Boogie in Bangkok

IF SOMEONE were to say: "Welcome to Krungthep-Maha Nakorn-Amorn Ratanakosindra-Mahindrayudhya, Mahadilokpop Noparatana Rajdhani Burirom-Udom Rajnivet Mahastan-Amorn Pimarn Avatarn Satit- Sakkatuttiya Vishnukarm Prasit!" You will know that you have arrived in Bangkok, Thailand. Apart from having the world's longest capital city's name in the world, it is also one of the most exciting places in Asia to visit; and stay.

Getting in

One way to get to town from Bangkok's Don Muang Airport is the airport bus. Its fast, efficient, well run, easy to use, cheap (70baht), comfortable, air-conditioned with space for luggage. With a frequency of 30 minutes from 5am to past midnight, it is convenient. Look for stops at the South end of terminal 1, the South end of terminal 2 and the North end of the domestic terminal. The drivers are nice and will oblige you by stopping anywhere on the route if you are polite about it! When you want to leave you can stand at an Airport Bus Stop anywhere on the route and make the trip back to the airport. Like all tyred traffic the busses are subject to the horrendous Bangkok traffic so allow yourself lots of time (up to two hours!) to make the trip. The cheapest way downtown is by the train which will set you back as little as 35bhat for the express or as much as 60bhat for the super fast which is still less than the bus. Taxis will kill you at 200-300bhat and may take forever if you take the land route. The expressway will mean a charge of about 60bhat more but its worth it unless you really enjoy watching black gouts of smoke from a superannuated relic of the crimean wars getting sucked into your taxi's air intake!

Prima facie

What strikes you on first arriving is that the place is a lot like Old Hyderabad in its attitude to life. Its laid back, relaxed and unhurried. It's cheap (except in the places where foreigners go most often) and you won't get totally fleeced. The people are extraordinarily polite, bowing and greeting your every comment with a smile and a genuflection as it were. Only, however if you are equally respectful and respectable. Despite the modern buildings and vibrant-looking economy, English is not a language that is widely understood. Sometimes it gets quite frustrating trying to get around if the only international language you know is English. However most people who you will work with will know the language, and much of the business is done in that language, though they might not speak it well. The place is safe most of the time except, as anywhere in the world, in places where there is a preponderance of drug usage, and certain sleazy tourist hot spots.

Having lived in many parts of the world, I must confess, that in places where there is a wide rich/poor divide, Bangkok is one place where the safety factor is one of the highest. Most of the people are Buddhist, and many men spend a year or two as a monk before entering the mainstream of life and career. Some may become a monk in mid-career, only to get back to the grindstone after their sabbatical. To be successful in anything in Thailand, you have to remember that restraint, patience and dignified behaviour are paramount in any interaction. To lose your temper, to show irritation and to look and dress with careless abandon and to be slovenly is an open invitation to be treated with indifference bordering on contempt.

Living it up!

Living in Bangkok is great but it largely depends on how deep your pocket is! If you work in the Silom/Sathorn area, you could look for places in the neighbourhood since getting to work will be the least of your hassles. There are a number of expats living here, so there are a huge number of outlets that cater to foreign tastes. However its expensive, it can get seriously unbreatheable and if you have a car you'll hardly ever need to change tyres because the car will hardly move in the traffic! If you are looking for a house though, this is not the place since this place is a high-rise area, almost entirely given over to flats.

Sukumvit and Phloenchit are other expat areas but with the same problems as those detailed in Silom. The North-eastern suburbs are quite easily the most comfortable to live in, since the area is (relatively) pollution free and there are nice houses in clean colonies to live in. Bangkapi and Minburi are blessed with great malls, access to the expressways, so the distance from Downtown (20km) doesn't seem impossible (except in the evening!)

Bang Na, Sri Nakharin and Sukhumvit areas in the South-eastern suburbs are popular because it's a whole lot cheaper than anywhere else but it is rather far away and you should either work nearby (unlikely) or give yourself more commuting time.

