2 May 2008
Teak House,Thawi Wattana, Bangkok, Thailand
House
A$330/£159 month
13°47'38.33"N 100°24'30.52"E
2 ½ bedrooms
Vacation Rental

 
Found this doozie of a house on the internet, advertised on various vacation rental web sites. Yes - that is a month not a week. Came out to have a look and took it straight away. Good thing was that it is close to the Southern Bus Terminal where I was meeting Peter the following morning at 5.30am.

The house itself is clean with basic but comfortable furnishings, big screen TV's in lounge and main bedroom as well as air conditioning in both of these rooms plus in the spare bedroom. The air con was hardly necessary as all windows had fly screens and there was a lovely breeze blowing through whilst we were there, as well as there being plenty of ceiling or stand fans. Just a few minutes to cool the bedroom down before we went to bed and a few minutes to cool down when we came in from a walk was enough air conditioning for us, although during the more humid times of the year it might be used more.

There is a large bathroom downstairs, and a smaller one with a cold water only shower upstairs - it was so hot that we mainly just used the cold water shower - cold water isn't cold in the tropics.

The house has a fully equipped kitchen, including washing machine and large size fridge/freezer, 2 ring gas burner and a convection/microwave oven.

 

There is heaps of storage space in both kitchen and the half sized bedroom, and a lovely teak balcony running the leg nth of the house off the second bedroom.

Being well off the tourist track, just off a klong (canal) path, in a small village of traditional Thai houses just to the north west of Bangkok, it was refreshing to wake up to the chirping of birds and croaking of frogs rather than the blaring of traffic. Khao San Road, the spiritual home of backpackers, is just 30 minutes and a few pennies away by bus should you feel like going there - if, like me, you'd rather be poked in the eye, the Democracy Monument which leads to Khao San Road is a good point to change buses to get to the city centre or other parts of Bangkok. One bus actually goes directly into MBK centre (huge shopping mall in walking distance from Siam (shopping central) from the main road near the house.

Outside, there is a nice small garden with some shade for sitting in. Also, there is a filter for drinking water, satellite or cable TV (there are 3 houses of various size, only one has UBC Cable), and most importantly ADSL internet.

The neighbours don't speak a word of English, but a smile goes a long way. They really are lovely people, and being westerners we were something of a novelty.

The house is located north west of Bangkok but easily accessible by local bus - some run 24 hours. Big point is the location in relation to the Southern Bus Terminal - very close by - and you can get a bus directly from the airport to the Terminal if you're flying in. There is a convince store and small market (and bus stop) within about 5 minutes walk. A huge Tesco Hypermarket is 2km away - yes you can get a bus if you're being lazy - and an even bigger shopping centre with Carreforre and Big C shopping malls about 6km away - definitely too far to lug the shopping. Actually, Tesco seems a lot further on the way back loaded down than on the way there when you're empty handed.

If you want to be out of the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, but within easy commuting distance, this is an ideal place to spend a bit of time. Finding it the first time around is a bit of a challenge, but I managed on my own so it can't be that hard. Don't expect anyone anywhere around the house or local shops to speak English, don't expect 5 star luxury and you'll be well rewarded staying here.