Post: #1

I'm going to be moving to Bangkok in March, I was wondering if you guys could give me some practical living information. Based on my experience from Paris/Beijing/Shanghai/Phuket, information posted on generic tourist websites are bullshit and don't make sense for someone with our profile.

I want to get a 1BR apartment in a good area, preferably under 15,000 baht.

Preferably Sukhimvit.

I know that passporthustler lived near the Thonglor area and had a decent crib and worked out of a great place:

http://www.thirdplacebangkok.com

Another priority is that I gotta be within walking distance of a muay thai gym...doesn't even have to be a good one because I would just be using it for fitness and not fight training.

I want to keep my entire monthly costs under 40,000 baht.

The following information would be very helpful if you could provide it:

-Specific train stops to live by that would make Bangkok traffic manageable
-Specific areas to live in based on the under 15K Baht price range
-Cheap muay thai gyms in the area
-A place to work out of, such as thirdplacebangkok as listed above

I think vacancier permanent is in BKK now.

Post: #2

(11-01-2010 03:36 PM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  I'm going to be moving to Bangkok in March, I was wondering if you guys could give me some practical living information. Based on my experience from Paris/Beijing/Shanghai/Phuket, information posted on generic tourist websites are bullshit and don't make sense for someone with our profile.

I want to get a 1BR apartment in a good area, preferably under 15,000 baht.

Preferably Sukhimvit.

I know that passporthustler lived near the Thonglor area and had a decent crib and worked out of a great place:

http://www.thirdplacebangkok.com

Another priority is that I gotta be within walking distance of a muay thai gym...doesn't even have to be a good one because I would just be using it for fitness and not fight training.

I want to keep my entire monthly costs under 40,000 baht.

The following information would be very helpful if you could provide it:

-Specific train stops to live by that would make Bangkok traffic manageable
-Specific areas to live in based on the under 15K Baht price range
-Cheap muay thai gyms in the area
-A place to work out of, such as thirdplacebangkok as listed above

I think vacancier permanent is in BKK now.

Bangkok is indeed an awesome place to be based if one is doing business in SEA. I am thinking of relocating here myself and opening up a branch/office for my biz here. That's how good it is here and how impressed I am and I'm quite demanding. I'll be spending the rest of the week apart hunting and going around different areas of BKK. I'll be sure to report in here for you YMG and for anyone else who's interested in coming or relocating to BKK. Yesterday over breakfast at my hotel, I was reading the local English papers and saw ads for fully funrnished apartments for about 10KB. I'm going to get a sim card for my phone today and start calling some places and will report the findings in here.

Sukhumvit is a great area, which is basically in downtown BKK close to the major malls, the nightlife, the gogos and all the other areas of town are very easily reached by the BTS and subway here. As to gyms, that shouldn't be a problem, as they are almost on any street.

Keeping everything under 40K while doable and possible would be IMO not a fun lifestyle. Part of coming to BKK is to actually take advantage of all the fun and activities available. IMO if you really want to live it up you'd need around 60-100K/month. That would include a sick crib for around 20-30K then the rest for living it up, (going to the best clubs, best restaurants and basically havign the hottest girls with you.

Again, I'll be starting to scout the areas for a place to stay for longer term and will report my findings in here.

Can't stress that enough: BKK is an excellent place to base oneself for both biz and living an awesome lifestyle at a fraction of its cost in the West.

Post: #3

-Specific train stops to live by that would make Bangkok traffic manageable

The BTS system is pretty efficient and awesome. Living by most any BTS station will help keep traffic manageable.

I lived right by the Thonglor station and could get most places pretty easy.

-Specific areas to live in based on the under 15K Baht price range


Getting a 1BR for under 15,000 baht shouldn't be a huge problem especially if you're staying for more than a couple months. You just probably wont have a kitchen.

15k got me a place in the 'rich' area of Thonglor. I had friends that lived off of the Victory Monument stop with cheaper places but they weren't as nice.

Cheap muay thai gyms in the area


You should be able to find some gyms.

If you're just doing weights, I've got a spot for you. It's much cheaper than California Wow and much less crowded.

Google this: The Waterford Diamond Tower Bangkok.

They have a gym on the 10th floor. It's great. I think it's Sukhumvit soi 30/1.

A place to work out of, such as thirdplacebangkok as listed above

I've only heard of Thirdplace but I'm sure there are others out there.

Post: #4

(11-01-2010 08:08 PM)Passport Hustler Wrote:  -Specific train stops to live by that would make Bangkok traffic manageable

The BTS system is pretty efficient and awesome. Living by most any BTS station will help keep traffic manageable.

