[Beyond Borders]

I'm sure it's popped up in several threads, but I did a search and found nothing - is anyone here actually living in Bangkok?

It's really not my ideal home base - as I've mentioned many times before - and I want to start branching out from Thailand to check out destinations that might fit the bill better. I've really had my eye on Malaysia, Indonesia, and Tawian lately.

The thing is, however, that I've been going absolutely nuts for a long time not having a real home base to go back to. It really wears on me sometimes, and I don't want to wait until I find "perfect" to have that kind of stability in my life again - know what I mean? I need to dig my toes into a home of sorts while I strengthen my online biz and get my finances really together, taking the occasional side trip to explore and have fun.

So I'm thinking of at least settling into Bangkok for the time being since it's such a central hub and I know the lay of the land (cultural and language) already. Cant complain too much about the women there as long as you use your head. Lots of great networking possibilities too. Not to mention I'm sure the time spent there would be a blast and not something I'd look back on and regret later in life. I've got contacts there that would help me hit the ground running as far as getting settled goes.

And I'm all about living in a cheap destination while I'm still somewhat young and building a future - live off a fraction of what I could in the states and put the rest towards retirement and investments.

I'd like to hear the viewpoint of others who already live there. Does it get to be too much for you? Air quality get to you a lot? Most people hate it on first impression, it seems, but everyone I know who has ended up living there really falls in love with the place.

A lot of them don't look like they'll ever leave.

We're all different, so I don't expect you to tell me what will work for me. But it'd be good to hear some feedback from those who've had the boots on the ground for a while - as opposed to those who've spent a couple weeks or a month there from time to time like me.

[RichieP]

...Yep! Been here since February pretty much, punctuated only by a couple of short trips.

From what you say you're looking for, I'd say it fits pretty well. Networking, presence of other entrepreneurs/freelancers/trailblazers, plenty of great food and and a big party scene. Relatively cute and easy girls, reasonably cheap cost of living. It does tick all the boxes for a big city base in Asia.

Also, if you know Thai and have connections here, that counts for ALOT - especially getting set up and sliding into a social life and work habits. I always underestimate the time, effort and energy needed to meet some cool people and get the lay of the land before I can get down to work in a new place.

My thoughts on it, after 9 months:

-Air quality, heat and lack of open space does wear on you. It's so damn busy everywhere central... I really am dying for some open space now. It's not as awful as you'd think, because people are so calm and collected, it's actually not really a stressful place. But I do need some nature and clean air for some soul-nourishing.

-The ease of girls is great, especially if you want to focus on other things like work. Very straightforward to hook up with. That said, I rarely have mega-adventures or meet really awesome girls here. They're all just "nice" and fairly vanilla. Im sure there are some gems around though, my friends seem to find them occasionally.

-Not much to do other than eating, clubbing, cinema and shopping. It starts to feel like groundhog day very quickly, and looks more cosmopolitan and cultured than it is. You can make up for that though with all the colourful character expats you can meet here.

Some other thoughts:

I've heard Chiang Mai is a massive hub for Digital Nomads now. Dan Andrews from Tropical MBA was pimping it recently, and it also seems you can run a bit of a cheaper lifestyle there. Could be good for working, networking and much more nature.

Personally, I feel BKK a place I need to move on from, or I'll just stay stuck in a kind of comfy limbo here forever. But, if you're into Thailand and want a good work situation, tons of amenities, easy girls and drinking/clubbing/eating/networking options, it's a great choice for a few months.

[DirectDanger]

I lived in BKK for over 2 years and I can tell you RichieP did a great job describing life in BKK especially calling it groundhog day.

Almost everyone I watched that was under 40 and making money online all went through a very similar cycle when moving to BKK. The first week or two they were a little sketchy on everything. Hot weather, shitty sidewalks, electrical wires everywhere above your head about to reach down and kill you, massive traffic jams, trying to tell if it is a girl or a lady boy, everything is just different and you are not sure if in a good way or not.

Then a month later the dirtiness fades away you get into a rhythm with the city and an understanding. You have figured out how to pick up normal cute chicks at clubs. You have a 6th sense on which ones are the lady boys so you can avoid and know the lay of the land. Now you know what to expect from which clubs, where the normal girls go and where pros and semi pros go to work. You can even pick out in a crowd which girl is there for fun and who is working. This is when things get fun. Now is when every guy makes the statement "I am going to live here for fucking ever!"

Now they are excited about the city and over the course of the next several months they start fucking more chicks then they have in all the years combined up to that point. You still are checking out so many new places as BKK is fucking big and takes a long time to explore. This is the honeymoon phase…

Then at some point for some guys it is 6 months for others maybe 2 years but something says to you, oh shit this life can not be healthy for me to keep living. I need more than eating, sleeping, drinking, fucking, and the occasional movie. This is why lots of the guys I know have moved on eventually from BKK. Many end up in Chiang Mai for the cheaper and slower life. Yes there are fewer girls there but remember you just banged so many girls the previous year in bangkok a little rest will not be so bad.

