How Noisy Is It?

[tgeezer]

How noisey is it where you live. I am in the 'suburbs' on Phaholyothin between Central and the old airport. I assume that everone has noise at some time and want to guage how unlucky I am. I am beside a military school so get National Anthem twice a day with band most of which seems to be drums. Some days before and after the parade, harangues of students by staff on loudspeaker. Periodic 'Ding dong' announcements from a primary school one hundred yard away. Pop and country songs both amature and recorded, probably from the school. None of it bothers me but my brother's comments following his visit made me wonder, I think that both he and his wife were too old to enjoy the culture shock of not being in a hotel. When they were here we were overflown every few minutes too. I wonder what it is like down-town or even if I was not so close to the school would it be any quieter or would it be the same but from different sources. Motorbikes, bars, etc. I am not the only one hearing it all the neighbours get it, do you think they don't mind because it is a culture of 'live and let live'? Oh I forgot the neighbours dogs, sometimes when one gets the urge to bark they all go for it anytime day or night, sometimes I don't notice it stop at night and in the mornig wonder if it really happened.

[qualtrough]

I live further up off of Phaholyothin past the airport. We are far enough off of Phaholyothin so we don't get that noise. Since the new airport opened I don't even notice the ocassional flight, so that is much, much better. We get MC noise from passing bikes, but tolerable as it is mostly concentrated with people going to/from work. Our house is set back, so inside it is very quiet. I have lived in some noisy places here, so I am quite happy with the current situation.

[Tyke]

How noisey is it where you live. I am in the 'suburbs' on Phaholyothin between Central and the old airport. I assume that everone has noise at some time and want to guage how unlucky I am. I am beside a military school so get National Anthem twice a day with band most of which seems to be drums. Some days before and after the parade, harangues of students by staff on loudspeaker. Periodic 'Ding dong' announcements from a primary school one hundred yard away. Pop and country songs both amature and recorded, probably from the school. None of it bothers me but my brother's comments following his visit made me wonder, I think that both he and his wife were too old to enjoy the culture shock of not being in a hotel. When they were here we were overflown every few minutes too. I wonder what it is like down-town or even if I was not so close to the school would it be any quieter or would it be the same but from different sources. Motorbikes, bars, etc. I am not the only one hearing it all the neighbours get it, do you think they don't mind because it is a culture of 'live and let live'? Oh I forgot the neighbours dogs, sometimes when one gets the urge to bark they all go for it anytime day or night, sometimes I don't notice it stop at night and in the mornig wonder if it really happened.

Hi,

I live in Sathorn Road - very central and very near to the Bangkok Christian College - an international school. Yes, I get the loud hailer every term day starting 6.45 am for about 45 minutes. The person shouts crap in Thai to welcome the kids. I can't understand why they need to do it - Thai kids must grow up thinking that the font of knowledge has to shout to be heard. In the holidays they have all kinds of jamborees and competitions, complete with even louder loud-hailers that goes on all day long. Then there are all the building sites, that seem to go on 24/7. And ever since I have lived in Thailand I have been stalked by someone with a hammer and a piece of corrugated iron - don't know who he is but he follows me everywhere.

BTW, despite what people think about living in a high rise and being high up and away from the noise is actually the reverse. Up here there is nothing between me and the noise to block it off - it is much quieter at ground level where buildings block the noise.

And yes, Thais don't hear noise - completely oblivious to it - have u ever seen one kept awake by the incredibly loud videos they play on buses - I haven't.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

[autonomous_unit]

It's pretty tranquil where we are in Nonthaburi... as the rains ended this year, I was noticing bird calls and children playing as the loudest sounds around, aside from a neighbor who sometimes cranks up his karaoke on weekends and the brooms of the workers who sweep the street every few mornings. You can't quite hear the trees growing, but it does get quiet at times. Still not as quiet as where I grew up, where a dove's call would be heard from 50m away and deer might wander through the tall grass with a rustling sound. Where's the smiley for a guy spaced out on Quaalude's?