I lived right by the Thonglor station and could get most places pretty easy.

-Specific areas to live in based on the under 15K Baht price range


Getting a 1BR for under 15,000 baht shouldn't be a huge problem especially if you're staying for more than a couple months. You just probably wont have a kitchen.

15k got me a place in the 'rich' area of Thonglor. I had friends that lived off of the Victory Monument stop with cheaper places but they weren't as nice.

Cheap muay thai gyms in the area


You should be able to find some gyms.

If you're just doing weights, I've got a spot for you. It's much cheaper than California Wow and much less crowded.

Google this: The Waterford Diamond Tower Bangkok.

They have a gym on the 10th floor. It's great. I think it's Sukhumvit soi 30/1.

A place to work out of, such as thirdplacebangkok as listed above

I've only heard of Thirdplace but I'm sure there are others out there.

PassportHustler,
Are you in BKK now? If yes, I'd love to meet to get some tips about places to stay and to go and general tips and suggestions. Drinks on me. Let me know man. Also, would really appreciate if you could provide me some solid leads for nice aparts in a good area of BKK.

Thanks man.

Post: #5

(11-01-2010 08:33 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  PassportHustler,
Are you in BKK now? If yes, I'd love to meet to get some tips about places to stay and to go and general tips and suggestions. Drinks on me. Let me know man. Also, would really appreciate if you could provide me some solid leads for nice aparts in a good area of BKK.

Thanks man.

I left a couple months ago.

You can PM me if you want.

If you're thinking 20k-30k for an apartment you're going to find some sick spots. I would say go for the Thonglor area because you're close to all the Sukhumvit action but also next to the upper-class joints like Muse.

Post: #6

(11-01-2010 08:08 PM)Passport Hustler Wrote:  -Specific train stops to live by that would make Bangkok traffic manageable

The BTS system is pretty efficient and awesome. Living by most any BTS station will help keep traffic manageable.

I lived right by the Thonglor station and could get most places pretty easy.

-Specific areas to live in based on the under 15K Baht price range


Getting a 1BR for under 15,000 baht shouldn't be a huge problem especially if you're staying for more than a couple months. You just probably wont have a kitchen.

15k got me a place in the 'rich' area of Thonglor. I had friends that lived off of the Victory Monument stop with cheaper places but they weren't as nice.

Cheap muay thai gyms in the area


You should be able to find some gyms.

If you're just doing weights, I've got a spot for you. It's much cheaper than California Wow and much less crowded.

Google this: The Waterford Diamond Tower Bangkok.

They have a gym on the 10th floor. It's great. I think it's Sukhumvit soi 30/1.

A place to work out of, such as thirdplacebangkok as listed above

I've only heard of Thirdplace but I'm sure there are others out there.

Any suggestions for the means by which I can find a good crib? I've just been doing google and craigslist so far.

As with any city, I feel like I"d be able to find better deals by landing in the city, living at a hotel for a week, and hit the pavement doing some serious real estate searching.

PassportHustler, I was thinking more specifically about muay thai gyms. In Phuket, muay thai gyms are ubiquitous and you can find them anywhere. Did you feel the same about the THonglor area? Regardless I"ll check out that gym you mentioned. How much did you pay?

Post: #7

(11-01-2010 09:05 PM)Passport Hustler Wrote:  

(11-01-2010 08:33 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  PassportHustler,
Are you in BKK now? If yes, I'd love to meet to get some tips about places to stay and to go and general tips and suggestions. Drinks on me. Let me know man. Also, would really appreciate if you could provide me some solid leads for nice aparts in a good area of BKK.

Thanks man.

I left a couple months ago.

You can PM me if you want.

If you're thinking 20k-30k for an apartment you're going to find some sick spots. I would say go for the Thonglor area because you're close to all the Sukhumvit action but also next to the upper-class joints like Muse.

20-30K/month gets a sick spot? Sweet! Can I realistically expect a good deal on a sick place for 1-2 months or only if I were to get into a longer lease of 6-12 months? I'll check the Thonglor area tomorrow.

Thanks again man.

Post: #8

A cool guy I met the other day here in BKK sent me those links for apart hunting in BKK and Thailand in general:

http://www.mrroomfinder.com
http://en.9apartment.com/

And of course for short time hotels, the classic http://www.agoda.com is the place to go for good deals on hotels all around Asia.

