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This post is also written in response to Stomper Dad’s Taboo Challenge without the word “he” for today’s post. What are you waiting for? Join in the fun and add your link to take part in the challenge!
September 6, 2016
12 Things I Don’t Miss About Living Thailand
Category: In and around Thailand
While there are some things I miss about Thailand in yesterday’s post, there are just also many things that I do not miss about it.
After all, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. There is always the flipside of the coin and below are my biggest things of not missing Thailand. At.All. Let me again count the ways in no particular order:
- International School Fees
This was, in fact, one, if not the biggest things with education being an institution in itself and getting a good education is considered a privilege. They are exorbitantly expensive and we’d have to be filthy rich to be able to send our kids to the lowest rung of the international school around.
Already with the kids at 3 and 5 years old, we were feeling the pinch of the rising education expenses. This was kindergarten, not a day-care yet each kid was costing us at least 200,000 baht a year (about 5000 Euros p/year) for 3 terms and summer school.
Can you believe that at such a rate, the school they were in was already one of the cheapest international schools around? In the long run, there was no way we were able to afford their education whilst living there – especially if we want to transfer them to a better school in Bangkok and take up Dutch.
The whole schooling and education system were absurd! Here in the Netherlands, we are paying less than 100 Euros per kid, per year and that’s on a voluntary basis to cover for out of school activities.
- Rent
I could cry if we were to add up all that rental monies we have paid on a monthly basis for the last 11 years with no return on investment whatsoever.
It was money down the drain. Poof! No more of that now.
- Bad Traffic
Traffic has gone from bad to worse in the last few years. With traffic jams happening every single day, Bangkok has turned like one big moving carpark. It is not unusual that moving 100m would sometimes take an hour. You are pretty much screwed if you happened to make one wrong turn.
Just imagine all those time wasted while getting stuck in traffic when you could be doing other things! Time you could never get back. One of the many things I don’t miss.
- Road Safety
No more crazy taxi drivers who think they are Michael Schumacher. No more sitting in a taxi without seat belts while they sped, swerved and cut corners. No more encounters with suicidal and drunk motosai riders. No more fearing for our life when crossing the roads while the green man is on or while we adhere to regular road rules like using the zebra crossing.
Tuk-tuks? No, thank you.
- Crappy, Dodgy Pavements
Pot-holed sidewalks, wet cement man-holes, almost invisible wires laid on the ground to light a billboard, iron rod jutting out from the ground, hanging electrical wires callously hanging haphazardly within arm’s reach …
Good luck if you are walking around with a stroller and my heart certainly goes out to those in wheelchairs. I know a few people who broke their legs and fractured their knees just from an innocent fall or a light slip. Not very pretty!
Have you read my story about the sidewalk crapper?How about the covered manhole story?
- Heat
The temperatures can be a bitch, especially from April to August when it will soar to above 40-degree celsius. The heat and high humidity are very debilitating. No fun.
- Street Hoggers
The streets of Bangkok often blew my mind. Whenever there is a sidewalk, no matter how narrow, you’d find locals setting up their mobile carts on and along it.
You’d have to give yourself a wide berth to walk around it/them and walk on the road with traffic going at 60 or 70 km/hour. If you are lucky, you’d encounter open fire at the same time while they get busy preparing food.
Your perfect recipe for disaster!
- Pollution
It was probably the cause of my acute bronchitis, mild asthma and breathing problems; diseases which I did not have prior to my move. The reality of pollution hit hard when both of our kids were also diagnosed with acute bronchitis after months of coughing that wouldn’t go away. They were not even 2 years old then.
- Political Upheaval
Source: Silver Bullet
Political instability has always loomed in the background. In the course of our stay in Bangkok, we have gone through two coups d’étas in 2006 and 2014, Military Crackdown in 2010 that happened right in our backyard where we were evacuated and in the recent years, bombings in downtown Bangkok.
- General Safety
You don’t have to look closely to see dangerous electrical wiring almost everywhere. Like you, they all will just be hanging out. Out of the sockets!
- Shopping for clothes
I am quite petite, yet in Thailand, it was hard to find clothes my size. If I do find any, I have to go for XL or XXL. Being able to fit into an L is few and far and between. Shopping for bras, however, while can be an ego booster was just as annoying as it was hard to find bras in bigger cups or the right fit.
- Doing things the “Thai way”
Much like the impromptu visa run we had to do, most rules and regulations have always been murky. This entire “Thai way” can get on your nerves, mainly because it can be quite exhausting to navigate and meander the meaning of things, actions and impact in which you’d never fathom could in a million years happen.
Lying with a straight face and stories of cheating and infidelities included. Those seem to be a part of the Thai culture. No, I’m not kidding.
There! I could easily list several more but I thought that are just about enough listing. Besides with the cons (easily) outweighing the pros, that alone seems to validate that we have made the right choice of leaving after all!
This post is also written in response to Stomper Dad’s Taboo Challenge with no use of the words “as” for today’s post. What are you waiting for? Join in the fun and add your link to take part in the challenge!
September 5, 2016
10 Things I Miss About Living in Thailand
Category: In and around Thailand
5 days into September and reminiscing our life back in Thailand has been at the back of my mind for a while now.
I guess it’s a matter of time before I’d put my thoughts into words.
After all, spending 11 years of my life in a single city in just one country that I am not a citizen of is a long time. That was four thousand and fifteen days in total. That was close to 100,000 hours (or 96360 to be exact!) where we have grown accustomed to the conveniences and life luxuries which were easily accessible to us.
