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What do people enjoy about Bangkok?

What do people enjoy about Bangkok?

Old Dec 15, 2012, 8:46 am
  #31  
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Originally Posted by sl0uch

My mom made an incredibly astute comment about a decade ago - at least it applies to me: no matter what you do, do not learn the local language. Enough people speak surprisingly good English in BKK! or they'd just know what you want in spidey sense. I'm serious. Understanding it will just introduce uninteresting, even nasty elements that bother you.
Not only is this overly cynical (coming from a cynic) but slides into the paltry depths of 'innocence is bliss'.

There are times it's great to banter in Thai and times it's better that you can get a sense of what's being said when the speakers don't know you have an idea of what's being said.
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Old Dec 15, 2012, 9:37 am
  #32  
 
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Originally Posted by PETEFLYS
Well I love BKK and I think it grows on you like any other big city. New York ,London,LA
all big cities all have there bad and charm. You have been to lots of places most of them pretty calm except Europe. I find anything can happen in any major city there. London,Paris,Florence,Milan, all great cities but I am sure people could tell you of all kinds of tourist problems.
Bangkok well as others have said the food,the people,and a real 24 hour city. This city comes alive at night so if your a day person it would not be so great. For someone who wants to drink,dance,eat,shop,see a show all hours of the night well it is easy here.
I love my skytrain,shopping centers,movie theatres,spas,world class hotels and service are the keys to this city.
+1 and I've never found friendlier and helpful people any where else. Also they have great beaches less than 2 hrs. away.
Last time there (9 days) there was 2 murders in the entire country. One was a local near the border they thought had to do with drugs and the other was a tourist. They found the 2nd one tried and executed him before we left. Now that's justice. So how could you not love this country. I've never felt safer in my life.
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Old Dec 15, 2012, 10:25 am
  #33  
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Originally Posted by jjmiller69
Last time there (9 days) there was 2 murders in the entire country. One was a local near the border they thought had to do with drugs and the other was a tourist. They found the 2nd one tried and executed him before we left. Now that's justice. So how could you not love this country. I've never felt safer in my life.
Seriously? You believe this tripe?
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Old Dec 15, 2012, 10:51 am
  #34  
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That was my first thought as well..... talk about being in denial.
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Old Dec 15, 2012, 1:15 pm
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Originally Posted by dieuwer2
These "scams" sound all rather easy to spot and harmless. It's quite a different thing from being grabbed and pullet into a shop in the Grand Bazaar and "asked" to buy a "carpet". Or constantly being harassed on the street by guys saying "you need a guide"!
I agree. I mentioned the scams in BKK are very easy to spot and very much unlike other places where you are physically accosted. You just have to be firm in your "no" and they'll just move on to the next mark.
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Old Dec 15, 2012, 6:23 pm
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Originally Posted by RTW1
That was my first thought as well..... talk about being in denial.
+1. Guess living here gives one a reality check
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Old Dec 15, 2012, 6:38 pm
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I consider BKK to be really safe. Of course I'm from America.
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Old Dec 15, 2012, 7:27 pm
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I just got back home tonight after a couple of weeks in Thailand. Only about 5 days in BKK this trip. I enjoy the city. Whoever called it organized chaos is right. I like the insanity of the place. But I gotta say it was so damn hot this trip that there's no way I would be able to deal with that for very long.

I have been visiting Bangkok for the last 6 or 7 years. I do think it seems more stressed now and people look less happy in general.

I like the shopping. The relatively cheap top class hotels. Good food. And I also agree that the music scene is fascinating.

I loved the Grand Palace and surrounding areas. That stuff is so different than the USA which is part of what makes Bangkok fun and exotic.

I haven't ever been scammed...at least to my knowledge. I am sure I have overpaid for things sometimes, but usually still felt like I got a good value. I tend to be fairly wary though. It's pretty easy to say "No thanks" when people try to present you with stuff you don't want.
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Old Dec 16, 2012, 8:19 pm
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Jasper2009
Ok, so I´ve been to Bangkok twice, and must say I really don´t like the place.

- I have visited most of the major attractions (various tempels, Royal palace, private rider boat trip) and was pretty underwhelmed
I really enjoyed these things the first time. After a few years I went back with others and it was nice. I find the temples and whatnot to be nicer and more impressive than the ones in Bali, for instance. But private rider boat trip? Never did that. I took the local boat to the area of the temples and really enjoyed it.

