My very first visit to the land of smiles came less than one year ago in June 2004. In just under three weeks I completed a whistle stop tour of the Southern part of this beautiful country spending just four days in Bangkok. Not long after this trip a decision was made to relocate my partner to Bangkok, inevitably, I followed.
After a brief visit in February this year in which we found and moved into an apartment, I left the UK on 28th March. My research prior to leaving the UK indicated that Bangkok was hot, dirty, with dreadful traffic congestion. It also suggested that the people are accommodating, forever smiling and incredibly friendly.

After just six full weeks into my new life in Bangkok, here are my impressions of the city so far…

I left the UK before any real signs of Spring had emerged so I eagerly anticipated the steamy climate - however I was perhaps unprepared for the heat of April in Thailand. It is so hot that after just five minutes outside of an air-conditioned room I felt like a needed another shower. April is the hottest month here so now I have been through the worst I know that the heat is bearable.

Before departing the UK I worked in London which is a city covered in grime. Although some people who are used to more pristine environments may see Bangkok as a dirty place I believe that it is in fact not much worse than London. It is true that there is the general dirt produced by traffic, however, in most places I have seen so far there is an absence of litter as street sweepers are constantly working.

The traffic problems of Bangkok are perhaps legendary, and I admit that it is bad. Again however, taking London as my benchmark, what I’ve seen so far is not as bad as I was led to expect. In London I rarely take a cab because it is expensive and if you get caught in traffic the money in your wallet just melts away. In Bangkok however the taxis are so cheap that I never consider the cost and instead allow plenty of time to get to my destination and then enjoy the air conditioned taxi whilst watching the world alongside the road go by.

Thailand is often referred to in travel literature as the Land of Smiles. This is very true – the people here really do appear to be smiling constantly and after the miserable expressions that cover the faces of most Londoners I am happy to smile too. For the Thais however their smiles often cover what they are really thinking – my broad smile is because of my good fortune at ending up here.

The Thai hospitality, going hand in hand with the famous Thai smile is very clear in the hospitality industry (and by this I am not referring to the bars for which the Bangkok nightlife is famous!). In hotels, restaurants and bars I have mostly found that the staff are attentive and aim to resolve any problems as soon as possible. An example of this is one evening, when out dining with my partner we decided to have steak in a mid range restaurant. My steak came up perfect however my partner prefers his steak rare and it was served over cooked. Within moments the waiting staff realised his dissatisfaction and replaced it with a freshly cooked rare steak just as soon as they could. In the UK I do not imagine receiving the same level of service unless I was in a top class restaurant.

In leaving my life in the UK behind I was concerned that I would struggle to make friends. However, although I have yet to really get to know any Thai person, I have found that groups of Thais will happily accept a couple of Western strangers into their parties. One evening in the Ratchada entertainment complex my partner, a friend visiting from the UK and myself ended an evening dancing and drinking with a huge crowd of young Thai people. It was one of the best nights out I have had in years. In a similar venue in the UK I would expect to be groped and witness a number of drunken altercations at the end of the evening. On this occasion there was none of that despite us all having consumed a large volume of alcohol.

Perhaps the thing most people expect to see in Thailand is the sex industry. It’s an integral part of the culture here and the tourists it brings in contribute to the economy. I have not been to the famous Patpong, only to Nana Plaza but the bars I have seen here do not offend me. They may be offensive to people of a less liberal disposition but I have had some great evenings out in some of the girly bars. I am always very popular with the girls, the sisterhood means I make friends for the night very swiftly! I have frequently ended the evening dancing with numerous invitations to get up round the pole! Perhaps I may do just that when I have been here a little longer!!

Finally, I currently feel very privileged to be living as a guest in such a country. In six weeks I have visited Phuket twice and eaten out at many fine restaurants, something that in the UK I can only afford to do occasionally. Friends back home read my emails jealously as they too wish that they could retreat to a white sandy beach surrounded by azure sea and palm trees with the same ease as I can. Bangkok and Thailand are not perfect, but with the climate and location I can’t say I’m missing the UK and all the “so called” delights of London.