Why Live In Bangkok?

[Thomas_Merton]

I just cannot understand this fascination some people have with living in Bangkok.

OK – I know there are those that have to, because of their job, studies etc. But why do perfectly normal, intelligent ex-pats actually choose to live there?

Look at some of the negatives:

• Pollution

• Congestion

• High price of accommodation

• All too many “lost” ex-pats

Of the positive things I can imagine – most of which could begin with “B” – there are other places in Thailand where these can be acquired – less expensively and in more conducive atmospheres.

There is not much else, as far as I can see.

So could someone explain why it is refugees from western civilisation actually choose to live in the capitol city of the Land of Smiles?

[baht&sold]

Would rather be in Hua Hin or Ao Nang in a NY minute, given a choice However, the longer one lives in Bkk, it does tend to grow on ya (not like a layer of pollution;) hard to explain really. Everyone has "their" little world -a person living off Thonglor frequents their own local spots and develops a comfortable routine, different than someone in Suk 11 for example. Blocks away and worlds apart in familiar terms but each carves their niche and finds a sense of community. Those who don't, tend to move along.

[JacknDanny]

I just cannot understand this fascination some people have with living in Bangkok.

OK – I know there are those that have to, because of their job, studies etc. But why do perfectly normal, intelligent ex-pats actually choose to live there?

Look at some of the negatives:

• Pollution

• Congestion

• High price of accommodation

• All too many “lost” ex-pats

Of the positive things I can imagine – most of which could begin with “B” – there are other places in Thailand where these can be acquired – less expensively and in more conducive atmospheres.

There is not much else, as far as I can see.

So could someone explain why it is refugees from western civilisation actually choose to live in the capitol city of the Land of Smiles?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Everybody is different. I can only speak for myself.

As a father of a 4 year old, but as someone who doesnt live like a hermit, in other words I do go out alone every Friday night, I believe that I can have a far better lifestyle here in Bangkok.

Examples..... There are a huge number of high class restaurants of every taste and nationality available to you. There a re a large number of International Hotels available which offer the best service and food in the world.

There are several International hospitals within a few minutes of my home. I would hate to be stuck miles from anywhere having to depend on some Joe Schmo to take care of me or my son in the event of an accident.

Congestion, sure if you are driving along Sukhumvit at 5pm, but there is the BTS where I can go from one end of Bangkok to the other in 20 minutes.

Pollution, sure again if you have a home on Sukhumvit or Silom, but there are many nice suburbs of Bangkok, not far from BTS and the tollways where there is very little pollution.

All in all I think you have a far bigger choice to do whatever you want to do here in Bangkok in relation to elsewhere.

In relation to yourself Thomas, and I mean no insult by this, I could not live in Sawankhalock if you paid me!! I have been there several times, as my ex and mother of my child lives there. Its like a ghost town, nothing there, nearest decent hospital an hour away, no bars, no decent hotels or restaurants, as I say NOT for me but I guess thats why we are all different.

[haha]

some people like big cities, some people like small cities.

..personally, I like the variety of places to go to.

when you think about it, did you know you have access to over 15 shopping malls in bangkok all within a radius of a few miles? in another year, this number will increase to over 20 places.

there are over 10 starbucks in town. at least 6 bowling alleys. 7/11 on every block. 8+ movie theaters. the list goes on....

there are so many places to hang out at. if you get tired of one place, there's always another one to go to.

variety is the spice of life.

of course, then, there's the women. but to tell you the truth, after you live here a while, it's no big deal.

unlike in the west where guys are clamoring to get the attention of girls, here, you learn to mellow out, and be at peace with yourself.

sipping on a cup of java at a coffee shop while reading the local newspaper with nobody complaining around you. now, that is bliss.

[The Coder]

I guess a key thing is living in Bangkok offers a world of spontaneous opportunities at all hours. You can find any restaurant, night spot, market, or just go do whatever you want and it is just minutes away without planning it. You can also live a familiar western way of life very easily because it has all the modern conveniences. It's a great place for meeting people as everywhere there are just so many friendly Thai's in the city that often wish to chat and get to know you whether it is at the bank, salon, shopping center, or what have you.

