Written by Andrew Tse
“Why did you choose to live in Bangkok?” It’s a question I hear more often than not. I’ll do my best to leave politics and my own personal views out of this read for the sake keeping things PG.
One doesn’t need to be a Noble Prize winning economist to see the trends of the world now. It’s clear that EME’s (Emerging Market Economies) will afford the most opportunity to those with the drive and ambition to capitalize. Yes I am a greedy New Yorker. I view everything in money/time/opportunity costs with everything else being a far second to my decision making process. So with that out of the way, let’s get to it.
Why Bangkok you ask? The journey here wasn’t clearly defined like many others who came here by securing a job prior to moving to the Big Mango. To sum it up, I was seeking a similar lifestyle to what I was accustomed to at home, with the elimination of some negative factors I felt the western world had just come to accept as the norms of….well the western world. We’ll save those for another day. So I created a simple Yes/No checklist for a bunch of cities which I had previously visited. Most of these are boring boxes, but at the top of my list and probably shocking to anyone I talk to was Ice Hockey. Yes, beyond safety, culture, etc. ice hockey was my top criteria for a relocation destination. I easily adapt to my environment, but not having ice hockey was not a life I would accept. So here I am in Bangkok playing ice hockey.
It started sometime in the late 80’s, on West 33rd street, up on some high floor at the original Sky Rink. I took my first ice skating lesson. The rink closed in the early 90’s and is now Chelsea Piers. If you think hockey isn’t popular now, imagine it 30 years ago. The popularity of hockey grew in the mid 90’s with 2 specific events. The year is 1994, the Rangers win the Cup, all of a sudden hockey is popular in New York. There is talk of rinks, projects, hockey related stuff in the city and its surroundings. Fast Forward to 1996 the US wins the World Cup. I don’t know what made this so special at the time, but it absolutely was a catalyst for the growth of hockey in America.
My dad wasn’t a hockey player but he was athletic so he took me and my cousins skating once a week. Myself and one other ended up playing ice hockey and his younger sister ended up figure skater. Everybody competes, plays at different levels/places, but in reality none of that really matters in the end. I’m not a fortune teller, but for hockey players I can guarantee one thing is certain. You will end up in the beer league. No one ever told me this, and my father not being a hockey player could not have known. The hockey community is full of great people who all look out for one another, even if you’ve only known some a short time. It’s like moving to a foreign place and the immediate bond you have with meeting someone from your hometown. Meeting other hockey players, in non-hockey cities is the same except you have grown up in completely different worlds/cultures. It’s a small community and it’s very hard to describe to someone who’s not part of it or doesn’t identify as a hockey player.
My journey to Bangkok is actually quite short. In 2012 after finishing my MBA, I went to Taipei for 3 months to learn Mandarin. There I was playing with The Taipei Gentleman’s Club. Seeing how far advanced this society was compared to where I came from was the turning point. From this moment on I was set on relocation. 2016, operating my own business, my parents randomly ask me if I can go with them to Hong Kong to visit my cousins. There was also the added bonus of a 2 week stop in Tokyo prior to this. In my early –mid 20’s I would have cringed at going on vacation with my parents, but with age comes wisdom. Who am I to turn down a free vacation, plus I was burning out hard working 100+ hour weeks. Long work weeks are driven by what’s known as “American Greed.” It’s a dark slippery slope most people fall into and can never get out of. Especially if you own a business and there is infinite work/money available.
I booked a one way ticket with this being my opportunity to visit potential relocation cities. First stop Tokyo. Great city, but unfortunately because of their economic conditions it wasn’t on my list. Off to Hong Kong, the motherland! Mega Ice in Kowloon would be my home if this would be the chosen city. For those who think that Chelsea Piers’ view of the Hudson River is amazing, it’s nothing compared to Mega Ice’s view of Kowloon Bay. My parents finally leave back to NY. Next stop is Jakarta to visit some old classmates/coworkers. To my amazement this city has a handful of rinks. Even one larger sheet that isn’t even used for hockey sadly. Finally Bangkok! I check out the city and the hockey for 6 weeks. Sadly I need to leave to attend to a work emergency. If you think going back to work after a 2 week vacation is hard, try 3 months…brutal.
So my focus is set on relocation. Prior to leaving I entered contract for one last project but it was set to be finished by 2018. After it finished, I liquidated everything via local sources and eBay. March 2018, I start looking for 1-way tickets to somewhere in the EME ASEAN region. Randomly Singapore Airlines is having a special to Jakarta. 450 bucks later I land in Jakarta mid-April. Randomly one of my old D-Partners who works for the UN is in the city. He doesn’t have his gear, but gladly takes a ride with me to the rink. Somehow in Jakarta Indonesia I ended up playing 4 times/week for a month. Who would have guessed? While I made some great friends, whom I see whenever they come to Bangkok for tournaments, Jakarta’s traffic and lack of mass transit wasn’t quite a fit for me.
Next stop Ho Chi Mihn City aka Saigon. Mind you, this city wasn’t in my 2016 trip because the rink wasn’t yet built. The evening after arriving I’m on the only sheet of ice in the city. Typical Canadian hockey community with some others mixed in. Shortly after I arrive, I’m told a Hong Kong team will be coming to play some games to initiate the rink. They don’t have enough players and everyone from Saigon wants to play, so being the new guy and having HK roots I gladly volunteer. Great games, friends made, bonding afterwards. Everyone goes their separate ways. Saigon doesn’t have enough players to support hockey while all the teacher are gone for the summer, this was unknown to me prior to arrival. 3 months is here and a visa run is due. I’m looking for a cheap flight to somewhere with an ice rink. To my astonishment I remember hearing about ice hockey in Phuket from one of the veteran players on the HK team. Rink confirmed, get some beach time in? I’m there.
Arrive in Phuket early afternoon, check into my Airbnb, meet up with my hockey connect, better known as Phuket Jo, for lunch at his restaurant and meet his wife, who eventually ends up being my Thai mom. Quick stroll to the beach then back to my room. Few hours later Jo swings by, I pop the trunk only to see a set of goalie pads. When we played together in Saigon he was skating out. Little did I know this Canadian took it upon himself to play goalie since Phuket didn’t have one. Brings new meaning to the phrase “never say never.” I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Somehow on this tropical Island in Thailand I’m playing 3 times/week. Phuket holds its first tournament, great, make new friends, many whom I eventually end up playing with in Bangkok. Sadly Jo suddenly passed, and it was obvious his crucial part in keeping the community together. Everything happens for a reason. This was the stimulus for me to move to Bangkok. While the beach life was fun, I’m a city boy at heart.
Notable mention: My parents came to visit Phuket and my mother was very animate about not living in a communist country. Our HK roots are very strong, so that would rule out Vietnam and sadly now Hong Kong.
Arriving in Bangkok was easy as I had already been living in Thailand for 9 months and could speak a considerable amount of Thai. Next day after arriving I’m on the ice for Shinny. I see some familiar faces and make introductions. It’s the summer, but we still have hockey thanks to the large community of expats/Thais supporting the game. I’ve gone from the Big Apple to the Big Mango. Finally fall is here and the SHL is in flight. Great city, great times, great people. Hard to really ask for more. My life here is nearly identical to my New York life, minus the cold and crime with a better work/life balance. Will I be in Bangkok forever? I’ve found a great life and community here, but places/people/circumstances are ever changing. If you asked me in 2010 I would have told you I would live in New York my whole life. All one can do is prepare and adapt. Life is full of the unexpected…