World's Best City Award presented to Bangkok governor in New York

[nosatisfaction]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

agree completely, even prices of,almost everything, are upgrading to Western prices, but still offers a lot of advantages, shops open every day,some 24/7.

for the ones complaining about the so called red light actvities, noone ever forced you to go.

[nosatisfaction]

World's Best City? and for 4 consecutive years?!

Travel & Leisure has become a travesty of a publication....maybe "SE Asia's Best City"....but then again, they and their readers probably have never been to KL.

OK, just to support you and because I can not only send positive posts, how much did TAT and BKK pay for this? and yes I have been many times to KL, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Macau, Jakarta, etc

[nosatisfaction]

Good post

Cultural attractions

Bangkok for sure has some. However, there are not many and they are not

across a range. It is essentially temples and markets. Where are the museums?

Here's one though which is quite good....

There are some, maybe more than you know or maybe not of interest to you, a bit further is the Opium museum, but you have to travel around a bit.

[Equalizer]

Cities

Sights, culture/arts, restaurants/food, people, shopping, value. Optional: for romance. This is the Criteria this has been assessed on

http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2013/cities

[Jim walker]

I live in Bangkok as it suits me for the time being I have lived in many parts of Thailand over the years, and have settled down in BKK for the moment, it is a huge concrete jungle with almost unbearable traffic congestion and pollution with screaming motorbikes everywhere including the pavements, you can hardly walk down the street for lamp posts and phone boxes, street vendors selling food and crap fake products, taxis waiting to take you to your destination the longest way possible and Tuk Tuk drivers just watching and waiting hoping to fleece you at a moments notice, and if you frequent the rip off tourist area bars at night the price of a beer is extremely overpriced, so I just stick to the little beer bars in the side streets and love to sit in the evenings having a few beers and reminisce with my English speaking mates, so for me BKK is my number one city in the world just perfect in every way, what is there not to love about BKK and if it ever changes I will be leaving.

[Tomtomtom69]

I think Pyongyang is number 2.

Seriously, I love Bangkok - the food, the nightlife, the shopping [not very cheap anymore]. the atmosphere and so many interesting things to do and see. BUT it is by no means the best city. The pollution, the traffic jams, the rubbish and filth everywhere, the price of entry to some places 10 times that for the locals, the corruption at every level quickly cancels out the good bits.

Of course - the racist dual pricing is what stinks most about this city but I still mostly enjoy living in Bangkok by sticking to shopping malls, eating out, occasionally going to nightclubs (not beer bars, note the difference), having a good Thai massage and otherwise just doing what I would do in any other city I've ever lived in - most of the time home is the best place to be: you can surf the internet, watch TV, cook, snuggle up with your partner, maybe do the gardening etc. not everyday has to feel like you're on holiday when you're obviously not - Bangkok usually doesn't disappoint because I refuse to visit those places where I know I would have a bad time (like girlie bars and any tourist attraction which thinks it can charge me more because I have white skin and a big nose). Some of the most exciting things I do in Bangkok would be attending networking events, business and cultural events, mostly hosted by a foreign Chamber of Commerce or cultural institution.

[Tomtomtom69]

I live in Bangkok as it suits me for the time being I have lived in many parts of Thailand over the years, and have settled down in BKK for the moment, it is a huge concrete jungle with almost unbearable traffic congestion and pollution with screaming motorbikes everywhere including the pavements, you can hardly walk down the street for lamp posts and phone boxes, street vendors selling food and crap fake products, taxis waiting to take you to your destination the longest way possible and Tuk Tuk drivers just watching and waiting hoping to fleece you at a moments notice, and if you frequent the rip off tourist area bars at night the price of a beer is extremely overpriced, so I just stick to the little beer bars in the side streets and love to sit in the evenings having a few beers and reminisce with my English speaking mates, so for me BKK is my number one city in the world just perfect in every way, what is there not to love about BKK and if it ever changes I will be leaving.

That sounds a bit odd to me - I would think screaming motorcycles, rip-off taxis and tuk tuks being eliminated would be a good thing - but I don't care either way because I drive. I would never catch public transport because I hate public transport and knowing I would be taken for a ride makes me even more reluctant to do so. So clean up the transport scams or not, I don't have to deal with them personally but I do feel sorry for all those that do.

