My two-year stint in Bangkok comes to an end
Two years of recollections, two years of curious happenings, two years of my life complete. My time in Bangkok has come to an end and as I sit here with 24 hours remaining there are memories, dreams and reflections floating through my head.
What great plans I had for my Thailand experience. I had it all mapped out on a copy of Lonely Planet. I was to be five days in Bangkok followed by a seven month journey around Southeast Asia which would eventually take me to Australia. Of course, none of that ever happened, and five days turned into two years, but I have no regrets.
Where else would have been able to experience my first coup? I certainly wouldn’t have met a pop group made up entirely of ladyboys if I’d chosen to live somewhere else. I’d never have been there when the bombs went off in Bangkok on New Year’s Eve. I wouldn’t have been able to join the democracy protesters when they marched from Thammasart and I would have regretted not seeing those thousands of people converged on Sanam Luang singing Thaksin’s praises recently.
Apart from those events I kind of fell into a teaching job for a few months (me?! A teacher?!), I wrote a weekly column in a magazine for a year, had a brief stint on a business newspaper, spent eight months with a large, international internet company, eventually found the job I’d wanted for some time down in Phuket with a newspaper, and met some really great people along the way.
Cynical people and those unsure of their own achievements say that Bangkok is a city for losers who can’t make anything of themselves back home. They say that Bangkok is a place where foreigners can live a sort of lavish lifestyle unattainable to them in the West. Well, I’d like to tell you all that that’s BS. I don’t party half as much as I used to in the UK, I have far fewer clothes, I know less people, I earn a fraction of the money I did, and I don’t live in as decent an abode. Having said all of that, I don’t feel like a failure. I’ve achieved what I set out to and after another year in Thailand I will be moving on once more. There’s no reason why Thailand has to be a dark spot on your life.
Two years, man, two years. I don’t know if and when I will be able to visit Bangkok, but I am certain that this job in Phuket will be my last in Thailand unless something worth my while shows up at the end of it; we’ll see. Thanks for the memories anyway.
Techno' tags: Thailand, Bangkok
I know this is cliche but your Bangkok life experience will definitely be quite a story to tell your grandchildren next time!
:'( *sniff*
Looking forward to a year of Phuket blogging!
Talk about pressure. You'll have me to thank/blame if things don't work out down South. Good luck, and I am sure this is just the start of another amazing chapter in your life.
Its like an end of an era
Now this is YOU! This is you dude, writing your heart out!
A lot of people have seen Bangkok. But not the way you did. :-)
Oh, gosh. I'm sorry to hear you are leaving there… but hope Phuket will be interesting for you as well. Don't forget about Isaan. Are you going to spend some time there, too?
~Chani
You are a really good writer; and your blog is lovely. Wherever you go, from now on, I wish you achieve and are happy with whatever you are going to do in the future.
I think this is the right time to leave Bangkok.
Congrats on your job in Phuket! I'm sure life down there will be better than Bangkok. Agree with most of what you said about working in Thailand but there is still a stigma attached to any mention of a prolonged stay in Bangkok, or even Thailand. Not really fair and in most cases probably not justified, but it's there.
Anyway, best of luck down there and hope you keep recording your experiences right here.
BTW, "one more year" nearly always turns into ten and then a lifetime in Thailand. Cheers!!
And just as I am about to come home for a visit, you have to run off to Phuket…
…wait a minute…
;)
Well, I'm sure one of these days we shall meet in person, Matt. Good luck in Phuket!
I'm always late on everything. It seems everyone is leaving this year.
In my case, I think I've seen enough of it. I think that if I stay a couple more years, it will be 5 years and that will quickly turn to 10!
I still hope we can enjoy a beer before we all go our own way. I will be around for 5-6 months.