The MOST Difficult Part of Living in Thailand... Traffic, Tourism, Family Life, Healthcare...

[@nam2168nam]

¡Gracias!

[@thebangkokguide]

Thank you for the support! Cheers

[@JohannSiemens85]

Great video man, thanks for sharing this!

[@thebangkokguide]

Thank you!

[@stefanexplores]

Haha I agree that it feels weird to speak to a camera out in public :D Many good anwers here. Thank you, Cal :)

[@thebangkokguide]

It does… aliens would think we are all nuts 😂 Cheers!

[@Mark-yo5ue]

Cal, my experience is that Wise is the most cost effective way to pay for rent in Thailand. No need for a Thai bank account. There is a service charge of about USD $1.25. This Method also has the benefit of ease and speed of service. Wise will send the money almost immediately (is usually), and your landlord can verify funds. Amazing service!

[@thebangkokguide]

Agreed. I’ve used it a lot here as well. Even with a Thai account… just makes transfers very easy and inexpensive! Cheers

[@txg161]

Nice video Cal. Thank you for a very sensible Q & A video. You should definitely do them more often (bi-weekly, perhaps?).. 😃

[@thebangkokguide]

Thanks for the kind words. I’ll definitely add them more frequently. Cheers!

[@LCT-l7l]

I was just in the area last week, back in America but miss Bangkok so much

[@thebangkokguide]

Beautiful area, especially at Christmas time. Bangkok becomes a bit of an addiction after you visit. Cheers!

[@jimmyonthemove]

Absolutely true about speaking on camera. Never mind how you feel, often people give you stink eye; even if just filming and not speaking. Great video Cal, appreciate all the insights. 👊

[@thebangkokguide]

Thanks for the kind words. You definitely have to drop any self consciousness and shame to get better at talking on camera in public 😅

[@panjaneesaraboon8187]

There're more than 100 international school(both us and uk curriculum) in Bangkok and neighboring areas.

[@thebangkokguide]

Yes, quite a few! Huge selection to choose from

[@dino8959]

Another very interesting and informative video Cal , I really enjoy watching from your perspective, I was in Bangkok last Christmas with my Thai wife and our young son , I fully agree with you that Bangkok is a special and amazing place during Christmas time, stay safe mate and merry Christmas to you and your family, cheers from Sydney Australia 🍻🎄🎅🏼

[@thebangkokguide]

Thanks for the kind words. I really enjoy Bangkok at Christmas time! Cheers and enjoy the holiday!

[@Nsk1518]

There are bilingual schools( Thai and English) and trilingual schools (Thai, English and Chinese or Japanese) in Thailand too. For bilingual schools may have many schools (public schools and private schools). For trilingual schools have only private schools. Both of them are cheaper than international schools.

[@thebangkokguide]

Correct. Quite a few different options. I’ve looked at them all 😅

[@mangostickyrice555]

Thumbs up 👍 Cal

[@thebangkokguide]

Thank you 🙏

[@drifteratheart5996]

My thoughts exactly.. put a shirt on a buddy! Ha. Another good vid, Cal. It’s too bad pollution hits in December when the weather is nice. I was thinking mid-Sept to mid-Dec next year but maybe start mid to end of Aug instead. Us Canadians are a bit spoiled when it comes to air quality (crazy forest fires, aside).

[@thebangkokguide]

Yeah. It’s a real cultural faux pas walking around without a shirt here. I agree on the pollution. If there wasn’t pollution then the perfect weather here lines up with winter over in Canada. Just a heads up though that a mid august arrival will put you here in the heavy rainy season in September and October 😅

[@drifteratheart5996]

@ If it rained all day that would suck.. but an hour or two wouldn’t bother me. What would be your pick, Cal, for best 90 day stretch to be in Bangkok?

[@thebangkokguide]

April to June. You get the Songkran holiday which is really incredible and the lower season during early rainy season... but still no pollution. Definitely the best period, unless you are very heat sensitive cause it's hot in April and May!

[@drifteratheart5996]

@ Whoa, I was totally not expecting that answer. I’m more of a cafe type dude so staying out of the heat wouldn’t be an issue. Looked at Songkran vids before and they were wild. I’d be down for that but with goggles on, for sure. Maybe I could pull it off by April? I was thinking next September is so far away. If I can get some things in order, you’re right about low season being a great time. Need to check some boxes here but I’m pumped to work on it for a much earlier trip. Thanks

[@thebangkokguide]

If you want to follow your first timeline, early to mid October through to end of December or mid January would work well too. Definitely pricier and busier in the high season but great holidays with Halloween, Loy Kratong, Christmas and New Years. Great 3 month period there as well!

[@Ryan-hw7qb]

Just missed you on the street! Must of passed you on the BTS. Thanks for the Vlog!