Meeting up with mates is an excellent thing and it's great if you have lots of mates who live here who you can do that with. I think good company and good drinks are all that matters - doesn't matter where you are.

[Tomtomtom69]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

agree completely, even prices of,almost everything, are upgrading to Western prices, but still offers a lot of advantages, shops open every day,some 24/7.

for the ones complaining about the so called red light actvities, noone ever forced you to go.

Yeah that's true - Foodland stores are open 24/7 and so are 7-11 and Villa stores, but apart from 7-11 the other two aren't found everywhere, usually only in expat/tourist areas and their prices are becoming quite high but unless we want to eat Phat Thai every day, there's no other choice but to shell out 200 Baht or $7 for a block of cheese (except when Big C extra or Tops etc. have a buy one get one free promotion), or $4 for 80g of salmon or $8 for an imported frozen pizza. It sucks but well Thailand isn't the duty free port that Hong Kong is where you can buy imported blueberries from Chile for only $2 (here it's usually $7 or even more).

[darren84310]

Remind me to never buy Travel & Leisure magazine, what a load of crap.

To make it even worse the Thai swill start to believe it.

Gawd, no.

Do u live in Bangkok?... if so, you have the right to leave!

Bangkok is a great city..... and I've been to more than 20 different countries throughout the World.

[theblether]

My gawd.......calm down, what is it? bash theblether day? Oh and it's quite obvious that some folk posting on this thread don't know that I'm the Brigadier of the Rose Tinted Spectacles Brigade.

It's a sad day in life when Lumpini is voted among the top three attractions in the city> it's a fine wee park if you enjoy the constant road noise from every corner and don't mind skyscrapers blocking the sun.

Talking about blocking, the wiring in BKK is horrific, to be fair not exclusive to the city, but a serious eyesore too.

My home is within 150 metres of Glasgow Green ( google it ), Glasgow was on it's knees 30 years ago and our politicians listened to the criticism and set out to improve it. A campaign started called " Glasgow Smiles Better ", and my city has spent thirty years cleaning up the pollution and demolishing the 1960's monstrosities.

The city is now stunning, and getting better all the time. What's my point? You have to learn to be able to take criticism and act on it. That's an ability singularly failing among far too many Thais. It's a Face thing you know.

Accepting that T&L magazine has the demographic explained earlier, it doesn't get away from the fact that BKK has lost it's soul, and it's a concrete jungle, and PaullyW's first post totally nailed it ( as did his subsequent posts, he's on form today ).

So there you go, bash away, I don't care.

[hanno]

I think Bangkok is a fantastic city, probably my favorite.

And no, I do not frequent the "pay for play female scene" nor do I think that BKK is particularly cheap (not anymore).

I love the cinemas, the book stores, the food, the shopping, the BTS......

But of course, the usual Thai bashers will be along shortly

How about mere BKK bashers? will that please you? There's more to see and do within one square mile of London than the entirety of Bangkok. That's never mind the superb city of Sydney.

BKK is a concrete jungle, a horrible place that's lost it's soul.

Well, I don't like Europe, so I could care less. I do like Sydney, what puts me off is that you can drop USD 280 at a mediocre hotel room (Novotel Darling Harbor) and USD 120 on Fish n' Chips (Doyle's on the Beach).

[hanno]

Well I imagine it's up to each individual to decide what means world class to him or her.

For me, world class cities have some combination of several factors which are not always easy to communicate.

Infrastructure

Bangkok has terrible infrastructure.

The Skytrain and MRT goes to only extremely limited number of places. In the original plans, there were supposed to be 12 lines on the skytrain by now - not 2. Pathetic.

The roads are terrible for driving, with horrific design (u turns in the middle of high speed highways) and are dangerous as nearly anywhere else in the world.

Walking anywhere in Bangkok is nearly impossible. First, it's hit as hell which you can only blame on nature. But, where are all the trees for shade and coverings along the streets? Thais themselves complain about it. Here you have a tropical city that is among the hottest on earth but with no effort made to make walking more comfortable.

City design is all over the place. Many taxis do the know how to go where you want to go because addressing is terrible. Ever wonder why Thai websites and other businesses have to rely on drawn maps for everything?

All this makes for a very, very difficult time getting around.

