Anyone in Bangkok or Singapore?

[OuiOui]

any mumsnetters live in Bangkok or Singapore? My dh has been approached by a company to go to Bangkok and we're not sure about suitability of this location for a young family. We have dd who is currently 14 months and I am now 3 months pregnant. We are thinking negotiating the job over to Singapore (if possible) as this seems more family friendly but having looked on the web there seems to be a really developed ex pat community in Bangkok. Would love to discuss further sao looking forward to hearing anyone's advice.

Pena is in Singapore....

Don't want to worry you but my sil's sil is in Bangkok and advised them not to go this year as they are on major terrorist alert and she has been told not to go out etc rather like Suedonim in Indonesia.

Just got back from travelling around Thailand with my 3 year old dd. Had no problems with security issues (certainly wasn't obvious to us that people had been advised not to go out) and spent a week in Bangkok visiting my ex-pat brother. He spends a lot of time in Singapore too so if you want some direct info ask Tech for my email address and I'll get back to you.

you lucky, lucky, thing, twink! what a great holiday!

Hi OuiOui
My dh and dd (23 mths) just moved to Singapore from Hong Kong at the end of November. Singapore is definitely a good place to live with a young family... and would have exellent hospitals for the birth of your baby if you decided to have your baby here. (But you would want to get your husband's company to stump up for private medical care/maternity care if you wanted to have expat doctors for antenatal care and birth cos otherwise from experience in HK it would be expensive. That said, I imagine Singapore local hospitals are good, but don't know from personal experience and don't know the cost for expats.)
Everything you would want for a young family is here in Singapore - clean, good preschools/playgroups and kids activities (Kindermusik, Gymboree etc). The weather is great, if you chose to live in a flat/condo you would have pool, tennis courts etc in all likelyhoood. I don't know anything about Bangkok I'm afraid... although I'm sure as you have heard that there is a good expat community.
There is a good website which you might try for more info www.expatsingapore.com and you may get info from someone who knows or has lived in Bangkok before or could point you in the direction of more info.
Let me know if you want any specific info re. Singapore. My first early impressions are good (in spite of being v. sorry to move here and missing HK like mad...) and without wanting to make anyone on this board too jealous, on NY's day we have had lovely sunshine, had lunch outside at a cafe and been swimming all afternoon and all ate our tea on our terrace... and then had a huge tropical storm at sundown with thunder and lightening to make the evening cool!

Thanks everyone - looks like we'll be doing a flying visit next week to Bkk - Singapore os totally off the cards. Have done lots of surfing and have an old uni frend whos just moved to BKK with wife and 2 toddlers and they love it!

Hopefully will love it too!
The next bit will be negotiating the ex pat package - anyone have experience of this?

OuiOui - my sister has lived in Bangkok for over 5 years now, with her dp and 3 dds (the last one was born over there). She loves it, but I must say there have been times when she hasn't. Still, she can't face coming back to NO LIVE-IN MAID (how do we Brits cope?). The elder 2 girls go to a very good international school, and as well as having a swimming pool in the ex-pat "compound" where they live which they use every day, they do loads of activities - riding, golf, piano lessons, etc, etc.

There is an organisation called BAMBI (Bangkok Anglo Mothers & Babies International), website www.bambi-bangkok.org/. She is a member and has made some good friends through this.

Hi NQWWW
we're moving over mid March and I've found a nanny through the BAMBI website - I know what you mean about this LIVE In maid thin - we're having our nanny live in and gettingall sorts of perks which seem totally surreal compared to the way we live in London.
Can't wait to spend some quality time with our children (no 2 due in June)