I Often Find Myself Bored In Bangkok

[thaihome]

It just seems to me that basically some people are just not cut out to live in a developing country mega city. I mean how can you do any sort of comparison between SF, a city of what 800k people and Bangkok with some 10 million? How can you compare the parks, services, sidewalk and road traffic and conditions between any developing country and western one? Especially if you are talking about cities with differing population by a factor of 10?

I just find these types of threads kinda sad and wish the OP the best of luck on his life in the US.

TH

[girlx]

i have lived in cities all over the world and bangkok is the one i disliked the most. seems like to each their own though.

[bkkjames]

All that you can do everywhere. That's not Bangkok specific. Bangkok is an uninviting, hot moloch without nice outdoors. Except work/business/school, Bangkok is best only to study Buddhism or enjoy the nightlife.

Second that.

When it comes to outdoors, one thing that does not really require great funds: greenery and parks.

Paris has 20sqm of parks per resident.

Bangkok has 1.5sqm.

In addition, what kind of "interesting people" could be met there? Who of any interest to anyone (except to homecountry's tax office and not even that in all cases) has settled in Bangkok? Stickman? The "authors" and gogo bar owners he "interviews"?

true, and they would be nice except for all the Parisians. (not my words, those attributed to people from Marseille and Nice)

[patklang]

i have lived in cities all over the world and bangkok is the one i disliked the most. seems like to each their own though.

I am the same, to me its a horrible, claustrophobic place.The expat community seem very stuck up too,maybe its just key board warrior stuff on here but they do seem to be a strange,racist bunch

Could be because they are bored or that most still work and its not a nice place to live and work,far too humid and filthy.

[bkkjames]

i have lived in cities all over the world and bangkok is the one i disliked the most. seems like to each their own though.

I am the same, to me its a horrible, claustrophobic place.The expat community seem very stuck up too,maybe its just key board warrior stuff on here but they do seem to be a strange,racist bunch

Could be because they are bored or that most still work and its not a nice place to live and work,far too humid and filthy.

Hmm, interesting observations.

Me - stuck up - no. Racist - no (xenophobic - yes, blame it on conditioning) strange - been called worse.

Most still work, yes farangs in BKK work - same thing happens in cities like London, Singapore, Hong Kong I would guess.

Claustrophopic - get yourself away from the skytrain for a while - or come out of the closet.

Humid- have you lived in Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong?

Filthy - my mind - yes at times - but keep a clean abode.

[thaihome]

i have lived in cities all over the world and bangkok is the one i disliked the most. seems like to each their own though.

I am the same, to me its a horrible, claustrophobic place.The expat community seem very stuck up too,maybe its just key board warrior stuff on here but they do seem to be a strange,racist bunch

Could be because they are bored or that most still work and its not a nice place to live and work,far too humid and filthy.

How many of following have you lived in? I think you would find Bangkok does pretty well in comparison.

TH

Mexico City Mexico 22,900,000

Delhi India 22,400,000

Mumbai (Bombay) India 22,300,000

São Paulo Brazil 21,000,000

Manila [22] Philippines 19,200,000

Kolkata India 16,000,000

Karachi Pakistan 15,700,000

Guangzhou China 15,300,000

Jakarta Indonesia 15,100,000

Cairo Egypt 14,800,000

Beijing China 13,200,000

Dhaka Bangladesh 13,100,000

Istanbul Turkey 12,500,000

Rio de Janeiro Brazil 12,500,000

Tehran Iran 12,500,000

Lagos Nigeria 11,400,000

[sabaijai]

I do not think Bangkok is a boring city but I find myself often very bored here. I have found the fact it is not boring does not mean I am interested in the things I recognize other people might find stimulating. Right now I'm sitting in my apartment and can't think of anything I feel like doing, with all the pollution, and dense crowds on every street and soi at times it can seem not even worth it to go somewhere I want to go. I think it's also a problem that I can't drive here. I don't feel confident enough to navigate the madness that are Bangkok roadways. I'm also completely uninterested in clubbing or so called entertainment zones with ladies of the night.