Contrast with world class cities like: Tokyo, seoul, shanghai, Singapore, London, new York, Rome, and even places like Kuala Lumpur and HCM city.

Food

This is a tricky one because I think Thai food is among the best in the world. However, if what you desire is anything other than Thai food, international food in Thailand is in my opinion generally poor. And no doubt some of this is due to the archaic business laws in Thailand which prevent or restrict most foreigners from owning outright and competing fairly with Thais.

Contrast with places like Tokyo or new York or Singapore or Paris. In those cities you can find excellent food from nearly anywhere on earth. That's world class.

Cultural attractions

Bangkok for sure has some. However, there are not many and they are not varied across a range. It is essentially temples and markets. Where are the museums? Quality public parks? Quality Thai music? Social discourse on important Thai cultural issues (they do this in Korea)?

Visual attractiveness

Be honest. Could anyone say they think Bangkok is a pretty city? In my opinion, it is as ugly a city as I've been in, and I've been to most large cities in the world. Bangkok retains no natural beauty you'd expect to find in a tropical region. Most of its buildings lack character as they are nothing more than reinforced concrete, grey dirty and washed out eye sores.

Hygiene

I don't think much needs to be said on this topic. Thais are generally clean people (certainly much better than the Chinese) but they don't seem to have the education to understand that certain foods need to be consistently refrigerated or handled in a certain way to prevent food borne sickness.

I can't tell you how many of my friends get sick in Bangkok from eating here. Same friends rarely get sick in other cities with good hygiene standards.

I've never been sick from eating in Tokyo, ever.

Shopping

I don't really understand Bangkok's attractiveness in this area. Almost anything that international in origin will be more expensive here, and sometimes much more expensive. Thai products of any quality are quite limited to mostly textiles and foods... And with even textiles, Thailand has all but destroyed for example it's old and previously wonderful silk industry. And anyway Jim Thompson stuff can be found in other cities. Electronics, clothes, luxury goods (and especially if you want to be sure of authenticity) are all more expensive in Bangkok than many other world class cities.

General safety

Do we really need to say anything here? Roads, walkways with motor vehicles on them, police force which is complicit with crime, lack of hygiene, ect. World class cities are those where non locals and locals alike feel generally safe from these things.

How's that?

Maybe I have lived in Vietnam and Cambodia for too long (20 years) and that is why I love BKK; it is all relative. What I do not get is the fact that obviously a lot of people hate BKK/Thailand with a vengeance bit still choose to live there. I love Cambodia, the day I don't I will be on the next plane.

[techboy]

I agree with the award. Bangkok is hospitable and cost resonable. Food is quite good and hotel accomdations are an excelletn value. Good place to come and relax.

Yeah, NYC, London, Tokyo, Seoul are more developed and offer vitually everything avaliable in BKK, except it's going to cost 2-3 more.

"Yeah, NYC, London, Tokyo, Seoul are more developed and offer vitually everything avaliable in BKK..." Aaaey!!! You said NYC. Dat's where I was coceived and first perceived! An' I gotta tell you that I see your point. F'rinstance in New Yawk we got joints like the one in the picture all over the <deleted>' place ya know? Virtually just like Bangkok? Yeah I think we got two of em right in Central Park. No big deal! Lotsa Burger Kings too.

[LeeTheCelt]

Been to BKK 8 or 9 times now, love the place, but best City in the world, not in a million.

I can think of a few better cities, Madrid for one, has to be one of the cleanest cities I have ever been to. Boston, could live there 2moro & good old London town has to be one of the best cities in the world & that's coming from an Irish man. I'm sure there are plenty more that I haven't visited, that a far nicer then Bangers !

[ginjag]

I agree with the award. Bangkok is hospitable and cost resonable. Food is quite good and hotel accomdations are an excelletn value. Good place to come and relax.

Yeah, NYC, London, Tokyo, Seoul are more developed and offer vitually everything avaliable in BKK, except it's going to cost 2-3 more.

"Yeah, NYC, London, Tokyo, Seoul are more developed and offer vitually everything avaliable in BKK..." Aaaey!!! You said NYC. Dat's where I was coceived and first perceived! An' I gotta tell you that I see your point. F'rinstance in New Yawk we got joints like the one in the picture all over the <deleted>' place ya know? Virtually just like Bangkok? Yeah I think we got two of em right in Central Park. No big deal! Lotsa Burger Kings too.