However, recently construction noises started again, with a pile-driver being heard off in the distance... not right on the door step, but even with windows closed I hear the steady roar of the engine and the hammer fall every second or so... now I don't hear the birds except when the pile-driver goes idle for a bit.

[designersing]

I live up on Phahonyothin too, the noise here is minimal most of the time, yet some nights we are awakened by the soi dogs outside, they all seem congregate for a midnight howl singalong!

[tgeezer]

How noisey is it where you live. I am in the 'suburbs' on Phaholyothin between Central and the old airport. Oddly enough after writing my piece I went back to my bedroom and all I could hear was the tinkling of my wind-chimes on the balconey, I really appreciate it when it is quiet. I am also glad that the airport moved and not just the noise; I swear the planes were sending down heaps of soot too, no-one has noticed that problem at the new airport yet. Imagine that we were putting up with what now deserves compensation.

[Briggsy]

Ramkhamhaeng - very noisy.

The mobile songthaew shops start at 5:45 am. The construction carries on 7 days a week. The open air pubs with 2-metre stacks of speaker kick in from 8pm to midnight. The hookers' high heels clack up and down the corridors of the apartment block as they return after their shift. The illegal pubs hidden away spill their patrons out into the street all through the night till 7am. They drunkenly row, scream and slam their car doors as they lurch home.

Not quite sure why I live here? I'm so knackered through lack of sleep I can sleep through it!

[tiger50]

Hi, new member,

I had to join, just so i could join in with this topic...NOISE! My first appartment was soi 14 off Sukhumvit 77. Here was the ladys of the night coming home all hours, yep high heeled shoes, and talking, or was it shouting, and slaming doors. Here also were the rubbish collectors, who came at appox 4 am stayed for at least 30 mins sorting all the rubbish. And for some reason here the same lovely ladies, liked to keep their doors open, maybe to share their loud music in the day time.

Then came a move to soi 81 Sukhumvit, my neighbours were a lesbian couple, they were either screaming sometimes from delight, or screaming at each other because the Tom came home late. Then a new appartment block build started accross the road.

Most recent move is Sukhumvit 77, near a School, a Buddhist Temple, and a canal...School yep loud speaker used by teachers WHY? Temple hate the drums at 4 to 4.30 every morning, canal i swear the boats travel faster than the Sukhumvit Taxi drivers, and ten times louder, with their huge engines.

And yes of course every where has been the dogs howling at night...Wife always reminds me its the Ghosts walking!

NEXT MOVE is soi 50 Sukhumvit near Tesco if the noise follows me there, i swear the last move might be the Funny Farm

Cheers thanks for making me laugh.

[Chuckler]

on Asoke. Whistles are blown every couple of seconds by the security guards directing traffic. Also construction is pretty loud in this area.

[seonai]

One of the best ones I remember from BKK living is the morning clearing of throats ... general traffic noise I can get used to

[toptuan]

Live in the sticks of Isaan. Sometimes the dead silence wakes me up.

[Furbie]

Ugghhh, BKK has got to be one of the noisiest places on earth. Even when I find a quite place to live, within two months they are knocking something down across the way and the 24 hour construction starts again. Tuktuks, motorcycles, construction noise, loudspeakers, whistles, garbage trucks at 4am idling in front of the building for an hour, we have it all. Then as soon as you’re on the skytrain platform, you get listen to commercials, then you enter the skytrain and you get more commercials. Then you enter the shopping complex and you get blaring music and ad girls screaming into a microphone that’s so loud and distorted no one can understand them anyway. It never stops – you name it, BKK has a noise to annoy everyone, except the Thais who somehow ignore it all. Of course, 10 years from now the only thing half of Thailand will hear is the ringing in their ears from the tinnitus.

