Bangkok 2nd Best City In The World?

[Godot]

Readers of Travel and Leisure Magazine recently voted Bangkok 2nd best city in the world, behind Sydney. I personally can’t stand it for more than 5 minutes. Have I missed something?

Chiang Mai came in fifth:

http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest....cfm?cat=cities

My choice: Barcelona.

[Greer]

Bangkok is WAY ahead of Sydney in my book - and I know Udon is fed up with SYD too - it's bloody cold, and BORING - can't wait to get out of here...

Not real keen on Chiang Mai, but that's only cos it's a long way fom the sea - AND it gets cold there too....

[Khun Larry]

Readers of Travel and Leisure Magazine recently voted Bangkok 2nd best city in the world, behind Sydney. I personally can’t stand it for more than 5 minutes. Have I missed something?

Chiang Mai came in fifth:

http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest....cfm?cat=cities

My choice: Barcelona.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Barcelona is a gem.

If you want cheap then I would rank BKK #1. Cheap hotels, cheap food, cheap hos.

You want quality, BKK is not in top 10 or even top 100.

CHEAP! This is Bangkok.

[Bilko]

Bkk?

Tokyo beats Bangkok hands down, better Night life, not sleazy, Bars open all night, clean, safe , great transport system, polite people etc etc.......

Downside is the cost, but if money is no object, there is no contest in my opinion.

Bkk is cheap, that's it.

[mrbojangles]

Bkk?

Tokyo beats Bangkok hands down, better Night life, not sleazy,  Bars open all night, clean, safe , great transport system, polite people etc etc.......

Downside is the cost, but if money is no object, there is no contest in my opinion.

Bkk is cheap, that's it.   

I concur Bilko, top time was had by all when we went to Tokyo. Hong Kong is also good but again more expensive than Bkk. I think it comes down to your own personal experience at the time. I have been to some Cities and had a fantastic time and then been a second time and it was cr4p and visa versa.

mr BoJ

[Bilko]

I concur Bilko, top time was had by all when we went to Tokyo. Hong Kong is also good but again more expensive than Bkk.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think Bangkok only scores well because of the cost factor.

Hong Kong I have never liked, the manners of the people put me off really giving it a go, I was 2 weeks on Lamma island and it was ok there, but when I went to Central, I did not like it at all, they must be amongst the rudest people on Earth.

Don't get me wrong, I think Thailand is a really great place, but I must say Tokyo with it's wonderful Transportation systems, the most Polite Taxi drivers in the world, and the manners of the people in general really impress.......

If Tokyo was as cheap as Bangkok, I am sure it would be Number 1.

[soi lurker]

yeah..... i see the connection between first and second

[ilyushin]

    Bangkok is as good as you want it to be. All places are good and bad. If you take Nairobi-Mombasa or Bangkok- Chiang Mai .They are all great places that I find them nice nice, but also have to be aware of the bad points. I have invested 25yrs in BKK and say it is #1 with me.  See you in Spain on my vacation. 

[RDN]

Readers of Travel and Leisure Magazine .....Have I missed something?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's your answer! Who ever bothers replying to such polls?

[britmaveric]

BKK - I like the city, but traffic does me head in. I think cost, things to do is a major plus for BKK.

[susah_sih]

Tokyo beats Bkk in terms of infrastructure, etc.

But people in Tokyo is horrible creature.

Polite?? you havent seen the real Japanese.

They are &lt;deleted&gt;. They are competing the world championships

in assholesness alongside with Koreans.

This is a viewpoint from an Indonesian who's lived in Tokyo before.

If you are white, maybe Japanese worship you like god since

they have inferiority complex toward white European/American

Bkk?

Tokyo beats Bangkok hands down, better Night life, not sleazy,  Bars open all night, clean, safe , great transport system, polite people etc etc.......

Downside is the cost, but if money is no object, there is no contest in my opinion.

Bkk is cheap, that's it.   

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Edited July 15, 2005 by susah_sih

[Richard Hall]

Well, gals, guys and Bkk bashers get used to it and we are certainly not satisfied yet. For sure we are targetting the no. 1 spot upon Khun Aphirak has cleaned up a little bit.

For the incorrigible critics and bashers we certainly keep the one or the other drain hole open - just in case

Cheers,

Richard

(Bangkokian)

[Freddie_fly]

While I do have a particular bee in my bonnet for the japanese, who feel the need to constantly remind us that the atrocities they committed in WW2 were not really that bad, I really must say that the place I hated most was....well just about anywhere in Korea, who were the rudest bunch of &lt;deleted&gt; I have ever come across. even the whores were rude !!!!!!.