Post: #9

VP find a place with 3 bedrooms so I have a place to stay when I get there! hahaha

Post: #10

(11-03-2010 10:10 PM)clr Wrote:  VP find a place with 3 bedrooms so I have a place to stay when I get there! hahaha

When are you coming again? I'm going to hit the beaches for a week or so then back in BKK next friday. If you're in town by next next weekend, we could go scouting for a nice place together.

Post: #11

Hey Vacancier and clr

Let me suggest you a place to stay until you find an apartment.

'Refill Now' is the name. It is in Sukhumvit - a good location for bars and clubs, but very much out of the tourist circuit and with a local athmosphere. It is a hostel, but not your usual kind. I think they call themselves a 'boutique' hostel or something like that. It is by far the most extravagant hostel I have ever seen.

http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/tha...kok/24241/

Post: #12

This time, should be mid november for sure, I am leaving costa rica early next week, a few days in Florida then to Bkk so I'm going to aim for the 12th since its a friday, I have an overnight in Copenhagen. So it could be more like 15th, but no more stalling on my part, I've just been busy building here in Costa rica and havent been able to get away.

Bee, that place looks very nice and at 30 a night for a single... sounds good.

Post: #13

(11-01-2010 11:42 PM)youngmobileglobal Wrote:  Any suggestions for the means by which I can find a good crib? I've just been doing google and craigslist so far.

As with any city, I feel like I"d be able to find better deals by landing in the city, living at a hotel for a week, and hit the pavement doing some serious real estate searching.

PassportHustler, I was thinking more specifically about muay thai gyms. In Phuket, muay thai gyms are ubiquitous and you can find them anywhere. Did you feel the same about the THonglor area? Regardless I"ll check out that gym you mentioned. How much did you pay?

- Yeah, I think the best way to find a good spot (in any city) is to just walk around and start going into apartment buildings and asking. I never used craigslist in BKK.

- I didn't see any Muay Thai specific gyms where I was in the Sukhumvit / Thonglor area. Doesn't mean they're not there though.

- I think I paid 1,500 baht for my gym pass. California Wow wants like 2,400 baht and you have to negotiate like 'hell' with them. The only way we pulled it off for 2,400 was with two people joining. The guy there told us it was 'kinky' deal. ha.

Post: #14

Hey guys,

What's up?

Heading to Asia for the first time. Arriving in Manila 11/20 maybe for a few days and DEFINITELY to Thailand for probably at least a couple of weeks.

That's interesting to hear VP about Bangkok being a great possible hub for business. I've heard its a bit tough to own a business there or be based from there and hire people.. is that true? Read it somewhere sovereignman.com or something perhaps.

Was thinking to start an office in Manila, but I'm going to check out Asia in general.

What are you guys doing for girls? High end malls, clubs, middle of the road.. all of the above?

The business aspect is interesting. I've heard BKK is far more developed than the Philippines. But I'll have to check it all out. Would love to hear your thoughts...

Oh ya Passport Hustler 1500 per month for the gym with weights, ya?

Take it easy..

Post: #15

(11-06-2010 03:40 AM)bluewater7 Wrote:  Hey guys,

What's up?

Heading to Asia for the first time. Arriving in Manila 11/20 maybe for a few days and DEFINITELY to Thailand for probably at least a couple of weeks.

That's interesting to hear VP about Bangkok being a great possible hub for business. I've heard its a bit tough to own a business there or be based from there and hire people.. is that true? Read it somewhere sovereignman.com or something perhaps.

Was thinking to start an office in Manila, but I'm going to check out Asia in general.

What are you guys doing for girls? High end malls, clubs, middle of the road.. all of the above?

The business aspect is interesting. I've heard BKK is far more developed than the Philippines. But I'll have to check it all out. Would love to hear your thoughts...

Oh ya Passport Hustler 1500 per month for the gym with weights, ya?

Take it easy..

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/06/02/...sia-survey

Unless you are getting into the outsourcing business, I strongly suggest you not start an office in the Philippines. The amount of corruption and red tape is pretty obscene. However, BPO (business process outsourcing) is a wildly successful industry there. Understanding this, the government has made it relatively easy to get into that. Here is a blog of a British dude who is doing it already:

http://www.virtualbusinesslifestyle.com/

In Thailand, unless you are American, you are limited to owning a minority stake in any company you decide you start up and register in Thailand. For some reason Americans can fully own companies there.

You should be more specific about what type of business you want to start up. If you have something very specific in mind with a plan, then it would be easier to give you more specific advice. If your idea is "well I like Asia and want to go and start an office there for a business" then you may be failing before you even get started. Different Asian countries can be either godsends or nightmares depending on what exactly you want to do and who you know on the ground.

Why do you want to start a business in Asia? What kind of business will it be and who will be your target demographic?

