Feb 16, 2013 |
Wat Arun in Bangkok
There’s a lot of reasons why one would choose to live in the Big Mango. Or even the Big Smoke as some would call it.
Thailand is a wonderful country to live in. Whether you want to teach, experience a different way and pace of life, or simply retiring. And maybe you’re working on that international thriller and you need an exotic location. Bangkok is not a bad choice at all to do all of that and more.
Right here in the next following posts, I’m going to show you a bit of the ropes. You’ll find out where to live. Places to eat and find healthy food at affordable prices. Medical care can be a real concern but luckily Bangkok has a lot of well trained international doctors. Whether you want to live in an area that is quiet or a place that is jammed packed with activity. Or perhaps an apartment in between. Which is what I prefer. I’ll point you out to certain sections of Bangkok that are suitable for those accustomed to western comforts and lifestyle.
The great thing about living in Bangkok is that many things which we are accustomed to back in our home countries are more affordable. Though the prices of food and other necessities are slightly creeping up.
But the most important thing is that apartments are very much affordable. And if you have the cash to spend and really plan on living in Bangkok, or anywhere else in Thailand as a matter of fact, you might benefit a lot by purchasing a condominium. Depending on your requirements and comfort level, a condo can be purchased for $65,000USD on the outskirts of central Bangkok.
Houses are affordable too. The only technicality is that foreigners cannot own Thai any piece of Thai soil. But we’ll get into that a little more later.
So stay tuned later on for more information on how you can ease into a life in Bangkok and get around like a true local!
Feb 15, 2013 |
Whenever I go visit my wife’s parent’s home in Nakhom Pathom province I stay at a hotel nearby called Momchailai River Retreat. It’s a nice little resort tucked away in an area packed with rice fields and orchid farms. It’s not that far from Bangkok, about a 1 hours drive when there’s not a lot of traffic. Though it can be hard to find the resorts location so be sure to have their phone number handy.
Though our plan is to build a modest moo bahn (Thai for house) in a few years in Nakhom Pathom province, we always stay at Momchailai in the meantime because it’s a clean place to stay and again, not a far drive at all from Bangkok and her parent’s home.
The resort is a bit unique in that guests may stay on large wooden antique boats that are placed in a large pond. Though there are concrete supports below the boats so you won’t feel any swaying.
Lots of beautiful wooden antique boat houses to enjoy
There are several kinds of boat houses but we usually rent out the 1 decker deluxe. We paid about 2500THB at the time, which is about $80USD.
It’s kind of cool to stay in the boat house which is decked out in traditional Thai style. But the bathroom has this sort of weird capsule like shower room.
It kind of looks like a pod with shower heads placed on top and in front. There’s even a radio with speakers built right in too.
Fair warning – it may be hard to get into the shower pod if you’re over 6ft tall. There’s a picture of it right below. As cool as it looks it has a tight fit.
Shower pod on the boat house I stayed at
There are a lot of shower nozzles and a small area to sit on for a massage but it was too tight of a fit so I didn’t or rather couldn’t take advantage of it.
But to be honest even after a short 5 minute shower I felt claustrophobic.
Boat House 1 Decker
The 1 decker boat house simply has one floor while the 2 decker boat house obviously has 2 floors.
And these boathouses are spacious with nice views of the pong outside. And all of the boat houses have a porch or deck outside to chill out on. Just don’t forget to bring the mosquito spray.
But the folks at Momchailai think of everything beforehand so mosquito repellents are provided in the form of incense burners.
Even bicycles are provided to get around the resort. Though I prefer to walk because the roads are lined with pebbles and rocks which makes it uncomfortable on the ass.
There are also traditional guests rooms too which I’ve also stayed in located in a set of buildings closer to the river. But there’s no river view but you get a cool little porch to chill out on too. The free wi-fi internet access is quite reliable and fast too so a big thumbs up on that.
I’ve stayed in rooms in this building a few times
According the Momchailai resort this is a new building. I would rather say it is newish.
The rooms I’ve stayed in were clean but the mattress are firm and the pillows too. Just like the boat houses there isn’t a room safe so make sure to bring a lock for your luggage if you’ve got valuables.
And there really isn’t a whole lot of amenities. All you’ll get is shower gel and shampoo plus 2 bottles of water. Just the necessities. One real big negative is no wi-fi internet access. Which really blows.
But these rooms are cheaper. I paid about $50 a night.
Yes, if you’re used to staying in hotels in Bangkok you may find that it’s kind of expensive. However, there are not a whole lot of hotels in this particular section of Nakhom Pathom province with western amenities.
So they’ve pretty much got a hold on the market in that particular area.
American style breakfast at Momchailai
Breakfast is included in the room rates as well. There’s 2 choices of breakfast, American style and Thai style.
Thai style is rice porridge is quite tasty and my wife always orders it. To me, nothing beats the good old American style breakfast with eggs and some strips of bacon. The sausage thingie however was a bit weird.
Overall I like Momchailai River Retreat in Nakhom Pathom. It’s not a pretentious type of resort in Thailand. It’s not the type of place where you’ll get pampered, which is what I like.
A great spot to take sunset photos
I really enjoy wandering around the resorts jungle like atmosphere. Whenever I take strolls I can hear the calls of birds and frogs which is totally different then the honks and horns of Bangkok or even New York City.
One other thing I really enjoy about Momchailai seems like it’s never full of guests. I swear, every time I’m there I feel like I’m the only guest. Sure I’ll come across a few others but even then the resort just does not have a lot of customers. And the small parking is never full of cars.
They’ve got a great huge pool and again, every time I am there I am the only person there. It’s probably a good thing since there are only 8 or so deck chairs.
But the swimming pool is huge with plenty of sun and I always enjoy just chilling out there. No poolside service though but that’s okay, I always bring whatever I need to drink with me.
My girlfriend told me that the owner of Momchailai is a relative of one of the past King’s of Thailand. Which is probably why the resort can sustain itself for so long without a consistent flow of guests.
Though I suppose most of their income is most likely derived from weddings. Which would make sense since it is quite a romantic and unique atmosphere for that type of special event.
But even then, just getting out of Bangkok once in awhile is refreshing and a much welcomed change of pace.
Check out my hotel reservation service for some very good hotel rates for Momchailai River Retreat.
Momchailai’s little reception house
