What's It Like Living In Ramkhamhaeng? Anyone Live There?

[hotandhumid]

Good place to live? Plenty to do? Many farangs there?

Any schools nearby for a 4 year old that are not too expensive?

Quickest way to Sukhumvit? Are the stations on the airport link easy to get to by motorbile taxi?

Thanks.

[MrHammer]

Haven't lived there, but did study a summer semester at the university.

The area is very Thai, lower middle class to low class. Lots and lots of traffic along the Ramkhamhaeng main road. Not very pleasent. I don't know that much about the surrounding neigborhood.

The easiest way to get to Sukhumvit is probably the canal boat that stops at Thong Lor. From there taxi or motocy. Wouldn't recommend driving or taking a taxi because of the traffic.

All in all, I wouldn't want to stay there unless I had a reason like work or studying at Ramkhamhaeng. Too little green, too much traffic, not enough foreigners. There is the plus of having thousands of uni girls in short skirts around though.

[yannic]

depends where on Ramkhamhaeng, there is the Swiss School at Soi 184, great school but a bit pricy. There are a lot of upscale housing subdivisions around and of course many foreigners also live there. To go to Sukhumvit you can take the expressway

[CWMcMurray]

Its a fairly long road, so are we talking about closer to where it intersects with Rama 9 or out in Minburi where it intersects with Rom Khlao?

There are plenty of stores and schools and restaurants along the road ...

Food Land, The Mall Ram, The Mall Bangkapi, 3 big Cs, 2 Home Pros, Tesco Lotus, Tops, Villa, About a half a dozen international Schools, at least a few bilingual schools, and countless restaurants and plenty of gas stations and massage places, dentists and even a floating ,market....

Plenty in the area...

Traffic is pretty bad and depending where on the road you are there may not be a very easy way to Suk... if towards the Rama 9 side, you can get on the express way on Rama 9 to get to lower Suk or just keep going straight once Ramkhampaeng road ends and it will turn into Suk 71.

If towards the mid of Ram, you can go down Srinakerin Rd and hop on express way by Pattanakan juntion or if closer to the Minburi end, you can hop on expressway on the Bangna / Bang Pa-in express way then head into the city

But if you are living out in RAM you are not going to want to make to many trips back into downtown Suk area if you can avoid it.

... For the Airport link...

if you are on the Rama 9 side, not to far to the airport link on the road that runs between Rama 9 intersection and the Pattanakan Phetburi intersection

If by Srinakerin Intersection, there is another station on the airport link just before where you get onto the express way...

Neither of the above are super close but may be possible if needed

Edited February 6, 2013 by CWMcMurray

[SeaVisionBurma]

I stay on Ramkamhaeng quite often when in Bangkok.

Yes - very easy to get to the Ramkamhaeng ARL station by motorbike taxi. I also make use of the buses, pretty much any of them going South on Ramkamhaeng will drop you just before Nasa Vegas, very close to the ARL station.

From there, a couple of ways to get to Sukhumvit.

1. Go one stop to Makassan, walk over to the MRT, and then another stop to Sukhumvit/Asoke.

2. Go all the way to Phaya Thai, walk across the concourse, and transfer to the BTS.

Keep in mind that the ARL frequency is not as good as the BTS/MRT - if you just miss a City Line train, you have to wait up to 15 minutes for the next one.

Hope this helps

[hotandhumid]

Thanks for the feedback folks. Appreciated. It seems pretty clear that I would need to be on the rama 9 side then.

Out of interest, is living in bang na any better?

[hotandhumid]

Thanks for the feedback folks. Appreciated. It seems pretty clear that I would need to be on the rama 9 side then.

Out of interest, is living in bang na any better?

The reason why maybe live there is because I need a 3 bedroom house on a secure housing village, and I mean a nice modern house not one that is 20 years old... to get one of those in suk or more central would cost a fortune, my budget is around 40k a month. I would not want to live too far from bkk central and I don't think Ram is that far out, particuarly now with the ARL. My missus thinks that Ram is a decent area with plenty to do so it seems to fit the bill somewhat.

Sorry, one more thing, is it a problem with flooding around there?

Thanks.

[kurnell]

I've been living on Ramkamhaeng for 5 years now and my 2 girls go to Ascot. We are quite happy here, though getting to work on Sukhumvit every day is probably the only drawback. We have a new community mall opening in our soi in a few months and another is opening on Ramkamhaeng towards the end of the year, so plenty of choices.

[Bangkokhatter]

Reading the replies above I would say Bang-Na would suit your needs better. BTS now extended as far as Bearing with a station at Bang-Na, plenty of good schools in the area and good shopping areas

[SeaVisionBurma]

and another is opening on Ramkamhaeng towards the end of the year,

Is that the new A-link mall adjacent to the ARL station?

[hotandhumid]

Reading the replies above I would say Bang-Na would suit your needs better. BTS now extended as far as Bearing with a station at Bang-Na, plenty of good schools in the area and good shopping areas

Hatter - You could well be right. Although I visited a friend in bang na recently and he was still some way from the nearest BTS.

