life is good Archives - Everywhere Abroad

If you’ve never heard it “Same same, but different” is a catchphrase used all over Thailand, it is used in many different ways mainly jokingly by Thais and foreigners. It means “similar” and can relate to the selling of original designer bags or even different food items at markets. You might ask a question and get a “same same, but different” or a simple “same same” as an answer and that should be sufficient. Today we’ll talk about Bangkok, a city full of endless food options, touristic attractions, nice people, etc… a metropolis like many others, SAME SAME, BUT DIFFERENT.

Bangkok! You might think of Bangkok and not like the sound of it, never looked into it as a destination or did not enjoy it while you were there. We completely understand, Bangkok takes some time to love and if you do not spend enough time in the city chances are you will not like it. It is not a city to visit for 1 or 2 days and only do the touristy activities. There’s so much more to discover once you enter the local life and distance yourself from the tourists. Bangkok is the world’s most visited city for the past few years which hosts more than 22 million visitors per year.

After spending 1 month in Bangkok we learned and experienced the Thai culture at its best. Location is important if you’re looking to get the real experience, this is why we chose our airbnb to be outside of the city center and tourist areas to a local neighborhood where we had accommodations that we knew we would need for our 1 month stay. The location of the apartment complex was a 3 minute walk to the Skytrain (BTS) and 5 minutes from the grocery store and other local shops and restaurants. Amenities included a gym, pool, co-working space, barbecue area, and cinema room that we shared with locals on a daily basis.

Being mingled with the locals allowed us to get to know them, see their daily life, and although communication was very little because of the language barrier the Thai people for us are some of the most wonderful human beings. Always smiling, willing to help, funny, hardworking, patient, down to earth, diverse, and will not judge anyone for their religion or sexuality.

We ate the street food, we ate where the locals ate, we grocery shopped at the neighborhood store, we walked (a lot) through many local neighborhoods, took the BTS, rode the local bus, and went to the markets; all this and although most times we were the only foreigners at certain places we always felt welcomed and safe.

Bangkok is a city that never stops and there is something for everyone from luxury malls, temples, nightclubs, red-light districts, markets, rooftops, and lots of entertainment for kids. We also visited many of the tourist attractions and many temples but I think what we enjoyed the most was the food and the people.

Below are some of our top local things to do outside of the normal tourist attractions in Bangkok:

Take a water taxi on the Chao Phraya River: affordable way to move around Bangkok through the river and get a different view of the city. If you go visit Wat Arun (temple) chances are you will have to cross the river to get there.

Ride the BTS: very impressive skytrain, we used this all the time to avoid traffic and save on transportation. The stations and trains are very well maintained, helpful staff, easy to get around, and very very clean.

Muay Thai: you’ll see Muay Thai advertised all over Bangkok, but do not go for those boxing matches if you want an authentic experience. You might end up paying for a fake match. Many tourists don’t know this but on Sundays at the Channel 7 Stadium there is free entrance for everyone. The action starts at 2:30pm but we suggest you get there early to grab a spot on the stands as it is on a first-come, first-served basis. The air-conditioned stadium has section for tourists but most are locals. We liked it so much we went back another Sunday. The excitement is so contagious that even if you don’t know what is going on or know the fighters you will end up shouting like the locals! You will also see the locals making their bets. This is being broadcasted live all over Thailand and you might be on tv (as we were), so it is important for the Thai people to look presentable at these fights. No shorts and you have to wear a polo shirt, that goes for both men and women. If you don’t remember this, you can borrow clothing from the ladies outside the stadium for a small fee.

Rooftops: Bangkok has so many rooftops its hard to decide which one to go to. Most people will want to go to the famous Sky Bar where some scenes of the movie Hangover Part II were filmed. We skipped this one as we feel it is a bit overpriced and not worth it with so many others around. We ended up going to Above Eleven and Red Sky. Both of these have very nice views of the city and great selections of food and drinks.

Eat grill cheese sandwiches from 7 eleven: these are so tasty, all you have to do is bring the sandwich to the counter and they will grill it for you.

Jay Fai: Make a reservation ahead of time to go try some of the delicious plates of the Michelin starred queen of street food.

Phetchaburi Soi 5 – is an authentic street food area. Here you’ll see many locals picking up their dinner on their way home. There are endless options of foods, coffee, fruits, and dessert to enjoy. We did not see any tourists on both occasions that we went. In this area we found the best Pad Thai we had in Bangkok! Delicious and cooked right in front of us. We’re not sure of the name of the place in English but below is the picture of the sign located in the heart of Phetchaburi Soi 5 (name of the street) in case you want to try it!