To work in Thailand you should have a work permit. Despite seeing a lot of people from the home country, don't be fooled. These are all citizens and speak better Thai than Hindi, Tamil or Punjabi. Many of them are fourth or fifth generation Thais of Indian origin. Do not be surprised to meet a turbanned Sikh called Asa Srimanothip. Most Thais of Indian origin have adopted Thai names, legally, and they will look upon you as a foreigner! So if you are going to work in Thailand, then your employer must have applied or be in the process of applying for a work permit, and you should have the appropriate entry visa. Make certain you have a contract to work before you come. Many Indians work in Thailand in various fields be it with the International agencies or with educational institutions.

Food for Thought

Westerners find it tough to eat out all the time, but aside from Shanghai and Taipei, Bangkok is the only place I have been to where people seem to be always eating. Sometimes its hard to believe that there are people who go hungry since everybody looks so healthy and well-fed. If you care to eat at the local eatery instead of the ritzy air-conditioned places, you may actually end up spending less on your meals than if you were to cook for yourself. The local food can get a little spicy, and the place is not great for vegetarians since everything tastes faintly of fish! However, if you are vegetarian and can cook for yourself, you will get everything you need for the fixings of an Indian meal.

Pocket Power

You certainly need money, lots of it, to survive in Bangkok. You can pay as much as 50,000bhat to stay in a high-rise glam condo in the Sukhamvit business district. The rent would include complete furnishing with two bedrooms and access to a swimming pool. You could pay up to 15,000bhat for a double storied house in the suburbs. Of course the big places will go up to 50k bhat. Single room apartments will cost between 3-8000bhat with air- conditioning and can get as low as 1500-2500bhat for a non air- conditioned place. Your electricity charges will range from 6,000bhat for the high air conditioner use houses to 200bhat places where you use a fan only when you get home. Water costs and can set you back as much as 800bhat for high use or be as low as 100bhat for modest usage.It will cost you about 1500 bhat per month if you eat out three times a day and patronise the local eatery. If you cook at home it can cost you anything up to 10,000bhat a month or as little as 4000, but, either way, do note that it's a lot more expensive than eating out! If you have a family then perhaps eating at home would be cheaper, to cook for only one, is an avoidable expense.

Road Blocks

Bangkok traffic is hideous and most foreigners are bald because they've pulled out their hair in frustration and angst! Don't get yourself a car till you get transferred to Ayuthya or Chiang Mai up North where you can actually drive in top gear! Parking is expensive and difficult to find so travel by taxi if you must and by bus if you can. The sky train is fast but is not widespread. You will be broke if you use taxis all the time so familiarise yourself with bus routes. There are no English signs on the busses so you need to memorise the bus maps! Motorcycles taxis like those in Goa are available but involve risk, terror and choking pollution. Very few people speak English, and its wise to carry your destination address with you written in Thai so you can get where you want to go. Taxi-boats run the river and some canals and can be a convenient way of getting around, but try not to fall in, the water is vile!

Those of us from towns like Gwalior, Hyderabad and other mufussil places who are familiar with the tempos that are the main means of transport there, will find the `tuk-tuks' a close comparison. However, unless you have the constitution of an ox and are immune to pollution avoid taking a ride in these death traps! Anyway they cost as much as a taxi so choose to travel in air conditioning rather than by these contraptions!

All that glitters

First off, Bangkok will impress you with beautiful modern high- rises and evidence of many more coming up in what seems to be frenetic activity. If you stay on for sometime you will see that these unfinished buildings will remain unfinished! Many of the lovely looking buildings are not useable, they are only glass- fronted skeletons! This is because real estate speculators in the late nineties ran out of money when they discovered they would never be able to recover their investments from the building they were constructing as there was already a glut of office space and commercial property. The upside is that you will be able to hire classy office space very reasonably!

So How Much?

You can see that the Thai bhat is not too different in value from the Indian Rupee, but the comparison stops there. Rentals are higher, transport is costlier (though sometimes of better standard) food is about the same, and services cost more. To be comfortable you need to earn at least 40,000bhat per month so that you can consider sending money home. This may mean no air conditioning, and slap-up meals in ritzy restaurants. With the same income in India, you would probably live more comfortably, but getting a job that would pay you that well would be a little more difficult at home! A salary of 100,000bhat would make you very comfortable indeed! Bangkok is beautiful, and even if you do die of pollution related illnesses, you will die happy since its a great place with wonderful people, only be certain that your employers are not night flyers and that they have all the required permits to allow you a hassle-free stay!

S. RAMANUJACHARYA

professor1@sify.com