So while tokyo gets my vote for transportation, Singapore beats it out on MRT and the simple fact that the Singaporean Malays have to be the best party people in Asia.

Freddie

[cobra]

... BKK - I like the city, but traffic does me head in. ..

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed, traffic is the bane of Bkk,

It's bad everywhere, the subway and the ST help a lot, and I've rediscovered my legs are pretty handy in getting me around, ...

All major cities have their turn at being the new best ..., ________ fill in the blanks .... , it's what sells travel magazines.

[RDN]

...All major cities have their turn at being the  new best ..., ________ fill in the blanks  .... , it's what sells travel magazines.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does anyone know what the prize was to entice this huge cross-section of completely average people to fill in the form for this so popular, well-read magazine?

[jackr]

I can only summise that the readers of this magazine are armchair travellers or simply...strange. Yeah, Sydney's a nice city but what a f***ing bore! Rome is another cracking city without any soul. I'll go with

khun Larry's choice, Barcelona is a gem and has just about everything: lovely beach; gorgeous harbour; tonnes of history and culture; bags of nightlife; cheap digs and gorgeous babes. Bangkok may be up there somewhere but not up there

[newworks]

I can only summise that the readers of this magazine are armchair travellers or simply...strange. Yeah, Sydney's a nice city but what a f***ing bore! Rome is another cracking city without any soul. I'll go with

khun Larry's choice, Barcelona is a gem and has just about everything: lovely beach; gorgeous harbour; tonnes of history and culture; bags of nightlife; cheap digs and gorgeous babes. Bangkok may be up there somewhere but not up there 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i have been living in tokyo for 7 years. lived in bkk before for almost 3. been to barcelona but not to sydney.

before i start, i`ll say that i am sure that this survey is about being a tourist in those cities, and therefore i don`t see how tokyo could even begin to compare to bangkok. that having been said...

tokyo might be fun to visit, but that`s it. after being here this long i am sick and tired of the cold, unresponsive, and unfriendly (i think that a couple of you called them "polite") people, the insanely, stupidly expensive cost of everything here, and the insularity of it all, among many, many other things. sure, the bars are open all night. so what? on the off chance that you might want to go home (alone or otherwise) between 1-5 AM, i hope you have AT LEAST $50 U.S. for a taxi home since tokyo`s vaunted transportation system grinds to a halt between those hours and the taxi fares automatically increase 30%. also hope that you can communicate with the driver, as the japanese are by far and hands down the WORST english speakers in asia. sure, it doesn`t really matter when your just trying to score some nookie in yokohama or roppongi, but when you have to live here day-to-day, you`d better be able to speak nihongo.

BKK beats tokyo on all of these counts, by miles and miles and miles. not to mention that the food is better, the weather is better, the women are hotter (thai girls actually have boobs and long legs! and ASSES!), the people are friendlier (even though it`s often with a motive), and the hotel rooms, apartments, and everything else are human- instead of rabbit-sized. yes, BKK traffic is a drag sometimes, but at least there`s a train system in place there now. that option wasn`t there when i lived in BKK before. if you think that BKK traffic does your head in, then please come to tokyo and try a rush-hour train ride! seriously...

so, i don`t know guys. maybe if you`re on the company tab tokyo is a fun place to come play for a few days, but even if it weren`t so expensive i again don`t see how this sterile, grey, overpopulated anthill is even in the same league as BKK, either as a vacation destination OR a place to live.

just my two cents` worth.

oh, and i completely agree with jackr on barcelona. it rocks in every possible way! like to live there someday...

[Jockstar]

BKK - I like the city, but traffic does me head in. I think cost, things to do is a major plus for BKK.

Very true. But do love this city. As i have said before. I used to live in Auckland NZ. Beautiful, and clean city. But no character. Bangkok. Dirty, smelly but got heaps of character. I love it! By the way to the people who slated Sydney. I personally love it. Will be back living there next year. B ut at least i can come here for holidays.

[mr bilko]

Well i havnt travelled much, infact thailand is the only country ive been to.

Bangkok is very dirty, smelly, sleezy and too busy. The only thing its got going for it are the muay thai stadiums (big fan of muay thai).

When i get to BKK i cant wait to leave, but once ive left i cant wait to get back and feel almost "homesick" even though i dont live there.

If BKK is one of the best cities in the world, i dont want to vist any other city.

Edited July 18, 2005 by mr bilko

[jackr]

BKK - I like the city, but traffic does me head in. I think cost, things to do is a major plus for BKK.

