What I like / dislike about Bangkok right now

So, I have a blogger friend who does this once in a while. She only does the like part, but I thought I would add a bit to it.

What I like about Bangkok right now...

1. Cooler weather. The weather this time of the year is really nice. Still hot, don't get me wrong, but compared to summer (so we have been warned) it is really nice and fresh. So we are just to happy to have a change to experience the 'cooler' weather.

2. Our apartment. I love our new place to live. For one, it is all on one floor. See, our previous house, in Maputo, was on six levels. Tooooooo many stairs! Things tend to take less time to do now... Yet it is still very spacious and the kids have their own space to play. Probably my favorite part of it. I will upload some photos once the place looks nice. It still looks a bit barren...


3. Chatuchak Weekend Market! There is about 15 000 stands in this market. They sell everything from fried bugs to kitchen utensils to dogs, cats, snakes, fish.... Just about anything your mind can think of, they have it! It is busy and crowded, but so much fun. I LOVE markets!

4. Suan Lum Night Bazaar. A very clean and organised market. It really is very pretty. This market is more geared for the tourist, so prices are a bit higher. But if you know what the price should be, you can haggle them down. And haggling is a must!


5. MBK. This is like a market, but with the added comfort of being inside a building with aircon! They have everything from clothes, to electronics to crafts to silk items. I love this mall! Everything under one roof! My kind of shopping.

6. China Town. A bit crazy, actually a lot crazy. So so crowded and packed full of stuff. But so interesting. You never know what you will find.


7. Christmas decorations. Their decorations is quite spectacular. There is only about 1% Christians in Thailand, but their decorations is out of this world. Huge trees outside the malls, lights every where. It really is something to behold.


8. Public transport. There is so many options to choose from. Taxi, tuk-tuk, sky train, metro, buses, motor bike taxi, mini bus tuk-tuk. And everything is cheap.


9. Safety. So much safer than South Africa. One can go out late at night, and it's fine.

10. STARBUCKS! They have so many Starbucks here. A little bit expensive for my pocket, but I have the option.


11. The school cafeteria next door. We have an Adventist school next to us, and we go to eat at their cafeteria for lunch. We eat for about $1 each. Now, that fits in so well with my lack of passion for cooking...

12. Sticky rice and mango salad. My friend from Maputo, Karla, (she lived in Indonesia before) told me to try this. It is really good.
How To Make Sticky Rice Mango Dessert (Food & Drink)

13. Parks. Bangkok has the best parks. They are huge and is so pretty. You can ride your bike, jog, paddle on the river, kids can play, or you can just relax on the grass. Very tranquil.


14. Our pool. We have a swimming pool on the 5th floor of our building. With this weather it is the perfect spot to be. And the best part of it is that no one else is ever there, so the kids and I always have it to ourselves.


15. The people. They are so friendly and eager to help/please one. They are very customer orientated. They will go out of their way to help you. And always smiling.

16. The crafts. They have the most beautiful things on sale. Have a look at the photo below, and you will see what I mean. (The photo does not do it justice)


17. My new Ipod Nano 5. Yes, my hubby bought me an Ipod for our anniversary. (10 years) Now I know this is not really limited to Bangkok, but I just had to through that in there...hehehe...


Okey, I am sure I will think of more things when I am done. But for now, let's move on to the things I dislike.

1. The traffic. It is TERRIBLE. It can take you an hour to go 10km. Horrendous!


2. The dust. Oh my goodness! They call it Bangkok Black. Living in a big city this is one of the realities. I can dust and wash the floors everyday. Not that I do....just saying, I can... Man, I miss Vitolda.

3. Noise. Another reality of living in a big city. Also, does not help that we live next to two schools. Each with about 1500 students each. And they have band practice very early in the morning!

4. The beach...or should I say, the lack thereof. Yes, I know. Thailand has beautiful beaches. But not 5 mins away! In Maputo I drove 5 mins and was at the beach. I got very spoiled. So, now we have to drive a while to get to the beach, and I really miss having that option. The kids really love the beach.


5. The malls. Yes I know, I am contradicting myself now. But just hear me out. There are just to many shops in Bangkok. To many options. There is just shop after shop after shop. Coming from Maputo with about 5 shops, this is still a bit of an overload.

6. No sidewalks. The smaller roads have no sidewalks. This makes walking with the kids a bit tricky.

7. No Fabiana. See Fabiana is a Brazilian friend of ours. She was a teacher in Maputo. The kids loved her. And once in a while, she would come and look after the kids and we could go out for a quiet dinner. Miss having that option. Where are the grand parents when one needs them...wink wink wink...


8. Friends. Or the lack thereof. We have made friends with a wonderful couple with two little ones. And we are so thankful for this! But we are yet to make some more friends. Options are a bit limited. The Thai people are very friendly, but they will not embrace one as friends into their house. We are also really missing our good friends we made in Durban and Maputo. The type that will always be like family, does not matter how many miles are between us and how seldom we see each other. Makes one appreciate ones friends!

9. Christmas without family. This will be our first Christmas without family, and that is really sucky! But, we will survive. We will be doing a bit of bonding with our little family here.

10. Concrete jungle. I am still deciding if I like living in a big city. In South Africa people don't live in the cities. So this is still a bit strange for me.

Okey, so good thing that the good outweigh the bad! I know it takes time to get used to a place. And I am sure Bangkok will grow on me, just like Mozambique did. And I will love it by the time we have to leave, and probably not want to go. For now...I am still missing my special Maputo...