I am one that doesn't really like big cities but kind of fell in love with Bangkok. Pollution is not noticeable living up high and using AC 24/7. Just that occasional walk down on a street that reminds me of the movie total recall with the bad air down there! Congestion never a problem for me because the sky train and subway reach everywhere I want and offer convenience and safety and eliminate the need for a vehicle which is a major advantage. I live away from Sukhumvit to stay away from the bulk of expats, touts, and other undesirables. High price of accomodation? Yes, I guess that is true though I've seen a lot of posts about people talking about million dollar Samui homes and eye raising CM rental prices so guess it depends on your standards. I may not live in Bangkok forever, but I enjoy it for now and would be nowhere else.

[daleyboy]

For me its the vibe and hustle and bustle of city life i love so much. Going out at 3am and finding food and life everywhere you look.

My other main reason is CHOICE. You have so much choice on what you do, where you go, what you eat, how you live.

My other reason especially in Thailand is annonimity(spelling) not to do anything dodgy just to be left in peace, for example when me and the wife go to see her family its cool but everyone and i mean everyone stops and stares when i walk past so when i am in bkk it is nice just to blend in as much as one can.

[Richard Hall]

Easy question - easy answer.

For EXACTLY the same reasons why people live in metropolitan areas around the world may this be New York, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Singapore, Bangkok etc. Feel free to exchange "Bangkok" with any big city name in the original question.

Urban life has advantages and disadvantages so has living on the countryside. Personally, I consider living in the suburbs to be the ideal situation upon spending most of my live in a 22,000 people town in Germany and the last 5 1/2 in BKK. Down here in the southern part of the city in a small soy and a nice little park right at the Chayo Phraya river in walking distance and about 20 minutes to the center of the city so I guess I brought down two birds with the same stone.

But admittedly, I wouldn't want to be living on lower Sukhumvit as much as living on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg but heck BKK and also Hamburg have heaps of streets and lanes to offer

With regards from the capital of LOS,

Richard

Edited July 3, 2005 by Richard Hall

[ProfessorFart]

I agree with the above especially about the urban vibe Bangkok has.

I like city life and at the end of the day BKK is a very easy city to escape from if you need to.

Expensive cost of accommodation? Try London Thomas!

[penelope]

wife and i both work in offices in bangkok, our apartment is paid for by company allowing us to rent out what would otherwise be our house in BKK. wifes family all ive in BKK, my thai and non-thai friends live in bkk etc...I guess thats why we live in BKK.

[kyb789]

For me it is because my work sent me here. I have a chance to live off the corporation for a few years and save a little money for my future. Of course, I immediately fell in love with BKK (being single).

But after 1 yr, I am convinced this is not a place to meet the woman of your dreams. I'm off to Korea the day my contract is over. And sooner, if possible. I've spent 3 months there, and it is a world of difference there when it comes to quality women. I need a woman I can trust.

[johnh101]

For me it is because my work sent me here.  I have a chance to live off the corporation for a few years and save a little money for my future.  Of course, I immediately fell in love with BKK (being single). 

But after 1 yr, I am convinced this is not a place to meet the woman of your dreams.  I'm off to Korea the day my contract is over.  And sooner, if possible.  I've spent 3 months there, and it is a world of difference there when it comes to quality women.  I need a woman I can trust.

They can be found KY, admittedly rarely so in the fleshpots of Nana, Patpong etc. Numerous guys on this forum can vouch for it.

[bkkmadness]

You can find plenty of trustworthy women in Bangkok, I'm tired of hearing that old line about you can't trust the Thais or Thai women.

I liek the city and need it at the moment as I want to set up business in Bangkok and it will require me being here, the city is where the money is.

I do like the city though, always loved them actually though I have started to go a bit more rural these days, must be age.

I would like to move out of Bangkok but would need to visit regulary, theres just plenty of things in the city that I cant get elsewhere.

Ideally I would need a pad in Bangkok, a bungalow on the beach and a house in the country, well thats the dream anyway.

[daleyboy]

For me it is because my work sent me here.  I have a chance to live off the corporation for a few years and save a little money for my future.  Of course, I immediately fell in love with BKK (being single). 

But after 1 yr, I am convinced this is not a place to meet the woman of your dreams.  I'm off to Korea the day my contract is over.  And sooner, if possible.  I've spent 3 months there, and it is a world of difference there when it comes to quality women.  I need a woman I can trust.

