Our daily routine is OUR daily routine. Like no-one else’s. We don’t live like other people or at least if we do there are very few. This is just one of the many liberties which goes with choosing your own work hours. You can choose your own lifestyle. A lifestyle which does not coincide with everyone else’s. Our daily routine shaped round avoiding others. No queues, no crowds, no rush hour. Everyday as simple as the next. This is a rare luxury for living in a city as big and busy as Bangkok. A luxury I make the most of. Here is how we Live Less Ordinary. Living for the weekdays – our unique lifestyle design in Bangkok.
Working Hours (Morning)
Our typical day starts 05.00am. When living in the UK this was closer to midday. Truth is I love mornings in Thailand. With no need for an alarm I wake early, feed the cat, pour a coffee then sit by the balcony and get work done. Streets below quiet, birds chirp in trees below, monks pass with alms bowls on morning ‘Bintabat’ collection. It is a relaxed time of the day. No disturbances and easy to concentrate on work. At 09.30am I am finished. In these four and half hours I can get a hell of a lot done with no disturbances (this post just one). Any incomplete work I come back to at night (21.00pm). For the remainder of the day I do my best to avoid internet. This goes the same for phones. My Blackberry died close to a year ago when travelling in the Philippines. I haven’t replaced it and have no intention on doing so. To me phones are an annoyance.
Breakfast / Lunch Time
Ever been first in line at the canteen buffet? Food newly prepared in anticipation of rush hour traffic. Stealing all the best bits. This is my lunchtime everyday. I skip breakfast and instead eat lunch at 10:30am. Eating at my local street food street and finish before chaos reigns down from surrounding office areas (Asoke Road). Any time later than 11.00am guarantees a 30 minute queue. Missing the window of opportunity means returning at 13.00pm when the crowds are back at work. This tends to be the basis of my daily routine and lifestyle design in Bangkok. Living off peak times. Life becomes simpler and more enjoyable by creating my own VIP experiences.
Killing Boredom
While I love siestas I do prefer to keep busy during the daytime. In Bangkok this is never a problem. We live very central so everything necessary is within a short walk or taxi. Wednesday for example is cinema day making the most of weekly offers at the nearby SF Cinemas (Terminal 21). During daytime our own empty cinema. Empty parks, empty restaurants, no queues at shopping. I make the most of these times. When at a loose end I kick back at the condo infinity pool and plan my next travels with a beer (travel to Laos this evening). Facilities go relatively untouched at my condo as city workaholics are too busy with the Bangkok rat race. Even at night the pool feels like my own.
Evening Time
So my daytimes sound more like the life of an elderly person. My evenings probably closer to a boozy teenager. For eating options, we have three which we use in equal part throughout the week. Cooking at the condo, Barbecues at nearby Isan food and eating out at favourite restaurants. Cocktails with cooking, beers with barbecue and Wine at Restaurants (weekdays only). Again we rarely leave the condo between 17.00pm and 20.00pm. Bangkok traffic is a nightmare at this time. While the rest of the city is stuck in traffic we sip cocktails while playing X-Box, Kinect or Karaoke. Add lightning and tropical rains for the perfect evening in. Bring on Margarita Monday.
Living for the Weekdays
“Queues?? What day is it?”, “Saturday…. Lets go home”. Weekends are by far the worst days of the week. Moreso for major cities. Malls, cinemas, restaurants, nightclubs all packed to the gills. Saturday being the best day to stay in. On the now rare occasion of going to nightclubs we go mid-week (typically Thursday). Many Bangkok nightclubs fill everyday yet not shoulder to shoulder. Better crowds, more relaxed and less inebriated. No need to arrive early, reserve tables, queue for drinks. All weekend annoyances disappear during weekday boozing. Our weekends better spent with drinks at the pool while the weekend revellers squash into Bangkok’s overpriced boozing venues.
Great post.. I’ve been weighing Bangkok against Saigon. Was thinking of staying in either (or both) for a year. This really helps shed some light on the day-to-day goings. Thanks!