All things considered, Singapore beats out all other business destinations and it is not even close.

This is a great site with lots of information and comparisons between different Asian countries:

http://business-in-asia.com/

Excellent content, although the design could certainly be better.

Post: #16

Another awesome link YMG you posted. I agree with you that it's very important to have a very specific idea of the type of biz one would like to open in Asia. I for example, I'm thinking of opening an office in BKK and hire both Thai and foreigners there on a commission only basis (albeit extremely generous commission per sale) to sell my membership to people there. Once I return to BKK, I'll consult with a good lawyer about the practicalities of that.

Last week, I was invited at the hotel I was staying in downtown BKK to attend their presentation about their membership which basically provides 2 weeks per year with annual fees of about $100 per year and they were asking $12.8K for it! And what truly blew my mind is that they people were lining up to attend their presentation and buying it like crazy! So I really believe with my own sales force there selling my membership, I'd make some truly serious money this way selling a far far better product at a fraction of the cost of other memberships out there.

YMG, since you are so well versed in the Asian biz topic, any lawyer you could recommend me to meet in BKK?

Post: #17

I'm afraid I do not know any lawyers in Bangkok.

I also agree about your idea that, if you were to open a business there, to hire people based on commission/results rather than hours.

It's been said (I don't know from experience) that employees in SE Asia are, on average, slow/incompetent/unreliable/lazy. Don't quote me on this because I don't know personally. However, friends I know who have run businesses in Thai/Philippines have told me that employees will skip work because:

-Rain
-Headache
-Feeling sad

When your employees work on a commission basis, you really don't have to give two shits about whether they show up at all, as long as they bring in results. Again, I have no clue if what I"ve heard about SE Asian employees is true, it could all be a racist lie.

But when they are in a situation when they only get paid when they bring you dough, you're not losing much when they skip work because venus isnt aligning with the moon.

Post: #18

YMG.. I am familiar with Singapore, and what you mention about Phils applies not only to BPO but anything that is not a "domestic" business as you can run basically tax-free in the Phils (in PEZA zones I believe they are called - must get approval).

Right, as I suspected in Thailand it was a thing where you cannot own 100%, however I am American, so it may not be the same story - as you mention. This is the first I am hearing of this "Exception" however, do you have any links on that?

Singapore is rated #1 on many lists of business destinations, however it is also (more) expensive. HK ranks highly as well.

With an internet business and one who is American and permanently traveling, you may be able to pay 0% taxes keeping profits in a Singapore business, however I'm not an attorney/tax advisor . Problem with that is that you cannot actually have employees and a staff in Singapore.

The Phils has tax breaks for companies who are not "domestic" such as BPO and you can actually hire staff there and pay essentially 0% taxes, but have an office, etc. This is why I consider the Phils.

V.P. you are talking about a timeshare/vacation membership, ya?

Take care.

Post: #19

Did some quick Googling, and here is some interesting info on the Thailand / American Owned Co Exception - especially that it has EXPIRED.. ;/

"American Treaty Companies

Notably, one exception to this rule of Thai majority ownership has been that American citizens have been able to set up an "American Treaty" company majority American owned. This is the result of an old bilateral treaty negotiated during colonial times when Thailand was the only non-colony in the region and the US was an ally, and further held onto during the Vietnam War years when American was an ally against communist insurgencies and a major investor in Thailand.

An American Treaty Company is a little bit more complicated that a regular company, but has been a commonly chosen alternative, and indeed Thailand Guru as done all the processing required to get this status for customers. Since 2004, when the treaty expired, the Thai government has been on-and-off about honoring applications. The plan is to phase out the American Treaty Company option, and revise the laws and regulations as regards foreign businesses, but this has been a slow and bumpy road with little progress thus far."

http://www.thailandguru.com/thailand-com...ation.html

Post: #20

Beep,
Timeshare? Hell NO! Vacation membership? Hell yes and the best there is in the market!

Post: #21

I did say "/vacation".. And who is "Beep"?.. haha

Post: #22

(11-06-2010 10:51 PM)bluewater7 Wrote:  I did say "/vacation".. ;) And who is "Beep"?.. haha

Don't know where I got the beep thing, probably a result of the after effect of waking up with a few drinks from last night...ahahah

Post: #23

(11-06-2010 11:26 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

(11-06-2010 10:51 PM)bluewater7 Wrote:  I did say "/vacation".. And who is "Beep"?.. haha

Don't know where I got the beep thing, probably a result of the after effect of waking up with a few drinks from last night...ahahah

So you find a sick pad yet?