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Question of the Day: What is the ultimate French toast topping?
Thailand/Bangkok QA thread
- Thread starter MaisonP
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TEXTILE GUY
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Soi Cowboy (Bangkok) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
www.tripadvisor.com
MaisonP
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For sure. Do you know where you will stay and how long? Are you with the family? Give me more detail.
MaisonP
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Ha
My girlfriend is from Isaan, northern Thailand but we speak central Thai.
It’s a very complex language but I can help myself around it.
The locals also speak broken English so we speak mixture of English and Thai.
I will probably never be fluent but I can speak the basics which is enough to get you through the day
Yes as Norrad as said, there are different dialects.
My girlfriend is from Isaan, northern Thailand but we speak central Thai.
It’s a very complex language but I can help myself around it.
The locals also speak broken English so we speak mixture of English and Thai.
I will probably never be fluent but I can speak the basics which is enough to get you through the day
MaisonP
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It’s cleaned up somewhat since pre Covid.Soi Cowboy (Bangkok) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
There are much better areas around that the old soi cowboy, but yes it’s a must visit for anyone on their first visit to Bangkok.
A little to much old British perverts for my liking but I will pass through to get to the better restaurants just on the other side of that soi from Asoke interchange.
Bismuth
Expert Member
Great thread, we were in Phuket in 2016, and planned on going back, but the covid-thing put that on pause. Next visit, we want to see more of Bangkok and Northern Thailand.
In my research, I see Chiang Mai as a popular destination for expats. We are looking at basing ourselves there, and then moving South, during the worst of burn season. But, still need to do some exploratory trips before making the final decision.
If you work for an SA IT company, does the time difference matter, do you have to work odd hours in Thailand then? I can do my work remotely from pretty much anywhere, just need to figure out the hours.
In my research, I see Chiang Mai as a popular destination for expats. We are looking at basing ourselves there, and then moving South, during the worst of burn season. But, still need to do some exploratory trips before making the final decision.
If you work for an SA IT company, does the time difference matter, do you have to work odd hours in Thailand then? I can do my work remotely from pretty much anywhere, just need to figure out the hours.
Wut
Executive Member
Honestly, Chiang Mai is a bit overrated. Have a look at Chiang Rai instead. It's a bit further north and you don't get as much smoke and haze during the burn season. I bought property right in the centre of the country (Saraburi) to avoid the haze from the burns in the North or the Indonesian burns which cause Bangkok and the south to get a bit choked at times.
Work times for SA companies MaisonP will have to help you out with. But I would imagine that you just start and end your day five hours later than you would in SA.
MaisonP
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Hi Bismuth, so yes Chiangmai is very good and there are a lot of people doing the digital nomad thing. It’s beautiful and in the mountains and not as hot as the central or south of Thailand.
But as @Norrad said there are even better provinces around. Province life is cheap as hell. As in really cheap. And if you also work and earn in Rands you will live like a king.
So yes I had to make some sacrifices, but I am happy with that. I still work SA times, 9am till around 4pm, so my day starts here at 2pm and finishes around 9:30pm but it really doesn’t bother me.
It gives me space and time to go train, swim eat, be free until round 2pm then work until my time is done.
It really doesn’t phase me anymore. If that is the sacrifice I need to make to be free and safe then that is what I will do.
Here it’s not as if life stops at 9:30pm.
I can still go to markets aftwerwards.
Remember here people only really come out around 5pm due to the heat and work till around 1am or so. It’s just a little sacrifice but suits me fine
Bangkok is really amazing. I would never give it a skip and go directly to Phuket.
Infant if I need to choose Phuket or Bangkok it will always be bangkok.
Let me know if there are any other questions and I’ll try and help where I can
Bismuth
Expert Member
Thanks for your reply, certainly informative.
I am not set on Chiangmai or any specific location, if there are provincial options that are even cheaper, I am game. Key is of course reliable and fast internet, otherwise no other specific requirements, as my work is predominantly remote.
If I worked SA hours, would then be about 12/1pm-10pm local time in Thailand, would suite me just fine. We saw when we were there 2016, the streets only come alive at sunset, and are busy until the early hours of the morning.
Bangkok is definitely on our list, even if it is just for one night...
Arrived this morning. Leaving on Friday. With my SO. Just got back from Chatuchak. Was intense. Lots of walking, and pretty hot.
MaisonP
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Coolio. As I said the working hours are a small sacrifice to make but it allows me very cheap daily living, healthy lifestyle with options being in a mega city with proper people and great economy.Thanks for your reply, certainly informative.
I am not set on Chiangmai or any specific location, if there are provincial options that are even cheaper, I am game. Key is of course reliable and fast internet, otherwise no other specific requirements, as my work is predominantly remote.
If I worked SA hours, would then be about 12/1pm-10pm local time in Thailand, would suite me just fine. We saw when we were there 2016, the streets only come alive at sunset, and are busy until the early hours of the morning.
Bangkok is definitely on our list, even if it is just for one night...
I don’t need to lock my things up and wonder about the safety and shyte like that.
Obviously the big benefit is that my salary goes so far. Even in SA I live a very decent life but here I can live like a king.
I don’t spend any money on fuel or travelling really, food is less than R100 a day and that is not really even trying.
What Thailand allows me is the option to live very cheap day to day but also if I want to spend money and yolo I can also do that.
It’s multidimensional city to live in.
Okay back to Bangkok. Don’t fool yourself, you can spend a month in bangkok and still only scratch the surface. Even though it’s a world class city, it really is not that expensive.
Give yourself atleast 2 weeks here.
And from there go and do your thing.
Wut
Executive Member
Did you visit the pet section? I always head over there to buy cool things for my fish tank. Can't take my son with though as he always wants some strange exotic pet.
MaisonP
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Nice nice D. Yes for sure. Chatuchak is good because it’s only a weekend market.
Now make the effort and go see a temple. Only if it’s one. You don’t need to visit more than 1.
Go to Wat Pho. After you go there, take a taxi to Talat Noi. You can do that in the same day, and after Talat Noi just pass by Asiatique.
It will take you about 5 hours in total.
MaisonP
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40 000 stalls in chatuchak. You can only maybe see 15% of that market in a day.
But your right you get some weird and strange animals there. It’s a indeed a crazy place
Wut
Executive Member
Yeah, I've gotten lost in the market a few times. I always have to keep an eye on the clock tower to get my bearings. Did you ever go to the FMD (Full Metal Dojo) events at JJ Green just around the corner? I was seeing a ring girl for a while so kept having to go to the events.
MaisonP
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Which BTS/MRT is your closest station?
MaisonP
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aah nice. I have been to JJ green many times but never to FMD.
But I will make a point to give it a visit, this week perhaps.
Thanks for that
I train at Vithawat Muaythai in Silom before work and have been to Rajadamnern a few times to go see the amazing talent on Wednesdays.
My problem is that I am a little heavy, around 103kg so I have to spar against super heavy weights which is much taller than me and have a massive reach advantage.
But I am already to old to try and be competitive and do it more for self defence and flexibility.
Wut
Executive Member
If you have some free time you may want to check out Maeklong Market. You can catch a bus from Mochit bus station near to Chatuchak or catch a train from Wong Wian Yai, but you need to get up early to catch one. It's great for getting some videos of the market and train coming through.
Yep. The pet section was a definite must-see.