Ah, Bangkok -- the city where road laws are more like suggestions than laws, where the traffic is horrible, the air is polluted, where that Rolex you bought stops working the next day and where a "ping pong show" isn't a game of table tennis. There are many weird and sometimes downright horrifying things we experience living in Bangkok, like being stuck in a taxi with a perverted driver. But despite the many, many things we complain about, Bloomberg's Misery Index (which is a thing, you can Google it) has named Thailand "the least miserable country". In light of that, we've compiled a few reasons why we love living in Bangkok (we are aware we're focusing on Bangkok and not Thailand. We see you rushing to troll us, haters) to remind you to look at the brighter side and forget the fact that the elections are postponed again... Oops.
7-Eleven
It's no secret that 7-Eleven is the bane of our existence as Bangkokians. We rely on it for so much and who can blame us for being lazy when you can find the 24/7 convenience store on almost every street corner and you can basically do everything there? Whether you want to pay your bills, have a late night snack, or pet a soi dog, there's always a nearby 7-Eleven to help you out. Seriously, imagine life without one (the horror of it!). It wouldn't even be Bangkok anymore.
Ridiculously cheap food
We love it when our foreign friends come to visit Bangkok for the first time and we take them to dine out -- literally. They're completely blown away by the street food and the prices -- B30 for fried rice? B50 for pad Thai? For us, though, this is nothing new. We can get a fairly decent meal for less than B100 and although hotels offer an amped up and, well, cleaner version of these beloved dishes, we all know that the best ones are on the street. Even the BMA couldn't do away with street food, which shows that they're really a part of Bangkok whether we like it or not. Sure, eating street food means we risk getting food poisoned, but for B30 for a bamee, how do we say no to that?
Little sauce bags
Sticking with food, take-outs is not an uncommon practice. Whether it's taking it home or just taking it back to the office for lunch, there's usually something that goes along with every take out: the little sauce bags. It's captivating to see the vendor twist and turn that rubber band around that little plastic bag and somehow magically seal it. And it's always so complicated and a tad bit annoying when we're trying to undo that pesky rubber band. But those sauce bags are ingenious. They're inexpensive for the vendors and more reliable than those little plastic containers restaurants use for sauces.
Motorcycle taxis
When foreigners visit Bangkok, they're very keen to try the tuk-tuks, possibly because they think that's one of our main forms of transportation around the city. We Bangkokians know that there's something more reliable than tuk-tuks and their overhyped prices: motorcycle taxis. They can swerve in and out of traffic, which is something invaluable in a city like Bangkok. When running late (which we usually are), it makes us realise just how truly heaven-sent these things are. Not only is it faster albeit less safer, but we also don't face the rejection we are so used to getting when trying to grab a taxi.
Fried bananas
This goes under the street food category, but we wanted to specify these fried delicacies because they're just so darn good and easy to find. You can always spot a street vendor selling these and for some reason they're strangely addictive. Maybe the MSG make them tastier? Nevertheless, we can never resist snacking on these things and we're always compelled to buy them when we see them.
Almost All-year long summer
Everyone complains about the Bangkok heat, and trust us, we do too and for good reason. But think of the alternative. We always hear other people suffering the unbearable cold in cities like New York. In Bangkok, while the sun may mercilessly beat down upon us, we can easily run into a mall (something Bangkok has a lot of) for AC and cover. Plus, an all-around summer means there's never a bad time to go to the beach, which is something people in other countries would kill for!
Being late at the movies
In many cinemas around the world, being late for the movies means you miss the first few minutes of a movie. In some, it means you have no seats and if you're watching a blockbuster film like Black Panther, it means you're going to be standing for an hour and half clutching your popcorn and drink. Not so here in Bangkok! Not only do you get reserved seats, but with the crapload of trailers and ads that are lined up before the movie, you've got a good 15-20 mins after the designated showtime before the actual film starts playing. You see, even the cinemas operate on Thai time. We haven't even mentioned those VIP seats with reclining chairs and blankets, which are basically beds.
Being saluted by guards
It's pretty cool when soldiers and policemen salute heads of state or people of important stature. We bet they feel oh-so-important (which they are) and their egos get a bit of a boost (which they need). It also kinda sucks knowing that we mere mortals will never have the luxury of knowing how that feels. Well, except for those of us here in Bangkok. Walking into malls like Terminal 21 and EmQuartier and you'll find yourself greeted with a salute by the security guards. Even the guards checking the bags at BTS stations give you a salute after they've peered through the contents of your bagpack, while ironically letting a dozen people with bags enter unchecked. Does that simple salute give us a bit of an ego trip? Admittedly, yes. But it's also nice when you give the guards a simple smile or nod and they smile back because they've been saluting people who have been ignoring them for hours.