I lived in San Francisco before coming here and rarely felt bored. I really enjoyed walking all over the city and when you were tired you had multiple public transportation avenues to get back home, some like the trolley cars in themselves were entertaining simply to ride. I am thankful the BTS and MRT exist but it's often incredibly packed and doesn't really go that many places. In San Francisco the BART system goes to multiple cities and while it does get crowded during commute hours it's not quite like the person to person density of the BTS.

I find the city of Bangkok very ugly, dirty and haphazardly developed. I don't think Bangkok is a world class city. It is more or less a big mud puddle with a few statues made of gold. While I recognize Thai culture is fascinating and have enjoyed studying Thai language the overall feel of Bangkok is one of cultural homogeneity. So at times I feel like why bother going to a particular district when it's no different than my own hood. Again referring to San Francisco there are various neighborhoods with very different themes that help mix things up. I know some people love it here and I'm not trying to change their minds I just wonder how many feel like me? These feelings make me really wonder what retirees do to fill their time who chose Thailand as their final destination.

Sounds like classic culture shock. I had the same symptoms when I first moved to Bangkok 30 years ago. Tried several other world capitals, and in the end found Bangkok to be the least boring. YMMV

[bkkjames]

i have lived in cities all over the world and bangkok is the one i disliked the most. seems like to each their own though.

I am the same, to me its a horrible, claustrophobic place.The expat community seem very stuck up too,maybe its just key board warrior stuff on here but they do seem to be a strange,racist bunch

Could be because they are bored or that most still work and its not a nice place to live and work,far too humid and filthy.

How many of following have you lived in? I think you would find Bangkok does pretty well in comparison.

TH

Mexico City Mexico 22,900,000

Delhi India 22,400,000

Mumbai (Bombay) India 22,300,000

São Paulo Brazil 21,000,000

Manila [22] Philippines 19,200,000

Kolkata India 16,000,000

Karachi Pakistan 15,700,000

Guangzhou China 15,300,000

Jakarta Indonesia 15,100,000

Cairo Egypt 14,800,000

Beijing China 13,200,000

Dhaka Bangladesh 13,100,000

Istanbul Turkey 12,500,000

Rio de Janeiro Brazil 12,500,000

Tehran Iran 12,500,000

Lagos Nigeria 11,400,000

Agreed, looking at that list it makes Bangkok seem like Utopia.

[supbangkok]

I get bored in BKK too. It is kinda dull when you take out anything that involves going to the bars. Culturally there is not much to do here. I too am a big city dweller from USA. It is just different here. I think the thing that I miss most is just walking about "discovering" new things. It can be done here too but the heat and air quality make it kind of a chore.

There used to be a poetry slam called bangkokpoetry.com, but the site is closed down. Anyone know what happened to that group?

Do check out the Neilson Hayes library it is a good resource. As for the cooking classes the 5-star ones are dull, been there done that. But there are several excellent ones around, try Bai-Pai Cooking school for a nice day of culinary lessons, and very reasonable.

I think what I miss is dining clubs and museums. I tried to start a dining club here once, it died a miserable death. Maybe I will start a museum? Speaking of Jim Thompson House is great for a visit and they have some random things going on.

[patklang]

i have lived in cities all over the world and bangkok is the one i disliked the most. seems like to each their own though.

I am the same, to me its a horrible, claustrophobic place.The expat community seem very stuck up too,maybe its just key board warrior stuff on here but they do seem to be a strange,racist bunch

Could be because they are bored or that most still work and its not a nice place to live and work,far too humid and filthy.

Hmm, interesting observations.

Me - stuck up - no. Racist - no (xenophobic - yes, blame it on conditioning) strange - been called worse.

Most still work, yes farangs in BKK work - same thing happens in cities like London, Singapore, Hong Kong I would guess.

Claustrophopic - get yourself away from the skytrain for a while - or come out of the closet.

Humid- have you lived in Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong?

Filthy - my mind - yes at times - but keep a clean abode.

That was quite funny for a man u fan lol.

Seriously though Bangkok isnt the nices of places to live and the farangs seem to slip into this Bangkok mode of white is beautiful andknocking everything issan including how thick they are,not nice to here whether your gf/wife is Issan or not.To me its not attractive to splash whitener on your face,looking like Michael Jackson then knocking brown.Sorry no offense to some farang Bangkokonians but most of you have got a right chip on your shoulders,and yes us retirees had good jobs too,not all are tramps.

