A diverse day in paradise
Beggars, food courts, communication problems, cancelled classes and disagreeable customer service
Just another day - another morning, another commute, another birthday and I'm on my way to teach at Speech Perfect at the Mall, Bang Kae in Bangkok. Just as I do every day - with the exception of public holidays.
Why I live here in Bangkok
So what's the attraction exactly?
Bangkok might never be the place I truly call home but it's a place I'm happy to be right now.
Know your Bangkok cabbies
Do you know your boy racers from the quiz masters?
For those of us still chancing our arm with the regular Bangkok taxis, here is my guide to the different types of taxi driver who you are sure to encounter at some stage
On Bangkok
Falling in love again with this unique city
Bangkok is left to its own devices. The planning is horrible so the city is left to grow naturally. It is ugly, sprawled, and terrifying to drive in, but it is also so human.
Weekend madness
When getting out and about in Bangkok just isn't worth it
Many years ago, I was browsing one of those Bangkok ex-pat forums and there was an interesting thread on the topic of ‘the downsides of living in Bangkok'. One of the forum members - a middle-aged wife of a business expat - chipped in with the following contribution (and for some reason I have never forgotten it)
The changing face of Bangkok
How property developers are playing their part
Like many SE Asian cities, apart from religious monuments such as temples and a few other buildings, there is a virtual free-for-all on development, and very little in the way of protection and preservation. Does this detract from the city in the form of character and beauty? That of course is a matter open to debate.
On yer bike!
Is Bangkok's new rent-a-bike scheme doomed to failure?
On the 1st May, Bangkok introduced a bicycle rental scheme, presumably in an effort to encourage more people to go green and to go some way towards reducing the awful traffic jams that have become part and parcel of our daily lives in this city.
A river island
The fascinating island of Koh Kred in Bangkok
Have you ever heard of an island in the middle of a river? It sounds absurd, right? But there is an island 20 kilometers away from Bangkok where a lot of locals and foreign travelers/tourists frequently go to escape from the noise in the city. In fact, according to "Lonely Planet," Thailand's travel information and guide, this place ranks #7 out of 792 things to do in Bangkok.
The Venice of the East
How Bangkok's waterways could improve your life no end
Any reader who has lived in Bangkok near a canal for any length of time, will know not only how efficient and inexpensive the system is, but also how unappreciated and unused the system is by expats in general and how they could easily benefit from cheap, reliable and extremely quick transport around Bangkok.
Back from Laos
An impromptu tour of Bangkok's biggest shopping malls
The last week has been quite busy! Ever since I got back from Laos, it's been nonstop business. I arrived back in Bangkok from Savannakhet early Saturday morning. I went home, caught a nap until around noon, and ventured out in the hopes of finally opening a Thai bank account.