Let me count the ways in no particular order:
- 7-11
There’s nothing not to like about 7-11. They are open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day and they are omnipresent all across the country. So omnipresent that in one street of Bangkok alone, one would be able to find two or even three of them along the same soi. Sometimes on the opposite side of the streets, sometimes on the same side of the streets.
This happens to be the place where the most basics of necessities can be purchased. Cheap. From food and snacks to mini-sewing kits, travel-sized toiletries and disposable raincoats as well as stationery, laundry detergents, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, cigarettes…just name it.
Need a bag of ice? Or batteries? How about paracetamol? Chances are, 7-11 carries it. Straws and plastic bags are free; one would be given a straw for every beverage bought and one plastic bag for every single item, each with different sizes. One can also pay for all sorts of bills here, too!
It also is a place where one can seek refuge from the heat for a little while as the air condition in most if not all 7-11s are on full-blast!
- Massages
Like 7-11s, massage shops in Bangkok are as ubiquitous. From the local massage shops that offer great value to the high-end spas, one will never run out of options to soothe all those aches and pains from a very stressful day at work.
Regardless of the establishment, not all massages are created equal as we knew it to be since the experience varies with the masseuse. Still, I just love the fact that a no-nonsense “clean” massage place that didn’t cost too much was only a stone’s throw away from where I am.
Of course, I had some of my go-to favourites, with Dr Feet being the top of my list. While I had completely missed going to Dr Feet altogether due to time constraint before we left, we made sure that we treated ourselves to the one last massage the night before our departure.
That was probably one of the saddest time of the day that day. That one last foot massage felt nostalgic. Oh! How I love for my feet to be prodded and rubbed at this exact moment without costing me an arm and a leg!
- Manicure and Pedicure
With no shortage of nail salons in Bangkok, there is absolutely no reason not to spare and hour or two every few weeks to get your feet scrubbed and your nails done. At very affordable prices too, may I add!
This was one luxury I miss a lot. Gone are those days when I can treat myself to such relaxation and coming out of the nail salon of my choice with pretty nails. Especially toenails.
- Taxis
At 35 baht (0.90 Euro) flag rate and subsequent increase of 2 baht for every kilometre thereafter, I’ve been spoilt to really easy and cheap access to public transportation.
Never mind that taxi drivers can be a little mad sometimes and unless there’s a bad traffic jam, I hardly ever walked anywhere anymore. Just stick out my hand, and I should be able to get a cab in no time. After all these years, even though there had been talks of increasing the flag rate (and I fully support that), the rate has remained at 35 baht
Otherwise, there was the BTS. With quick, convenient and affordable access to public transport, I was mobile and did not have to depend on anyone to get me from place to place.
- Exotic Fruits
Longans, rambutans, mangosteens, mangoes and lychees! The season usually starts in May to round about August. The fruits can be bought fresh at a bargain from the street side stalls and oh.my.lord! Those fruits were ah.may.zing
Every year I look forward to the season of exotic fruits and every year I would post something pertaining to the fruit season. It was one of my favourite seasons!
- Domestic Help
While finding “the one” can be a hit and miss, home help is generally inexpensive and is quite easy to come by.
It was a big load off our shoulders knowing that the chores in our home were taken care of. We only needed to make sure that we’ve got the supplies stocked up. We need not do the cleaning, vacuuming, ironing and whatnots ourselves!
Plus, having an extra pair of hands to help out with the kids was such a blessing. That was a great thing to have and I sorely missed that.
- Having an office to go to!
Yes, I miss having an office to go to and people to interact with. I can’t believe I’m actually saying this now, but I do miss my desk!
- Mommy Friends & Kids’ Activities
While expat mommy friends come and go all the time making it harder to forge some real friendship, the few expats moms I knew in Bangkok have been a fabulous lot!
The mommy-only meet ups, the occasional get-togethers on birthdays or just because, the weekend playdates…yes, I miss them all! From when I was pregnant to the time that we left, they’ve all been a big part of our lives.
And so were the extra-curricular activities like swimming and taekwondo for the kids. As much as they were for the kids and to keep them occupied, it was also one of those places where we’d meet and catch-up with other parents as well.
- The Toilet Hose
Also known as the butt spray and it’s making to my list!
It’s a small hose attached to the wall of all the toilets I know in Bangkok and at the end of the hose is a nozzle. The nozzle is used to spray your nether region clean (with water) after one is done with your small and big business. It’s a nifty little thing!
The toilet paper will still be used, more so to dry oneself after nuzzling rather than using them to clean. With such hygiene in check, one would be feeling refreshed and all ready to face the world!
10. Gold Class Movie Theatre
Nothing and I mean NOTHING could beat the fabulous movie theatre experience if one is willing to pay just a tad more for a luxurious sofa seat to lounge in while watching a 2-hour movie. In the theatre above located in Central Embassy, there was even a mini fridge next to us where all the beverages in there were free!
Not to mention we were given the privilege to use their special lounge where all the food and refreshments in there were laid out nicely for (free) consumption. It was insane!
So there! Those were the big things and I certainly have my list of things I don’t miss, too! Stay tuned.
This post is also written in response to Stomper Dad’s Taboo Challenge with no use of the words “you” for today’s post. What are you waiting for? Join in the fun and add your link to take part in the challenge!