[bkkjames]

That was quite funny for a man u fan lol.

Seriously though Bangkok isnt the nices of places to live and the farangs seem to slip into this Bangkok mode of white is beautiful andknocking everything issan including how thick they are,not nice to here whether your gf/wife is Issan or not.To me its not attractive to splash whitener on your face,looking like Michael Jackson then knocking brown.Sorry no offense to some farang Bangkokonians but most of you have got a right chip on your shoulders,and yes us retirees had good jobs too,not all are tramps.

Who has the chip on their shoulders? To criticize us and say that we prefer white to brown in one sentence, followed by the MJ comment and your preference for brown not white only demonstrates one thing....

It you who lacks tolerance - not us in Bangkok mate. Look in the mirror first before throwing your stones at glasses houses in a different city.

I would even go so far as to say that the majority of farangs here in Bangkok have spouses, GF's of Issan persuasian.

[Captain Chaos]

I love Bangkok - it's my favourite city out of all those I have visited. Worked there for nearly 5 years and it was huge fun both work-wise and personal-wise ... palaces, temples, river trips, shopping centres, different kinds of food, different kinds of nightlife - oh, and I made some really good friends too.

A set of wheels is a BIG help if living there for the long term - there are loads of interesting places within easy day trip distance ... Ayutthya, Don Hoi Lod, the Ancient City in Samut Prakarn, the croc farm (not to everyone's taste that one), the list goes on and on...

Weekends away - Pattaya, Cha-Am / Hua Hin, Kanchanburi...

"that's not IN Bangkok" I hear you cry - so what? I didn't spend every single day I lived in London actually IN London! But it's easy access to these kinds of things that makes it a good experience imho

Now we live in Singapore - it's cleaner, safer, better organized - Mrs CC (Thai) thinks it is a superior location to bring up CC Jnr ... but we still like to visit Bangkok once a month or so coz we (I) still get more of a buzz there than we do here.

Bangkok, like life, is what you make of it - agree with comments that it is the OP who is the 'problem' here - sounds like a square peg in a round hole and he would be much happier moving on and trying somewhere else - after all, there are LOTS of interesting alternatives - just gotta find the right one!

CC

[polecat]

That was quite funny for a man u fan lol.

Seriously though Bangkok isnt the nices of places to live and the farangs seem to slip into this Bangkok mode of white is beautiful andknocking everything issan including how thick they are,not nice to here whether your gf/wife is Issan or not.To me its not attractive to splash whitener on your face,looking like Michael Jackson then knocking brown.Sorry no offense to some farang Bangkokonians but most of you have got a right chip on your shoulders,and yes us retirees had good jobs too,not all are tramps.

Who has the chip on their shoulders? To criticize us and say that we prefer white to brown in one sentence, followed by the MJ comment and your preference for brown not white only demonstrates one thing....

It you who lacks tolerance - not us in Bangkok mate. Look in the mirror first before throwing your stones at glasses houses in a different city.

I would even go so far as to say that the majority of farangs here in Bangkok have spouses, GF's of Issan persuasian.

Surely you're not surprised here BKKJames!

Patklang has got it in for Bangkok and aims his barely literate tirades in this direction whenever possible. Bangok, English teachers, Thais with white skin, homosexuals openly displaying affection, Muslims in his home country... they all better beware the bloke who retired early, moved to Pattaya and loves spicy food!

Frankly, I find his intellect intimidating.

[remil]

If you are an outdoor person than why do you stay in bangkok? There is no point complaining about it as its common knowledge go live in canada or something where you can be outdoors in a fresh environment. Or go live in Mae hong son.

[think_too_mut]

I love Bangkok - it's my favourite city out of all those I have visited. Worked there for nearly 5 years and it was huge fun both work-wise and personal-wise ... palaces, temples, river trips, shopping centres, different kinds of food, different kinds of nightlife - oh, and I made some really good friends too.

No kidding? It takes 3 days to master all that. What about the rest of the years?

A set of wheels is a BIG help if living there for the long term - there are loads of interesting places within easy day trip distance ... Ayutthya, Don Hoi Lod, the Ancient City in Samut Prakarn, the croc farm (not to everyone's taste that one), the list goes on and on...