[Neeranam]

I lived in Ram soi 65 gor a few years.

Great place to love if you are young and single with all the uni girls. Most of the Ram uni ones are very friendly, coming from Isarn. The Abac ones are not so.

Great for the Mall Bangkapi. Klong saen saeb is great for getting into pratunam.

Much better than Bang na, and cheaper.

[hotandhumid]

I lived in Ram soi 65 gor a few years.

Great place to love if you are young and single with all the uni girls. Most of the Ram uni ones are very friendly, coming from Isarn. The Abac ones are not so.

Great for the Mall Bangkapi. Klong saen saeb is great for getting into pratunam.

Much better than Bang na, and cheaper.

I have a family. But tks for the positive feedback.

Would you agree that if I choose Ram it should be at the Ram 9 end?

[kurnell]

and another is opening on Ramkamhaeng towards the end of the year,

Is that the new A-link mall adjacent to the ARL station?

Nope, it is near Ram soi 108ish

[cgphuket]

Funny, I know it is just my opinion but "Good place to live" and "Many farangs there" don't go together for me : )

[melvinmelvin]

I would think that the boat on klong Saen Saeb would be the fastest means of getting to Sukhumvit.

Pitty the boat stops soon after RamKamHeng Uni.

The canal goes on and on a loooong way.

[hotandhumid]

Funny, I know it is just my opinion but "Good place to live" and "Many farangs there" don't go together for me : )

I never said that many farangs is a good thing. I happen to agree with you. It's fine to see a few farangs IMO (or you may as well live in the jungle) but I wouldn't want to have a stack of farangs around me all day asking me about my business as they all seem to do. I prefer the locals.

[Neeranam]

I lived in Ram soi 65 gor a few years.

Great place to love if you are young and single with all the uni girls. Most of the Ram uni ones are very friendly, coming from Isarn. The Abac ones are not so.

Great for the Mall Bangkapi. Klong saen saeb is great for getting into pratunam.

Much better than Bang na, and cheaper.

I have a family. But tks for the positive feedback.

Would you agree that if I choose Ram it should be at the Ram 9 end?

No I wouldnt. There is nothing much down there apart from Central. It was 1997 to 2000.

[Neeranam]

I would think that the boat on klong Saen Saeb would be the fastest means of getting to Sukhumvit.

Pitty the boat stops soon after RamKamHeng Uni.

The canal goes on and on a loooong way.

You used to be able to continue past there.

[hotandhumid]

I lived in Ram soi 65 gor a few years.

Great place to love if you are young and single with all the uni girls. Most of the Ram uni ones are very friendly, coming from Isarn. The Abac ones are not so.

Great for the Mall Bangkapi. Klong saen saeb is great for getting into pratunam.

Much better than Bang na, and cheaper.

I have a family. But tks for the positive feedback.

Would you agree that if I choose Ram it should be at the Ram 9 end?

No I wouldnt. There is nothing much down there apart from Central. It was 1997 to 2000.

Ok. What is the best spot on Ram in your opinion?

[rgs2001uk]

I would think that the boat on klong Saen Saeb would be the fastest means of getting to Sukhumvit.

Pitty the boat stops soon after RamKamHeng Uni.

The canal goes on and on a loooong way.

You used to be able to continue past there.

You still can, the final stop is Wat Sri Bun Ruang, two stops after The Mall BangKapi, I beleive there was also talk of extending the service as far as Min Buri.

I believe the canal goes all the way to Chachoengsao.

[rgs2001uk]

I lived in Ram soi 65 gor a few years.

Great place to love if you are young and single with all the uni girls. Most of the Ram uni ones are very friendly, coming from Isarn. The Abac ones are not so.

Great for the Mall Bangkapi. Klong saen saeb is great for getting into pratunam.

Much better than Bang na, and cheaper.

I have a family. But tks for the positive feedback.

Would you agree that if I choose Ram it should be at the Ram 9 end?

No I wouldnt. There is nothing much down there apart from Central. It was 1997 to 2000.

Ok. What is the best spot on Ram in your opinion?

Best spot for what?

Do you need to travel to work everyday?

Do you need access to a school?

IMHO, the best place on Ram would be up about soi 180 up near Min Buri.

Post #3 & 4 give further details.

[melvinmelvin]

I would think that the boat on klong Saen Saeb would be the fastest means of getting to Sukhumvit.

Pitty the boat stops soon after RamKamHeng Uni.

The canal goes on and on a loooong way.

You used to be able to continue past there.

You still can, the final stop is Wat Sri Bun Ruang, two stops after The Mall BangKapi, I beleive there was also talk of extending the service as far as Min Buri.

I believe the canal goes all the way to Chachoengsao.

hmmm, interesting, I have taken the boat several times and was thrown off not long after the Uni stop.

nothing around where the trip ended, a gas station and some apt buildings.

but maybe that was in a period with work going on in the canal, preventing boats from proceeding

boat service to MinBuri would be great,

and also great if they could link to Chao Praya.

yes, I also think the canal goes into Chachoengsao.

[Neeranam]

My friend lives soi 120 and her home is like the countryside.

