สวัสดีครับคุณเดวิด,
We will be using this map for the following direction - location discussion.
Pathumwan (
ปทุมวัน) and Pratunam (
ประตูน้ำ) are two different places
ครับ. They are by no means the transliterations of the same location either.
Pathumwan (
ปทุมวัน) sits topmost on the map (see URL above). Locate Phayathai Rd. (
ถนนพญาไท) + Mah Boon Krong Center (
ศูนย์การค้ามาบุญครอง) + Pathumwan Princess Hotel (mouseover # 1), and you will get Pathumwan area.
Head south from Mah Boon Krong, past Siam Center, turn left onto Rajdumri Rd. (
ถนนราชดำริ) and proceed further past World Trade Center and Arnoma Hotel (
โรงแรมอโนมา #14), you will reach Pratunam area. Pratunam is very easy to locate by finding the point where Phetburi (
ถนนเพชรบุรี) and Rajdumri (
ถนนราชดำริ) - Rajprarop Roads (
ถนนราชปรารภ) intersect, and you will have Pratunam. Landmarks = Amari Watergate Hotel (# 10), Indra Regent Hotel (# 11) and World Trade Center.
Stay on Phetburi Road proceeding past Amari Watergate Hotel a little bit and turn right onto Chitlom Road (
ถนนชิดลม), you will get to your company's location close to the Phetburi & Chitlom intersection. Considering that you will go for the SkyTrain, I think you might prefer the Rama I (
ถนนพระราม 1) - Ploenjit (
ถนนเพลินจิต) route (green dotted line) better. So from Rama I Road, head further south past Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel (# 13) & Le Meridien President Hotel (# 15) and turn left on Chitlom Road, you will finally get to the location of your company which must be between Chitlom Road and Phetburi 31. If the Rama I - Ploenjit route was used, you might have to walk (and sweat in the typical morning Bangkok weather) a little bit to get there.
So...from Pathumwan up to Chitlom, it's quite a couple of miles. They are not the same places but they are in the same one L-A-R-G-E area
ครับ. The person who sent you the company's location should revise what he/she did.
That
...khlong that runs parallel to Petchburi Road... is the stinky, pitch-black Saen Saab Canal (
คลองแสนแสบ) on which I had been commuting (long-tail boats) all through my Bangkok life. Working in an office near that canal calls for your endurance of the canal's odor and noises from the boats that run from 5 am - 10 or sometimes as late as 11 pm.
Yes, condominiums in Bangkok are apartments for rent, lease or sale in from 3-story up to high-rise buildings. A porch/terrace seems to come equipped with all condomimiums. Getting a condo is quite a big deal and requires a jolly good amount of money. Expect about THB 100K or more for down money. The sizes of condominiums vary according to one's money, but you will get quite a nice, happy quarter to live in. The nearer you get to the Chaophraya River (
แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา) and sophisticated areas (e.g. Silom, Pathumwan, Petchburi), the more expensive. UBC packages with Thai-captioned, English-speaking programs are available to your heart's desire as long as you are in Bangkok. The monthly fee could be approx. THB 1,200.00 up.
With all things considered, THB 20K a month alone will be somewhat tight for you & your girlfriend. If
both of you worked and could make, say, 30K monthly, you're cool. I used to get 15K a month working in Bangkok 5 years ago, and I was a pretty happy dude. Of course, I lived with my parents and didn't have to pay any rent or monthly mortgage.
Hope you get the deal
นะครับ. Wish you all the best!