My new view

Finding a place to live in Bangkok is a pain in the ass.

But after a week of walking the sweltering streets and dodging the stray dogs, I found an apartment that for less than the cost of the A One Guesthouse, is about four times as big, has a separate bedroom, kitchenette with microwave, bathtub, and a modest view from the fifth floor. It was no easy task, though.

The problem is that unless you want to spend 30,000 baht ($750) or more, nothing is advertised. Very little is on the internet, and nothing is in the classifieds. So I figured I’d take the Skytrain to Sukhumvit, and walk the sois. And walk I did. I started at soi 1, and made it to soi 40. All I found were four bedroom apartments, and condos. The next day I picked up where I left off, and made it to soi 70. More huge apartments and condos. Bangkok sure has some nice condos. I only want a place for a month, though.

So plan B. I contacted a real estate agent, and told them what I wanted. Of course unless you want to spend 30,000 baht or more, they will laugh at you.

The most valuable resource ended up being the message boards on ajarn.com, a website for English teachers in the Big Mango. Even that had little relevant information, beside complaints about how difficult it is to find an apartment, but I found a few leads on serviced apartments.

I checked out four places, and not surprisingly, found that the further from the “center” (Bangkok doesn’t really have a center) you go, the more you get for your money. So I ended up at the PMansion (http://www.pmansion.com), 5 km past the end of the Skytrain. It seems nice enough. And it’s not like I’m staying here forever. Just a month or two. It costs 10,500 baht ($263).

So what next? I’m not sure. Now that I’m not in a touristy area, it quickly became apparent that Bangkok can be a lonely place if you don’t speak Thai. So I think I’ll work on that.