Neighborhood watch
How do Bangkok neighborhoods differ?
I've been thinking about the five different neighborhoods I have lived in during my twenty-odd years in Bangkok. Which ones did I enjoy? Were there any neighborhoods that I particularly hated? What were the advantages and disadvantages of each community that I spent time in? Perhaps it would be interesting to draw some comparisons.
A fishy tale
What happens when your pet fish become part of the family.
Sometimes I'm reminded what a great country Thailand is to live in, especially when I encounter a level of customer service that I would never imagine possible.
Food, glorious food
One of Thailand's many conveniences
There are a lot of perks to living and teaching English in Thailand and as someone who likes to eat good food, one of the perks I enjoy the most is delicious home-cooked food being available at your fingertips.
Myths and misconceptions regarding real estate in Bangkok and Thailand.
Some of the untruths that get banded about concerning Thai real estate
Many of the myths and urban legends addressed in this blog will be ones that we have actually heard from our clients or from other sources within the industry
A room with a view
From airless studio apartments to dingy guest houses
I was thinking the other day about how many different styles of accommodation or housing I have lived in during my years in Bangkok - rented houses, tiny studio apartments, dodgy neighborhoods - I didn't realize there were so many. So in chronological order, here are the places that have provided a roof over my head at some stage.
A cultural curveball
Just when you think you know most things about Thai culture
Having lived in Thailand more than twenty years, one likes to think themselves as au fait with most aspects of Thai culture, and then some innocuous situation develops and you're left wondering if you truly know the first thing about Thai culture at all.
Across the riverbank
Are Krungthonburi and Wongwian Yai the new Silom and Sathorn?
Has the area just over the river, namely Thonburi, become the new Silom and Sathorn since the opening in May 2009 of the new Krungthonburi and Wongwian Yai BTS stations?
May I see your passport?
The joys of international travel with a Thai partner
Despite the fact my wife already has three Schengen visas and three UK visas in her passport from past visits, applying for a visa to visit a new country is always stressful.
It's a lawless land
Who can you complain to in Thailand when you've been truly wronged?
This is a country where I'm convinced you have to let many incidents go and chalk them up to experience. Pursuing things ‘legally' and going down what you feel are the appropriate channels will just lead to frustration and despair. This is Thailand. It's a lawless land.
Let's play Bangkok monopoly
What would the Bangkok edition of the Monopoly board game look like?
Recently I was asked to play the Thai edition of the game, first produced in 2005, but I was disappointed to discover that the game is not based on Bangkok, but on Thailand, with the likes of Samui, Phuket and Pattaya dotted around the board