[Acquiesce]

Plenty of traffic noise, bar at the back with band playing until 2am, thai place at the front with music until 3am, market next door to that with music from 6am, pack of soi dogs barking, lots of whistles blowing and then people driving around in trucks with loud speakers on the top selling things. Next door neighbour torturing sex workers at all hours, oh no that was me.

To be honest i have got used to this now and dont realy thin about it, the time i do notice is when i go somewhere that is very quiet. Then i realise what i'm missing.

Downtown Bankok is a noisy place, and not many people care about how much noise they make, no matter the time of day or night.

Edited November 6, 2007 by Acquiesce

[game4shame]

Next door neighbour torturing sex workers at all hours, oh no that was me.

LOL.

[tgeezer]

Downtown Bankok is a noisy place, and not many people care about how much noise they make, no matter the time of day or night.

I still have a set of ear plugs which I would wear whenever I went into the street; and I used to fly helicopters! I used to ride the busses a lot more then and when I spoke, I shouted, I was causing embarrassment to my freinds. I am now used to it like you, and have given up looking after my ears. The most annoying noise to me is motorbikes with modified or broken silencers usually riden by some frightful little 'erk', I consider this a personal affront so it hurts more. I have given up the ear-plugs.

Edited November 6, 2007 by tgeezer

[logpoacher]

And ever since I have lived in Thailand I have been stalked by someone with a hammer and a piece of corrugated iron

Me too! Spooky! 5 years he's been following me. Doesn't matter where we go, five minutes after we check in, he starts up. Just got back from Samet and he was there. Maybe it's some sort of union?

[villagefarang]

For me it is the darn bugs, birds, chickens and dogs. At least the rainy season is over so no more rolling thunder to deal with. Other than that the silence is deafening.

[Tony Clifton]

Park in front. Kids have been blowing firecrackers on a daily basis for a few months now and setting small fires with whatever they find around. No one ever does anything about it, as usual. I wear headphones most of the time, doesn`t really annoy me but gets on the wife`s nerves and all the neighbourhood`s dogs are terrified.

I won`t have anything to do with it as I don`t want any stories with some crazed parent. A few days ago, a neighbour went nuts and shouted at them from his front porch, he threatened to call the police and close down the local shop that sells them firecrackers and other devices.

The lack of parenting around here me amazes me when I see these kids setting fires, destroying public property, swearing, still playing when lightning is striking nearby.

[ignis]

Live in the sticks in a private Moo Baan of 46 detached houses near Sai Noi

The only noise we get is the odd cat or dog, and the birds

Yes one of the great things here is the peace and quiet, now is 8pm and many have gone to bed.

[pampal]

Extremely noisy where I live, in Chinatown.

I hear buses and horns honking starting around 5 am, although the worst noise is the tuk tuks cruising through at 3-4 am at top speed, since there is no traffic at that time.

[Tyke]

Ugghhh, BKK has got to be one of the noisiest places on earth. Even when I find a quite place to live, within two months they are knocking something down across the way and the 24 hour construction starts again. Tuktuks, motorcycles, construction noise, loudspeakers, whistles, garbage trucks at 4am idling in front of the building for an hour, we have it all. Then as soon as you're on the skytrain platform, you get listen to commercials, then you enter the skytrain and you get more commercials. Then you enter the shopping complex and you get blaring music and ad girls screaming into a microphone that's so loud and distorted no one can understand them anyway. It never stops – you name it, BKK has a noise to annoy everyone, except the Thais who somehow ignore it all. Of course, 10 years from now the only thing half of Thailand will hear is the ringing in their ears from the tinnitus.

Can't agree, even though it is very noisy. At least the Thais do not honk their horns (at least in the usual way this is meant) like the Indians, Chinese and Vietnamese do. BKK would be absolute sheer hel_l if they went around honking at everything in sight like in many countries. I do respect them for that. I am this minute sat with an open window looking over several main roads and a major expressway in central BKK and although I hear hundreds of cars, do not hear a single hoot of a horn. Wonderful.