Long shot but are there any MNetters living in Bangkok? Advice please ... may be relocating there ...

[greenday]

If there are, I would soooo grateful if you could give me your thoughts .. on anything and everything really.

My DD is 4 yrs and just started reception. My DS is 1 year so no problems for him.

I was wondering too about schools for DD - checked on internet and found Topsy Turvy International school (British School of Bangkok) and Bangkok Patana School.

Do you have any experiences, thoughts or recommendations on schooling?

How's the expat community like?

Much appreciated!

There's a lady called mangolassi who's occasionally on the From Our Own Correspondent thread. She lives in Thailand and maybe able to advise

Thank you MS - I shall look out for her.
Reading her name, I actually fancy a mango lassi now! Slurrp!

I have never lived in BK but I do know it reasonably well.

It is charming and vibrant but I don't think anyone would ever describe it as beautiful.

The traffic situation has improved since they put the train system in, but the city is still vast and crowded so I would recommend living close to the school you choose.

www.asiaxpat.com has a forum for people in BK and you should be able to get advice about schools there. As a general rule, British International Schools in Asia tend to be excellent (I have friends with children in the ones in Shanghai, Singapore and Hong Kong). Expat parents are evidently fairly demanding clients and you'd get pretty short shrift if you were a bad teacher there.

Reading the Bangkok Post and The Nation online should give you a bit of a feel for the place. If you go out for a go-see, stay at the Peninsula. People who haven't been to Bangkok since the 1960s always tell you to stay at the Oriental but it's a run-down dump.

Bangkok is a great place to live. The only downside to expat life is that you lose friends as they move back home or to other countries.

My children where too young for school when we lived in BKK and I found this organisation really useful. It could still be a good way for you to meet people (and find a maid). This is where I found out about Mumsnet and my life hasn't been the same since! www.bambiweb.org/

My knowledge is out of date I left in 2003, but if I was going out for a go and see trip with children I would stay in a serviced apartment rather than a hotel. Expats also live at these locations so you will get to meet people around the pool.
www.presidentpark.com/
www.bangkokgarden.com/

This place is on top of a ritzy shopping centre, next door to a park and with a train station. www.emporiumsuites.com/index.html (I lived within walking distance of here.)

Lots of time can be lost in commuting. I would find out where your husband will be working and see if there are schools and other services that suit you in that area.

When I lived in BKK, Patana was very popular but it seemed a long way out to me. Children were doing very early morning commutes in the school bus, or people lived close to the school in sort of enclaves. Neither appealed to me and I would have been happy to send my children to a school closer to were we lived.

However, if your husband is working in a 'remote' part of BKK you may prefer to have a supportive community around you.

Living close to a Skytrain station is a good idea. The traffic and flooding can sometimes leave you stranded. I have been told that the metro stations are in strange places, but that is just heresay.

www.bangkokguideonline.com/

A link to some schools.
www.soho-properties.com/bangkok_international_schools.php

Thank you VERY much Sidonie and 9dragons for your suggestions - and thank you for the links and suggestions of where to stay. They are so useful!!

Hi, I lived in Bangkok and know it very well. The weather is very warm, traffic very congested, food very good As far as expats are concerned, there is a big expat community and there is plenty to do in Bangkok. Finding a home isn't so difficult, but I would move close to the school that you choose. You can get everything (almost0 that you be able to find in the UK, so don't worry about that. Have you ever been to Asia before?

HI TopBitch,
I was born and lived in Singapore - so I know Asia pretty well. I've been to Bangkok twice and loved it, but that was long ago, and besides, holidaying there and living there so different, ifywim. I've lived here in UK for quite some time now, enough to feel rather nervous and excited about moving back to the far east. And of course, with DCs, its a completely different ball-game altogether! Thank you for the reassurance!

Quick question - Are there lots to do with children in the city? Is Bangkok child-friendly? Are there many green areas at all?

Thanks!!!

Finding green in Bangkok is quite tricky....If you're looking for a park, I'd say go to lumpini (near BTS stop Sala Daang.) It has an exercise area and a library inside it and it's a good place for bike riding, ball playing, picnicking. Try and forget the huge road just outside the park.

I find bangkok (Thailand in general) to be very child friendly. I have a dd with sn and they are particularly lovely and understanding with her.

What do your children like to do?

TB - it is lovely to hear that the locals are wonderful and understanding with your dd. I think Bangkok is very much like S'pore - a hustling and bustling concrete jungle.

Sidonie - I checked out Bambi website and it's great! All the info there were so useful!

x

There is a fantastic chldren's museum with a play area in a park just oppposite. forgotten the name but you should be able to google it! Have a great time