Very true. But do love this city. As i have said before. I used to live in Auckland NZ. Beautiful, and clean city. But no character. Bangkok. Dirty, smelly but got heaps of character. I love it! By the way to the people who slated Sydney. I personally love it. Will be back living there next year. B ut at least i can come here for holidays.

Ah come one Jock, Sydney's &lt;deleted&gt;! Best town in Aussie land is Byron Bay

[Neeranam]

Ah come one Jock, Sydney's &lt;deleted&gt;!  Best town in Aussie land is Byron Bay 

My favourite 2 cities are Barcelona(with of course the camp nou) and Melbourne followed closely by Edinburgh, the only city I would think about living in in the UK.

I agree Sydney is &lt;deleted&gt;.

Bangkok is the pits, ok good fun when you are young free and single, but filthy and very unhealthy. How on earth did I get stuck there for a decade?

Edited July 18, 2005 by Neeranam

[U_THAIED_UP_THAIED]

what quality? tell me what better qualities you get with other cities,

suckers, yes all of you suck

Don't forget it cost you between 30-80 baht for freshly cooked meal

here, while it costs 3000-8000baht in paris pagh paghi pagh paghi

I THINK THAI GOVERNMENT SHOULD DEPORT ALL OF YOU BACK TO

WHERE YOU BELONG

[LadyinRed]

Ah come one Jock, Sydney's &lt;deleted&gt;!  Best town in Aussie land is Byron Bay 

My favourite 2 cities are Barcelona(with of course the camp nou) and Melbourne followed closely by Edinburgh, the only city I would think about living in in the UK.

I agree Sydney is &lt;deleted&gt;...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Edinburgh is great it's the one place in Scotland i'd like to visit again.

[chechoie]

The different views on this thread very interesting.

I guess it's all about people's perception " one man's meat is another man's poison".

I have lived and worked in many cities, but BKK for me is something special. It has a certain atmosphere and character that is unique.

I agree that it can do your nut in and that you have to leave sometime but to paraphrase Bilko, when you come back to BKK it's a bit like coming home, strange but true for a lot of us.

The worst city I have every lived and worked in was Manila. Four years in that shithole of a place surrounded by morons, almost killed me.

Even Cairo was better than that place, ( wait a minute, that can't be right).

I'm at present working in Jakarta. I know what your thinking, "he gets all the good job's doesn't he.

[jackr]

what quality? tell me what better qualities you get with other cities,

suckers, yes all of you suck

Don't forget it cost you between 30-80 baht for freshly cooked meal

here, while it costs 3000-8000baht in paris pagh paghi pagh paghi 

I THINK THAI GOVERNMENT SHOULD DEPORT ALL OF YOU BACK TO

WHERE YOU BELONG 

Yes, I think they should as well and we'll take our good money to more deserving climes. Then you'll be crying, please come back, we need your money, we need your brains and we need you to teach us not to lie every 5 seconds.

[U_THAIED_UP_THAIED]

what quality? tell me what better qualities you get with other cities,

suckers, yes all of you suck

Don't forget it cost you between 30-80 baht for freshly cooked meal

here, while it costs 3000-8000baht in paris pagh paghi pagh paghi 

I THINK THAI GOVERNMENT SHOULD DEPORT ALL OF YOU BACK TO

WHERE YOU BELONG 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, I think they should as well and we'll take our good money to more deserving climes. Then you'll be crying, please come back, we need your money, we need your brains and we need you to teach us not to lie every 5 seconds.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Your GOOD money can last decades here, without having to work

unlike elsehwere.

Second, i didn't know farang in thailand had brain too.

Third, I thing farangs that lie more often, and thais (not hookers) think

it's ok to lie. (let me know i can hook you up with right one, there are

hundred of thousands good girls in bkk) just avoid sukhumvit.

forth, Thais are hospitabel people, tourism revenue is 10% of Thai

GDP only.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Is it the drink or the weed ... or worse ?

[kayo]

don´t ask me mate, I live just outside the first best city in the world. Or was that first best tourist destination... Hmmm... Yes more likely the latter.

Loved bkk all the time I did not live in it. Loved having it there the three years I lived outside it.

[Davey]

Can't believe Sydney is number 1, it's quite boring although extremely diverse. My personal favourite would probably be Barcelona, as with the majoirty it seems on here. Other cities which in my opinion are worth a visit are: Marrakesh, Buenos Aires and I quite liked Toronto (although strangely enough it reminds me of Sydney, which I was not too impressed with)

[kayo]

Oops... Okay I´m very far outside the world´s number one city, being three hours from Guatemala city...