I can't quite understand the appeal of Bangkok for westerners (compared to the rest of Thailand).
It's a hot, overcrowded, dirty city populated by people who don't really want to be there (Thais who come from other provinces just for work), or who only want to be there to be seen by all the people who don't want to be there (the irony of deathly-white hi-so girls shopping in a mall with a name that translates to "Brown people" is lost on most people)
If you're remote anyway, there are much nicer, cheaper places to be in this country.
As a westerner, there are other benefits to being outside Bangkok. The next time I do a 90-day-report (the smart mans alternative to a trip through immigration every 3 months) I fully expect to be in and out of the local Immigration office in less time than it takes to buy/brew a cup of coffee. By comparison the Bangkok offices are constantly overcrowded. For most things, if you're not in the queue by lunch time, forget about getting served that day.
Yeah, I don't get it at all either. I couldn't stand living in Bangkok. Traffic is abysmal, it's hot, dirty and muggy. I understand the appeal of living in a big city, but BKK would never be my choice.
Where else in Thailand would you recommend? I have traveled around the country quite a bit and still like Bangkok best, probably because I like big cities, but I'm open to trying other places.
Personally I've considered Mae-Rim,
Cha-Om and Nakhon Nayok, besides where I am now (Ayutthaya, due to family). But there are lots of other places - it just depends what you want.
at this point I couldn't go back to living in an apartment, or even a town house - and I much prefer to live somewhere I can jump on my bike for an hours ride without worrying too much about motorbike taxis trying to kill me, rather than somewhere I can step outside and have 4 7/11s, a Mini Big C and a Lotus Express within spitting distance.
Waking up to the sounds of birds rather than the sounds of street vendors and cars/motorbikes is amazing, and because it's not Bangkok we're still just 10 minkes drive from the centre of town (eg for immigration, amphur etc)
It's a hot, overcrowded, dirty city populated by people who don't really want to be there (Thais who come from other provinces just for work), or who only want to be there to be seen by all the people who don't want to be there (the irony of deathly-white hi-so girls shopping in a mall with a name that translates to "Brown people" is lost on most people)
If you're remote anyway, there are much nicer, cheaper places to be in this country.
As a westerner, there are other benefits to being outside Bangkok. The next time I do a 90-day-report (the smart mans alternative to a trip through immigration every 3 months) I fully expect to be in and out of the local Immigration office in less time than it takes to buy/brew a cup of coffee. By comparison the Bangkok offices are constantly overcrowded. For most things, if you're not in the queue by lunch time, forget about getting served that day.