Ratchada Rot Fai Train Night Market: Bangkok has many markets and this one is one of the best out there! Authentic food, cool atmosphere, drinking, and shopping all make for a very good time! Open only from Thursday – Sunday from 5pm on.

Remember to visit our Instagram highlights @everywhereabroad to see more of our daily experiences in Bangkok.

That’s right, this is what many of our close friends, colleagues, followers on Instagram, Facebook and some family think of us. And how can they not think this? Of course, they can think this because it’s already six months of experiences around the world that many have had the opportunity to follow through social networks where we try to share our adventure with photos and stories of everyday life, full of countless experiences, new friends, places, meals, etc. All and many more things that we have enjoyed since May 20, 2019; that day 20 where we were scared on a plane, sad to leave our families for a long time, but at the same time excited to experience in our own flesh what we dreamed about and what we prepared for well in advance. Anyway, the answer is NO, we did not win the lottery and this post is to share a bit of how we got here and why we made this decision. Some may feel identified and partly inspired, perhaps others will not, either way, we are happy and happiness is also for sharing.

We are a couple both over 30 years of age (Santi 35 and Ingrid 33) and with many common interests. We are two immigrants that have lived in the United States and come from humble and working families and where we both went a long way to get our University degrees with a lot of effort. On the other hand, we have worked since we were 17 years old and it was there both at work where we met many years ago and where without realizing it, we have been preparing little by little with decisions that today bring us here. Finally, it is worth mentioning that we also have our families that have always supported us in each of our decisions that, however crazy they may seem, we agree that when happiness is sought, we must always move forward. Yes, we are two ordinary people and here we are.

What if I leave everything to travel for a while? There were many days that this question passed through our heads, that question that the majority ask yourselves at some point in your lives, a question full of hope, but at the same time full of fear. How can I afford it? How am I going to do it? So you tell yourself you can’t, fears and more fears. One of the key factors is being able to afford it. Of course, it is the financial aspect that prevents many from making a decision of this magnitude. We are not the exception, there were many discussions and we put on the table the pros and cons to achieve this trip and there were also many times that financial matters also filled us with fears, but this did not stop us and in the end we understood that the most important thing is to make the decision. – “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” – Paulo Coelho.

Society on the other hand seems to want to impose the steps of our lives and we must be very careful. You are 22 years old, where is your university degree? You are 30 years old, have you gotten married yet? You are 35 years old, where is your house and your children? etc. It is these questions that in one way or another also stop us or fill us with fears when trying to make a different decision from what society expects. This cannot be an obstacle because you have to understand that we all have different priorities and that in the end you are the only one responsible for choosing what makes you happy.

It is clear that we did not win the lottery and much less that we are millionaires to have been able to do something like this. But how could we afford to do it then? Without going into much detail because we want to write another post regarding this, the response from us is the following: Working hard and organizing day-to-day priorities. In the United States it is common, for example, that each person has their own car. Three years ago we asked ourselves if this was necessary and analyzing our situation, we realized that it was not. This decision helped us not only to save but it also became one less responsibility for us in the long run. Do I need the last cell phone that came out? Do I need that pair of shoes? Do I need that designer bag? Do I need to go to the most expensive places to have a good time? Do I need to travel with luxuries to enjoy the world? Do I need to do something every weekend? Our answer to these questions is NO. Maybe you’re reading this post and have different views and believe me, we respect that 100%, but for us this mentality is what has brought us here and that is also to be respected.

Did you leave your jobs? Yes, we did. Are you both crazy?? Are you not afraid? Yes, we are, but that won’t stop us. And why are we not afraid? Well, just think about what we already wrote above; we have been working since the age of 17 and we have come from struggling families who have come forward with a lot of effort so continuing to fight does not frighten us. Afraid to start over? No, we will still have to work the rest of our lives regardless, so why not take a break if we are not affecting anyone. In the end there are many who choose to buy a house or cars, have children, or live a life full of material things. It is worth clarifying once again that we respect this 100% since from our personal point of view these decisions also require a lot of courage and financial effort. These are the same decisions that we may not have taken yet, but we are aware that the time will come. In short, we are all people who fight every day, people with different life projects and people who make great decisions without sometimes measuring the magnitude of what we are capable of. Apparently, we all have more in common than we think, and in the end, it seems that we all won the lottery and we have not told anyone!

Remember to follow us in Instagram & Facebook for more on our travels around the world! @everywhereabroad

Tag: life is good

Same same, but different. Bangkok!!

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We won the lottery and we didn’t tell anyone!

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