Originally Posted by Jasper2009
- people trying to scam you: maybe entertaining the fist time, but gets old pretty fast
I rarely get people trying to scam me or sell me suits or whatnot. I'm a frequent visitor. I know a FTer that has lived there for several years and always gets accosted by the tailors and whatnot. I suspect it has to do with how one carries themselves, dresses, expression on their face. When the women try to engage me for a "survey" which leads into a condo pitch, I smile, shake my head and continue at the same speed. When a guy offers me his tuk tuk with or without a glossy brochure of beauties, I shake my head and give a "mai ao krub" and keep walking. It doesn't get old for me because I pretty much don't even notice it. The few times I have been approached by the "it's closed today" folks, I smile and keep walking. I don't engage them and so again, it doesn't really phase me.

Over the course of 6 years or so I've had a handful of taxi drivers try to overcharge me. I'm not talking about when you ask them to go somewhere and they ask up front for more than you know it is worth. I'm talking about getting into the taxi and then they decide after pulling away that they want a higher fee or don't want to go. At the airport it hasn't happened to me in years. I tell them in my poor excuse for Thai where I want to go and they realize that they won't be able to suggest I pay 500 THB. I'm courteous but I don't engage them in much conversation. So the opportunity doesn't exist for them to try other things like take me to a special massage or gem shop before we get to where I want to go.

Originally Posted by Jasper2009
- taxi drivers range from kamikaze to useless. Most taxi driver are unable to find a hotel a few km away even when giving them a map and everything printed in Thai
As dsquared37 said, the map just confuses them. They don't know how to read a map. Note that they aren't using GPS in the vehicle. The best that I can tell is that they are traveling by association. So if I want to go to the Westin and they aren't sure where exactly I will give the soi off Sukhumvit but I'll also name a nearby landmark like Robinsons. I find Singapore exactly the opposite. A Singaporean taxi driver wouldn't be able to use associative navigation to find a place even if the Malaysians were crossing the bridge to attack and his country depended on it. They are all about the GPS and exact address.

Originally Posted by Jasper2009
- massages: I enjoyed a few reasonably priced massages, but overall the quality has been hit and miss, even at high-end hotels
Like dsquared37 once I find a good shop and/or masseuse I will frequent that spot again. The King & I has a great Royal Thai Massage. More expensive than many places but significantly less than a hotel and significantly less than many other countries. There is also a great place on Sukhumvit Soi 8 where I found a masseuse that does a wonderful job with a hot stone massage. So I go back. Foot massages as well. I end up going back to these places again and again.

Originally Posted by Jasper2009
- "special massages"/gogo bars/hookers: sorry, not interested
Don't worry. The overwhelming majority of toursits who enjoy Bangkok area also not interested.

Originally Posted by Jasper2009
Obviously millions of tourists disagree with me, or am I missing something?

Sure. I love the movie theaters. Back row love seats with blankets. Great way to see a couple with an SO. VIP recliners relatively cheap. There was a theater in Central World with bean bag chairs and loungers. Not sure if that hall was restored after the fire.

Many folks mentioned food. Not only is there a diverse selection but at any price point. I happily eat cooked sausages on the street or grab something in a coupon-based food court. Soul Food Mahanakorn is one of my favorite restaurants around but it sadly has become too popular with the tourists and gets way too loud with groups. I used to love BKK Bagels but they also have gotten a bit too popular, at least on weekend. I can't find a good bagel in Singapore so I get my fix in Bangkok. Now if you travel to NJ a few times a year that may not be as appealing. On any given evening I can choose to have good cuisine from Thailand or the rest of the world at a price point and with an ambiance that is suitable for me at that time.

Lots of good music venues. Live relaxing Jazz at the Living Room at the SGS. Louder Blues in a more casual environment at Saxophone Pub which has been going for over 25 years. If I want Thai country music I can head to a nightclub called Duan Pen (spelling likely way off) where I may be the only foreigner in the place. On nights when I want to get out and boogie I can head to Route 66 in RCA for hip hop/pop, Bed/QBar/aLoft in lower Sukhumvit or hit the after hours discos if I want to inhale more smoke than I've come across in years.

Lots of nice variety in shopping, whether international name brands or local Thai independents in JJ Market or Terminal 21.

For me, and I think for many others who return to BKK again and again, we cease to be tourists and start to become travelers. While we are there we just live in the city rather than visit it to see the sites. When you were in Israel were you mostly going to tourist sites or were you grabbing a falafel at the little Yeminite hole in the wall place at the top of Rav Kook in Jersualem? I'm totally at a loss for what you find interesting about Singapore and I've lived here for a year and a half. The tourist sites of Bangkok will be nice once but getting a feel for the ebb and flow of the city and becoming a part of that is where BKK becomes more appealing.
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Old Dec 16, 2012, 8:20 pm
  #40  
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Originally Posted by dsquared37

