First impressions of Bangkok: Overhyped and polluted

We have spent 1 week in Bangkok so far, and to be honest, I am a bit disappointed.

I've seen so much hype about Bangkok on the internet, portraying it as an exciting city for young entrepreneurs. And when I heard about the new DTV "digital nomad visa" that just came out, I was seriously considering moving here for a long time.

I have been to Thailand before, and I had a bad time because I got food poisoning. However, that was 10 years ago, and not in Bangkok, so this time I had higher expectations.

Why we didn't like Bangkok

The first thing that surprised me in Bangkok was how noisy and dirty the roads are.

It isn't pleasant to walk along the main roads such as Sukhumvit. You need to yell to have a conversation, and you don't want to breathe deeply because of the fumes and dust lifted by cars.

I thought the smaller side alleys would be better, but they have a different problem - no footpaths at all, yet they're still full of cars and bikes squeezing past you with only a foot of clearance.

Look, I wasn't expecting a walkable European city, but I wasn't expecting it to be this bad either. You need to get a taxi or motorbike to get anywhere, or just stick to areas around the stations.

It might also be the area we are staying in - around the BTS On Nut station. Advice on the internet was that it's a nice area, close enough to the centre but far enough that it's more 'local' and peaceful. I think this backfired for us as it means it's just poorer and more run-down than the centre.

The good parts of Bangkok

The shopping centres (malls if you're American) are fantastic—multiple levels with outdoor balconies with trees, and freely accessible rooftops with amazing views over the city.

It actually is pleasant to go for a nice walk in/around a shopping centre, which sounds a bit funny to me as I don't like them normally, but here they are almost like art galleries or museums.

They beat any mall I've seen in Europe or Australia.

The availability of products is excellent too. Whether it's food, clothing, tech, or anything else you might want. There's a lot to spend money on.

We just moved from Poland - a country that is overall more developed than Thailand and has a higher quality of life. But Thailand easily beats Poland when it comes to the availability of products.

In Poland, we did most of our shopping online because there weren't many stores selling tech or speciality clothes (e.g. hiking clothes and gear) in person. In Thailand, you can find whatever you need in a store near you.

I also love how many pharmacies and 7/11 convenience stores are open 24/7. This makes it a lot easier to get some food or medicine at odd hours, which is sometimes necessary when travelling and your life is a bit chaotic.

The pollution

All of the above has just been daily life. We haven't been doing tourist things yet for two reasons:

1. We're in no rush since we're here for 2 months.
2. The air pollution is terrible

It's burning season. Every year around January to March the air in Thailand and much of Southeast Asia gets worse as farmers burn last year's crops, and this combines with industrial pollution and vehicle exhaust to create a toxic cocktail.

This year seems to be worse than most, with PM2.5 levels around 150 to 200. The news outlets are recommending people stay indoors, and some schools are closed.

It's not like the smog chokes you, but you can smell it, and you can see it in the distance, and it does get in the way of life.

I'm really into fitness and living an active lifestyle, and I had planned to train Muay Thai while I'm here, but no way am I going to do any cardio in this kind of pollution! When I go outside I consciously try to breathe shallow breaths. I don't want a lungful of crap, certainly not during a 90-minute Muay Thai session.

It's only the first week

Anyway, it might be too early to judge Bangkok.

Sometimes you arrive in a new place and it takes some time to adapt, learn where to go, where not to go... and you end up liking it. Or not. Maybe it's just not the city for us. Maybe it just doesn't match the lifestyle we want. We'll see over the next 2 months.

For now, I know I wouldn't recommend the On Nut area - it's too far away from the centre (Siam and Asok areas). I'd prefer a few BTS stops closer, like around Thong Lor. I also would like to live near a park, like Benjakitti or Lumphinee (both in the city centre). There are no parks around On Nut.

Being able to go for a walk in nature is an underrated luxury, and I'm starting to really appreciate the many parks and green areas we had near us in Poland.