Justin-Klein.com – Life of a Traveling Programmer

Nailed within seconds of leaving the safety of my hotel.

Songkran, or Thai New Year, is essentially a three day nation-wide water fight – though that hardly even begins to do justice to this most unusual and spectacular event.

A more accurate description would probably be “a three day all-out civil war fought with water.”

Local kids staking out Nana Plaza.

In mid April of every year, for seventy-two hours, Thailand breaks out into a state of chaos and debauchery quite unlike any I’ve ever seen. From garden hoses to firehoses, from buckets to balloons, from tiny water pistols to backpack-powered canons, people everywhere run amok soaking each other completely from head to toe.

A Songkran pool party at Ambar.

They sing and dance in the streets, rubbing clay on each other’s faces and bodies for good luck. There are no worries, no work, and no holds barred – it’s just a few days of pure unreserved childlike fun.

Man it was spectacular. I can’t wait to do it again.
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Considering that I just finished describing how satisfied I was with my room at Happy Inn, you might find it surprising that I’d go to the trouble of looking for a “real” apartment in Bangkok.

Well, it’s true: I was quite happy at Happy Inn. It’s spacious enough, centrally located, and very comfy. Still, the fact remains that I absolutely love living out here – and can easily see myself doing so many times in the future. While a guesthouse maybe fine for a week or two, with Thailand’s ridiculously affordable rent it just doesn’t make sense to limit myself when I could get a top-class apartment for the same price or less. Unlike Japan, Thailand is overflowing with options – all fully furnished and ready to go. There’s no key money, no guarantor, no hassle. Just show up with a wad of cash and you’ve got yourself a new place to live.

And so the hunt began.

Over the course of my two-month stay I spent a huge number of hours walking around the city, looking at rooms and noting my findings. In addition to providing a nice opportunity to explore nearly every nook and cranny of central Bangkok (almost acting like the “tourism” for my stay), I really learned a lot. Hopefully, sharing my process will be of some help to others who are looking to do the same 🙂 Continue reading »