You obviously arent looking in the right place then are you I have been married to a Thai girl for 4 years and she is completely trustworthy.

Not sure where you get your opinions from maybe you should stop hanging around in the bars

[Bilko]

.  I need a woman I can trust.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's a lot harder for a Thai girl to find a Farang she can trust.

[buadhai]

I've never lived in an urban setting. I spent the 26 years before I retired on a small, touristy tropical island in the Western Pacific. One of my retirement goals was to live in a place urban enough that I could walk to coffee in the morning, read a decent paper there, and walk to a friendly place to consume some beer in the evening. I also envisioned enjoying the many aspects of urban life that I've only experienced when visiting the world's great cities.

Alas, I fell in love with a woman from Korat. So, I brew my own coffee in the morning, wait until noon for the Bangkok Post to be delivered and obtain my beer from the local mini-mart to be consumed on my front porch.

I'd still like to experience the excitement of urban life someday before I'm too old to enjoy it.

That may happen, and it may not. But, it doesn't hurt to dream now and then, does it?

[The Dude]

Ah the city, gotta love the city. No sticks for me. I can't handle seeing the same crap everyday. As for trusting thai women, you can't. that dude is totally right. The second you leave town, your lady is trying to burn you.

[chownah]

I can really understand why people like to live in Bangkok. I live in the north and it really sucks up here. Bangkok is like an enchanted village!..really. Its the greatest thing since...since....since a really long time. I don't see why all foreigners don't live there...and never go further north than Ayuthaya. Its really not so polluted there and I've heard that soon they'll be putting rose scent in the diesel fuel so the capital will smell like roses!!!...really!!! Absolutely the best place in Thailand for foreigners to visit and live is BANGKOK....definitely Bangkok....not the north...definitely not the north....

[Boon Mee]

I can really understand why people like to live in Bangkok.  I live in the north and it really sucks up here.  Bangkok is like an enchanted village!..really.  Its the greatest thing since...since....since a really long time.  I don't see why all foreigners don't live there...and never go further north than Ayuthaya.  Its really not so polluted there and I've heard that soon they'll be putting rose scent in the diesel fuel so the capital will smell like roses!!!...really!!!  Absolutely the best place in Thailand for foreigners to visit and live is BANGKOK....definitely Bangkok....not the north...definitely not the north....

Good try, chownah but they're moving up in droves as we speak!

Not to worry 'bout this Farang - I'm stuck in the rice plains of northern Suphanburi.

[bkkmadness]

ah, 10 minutes and I'm out of Bangkok, off to Tak for a couple of days, thank god, fresh air and lazy living.

[Jockstar]

I love Bangkok. Its a great city. I've lived in many cities and towns over the years. I'll tell ya Bangkok is one of my favourites. Sure you have pollution. But what big city doesnt in some way. I used to live in Auckland in NZ. It was a NICE city. Clean etc. But it had no character. Plain and boring. Sure you had a few decnt bars and parks etc. But boring. At the end of the day its a personal choice. I lived in Sman Hill in country Victoria in Oz. It was ok for a month or so. But it started to get on my tits after a while. Total bum###### nothing to do place. I'm not a big fan of the country. I love big cities. I've lived in London. Melbourne, Birmingham, Sydney , Auckland and Bangkok. I've also lived for short periods of time in other cities. Bangkok is up there with the best. Maybe you are just getting old TM?

[LoveDaBlues]

I was in Bangkok for a week. Eight days too long. Don't like big cities; never did. But I don't like the sticks either. When I move to Thailand for good (soon I just retired) I'm looking for a city of perhaps 30-60,000.

[TRIPxCORE]

Down here in the southern part of the city in a small soy and a nice little park right at the Chayo Phraya river in walking distance and about 20 minutes to the center of the city so I guess I brought down two birds with the same stone.

Is this park right by the ferry entrance to take you across the river to Sathorn pier? Does it have an outside weight-lifting area?

[samran]

Always find myself returning to Bangers.

Firstly, there is an overwhelming feeling of being 'home' there. Many farangs I know say the same thing. If you know where to go, and more importantly, where not to go, the hassels that the OP mentioned are not an issue. Plus, every street has its own character and characters. You can easily still get to know everyone there and feel like you are living in a real community.