Weekends away - Pattaya, Cha-Am / Hua Hin, Kanchanburi...

"that's not IN Bangkok" I hear you cry - so what? I didn't spend every single day I lived in London actually IN London! But it's easy access to these kinds of things that makes it a good experience imho

Being in Bangkok just to leave it for better places?

Now we live in Singapore - it's cleaner, safer, better organized - Mrs CC (Thai) thinks it is a superior location to bring up CC Jnr ... but we still like to visit

What the statelet of Singapore has, little known places like Anjo, Okazaki, Kariya in Japan have 100 folds better.

Each of them have 20+ places like Sentosa Island.

Around Nagoya you would have 100s of water parks, all weather, cheap or even free.

Bangkok once a month or so coz we (I) still get more of a buzz there than we do here.

Even my wife is saying - why do we have to go to Thai ever again? Why not Japan forever?

[Birdman]

From an expats view it is very clear, that BKK without nightlife would be less popular than Jakarta or KL.

Edited May 16, 2009 by Birdman

[Nordlys]

Sounds like classic culture shock. I had the same symptoms when I first moved to Bangkok 30 years ago. Tried several other world capitals, and in the end found Bangkok to be the least boring. YMMV

But I lived here for over quarter of a century and still I feel like the OP. And I've also lived in a few other world capitals myself. Or maybe because I lived too long in Bangkok that I feel I'm bored here. One thing I can say, OP shouldn't be comparing Bangkok with SF.

[MJo]

From an expats view it is very clear, that BKK without nightlife would be less popular than Jakarta or KL.

KL yes but Jakarta no way. Spend good two years in Jakarta and everything is much worse than in Bangkok. I mean if you compare JKT and BKK you can claim BKK has no traffic and air pollution at all. To live and do things in Jakarta is a nightmare. That is if you ever want to leave Kemang...

[MJo]

Even my wife is saying - why do we have to go to Thai ever again? Why not Japan forever?

Classic case of "rose tinted glasses" made in japan...?

[think_too_mut]

Even my wife is saying - why do we have to go to Thai ever again? Why not Japan forever?

Classic case of "rose tinted glasses" made in japan...?

No shit?

A Thai national who had spend 15 years in BKK, last 8 in premium locations in BKK is saying that.

After living in Japan for 8 months. She does not know that 3 years visa with no reporting is a dream for expats in BKK, she does not know your time in BKK does not count against any pension, her Japanese ID came just like that, her (national) health insurance is right there, and she even got JP government stimulus package bit in cash. No crime, no locking house, no cheating.

Back to topic:

Just last 2 days, we were having strong rain here in Aichi. What can you do in BKK on days like this (if you could do much on any day at all)?

Day 1:

2 stories playhouse for kids, then all weather "White Wave" water park. Cost: almost nothing.

Day 2:

Aichi Expo play house (bigger than all retail space at the Emporium and Paragon together) + Sanage hot spring. Cost: altogether, just above 3 cinema tickets in BKK.

Those (and 100s more places) are available and affordable (most are free) to anyone.

Now, my daughter calls those kids corners in Lotus or Carefour - "Monkey house". For how they are small, cramped....I would add crowded and charged for 30 mins in there. And the annoying noise from game machines, no place to leave your bags, no place to sit, good that hel_l (for me) lasts only 30 mins.

You might need some rose glasses to justify your move into BKK?

[mezzoninny]

To the OP,

Although probably not as intense as India, I definitely think that Bangkok is an acquired taste. It might take upwards of 5 years to learn to like it, and settle in (and of course it's possible you just won't like it).

If you're pursuing objective variables (eg. clean air and greenery), I suspect most people will end up choosing somewhere else. Because yes, Bangkok is rather run-down, it can be technologically backwards. I left Bangkok as a teenager, and I always think about going back, but these things do hold me back, they are compromises you need to make consciously. I think Bangkok's a bit kooky, a bit off the beaten path in fact, it's almost not a choice "rational" people would go for. They'll perhaps all pick places with better infrastructure, or supposedly better English skills overall. If you choose to move to Bangkok, hopefully it's because you find it interesting, or because it's really beneficial for retirement living (e.g. finance-wise).