Should it read----Presented to the governor of New York--in Bangkok

[SSSlongtime]

I bet I know why people liked Bangkok so much and it has nothing in common or to do with the reasons they like Istanbul or Florence.

1. Hospitality and particularly the hospitality of of the pay for play female scene and 2. Money going far

That's it really.

But, now I have to put up with Thais thinking Bangkok is world class city.

And why do you think it is not?

try looking at paris/london /new york ,or any western city ,there clean , bangkok is what it is a not to bad place for a 3 world country look at the traffic ,london cost 400 bt just to drive in the city for one day ,parking about 80bt for 10 min ,try that in bangkok ,cars be all gone in one day

[jimbeam1]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

Subway & Skytrain don't even make a loop between them. Although I will say that the skytrain is fine as long as you don't want to use it during peak periods?

jb1

[jimbeam1]

Excellent shopping, restaurants, infrastructure (subway/skytrain), airport, CBD, it's all there and much of it is very good quality.

Subway & Skytrain don't even make a loop between them. Although I will say that the skytrain is fine as long as you don't want to use it during peak periods?

jb1

[jimbeam1]

I think Bangkok is a fantastic city, probably my favorite.

And no, I do not frequent the "pay for play female scene" nor do I think that BKK is particularly cheap (not anymore).

I love the cinemas, the book stores, the food, the shopping, the BTS......

But of course, the usual Thai bashers will be along shortly

Cinemas? To cold to loud.

jb1

[Frank James]

Whenever you see a copy of Travel & Leisure on the news stand, do you buy it? This is a slick periodical that exists mainly to fill up the magazine rack at the dentist's office, who probably gets a free lifetime subscription compliments of the equipment and drugs salesmen.

Bangkok is a horrible, frightening mess, and I love it, although I could never live there. (Chiangmai is weird enough for me, and all I can handle.) What I really like about is is the constant strangeness of stuff you run into around every corner. I like all the funky, sleazy stuff, the counterfeit goods, the raunchy bars, the cheap hotels. If I wanted a clean, manageable, "green", scenic, lovely place, I'd have stayed in Seattle, a place that would glow with pride for years, to be mentioned in the Top Ten of Travel & Leisure. Wow.

[pomchop]

It is a great city....but...how many of those tourist pictured at the grand palace had to weave their way through the "closed today but I take you to special jewelry sale" scams that have been going on for DECADES right in front of the Grand Palace and have about a zillion online posts where tourist after tourist tells the same scam over and over along with pictures of the scammers....it would literally take about one hour for authorities to observe and arrest the scammers but they have not, do not, and apparently will not take action.

I am somewhat amazed that scamming right in front of the grand palace is not seen as being highly disrespectful but for some reason...money to the right people....it is allowed to go on day after day. No doubt you can go there today and it is STILL going on.

[ginjag]

It is a great city....but...how many of those tourist pictured at the grand palace had to weave their way through the "closed today but I take you to special jewelry sale" scams that have been going on for DECADES right in front of the Grand Palace and have about a zillion online posts where tourist after tourist tells the same scam over and over along with pictures of the scammers....it would literally take about one hour for authorities to observe and arrest the scammers but they have not, do not, and apparently will not take action.

I am somewhat amazed that scamming right in front of the grand palace is not seen as being highly disrespectful but for some reason...money to the right people....it is allowed to go on day after day. No doubt you can go there today and it is STILL going on.

1st time I went to the G Palace/Temple took my shoes off and placed them in the shoe box, ( r/bok trainers) on coming out to put on my ( 20 bht plastic flip flops) Ha ha my first taste of Thailand 32 years ago.

[rametindallas]

Bangkok is unique and has a lot to offer in many areas. The Thai bashers, and they are many here on TV, should just leave Thailand if they don't like it. I mean, if Thailand sucks as much as they say it does, and if everything is sooooooo bad here, why come here, why live here, why not just go back to your own crappy country....to quote the Stones, "in the sweet old country where I come from, nobody ever works, nothin' ever gets done"....just go back to where ever it is you came from and stay there. Thailand has it's issues, but so does every country. I like it. I'm tiring of the negativity on TV....