Secondly, while it can be hot, polluted, frustrating, and a million other unpleasant things, one thing I can say is that when in Bangkok I am NEVER bored, which is important for me.

[Ikky Plush]

Why not?

[PeaceBlondie]

It's not a case where you only have a choice between 9 million people in metro Bangkok, and living next to Somchasat and Pansaporn, and nobody else. Not that there are any reliable population statistics, but there's Chiang Mai, there's Chiang Rai (sorry Chownah, had to admit it - but don't move up north!), Korat, Khon Kaen, Pattaya, Phuket (west and east), and lots of others I don't even know the names of.

I woke up at 4 am today and first of all, I'm not going to walk out of the condo until the mosquitos go back to sleep. I'm not one of these New Yorkers who has to have 98 Mexican restaurants open at 3 AM (besides, I've lived in San Antonio and old Mexico). I don't get a hankering for much Rwandan food at midnight, or Tibetan goat's milk at high noon. There must be ten real Italian restaurants in Chiang Mai, and Mike's Burgers doesn't close until 3 am. Oops, I mean in Ranong (right, chownah? No restaurants north of Lampang, not a single one).

I'm about to move from Chiang Mai to Hua Hin, and I saw plenty of night life (even take-off gogo bars) there, enough Western restaurants, etc. I don't plan to go to Bangkok more than once every two months; we shall see. Okay, if I lived in Lampang or Lamphun, maybe I'd want to visit Songkhla, Satun, or Hat Yai for some good barbecue ribs.

Most people who live in Bangkok, London, New York City, or Houston, are there for the money. There are other choices. Besides, the higher cost of living in Bangkok (especially housing costs) eat up most of the additional disposable income.

[Totster]

I'm about to move from Chiang Mai to Hua Hin, and I saw plenty of night life (even take-off gogo bars) there,

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No gogo bars in Hua Hin... you must have seen them in Cha-am..

totster

[WhiteShiva]

.  I need a woman I can trust.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's a lot harder for a Thai girl to find a Farang she can trust.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree - several of my wife's friends (mostly attractive, well-educated women with good jobs) have asked me if I know any "good men". I don't - the ones I know who are not already in stable relationships, are not getting any recommendations from me. Many of the single guys are fun to drink & hang out with, but I am not going to set up a nice decent Thai girl with a heavy-drinking, butterflying farang who's main interst is bar girls and binge drinking.

[Richard Hall]

Down here in the southern part of the city in a small soy and a nice little park right at the Chayo Phraya river in walking distance and about 20 minutes to the center of the city so I guess I brought down two birds with the same stone.

Is this park right by the ferry entrance to take you across the river to Sathorn pier? Does it have an outside weight-lifting area?

Nope, it is right under Saphan Kwaen the big bridge that takes you over Rama 3 and the river. Opposite to Kasikorn Bank headquarters. No weight-lifing area but a fitness equipment path along an 850m running track. The park is on Rama 3 road. Nice, quiet and clean, lots of fresh air. There is even a Rama 3 park jogging group (mainly Thai and Chinese Thai business men) meeting there every morning for a jog and chatting and eating afterwards. Being there wouldn't make you think you're in a 10 million people city.

That town has indeed plenty of faces. Some are ugly but others are just great. Guess that's why people say: Bangkok - love it or loathe it. Always seems to depend of the angle of view and well, my perspective is just right for my own personal needs.

Actually, my first day in BKK was horrible. I encountered the traffic jam at Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel when a working associate picked me up there for dinner. and darn I even asked him how anyone can live in that chaos. One year later, however, I had become a Bangkokian myself and actually never left the town in the past 5 years for more than 10 hours.

Cheers,

Richard

Edited July 4, 2005 by Richard Hall

[terdsak_12]

This is where the money is, my kids go to school here, all my punters are here, my office, my home. I love this city, and I also dispise this city.

[simcity]

I like to have a base in the capital city, where I can get for example, a new thermostat and boiler repair for my espresso machine / the right picture frame / smoked salmon / Cherry wood cheap for my smoking machine ( still trying for this one ) / nicorette / without pulling my hairs (well the left of it) .

I like to have a quiet place for relax outside the capital city too .