions or balance falls to zero.

I just logged in to the account and there's still 38,690 Baht there. Was planning on withdrawing 35,000 the next time I visit, in Feb '24.

[gejohesch]

9 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

I'll always love BKK, mainly for the great memories I have from there.

Negatives:

Sometimes too hot for too much of the time. (Not a well defined cool season).

Traffic.

Not a very pretty-city, architecture-wise (so much 'brutalist' concrete).

I lived there a few years. Pleasant enough when you know your ways around, but way too hot, I would say close to unbearable climate. Also, so-so architecture. Not much in terms of beautiful sites and streets where it is a pleasure to walk around - just compare with for example Lisbon or Mexico City.

[Andrew65]

11 minutes ago, gejohesch said:

I lived there a few years. Pleasant enough when you know your ways around, but way too hot, I would say close to unbearable climate. Also, so-so architecture. Not much in terms of beautiful sites and streets where it is a pleasure to walk around - just compare with for example Lisbon or Mexico City.

I think that in Bangkok the proliferation of high buildings blocks out any breeze or wind at all, and makes it seem hotter. My condo used to look out to a big hotel there (24-odd stories). There was a wind-sock on the top that was usually billowing in the wind, whilst there wasn't even a breath of a breeze at street level, utter stillness (and hot, hot, hot).????

[bradiston]

53 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

I just logged in to the account and there's still 38,690 Baht there. Was planning on withdrawing 35,000 the next time I visit, in Feb '24.

It might be worth just depositing 100 THB every month if you can. Keeps it active. I've had 2 accounts closed for a variety of reasons. If it falls below a certain limit, they'll fine you 200 THB per month. Or they used to. After a while the balance can reach zero.

[Velisbef]

My curious friend wants to know what the ranking for "treating foreigners fairly" is? 

[K2938]

6 hours ago, bradiston said:

They say each questionnaire had to have a minimum of 50 respondents. Who knows? They might have all been Embassy workers, corporate employees, contractors, for instance. The poll results don't give a breakdown of the poll responders details - anonymous, obviously.

I would assume that Internations does the poll among their members because that is the easiest people to contact for them.  And Internations members are typically young, university educated professionals in managerial office jobs, so already age-wise a million miles away from the typical member of this forum

[Billy Bloggs]

Cant believe any survey that has Melbourne in its top 10 for anything.

[sambum]

7 hours ago, happydreamer said:

70thb to a pound?  Wow man.  You're talking the glory days.  You've been here a bit.  The recent run up to mid 38 to a dollar was the best I'd had 

Yes, it's a while ago! I took early retirement in 2004, and had been here 2 or 3 times before that! And "glory days" is a pretty apt description. When Immigration Officers in uniform invited you into their office and asked "And what can I do for you today?' while offering you a lollipop from the jar on their desk! And I'm NOT joking!

[BritScot]

13 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

I'll always love BKK, mainly for the great memories I have from there.

Negatives:

Sometimes too hot for too much of the time. (Not a well defined cool season).

Traffic.

Not a very pretty-city, architecture-wise (so much 'brutalist' concrete).

You missed smog!

[sambum]

3 hours ago, bradiston said:

It might be worth just depositing 100 THB every month if you can. Keeps it active. I've had 2 accounts closed for a variety of reasons. If it falls below a certain limit, they'll fine you 200 THB per month. Or they used to. After a while the balance can reach zero.

Good advice! I had a bank account with about 500 baht in it which I hadn't used for over a year, as I had opened a bank account nearer my home. I went to close it, and was told it was closed already. I enquired who had closed it to be told that the bank had. When I asked where MY 500 baht was, the teller said "Gone!" I asked "Gone where" He simply replied "Administration charges"!!!

[sambum]

5 hours ago, blazes said:

Nice coincidence:  I was reading the above quote just as my wife came in from the market with a load of fruit and veg.  She brought home a pomelo. I asked her how much.  90 baht for the whole thing.  According to her the size of the pomelo would make 3 packs at Tesco Lotus (where I last week paid 89 bt for one pack!)

It's nice tho - innit? ???? 

[Aussieroaming]

Bangkok...lipstick on a pig. Regardless of the gloss it is still a pig. It is a massive urban sprawl, with poor road networks, noise and vehicle pollution, decayed and neglected neighborhoods and way too many people per square metre.

[happydreamer]

2 hours ago, sambum said:

Yes, it's a while ago! I took early retirement in 2004, and had been here 2 or 3 times before that! And "glory days" is a pretty apt description. When Immigration Officers in uniform invited you into their office and asked "And what can I do for you today?' while offering you a lollipop from the jar on their desk! And I'm NOT joking!

I took early retirement as well, kinda.  Tuned out of corporate life at age 40 back in 2015 to pursue personal interests abroad and had been traveling back and forth here since 2012.  It's a different place for sure since the first time I came. I remember arriving the first time and having sensory overload from the heat, the smells, and the sheer number of people queued at airport customs at midnight on a weekday.  