Hopefully you'll find an angle to enjoy the city, no matter what it is (my own is actually quite insulated from the locals).

It's all very personal. I've been to Singapore, with the superior hardware, and I was not impressed. I liked Japan for a very long time - I even learned Japanese for seven years - but not anymore. Because you know what, all that efficiency, all that cleanliness, they come at a human cost, there's a social/cultural price that the locals have to pay. God knows how many of them are overworked with no overtime, occasionally to death. and they probably work in a way that lose their personal freedom. Most people will think this is none of their/our business, but I feel very strongly about this, and I have basically lost the ability to appreciate Japan as a place. Because you know what... I'm glad I wasn't born Japanese. I would not want to be locked down in that culture. I'll probably be whipped or whatever for such an opinion, but it's got to be said.

[OxfordWill]

Isnt it all about the friends you have? It is for me. Bangkok without other people would be a nightmare.

[rott]

Isnt it all about the friends you have? It is for me. Bangkok without other people would be a nightmare.

Didn't really take you 6 months to come up with that did it Will? Love Bangkok myself but have never stayed for longer than 2 weeks at a time, I think it is agreat place to live and work in--but if you ain't working you need deep pockets to stay for a long time.

[zzaa09]

Boredom is a state of one's mind. Surrounding infrastructures have less to do with stimulation than might your immediate universe.

[neverdie]

Even my wife is saying - why do we have to go to Thai ever again? Why not Japan forever?

Classic case of "rose tinted glasses" made in japan...?

No shit?

A Thai national who had spend 15 years in BKK, last 8 in premium locations in BKK is saying that.

After living in Japan for 8 months. She does not know that 3 years visa with no reporting is a dream for expats in BKK, she does not know your time in BKK does not count against any pension, her Japanese ID came just like that, her (national) health insurance is right there, and she even got JP government stimulus package bit in cash. No crime, no locking house, no cheating.

Back to topic:

Just last 2 days, we were having strong rain here in Aichi. What can you do in BKK on days like this (if you could do much on any day at all)?

Day 1:

2 stories playhouse for kids, then all weather "White Wave" water park. Cost: almost nothing.

Day 2:

Aichi Expo play house (bigger than all retail space at the Emporium and Paragon together) + Sanage hot spring. Cost: altogether, just above 3 cinema tickets in BKK.

Those (and 100s more places) are available and affordable (most are free) to anyone.

Now, my daughter calls those kids corners in Lotus or Carefour - "Monkey house". For how they are small, cramped....I would add crowded and charged for 30 mins in there. And the annoying noise from game machines, no place to leave your bags, no place to sit, good that hel_l (for me) lasts only 30 mins.

You might need some rose glasses to justify your move into BKK?

they wouldnt happen to have a tokyo visa thread you could write on, would they?

[whichschool]

Boredom is a state of one's mind.

You mean when im sat on an airplane for 12 hours without any entertainment and im trying to stay off the beer it isnt boring?

IMHE of life ones who come out with such statements are without the most predictable and best avoided when it comes to seeking cod philosophical advice.

[lioness]

I always have something to do, be it a couple of things on the house, bits and pieces in the garden, going swimming, for a massage or just spending lots of time with my 2 year old son, but my biggest problem is and remains, the heat. These days the heat is killing me and I need to get up very early in order to achieve some of my goals. During the day, weekends that is, I just spent my time inside the house with the Aircon on 22C. Cant be bothered to be tracked out etc. I never really felt this way, but now being here over 10 years, and getting older, I feel the heat more and more.

A bit off the subject I know, but I just wanted to pass comment here, I don't find that feeling the heat has anything to do with age. If you spend your time with the air con at 22c of course you are going to find the heat unbearable, you are depending on it, and you are going from one extreme to the other, of course you are going to feel the heat.

[OxfordWill]

oops sorry, old thread. I was searching google for "bored in bangkok". Ended up drinking in a bar, as usual.

[Geekfreaklover]

Bangkok is quite simply the most exciting city in which a young single male can live.

Having traveled to over 50 countries and born in a large city, I think I can voice that opinion with a certain degree of authority.

But problems are like a backpack, you take them with you. If you are not happy living in Bangkok then you have issues which no city, country or destination can solve.

[Ulysses G.]

I concur!