Overall I say living in Bangkok is one of the best decision I ever made. I had such an awesome time and don't really know anyone who lived there more than a few months that didn't really enjoy it. But just like anything it can wear on you and you will need to move on.

A few Tips:
choosing the right place to live is crucial, not so much for logistics in getting girls to your place but for access to getting around the city. Living on Sukhumvit between Soi Phrom Phong (Sukhumvit 39) and Ekamai (Sukhumvit 63) is in my opinion by far the best place to live. Do NOT live somewhere on lower Sukhumvit between say soi 22 and soi 4, it is full of tourist and working girls. I think living on Thong lor is the best area, but certainly not the cheapest.

Take the time to make guy friends. The girls are not going to be very stimulating for your mind. You will not be buddies with the girls. Generally speaking the chances of you making Thai guy friends is low. Your friends will be westerners (Canadians, Americans, Euros, Aussies, etc…) find other guys with your similar lifestyle. They will be internet marketers, online biz guys, online poker players and so on. Having a good set of guy friends will make your time there much better.

If you have experience riding a motorbike/scooter and are brave enough to challenge the bangkok traffic buy a bike. I bought a brand new Honda Scoopi for under 50,000 baht and it was the best decision I made. I lived there for over a year before I had the balls to do it but oh man does it open a whole new world in learning the city. I would go on long crusies around the city on Sunday nights when there was hardly any traffic. Now this is NOT for everyone. Some people is would stress out so fucking much they might go insane. It is also dangerous and for some stupid reason people get on them drunk and drive around. However if you are responsible and a good driver it really is awesome.

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I say go for it. Bangkok is awesome but know that you will tire of it at some point. But you will love it until you do.

[Beyond Borders]

Thanks for the feedback. Sorry if I didn't make it clear in my post, but I did already live in Thailand for 4 1/2 years, so a lot of that learning curve wouldn't apply. The majority of my time was spent in Chiang Mai.

[DirectDanger]

Well then you already know the routine of life in thailand then...

I guess it all depends on your goals. If it is to take off on trips around Asia then BKK is really the best choice when it comes to flights, cost of living, and overall lifestyle.

I have lived in Manila (Makati to be exact), Bali, and Jakarta as well.

Manila is further out and cost of flights to surrounding areas are more expensive. Not really a good base if the goal is to travel around often.

Bali is fun but island life can wear on you after a while. Visas are a bigger pain in the ass as well. If I remember correctly I had to either fly out every month or pay a big fee and get a 1 year visa but could not leave and come back freely. It was 5+ years ago so the rules may be different.

Jakarta had the same visa rules as bali obviously but the city makes Manila look like switzerland in comparison. It has decent flights but again not nearly as many bangkok and the location is further away from places like Vietnam, hong kong, Taiwan, etc...


I have never been to Taiwan but have heard positive things about it. So that might be an option.

Overal BKK has the most and cheapest flights to other destinations and is in a good location to get around asia.

If you have anymore specific questions let me know I will try to help out.

[Insignia]

Thailand is great for people for like asian girls or have recently started their own business venture because your money is worth more money there.

[scotian]

I just spent ten days in Bangkok and its a really cool city, an awesome place to party. Spot on info from RichieP and DirectDanger pretty much sums it up when he describes what most people go through in their first week or two in BKK, I had very similar experiences.

I just left today though and am up in Chiang Mai, this place is definitely a lot less hectic than BKK.

[RichieP]

Yah Im keen to get up to CM and away from the BKKness. Got some good mates here though. Weeks aren't great, and I crave nature and calm... but come the weekend, we tear it up. Aggh, First World Problems (in a third world country, lol)

[WanderingSoul]

Richie, how long will you be in BKK for? I should be back within a month or two. Staying for 6 months, possibly longer. See what happens.

[Beyond Borders]

I'm trying to get back there next month too. We should do a small meet-up with a few members.

[scotian]

I'm going to be back down there come New Years for at least a week, a forum meet-up would be great.

[20Nation]

(11-19-2012 05:43 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

I'm trying to get back there next month too. We should do a small meet-up with a few members.

We should. I'm here now, I might go to Cambodia in a week or two, but I'll be back

[S_tourist]

If the meet up lands on the first weekend of January count me in also.

[Beyond Borders]

I'm still trying to iron out my travel plans (usually buy my ticket within a week of going - sometimes within a day), but I'm shooting for the 18th if possible. I'll be going to a football game in the city, so it's a perfect opportunity to get dropped off at the airport. Anyhow, when I've got a concrete game plan, I'd be happy to organize something.

If someone wants to organize something without waiting on my slow ass though, feel free.

[the_conductor]

Probably going to be around mid December to early January, though might go up to Chiang Mai for New Year's.

[Beyond Borders]

Sounds like everyone's going to be there in January if they don't make it in Dec. Sounds like we should plan it for then.