[@thebangkokguide]

Next time can come over and say hello! Cheers!

[@practice4089]

Thanks for not making a mugshot video sitting in your condo for this Q&A!

[@thebangkokguide]

I find my brain works faster while walking 😅 Cheers!

[@omgwth7567]

I say this again & again. 🤔🧐 Cal must be a data engineer! 👍🙏😁🤭

[@thebangkokguide]

I do like data! Cheers!

[@dqrossvideography5134]

Great video, thank you. You've actually answered one of the questions I had about whether we could pay rent on a condo in bkk by paying directly from a bank account located overseas. However, I have one more question. We are frequent travellers to Thailand and are planning to spend roughly 6 months of the year there. It would actually be more economical for us to have a base there rather than find accommodation every time we visit. However we wouldn't always be in Thailand every time the utility bills need to be paid. I usually come for 2 or 3 month then go home for a couple of month etc. Is it possible to pay all your bills with a direct debit from our overseas bank account? or is it possible to get your bills quarterly rather than monthly? On another note, a video I would really like to see if you could involve your Thai partner is ways to make friends with Thai people (outside of bars or clubs which my husband and I aren't keen on). I speak a fair amount of Thai and can hold simple conversations (if they speak slowly lol). I attend regular courses and I have a private tutor so I get practice that way but paradoxically it is quite a challenge to practice speaking Thai and making friends with Thai people when in Bangkok. One of my friends is currently there for 3 months also learning Thai at Duke and he is experiencing the same thing; he is surprised at how very few opportunities he gets to practice what he is learning. Just thought I'd mention it as a possible idea for a future video. Thanks again, this video was really excellent! and good luck for your future plans to become a full time content creator.

[@thebangkokguide]

Good question. You can pay utilities using apps… Thai banks, Metropolitan Electric Authority or even specific condos all have apps. It can be tricky to do international transfers there though as these mostly use bill pay functions. I’ll cover banking in an episode soon. If you have any longer term plans here I highly recommend getting a Thai bank setup. It’s a bit annoying but very doable and makes life a lot easier! I agree on the Thai friends point. I’ll discuss that in a video. It’s an interesting topic! Cheers!

[@pg618]

Been to Thailand seven times returning next Wednesday for my 8th time but I never go in the north in the smoke season. I've never understood why don't they compost the agricultural leftovers instead of burning it?

[@thebangkokguide]

Composting would be ideal. I think it just comes down to efficiency... or laziness. It's a broader regional issue though.

[@JS-ir7wh]

No one is "deleting" holidays in the west.

[@thebangkokguide]

Probably an oversimplification. I find that holidays like Christmas have been largely commercialized while religious connotations have been deleted (religious music and symbols). At least this is true in my home country of Canada.

[@milovee1238]

A number of KZbinrs I follow put out videos explaining to their followers the technical aspects of doing a video. It would be great if you would do the same because the clarity of your pictures and videos is fantastic and no problem hearing you so you solve the sound issues. Overall excellent videos. What camera do you use? What microphone? and any other tips & basics without getting overly technical would be greatly appreciated. The cinematic quality - especially of this video - is spectacular. Please share your “how to's” on how you achieve such professional results!

[@thebangkokguide]

Thanks for the kind words. I currently use a DJI osmo and mic setup. I can link my equipment. Editing is kindof a learning process and I use logic to improve sound. I think sound is one of the toughest aspects of making videos in a city like Bangkok. I’ll make a video about it in the future tho. Cheers!

[@testtor2714]

8:50 when you see someone shirtless in the middle of a city you immediately know he's from the USA.

[@thebangkokguide]

Actually I think that guy was European. Caught a slight accent walking by!

[@vs123]

So good my friend

[@thebangkokguide]

Thank you 🙏

[@timwalker2458]

I need an answer to a question. I have a bit of a cold. Where when and how much would some tissues cost ? The Internet has dumbed people down so much.

[@thebangkokguide]

Just stop in at 711… about a dollar or so! Very inexpensive.

[@peeptbgod7047]

You should online remote teach your kid if you only have one. Save the money and try content full time with freelance work on the side

[@thebangkokguide]

Yeah I thought about it but I feel he wouldn’t get enough social contact… I think I will be able to manage switching over as I have some other side endeavors as well!

[@peeptbgod7047]

@@thebangkokguide With 15k extra a year, you could afford to put him in extra activities that would put him around other people and likely help him with having a hobby or something he's good at.

[@fanpatrick2897]

1st ~air pollution 2nd~ cross the zebra crossing 😂

[@thebangkokguide]

That’s it. Life is easy except that pollution and zebra crossing walk 😅

[@alfred1535]

I hate crowd I guess it's not for me

[@thebangkokguide]

It is a bit crowded. Go to Thonburi area and it’s much more relaxed!