Hello peeps,

I have been recently thinking about buying a condo in bangkok and running my biz from there seeing as it is really cheap and such a beautiful country.

I'm wondering what your experience with Thailand is?

I haven't been to Thailand yet, but I'm going in july for a couple of weeks to check it out.

Surely some peeps are currently living there now lapping it all up lol

Any Suggestions, Help, Information that I may need is greatly appreciated.

Ever seen the Hangover, nuff said.

Originally Posted by Grinch

Ever seen the Hangover, nuff said.

I try and base my decisions not off a fictional Hollywood film.

Why not trying Brazil? It is also a beautiful country and the language barrier will not be as big. I live here, PM if you need more info.

Why not rent an apartment first to see if Bangkok is right for you?

been there a lot, very very crowded traffic a nightmare but as you say cheap

maybe have a look at some of the coastal towns, bit cooler but the infrastructures still there. For what you could buy a condo for in Bangkok you could buy a stunning pool villa out of Bangkok

Its cheap but its not that easy for foreigners to setup there. Its my stopover on about 4 flights a year. I know Justin Dupre lives there.

Originally Posted by antiochboy

Why not rent an apartment first to see if Bangkok is right for you?

Yeah, I was thinking of doing this for a while to see if I like it.

correct, don't ever make an assumption based on movies/film or any fictional stuffs

I personally have been in Thailand several times but I wouldnt recommend you to live in Bangkok. The city has very bad pollution and traffic jam. If you want to live in Thailand, maybe you want to check out cities near the beach like Pattaya or Phuket. Im not really sure how the internet connection on those areas though (might be bad but who knows)

as for buying condo, im not experienced in that as well. Buying foreign condo might need a lot of regulation but i dont know how things work in Thailand. In SE Asia usually it's easier (for average foreigners) to buy property

Originally Posted by wokaka

correct, don't ever make an assumption based on movies/film or any fictional stuffs

I personally have been in Thailand several times but I wouldnt recommend you to live in Bangkok. The city has very bad pollution and traffic jam. If you want to live in Thailand, maybe you want to check out cities near the beach like Pattaya or Phuket. Im not really sure how the internet connection on those areas though (might be bad but who knows)

as for buying condo, im not experienced in that as well. Buying foreign condo might need a lot of regulation but i dont know how things work in Thailand. In SE Asia usually it's easier (for average foreigners) to buy property

Yeah, internet would be my main concern seeing as it is the blood line to my biz. i'll check those areas out. thanks.

The reason I mention a condo, is foreigners can't buy land. they need to marry a thai and the deed is in there name and I don't want some thai girl holding me by the balls if it where to go tits up

Originally Posted by The Joker

Yeah, internet would be my main concern seeing as it is the blood line to my biz. i'll check those areas out. thanks.

The reason I mention a condo, is foreigners can't buy land. they need to marry a thai and the deed is in there name and I don't want some thai girl holding me by the balls if it where to go tits up

but a foreigner can have a 30 year renewable lease, plus you can buy a house in a company name and own the company. Many thousands do, continue to read up as there is a lot to learn

Internet out of Bangkok can still run at 32mb and there are upgrading to 100mb to be live in the next couple of months, so out of Bangkok is an option

You will meet lots of transexuals there..

Originally Posted by Okanenaiyo

You will meet lots of transexuals there..

it's ok, I always carry Garlic and Holy water to warn them off.

Originally Posted by boom1

but a foreigner can have a 30 year renewable lease, plus you can buy a house in a company name and own the company. Many thousands do, continue to read up as there is a lot to learn

Internet out of Bangkok can still run at 32mb and there are upgrading to 100mb to be live in the next couple of months, so out of Bangkok is an option

I'll def check that out. was under the assumption I could only buy an apartment/condo.

Out of every possible place in Thailand, you'd select BKK? I mean, you could have nice and quiet beachfront somewhere in the south - yet you'd take condo in polluted BKK over that? Sure you're not going to get that 100 megs line there, but I fear it won't be that great in BKK either (line quality wise).

Each to their own, sure, but I just don't see point in that if you're going to settle for somewhat longer.

I'm in Bangkok at the moment and here are my thoughts:

* It's stinking hot and humid. It reaches the mid 30s right now and it's supposed to be the cool season.
* Air pollution is TERRIBLE and it would be unhealthy to live here long term. Jogging and exercise sucks because of the pollution and dodging the traffic. Everything is covered in nasty black soot.
* Food is super cheap but honestly not that healthy - way overboard on all kinds of dodgy flavourings etc. Hygiene standards are obviously poorer than the West. Quality of ingredients is also not the best eg. poor quality meat and veges are disguised with stir frying and seasoning.
* Traffic is completely insane. Footpaths suck and getting around is a mission. High risk of getting hit by motorcycles on the footpaths etc. Skytrain and other public transport is insanely packed at rush hour (picture some random guy's crotch sticking into your ass). You would have to be pretty keen to want to drive here, with the insane traffic and the homicidal drivers. Traffic noise runs 24/7.
* Internet sucks, is slow by first world standards, frequent random outages.
* People everywhere. Avoid if you are not a person who can stand crowds or shuffling along at a snail's pace.
* You _have_ to learn Thai if you want to have a good life here, or else you can't communicate and you'll be ripped off all the time. You can scrape by with little Thai but your experience will be MUCH better if you can speak Thai. Learning Thai is a mission because of the different vowel tones and different alphabet. It might sound like a small thing but the time spent learning Thai is time that could be productively spent making money online. Learn some Thai and take some conversation classes before you come.
* Health care is good at the main private hospital (Bumrungrad) but it's expensive if you're coming from a country with socialized medicine.
* Once you've seen the tourist sights, BKK is a bit boring unless you are a mad shopper or a sex tourist. There's always stuff going on though - I saw a guy get beaten and stabbed by a group of about 30 teenagers at Chatuchak market at the weekend.
* Music scene sucks unless you are into shitty pop or Thai folk music.
* Basically nothing works as smoothly as it would in the West and it's really difficult to get a straight up answer from anyone.
* You have few legal protections and as a non-Thai you are definitely a second class citizen.
* I would definitely rent not buy. Accommodation is the most expensive thing here but that is probably cheap by Western standards depending on where you are from. You can get a fully furnished, brand new studio apartment in a high rise block for 20-30K baht per month ($800 - $1000 USD).
* I don't know about the rest of Thailand, but your average Bangkokian is a bit pushy and rude. They have a subconscious resentment towards comparatively wealthy foreigners.
* There is a big opportunity cost in the time it takes to get settled in here, adapt to the new climate and environment and learn the language. It's cheap but it's not _that_ cheap.

Bangkok is full on 24/7 and I would highly recommend coming here for a visit to see if you really like it before you decide to move here. It's a cool experience but it's definitely different from how I had imagined it.

I would personally rent, and you will probably have always some kind of problem for your Visa, depending of your age.

I would rent first, and move to others towns, try also the North, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, also have the most beautiful girls of Thailand and is not so crowded.

Depending what you do on internet, internet in main cities should be not an issue, you can also get dedicated lines, but you have to inquire before rent or buy, they usually run cables 100 meters from main road, use to trade forex, and was ok, tough I had 2 lines, in case one went off.

Check more cities before decide where to make base, people are somehow different, from city to city, and also the environment

Originally Posted by Autumn

I'm in Bangkok at the moment and here are my thoughts:

* It's stinking hot and humid. It reaches the mid 30s right now and it's supposed to be the cool season.
* Air pollution is TERRIBLE and it would be unhealthy to live here long term. Jogging and exercise sucks because of the pollution and dodging the traffic. Everything is covered in nasty black soot.
* Food is super cheap but honestly not that healthy - way overboard on all kinds of dodgy flavourings etc. Hygiene standards are obviously poorer than the West. Quality of ingredients is also not the best eg. poor quality meat and veges are disguised with stir frying and seasoning.
* Traffic is completely insane. Footpaths suck and getting around is a mission. High risk of getting hit by motorcycles on the footpaths etc. Skytrain and other public transport is insanely packed at rush hour (picture some random guy's crotch sticking into your ass). You would have to be pretty keen to want to drive here, with the insane traffic and the homicidal drivers. Traffic noise runs 24/7.
* Internet sucks, is slow by first world standards, frequent random outages.
* People everywhere. Avoid if you are not a person who can stand crowds or shuffling along at a snail's pace.
* You _have_ to learn Thai if you want to have a good life here, or else you can't communicate and you'll be ripped off all the time. You can scrape by with little Thai but your experience will be MUCH better if you can speak Thai. Learning Thai is a mission because of the different vowel tones and different alphabet. It might sound like a small thing but the time spent learning Thai is time that could be productively spent making money online. Learn some Thai and take some conversation classes before you come.
* Health care is good at the main private hospital (Bumrungrad) but it's expensive if you're coming from a country with socialized medicine.
* Once you've seen the tourist sights, BKK is a bit boring unless you are a mad shopper or a sex tourist. There's always stuff going on though - I saw a guy get beaten and stabbed by a group of about 30 teenagers at Chatuchak market at the weekend.
* Music scene sucks unless you are into shitty pop or Thai folk music.
* Basically nothing works as smoothly as it would in the West and it's really difficult to get a straight up answer from anyone.
* You have few legal protections and as a non-Thai you are definitely a second class citizen.
* I would definitely rent not buy. Accommodation is the most expensive thing here but that is probably cheap by Western standards depending on where you are from. You can get a fully furnished, brand new studio apartment in a high rise block for 20-30K baht per month ($800 - $1000 USD).
* I don't know about the rest of Thailand, but your average Bangkokian is a bit pushy and rude. They have a subconscious resentment towards comparatively wealthy foreigners.
* There is a big opportunity cost in the time it takes to get settled in here, adapt to the new climate and environment and learn the language. It's cheap but it's not _that_ cheap.

Bangkok is full on 24/7 and I would highly recommend coming here for a visit to see if you really like it before you decide to move here. It's a cool experience but it's definitely different from how I had imagined it.

Thanks for the honest opinion. definitely given me something to think about.