Any advice/tips for someone moving to Bangkok?

[aticus]

Hello, folks! :)

I may be moving to Thailand for at least a year, and was wondering if there were any kind PExers who could help answer some of my questions regarding the move.

Any advice on how much cost of living per month might be? I'm a simple guy, and I don't drink, smoke or party at night. How much do you think I'd need to get by?

Are there any things I need to know about my move that might surprise me? Laws? Cultural things? Anything else?

Any and all information/advice would be very greatly appreciated. :) Thanks! :D

[spiteri]

My bestfriend lived in Bangkok for 3 years and all I can say is.. mura sa Thailand! Mura food, thats for sure! You can actually buy ready-to-cook steak in the groceries for about 100 baht. And if youre shopping for things for your apartment, go to Chatuchak. Its their version of Divisoria, but opens only on weekends. One thing about Thailand though, not everyone speaks English. So my friend kind of had a hard time communicating with the locals. Itd be good to try and learn the language. Mahirap nga lang daw aralin accdg to my friend.

[aticus]

Originally posted by spiteri
My bestfriend lived in Bangkok for 3 years and all I can say is.. mura sa Thailand! Mura food, thats for sure! You can actually buy ready-to-cook steak in the groceries for about 100 baht. And if youre shopping for things for your apartment, go to Chatuchak. Its their version of Divisoria, but opens only on weekends. One thing about Thailand though, not everyone speaks English. So my friend kind of had a hard time communicating with the locals. Itd be good to try and learn the language. Mahirap nga lang daw aralin accdg to my friend.

Thanks! :) Does your friend have any other tips? I've been to Chatuchak before, but may I know how much the furniture and stuff might cost? :)

[capsdonna]

I hope this (http://m-maitland.tripod.com/index.html) and this (http://www.ethailand.com/) help.

They say it's easy to get along with Thai people. All you have to do is relax, respect the other person and... SMILE!

I can't give you answers to all your questions, but I think it would be helpful if you hooked up with a Filipino community there. This move is incredibly exciting, but sometimes you need all the familiarity you can get. I have a friend who lives the same lifestyle you do -- no drinking, no smoking, just good dinners and a lot of hard work! I am definite she will be more than happy to help you out. She's a good soul. She and her Pinoy group (she met them when she relocated to Thailand last year) meet every week for dinner and go to Mass together, if I'm not mistaken.

If you do decide to get in touch with this Pinoy group, let me know so I can tell them about you.

Good luck! ;)