Taxi drivers are rarely from Bangkok and might not know the hotels, they will typically know the streets.
Said as if taxi drivers are hired on per diem contracts? Wouldn't most reach a point in time (anywhere, not just Bangkok) where they eventually learned many of the shortcuts/main streets? Though, being stuck in traffic on between Asok and Ploenchit or by the Silom MRT on a daily basis would reduce one's ability to effectively learn the ins and outs of the city...
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Old Dec 17, 2012, 3:46 am
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Originally Posted by dieuwer2

Example of a typical BKK scam?
Indian "holy" man telling you that you are a lucky man. I get them every week around Sukhumvit.
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Old Dec 17, 2012, 4:26 am
  #42  
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Originally Posted by yosithezet
As dsquared37 said, the map just confuses them. They don't know how to read a map. Note that they aren't using GPS in the vehicle. The best that I can tell is that they are traveling by association. So if I want to go to the Westin and they aren't sure where exactly I will give the soi off Sukhumvit but I'll also name a nearby landmark like Robinsons. I find Singapore exactly the opposite.
Interesting. I realize that the English skills of many Thai taxi drivers is quite limited, so I figured having the address printed in Thai symbols (sometimes along with a map provided by the hotel for exactly this purpose) would help, but apparently not. Any other ideas on how to effectively communicate where you want to go?

Originally Posted by yosithezet
For me, and I think for many others who return to BKK again and again, we cease to be tourists and start to become travelers. While we are there we just live in the city rather than visit it to see the sites. When you were in Israel were you mostly going to tourist sites or were you grabbing a falafel at the little Yeminite hole in the wall place at the top of Rav Kook in Jersualem? I'm totally at a loss for what you find interesting about Singapore and I've lived here for a year and a half. The tourist sites of Bangkok will be nice once but getting a feel for the ebb and flow of the city and becoming a part of that is where BKK becomes more appealing.
Indeed I try to take a similar approach and aim to soak up the local atmosphere by just walking around, visiting local markets, popping into 7/11 or a supermarket and stopping at a local restaurant to get a bite to eat.

I´ll admit that I didn´t eat any street food in BKK, but did walk around by myself for several hours trying to get a feel for the city, visited a few markets, looked at a few shops, but honestly didn´t particularly enjoy it.

Probably surprising I tend to quite enjoy strolling around in Singapore - being able to experience various different subcultures (Malaysian quarter, Chinatown, Litte India) or just sit in the park, good shopping, great dining options, friendly and helpful people.
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Old Dec 17, 2012, 4:35 am
  #43  
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I feel the people in Bangkok are friendlier. As for subcultures, did you visit Chinatown in BKK. Sounds like I may be able to show you a bit more of BKK and I could learn from you a bit more about my current hometown. When are you around the region next?
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Old Dec 17, 2012, 4:52 am
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Originally Posted by yosithezet
I feel the people in Bangkok are friendlier. As for subcultures, did you visit Chinatown in BKK. Sounds like I may be able to show you a bit more of BKK and I could learn from you a bit more about my current hometown. When are you around the region next?
Always happy to meet up. However, I currently don´t have any plans to be BKK or SIN, but will drop you PM if I do.
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Old Dec 17, 2012, 4:58 am
  #45  
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Originally Posted by Jasper2009
Interesting. I realize that the English skills of many Thai taxi drivers is quite limited, so I figured having the address printed in Thai symbols (sometimes along with a map provided by the hotel for exactly this purpose) would help, but apparently not. Any other ideas on how to effectively communicate where you want to go?
Not intending to be snarky here, and lord knows that tends to happen naturally, but Thai is an alphabetic language; it's not a character nor symbol based one.

You're best bet is to have a street and/or landmark for the driver and hopefully this will key him into the area. If not he'll shake his head and then another taxi will invariable already be stopping behind the first one. Unlike in SG where you get into the cab and tell the driver your destination in thailand you open the front or back door, state your destination and await the driver's response.

When I'm going to the Park Plaza hotel I simply say 'Sukhumvit soi 18'. Anything more is extraneous and bound to cause confusion. When we get close I can tell him, or in the case for many simply indicate, to turn into the soi or not (kao soi).

In Bangkok many intersections have names and, if you know them, this can also prove very helpful (though this is probably Directions 102). The intersection of Silom and Charoen Krung rds is called Bang Rak (the area is also referred to as this). Sri Ayuthaya and Samsen is called Si Sao Thewet. Ratchadapisek and Sukumvit is Asok. etc etc etc. These are other ways to indicate locale.

Granted the intersections (yek) are not something you'll know but that's another example of a way to get it across.

I will never, ever, anywhere in Asia show a map to a driver. Nor will I ever give them an address because domiciles are not consecutive but are instead numbered in some fashion which has to do with when the building was planned/finished/thought of/conceived etc.
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