I agree with most of your post but your negativity on other’s negativity is tiring. Many people posting here have had a bad day or ran into some typical Thai stubbornness or just go stuck in traffic too long. This is a great forum for them to vent and release all that anger and tension. You don’t take it personally when you wife complains do you? Let them be, please. Otherwise you make some good points.

Stay positive yourself and your positive attitude will be an example for some and infuriate others. huMAN natURE.

[alphaflight]

Bangkok is the best for what? it's dirty, it smells, no laws for carbon burning exhausts, congested. Shopping malls are just as good, if not better in any first world city; plus in other countries your not charged more for being from out of town. I can think of places where your not cheated, lied to, harassed, or ripped off as much, or even killed for fighting with a taxi driver. Food is just as good, if not much better in places like; New York, Chicago, Toronto, Tokyo, Las Vegas, LA, Singapore, Honolulu, Hong Kong, Sidney, etc. Is it cheaper? that depends on where you go, and that goes for service as well. The night markets are good, as well as street shopping, but a lot of it is knocked off, so you have to role the dice going through customs. Drinking is cheaper, for the most part, but again, depending on where you go. If it's being judged on anything goes? maybe; but again, you could also throw in a couple of the other places already mentioned above. The only reason I stay here is for business and because, compared to the other places for living in Thailand, it has the most amenities. I'm not saying it's a terrible city, or the worst place to live, because it's not; but the best (number 1)? I would like to know who was paid off, and who decided this one? I would also question the 2nd and 3rd runners up..............

Edited July 20, 2013 by alphaflight

[hellodolly]

The worlds "best" city? Best at what?The word best can be interpreted in many ways. You can be best at being terrible.The trouble is the Thais are brainwashed into believing positive things about their country and disbelieving negative things. Also,it is no good accusing Thai Visa contributers as being Thai bashers when all they are doing is giving constructive criticism that we can all learn from. After all America,Britain and the rest of the world are criticised at every opportunity, mercilessly.

Cities like London,New York,Paris,Rome,Barcelona etc.are streets ahead of Bangkok.They are in a different league.

When I asked tourists what Bangkok was like most would answer"three days-then out". The truth is every city is differentand this is a good thing.

I like the Bangkok Sky train, although it makes the streets below dark. Also there is an element of danger and business.Native people struggling to make a living at a market in a violent city. The sex trade with its horrible yet enjoyable characters. Their devotion to Budda.It all adds up to life in the raw.

Bangkok will never come near to being the "best" city in the world,but one thing is certain.....you will never,never be bored.

You say

"Cities like London,New York,Paris,Rome,Barcelona etc.are streets ahead of Bangkok.They are in a different league."

You are right according to this poll they are not as popular as Bangkok. Which one of these cities can you go to your travel agent and ask for a cheap tour package?

[baboon]

What is bad about Bangkok? The noise, pollution and frenetic pace of life.

What is good about Bangkok? The noise, pollution and frenetic pace of life.....

[hellodolly]

I think Bangkok is a fantastic city, probably my favorite.

And no, I do not frequent the "pay for play female scene" nor do I think that BKK is particularly cheap (not anymore).

I love the cinemas, the book stores, the food, the shopping, the BTS......

But of course, the usual Thai bashers will be along shortly

How about mere BKK bashers? will that please you? There's more to see and do within one square mile of London than the entirety of Bangkok. That's never mind the superb city of Sydney.

BKK is a concrete jungle, a horrible place that's lost it's soul.

Well, I don't like Europe, so I could care less. I do like Sydney, what puts me off is that you can drop USD 280 at a mediocre hotel room (Novotel Darling Harbor) and USD 120 on Fish n' Chips (Doyle's on the Beach).

Kind of hard to discus a topic like this with people who can afford to tour in all those cities. Besides I wonder what their feelings about Bangkok were before they ever got there?

Chances are they stayed in the high end places and didn't ride on motor bike taxi's to the local night market.

[hellodolly]

I bet I know why people liked Bangkok so much and it has nothing in common or to do with the reasons they like Istanbul or Florence.

1. Hospitality and particularly the hospitality of of the pay for play female scene and 2. Money going far

That's it really.

But, now I have to put up with Thais thinking Bangkok is world class city.