[rgs2001uk]

You still can, the final stop is Wat Sri Bun Ruang, two stops after The Mall BangKapi, I beleive there was also talk of extending the service as far as Min Buri.

I believe the canal goes all the way to Chachoengsao.

hmmm, interesting, I have taken the boat several times and was thrown off not long after the Uni stop.

nothing around where the trip ended, a gas station and some apt buildings.

but maybe that was in a period with work going on in the canal, preventing boats from proceeding

boat service to MinBuri would be great,

and also great if they could link to Chao Praya.

yes, I also think the canal goes into Chachoengsao.

If heading to BangKapi from the Uni, the next stop is Mahad Thai, Wat Klang, The Mall BangKapi, BangKapi and finally Wat Sri Bun Ruang.

Sometimes the last boat in the evenings doesnt go all the way to the end, that way in the morning the boats are parked up ready for the first trip in the morning.

I remember reading somewhere about a floating market being opened up in Min Buri, there is also another floating market up on Ram somewhere beside a temple about soi 160ish, cant remember where, I was reading the notice on the back of the seat on the boat.

Sorry Min Buri isnt an area I very familiar with.

[hotandhumid]

depends where on Ramkhamhaeng, there is the Swiss School at Soi 184, great school but a bit pricy. There are a lot of upscale housing subdivisions around and of course many foreigners also live there. To go to Sukhumvit you can take the expressway

Are the upscale housing divisions at the minburi end or the rama 9 end, because that is where I will be looking to live.

I don't need to travel to work everyday (people work here?) but do need a school nearby (kindergarden)

Edited February 8, 2013 by hotandhumid

[rgs2001uk]

^^^^^, Min Buri end.

I am not trying to be funny, but why would you choose to live in an area you know so little about, and whats so special about the Pra ram 9 end?

[hotandhumid]

^^^^^, Min Buri end.

I am not trying to be funny, but why would you choose to live in an area you know so little about, and whats so special about the Pra ram 9 end?

The wife thinks it's a good area to live. I am quoting 'minburi end' from someone else ealier in the thread. Somebody else also said that rama 9 end is a better bet location wise.

I haved lived in bkk before and now heading back. I need a nice 3 bed house, central bkk is far too expensive and to be honest I fancy a change anyway. I've heard that Ram/Bang Na area are good areas with plenty going on, not too far from the centre, plenty of schools and some decent housing villages, so it seems to fit the bill.

If you have any other suggestions I'll be happy to hear them.

Edited February 8, 2013 by hotandhumid

[melvinmelvin]

You still can, the final stop is Wat Sri Bun Ruang, two stops after The Mall BangKapi, I beleive there was also talk of extending the service as far as Min Buri.

I believe the canal goes all the way to Chachoengsao.

hmmm, interesting, I have taken the boat several times and was thrown off not long after the Uni stop.

nothing around where the trip ended, a gas station and some apt buildings.

but maybe that was in a period with work going on in the canal, preventing boats from proceeding

boat service to MinBuri would be great,

and also great if they could link to Chao Praya.

yes, I also think the canal goes into Chachoengsao.

If heading to BangKapi from the Uni, the next stop is Mahad Thai, Wat Klang, The Mall BangKapi, BangKapi and finally Wat Sri Bun Ruang.

Sometimes the last boat in the evenings doesnt go all the way to the end, that way in the morning the boats are parked up ready for the first trip in the morning.

I remember reading somewhere about a floating market being opened up in Min Buri, there is also another floating market up on Ram somewhere beside a temple about soi 160ish, cant remember where, I was reading the notice on the back of the seat on the boat.

Sorry Min Buri isnt an area I very familiar with.

Around Ram soi 187, Talad Naam Kwan Riam, its a week-end market.

Nice area, upper Ram.

[hotandhumid]

You still can, the final stop is Wat Sri Bun Ruang, two stops after The Mall BangKapi, I beleive there was also talk of extending the service as far as Min Buri.

I believe the canal goes all the way to Chachoengsao.

hmmm, interesting, I have taken the boat several times and was thrown off not long after the Uni stop.

nothing around where the trip ended, a gas station and some apt buildings.

but maybe that was in a period with work going on in the canal, preventing boats from proceeding

boat service to MinBuri would be great,

and also great if they could link to Chao Praya.

yes, I also think the canal goes into Chachoengsao.

If heading to BangKapi from the Uni, the next stop is Mahad Thai, Wat Klang, The Mall BangKapi, BangKapi and finally Wat Sri Bun Ruang.

Sometimes the last boat in the evenings doesnt go all the way to the end, that way in the morning the boats are parked up ready for the first trip in the morning.

I remember reading somewhere about a floating market being opened up in Min Buri, there is also another floating market up on Ram somewhere beside a temple about soi 160ish, cant remember where, I was reading the notice on the back of the seat on the boat.

Sorry Min Buri isnt an area I very familiar with.

Around Ram soi 187, Talad Naam Kwan Riam, its a week-end market.

Nice area, upper Ram.

Melvin - Is there some decent housing villages for expats in upper ram? What about shopping etc, and quickest route into downtown suk? Thanks.