I think alot of the warmth and kindness we experienced in those days was related to the administration (for lack of a better word) The people here really loved the man in charge and it came through in their interactions with outsiders and each other for that matter.  I know it sure had an effect on me.  I noticed a shift in 2017 after everything changed. Officials became more stern and jaded.  The smiles waned.  No more lollipops.  The last time I arrived to Suvarnabhumi was Jan 2022 and I was threatened to be deported on the spot because my visa was no longer valid.  Definitely not the Thailand of olde.

[kiwikeith]

20 hours ago, Tarteso said:

 

I think they call this Kway-nam, but I love BK, but only for 2/3 days, its so busy and it has a vibe of its own.

Then Back to good old Huahin , even this place is becoming a suburb of BK when the BK's drive down to Cha Amm for the weekend, after that its much quieter. 

[Dustdevil]

16 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

I spent 3 years in Saudi, 6 months in Oman, was on a training course for a few days in Dubai, but never really worked in the Emirates. Many say Dubai is 'soul-less'. I think many Brits and Europeans go there thinking it's like the Spanish costas, which it most certainly isn't (besides the weather and the sea).

Absolutely agree. And the weather isn't compatible with walking around during the hot months, hence the popularity of malls. I think it's more soulless now than when I worked there from 1997 to 2002. Too many toll highways and overpasses and elevated train lines and fancy skyscrapers that are fun to look at but are really irrelevant to most people's lives. The old part of Dubai, the Souk on one side and Bur Dubai on the other side is the original "downtown" or city center even though the government markets the skyscrapers as "downtown." It still has character, with dhows loading and plying the Arabian Sea and the old architecture and minarets remind you of the Ottoman Empire even though the latter didn't quite reach the Dubai area. Arabs from all over the Middle East as well as westerners crawl all over the malls. Basically Dubai is like a city being designed by 14-year-old boys who want the tallest and biggest of everything. but that biggest mall is just extra real estate of a boring mall.

 

[Mansell]

I was in Chiang Mai a month ago, and before that 10 years ago. It is quite a pleasant place these days, and considered moving there for about a minute until I remembered the smoke issues. BKK would be like living in LA, a nightmare for traffic and not the best looking women, LA that is. I’m usually on the Sky Train, and people like in most big cities are not friendly because there’s millions of them, and have that sense of being protective about themselves….understandably. A bit like a day in London, kinda happy to leave and get home. The farang who live in BKK probably are loners, unless they work there. I cannot imagine having a meaningful social life in a metropolis with a different language thrown in to the mix.

[Mansell]

4 hours ago, Dustdevil said:

Absolutely agree. And the weather isn't compatible with walking around during the hot months, hence the popularity of malls. I think it's more soulless now than when I worked there from 1997 to 2002. Too many toll highways and overpasses and elevated train lines and fancy skyscrapers that are fun to look at but are really irrelevant to most people's lives. The old part of Dubai, the Souk on one side and Bur Dubai on the other side is the original "downtown" or city center even though the government markets the skyscrapers as "downtown." It still has character, with dhows loading and plying the Arabian Sea and the old architecture and minarets remind you of the Ottoman Empire even though the latter didn't quite reach the Dubai area. Arabs from all over the Middle East as well as westerners crawl all over the malls. Basically Dubai is like a city being designed by 14-year-old boys who want the tallest and biggest of everything. but that biggest mall is just extra real estate of a boring mall.

 

Very good write up of your observations of the place. The Souk sounds interesting, but your comment on all the big buildings making the place soulless is perfect. Much how I feel about New York City……not a pleasant place. At least London has some soul.

[lujanit]

19 hours ago, bradiston said:

It might be worth just depositing 100 THB every month if you can. Keeps it active. I've had 2 accounts closed for a variety of reasons. If it falls below a certain limit, they'll fine you 200 THB per month. Or they used to. After a while the balance can reach zero.

Good advice.  I have two bank accounts with different banks.   One for the 800k immigration retirement extension and one for monthly expenses.  The 800k one I deposit 100 baht in on the same day every month then draw it out the next month never getting below 800k, in fact the balance is more like 810k baht.  Keep repeating every month.

 

When I go to do the yearly retirement extension one oddity is that my local Immigration Office wants to see movement in the 800k account every month on the statement regardless of the change in rules a couple of years ago.  The first year I tried to point out the changes, waste of time.  Resistance is futile so I just comply.  No biggie.

[dallen52]

Yawn..

Here we go again...

[Dustdevil]

On 11/30/2022 at 7:13 PM, Mansell said:

Very good write up of your observations of the place. The Souk sounds interesting, but your comment on all the big buildings making the place soulless is perfect. Much how I feel about New York City……not a pleasant place. At least London has some soul.

As an American I'm not fond of NYC either, although Brooklyn and parts of Queens have some character. In fact Brooklyn is well known and sought after by the more discerning European tourists. The thing about the US is, there are so many large cities and different climates to choose from--but then, we weren't comparing countries but rather cities. In the US I like Miami and Seattle best.