And why do you think it is not?

try looking at paris/london /new york ,or any western city ,there clean , bangkok is what it is a not to bad place for a 3 world country look at the traffic ,london cost 400 bt just to drive in the city for one day ,parking about 80bt for 10 min ,try that in bangkok ,cars be all gone in one day

So you are saying that Bangkok could be a first world city if they charged so much money that the average working man who has to work all year to afford a two week vacation couldn't afford it.

Did it ever occur to you that they can afford Bangkok and that is the reason they pick Bangkok over the other first world cities?

[risky11]

Bangkok is an exciting city because of all the exotic sites. It has alot of energy. Of course, I am used to staying on Sukhumvit 11 - give or take. Cities can have all the dead museums, but who cares? I want to see beautiful young ladies. And in BKK, I can walk into Nana Plaza - or just down the street and pick whichever girl I like and she will smile and come with me to me room for fun. Even Manila cannot compare to Bangkok in that dept. I must admit, it's hot as hell, there are beggars everywhere and the sidewalks are busted up, with all sorts of obstacles in the way - you can really injure yourself if you are not very careful. And the sidewalk vendors are out of control. You must always be on guard for pickpockets too...

If you want to visit a really nice city, try downtown Tampa or St. Pete. I live in Palm Harbor, which is very quiet and peaceful. But when I go into the city, the roads are great, parking garages are plentiful, restos and bars are wonderful. They only thing your won't find is slim, smiling Asian babes who want to go with YOU.

[Tomtomtom69]

General safety

Do we really need to say anything here? Roads, walkways with motor vehicles on them, police force which is complicit with crime, lack of hygiene, ect. World class cities are those where non locals and locals alike feel generally safe from these things.

Apart from the other topics, I don't know any other big city in the world where I feel safe as in Bangkok, not nearly. And I know that all my friends in Bangkok see it the same way.

I fully understand, why bangkok is No 1. Go to european or australian cities and try to find decent food after midnight, almost impossible. Cities are like dead after midnight, with few exceptions.

Bangkok has very good international food and the prices are still fair in most of theose places. Bangkok has a lot of nice bars and clubs ( and I'm not talking about the redlight districts ), it has markets all over, fresh fruits, fingerfood, drinks on every corner so far.

Yes, Hongkong for example has a beautiful scenery, but that's basically all Hongkong has to offer. Singapore has nothing to offer, apart from very overprized costs of living. For me the most boring city in the world.

Ok, I never been to Tokyo and Seoul, can't compare with this cities, but after all, Bangkok is No. 1 in the world for many good reasons.

Singapore has built lots of new attractions in just a couple of short years. Boring? I don't think so...how is Singapore any worse than Bangkok? They have universal studios, casinos, the Gardens By the Bay...these 3 attractions alone are worth going to Singapore for, and they didn't exist 4-5 years ago. Then you have the Singapore Flyer, first opened in 2008 which unlike it's Bangkok counterpart at the Asiatique has been operating without controversy.

Also, what new attractions has Bangkok opened recently that are really worth seeing, and don't exist in Singapore, that makes Bangkok so much more exciting than Singapore?

Bangkok is still a great city, but I fail to see how it has that much more to do than Singapore. Does Bangkok have any good parks? No. Lumphini is OK but let's face it, it's one park in a very inconvenient location. Where do I park my car if I want to go for a run there? Oh that's right, I don't. I go there maybe once a year and the rest of the time I wish I could find a good place to run, but I can't. The sidewalks are all cluttered up and if I do find a decent place to run, I'll be chased down by dozens of street dogs half of which may be infected with rabies. So I don't run. I don't exercise here, because Bangkok is just about the worst city in the world to exercise in - unless you want to blow thousands of Baht on an expensive gym membership but otherwise do what the locals do - very few of them exercise. Singapore on the other hand has a great park with a 12km running track amongst nice trees, lakes etc. and the air is much cleaner (except when Indonesian forest fires are burning of course).

Restaurants, bars/clubs (not the sleezy ones) and shopping malls are all really good in Bangkok, but in Singapore they're much the same. Temples? Well, once you've seen one Bangkok temple, you've seen them all and I can do without being overcharged or made to compete with thousands of European/Russian/Chinese etc. camera happy tourists poking their cameras in my face; not my idea of fun.

Finally, Bangkok is also a lot more enjoyable if you can speak Thai (which I can) but most tourists/expats can't, whereas in Singapore language is never a problem since everyone already speaks English.