Are we mad!? Perhaps... Here are my feeble attempts to explain this momentary insanity.. It all started with the need to renew our contract, only to discover that our rent was increasing by 5%. Curiosity lured us into the housing market to check if we could get something better (grass is always greener ;-) or perhaps closer to Amandio's new job (due to start 1st September) which incidently is one block away from my school. Needless to say, I am also an avid house hunter, analysing the endless lifestyle possibilities presented by each location, decoration, style and facilities. The second I walked into an apartment, I was already mentally decorating, rearranging furniture, imagining us carrying out our lives.. this ability of mine to visualise can be great.. but after viewing numerous apartments my head was lost in a whirlwind of options. We had to centre ourselves and quickly realised that though our apartment badly needs some renovation, particularly in the bathrooms and kitchen, the whole package surpasses anything else on offer. This is when we turned our attention to townhouses. In Bangkok, townhouses are what we would call 'a row of houses' but in a compound (size can vary) with 24 hour security and generally with a pool. Friends of ours live in a compound of only four houses and we have always been attracted to this style of living. Our agent selected a few for us to view and the one above has triggered the dream. The ground floor comprises of the living space (modern kitchen, dining and sitting areas) up a flight of stairs to the master bedroom, large walkin closet (yippee!!!) and large bathroom..up to the second floor with two en suite guest bedrooms. The last floor is mostly the maids quarters with the added bonus of a roof top terrace. This is just a concrete space for now, but I plan to get a gardner in to design a lovely peaceful haven. At present, two thirds of our view is sky. .which is something that I will miss.. however, to compensate we can make this home a garden paradise. Part of the front wall is completely glass, reaching from the ground to the roof with concrete plant beds waiting to be filled with orchids and hanging plants. Each bedroom as a balcony also with plant beds and of course the roof top terrace. Did I mention that the address is 'Garden Place'? LOL. The pool isn't quite as big as what we have now and unfortunately there isn't a tennis court (Amandio swears that he doesn't mind playing tennis with our neighbour in our current place at weekends). The house is in a new part of BKK for us.. Thonglor.. minutes walk away from loads of restaurants, shops and life.. that is a big plus too. THe fact that it is also quieter is also a big plus. Seeing as the rent is also cheaper, we would hire a live-in maid, who would double as a nanny when the time comes. This would also provide some peace of mind for Amandio when he travels and also prove beneficial when dealing with phone/internet/maintenance companies etc.
Hmmm.. I guess, what it all boils down to though is that both of us like adventure and the challenge of change. Starting a new family also somehow calls for a 'house' life. Right now we have left it all in the hands of fate.. having met the landlady requesting a few renovations (dining table and chairs for one thing. While I am prepared to buy bedside tables, book cases etc, big items of furniture seem pointless). If she agrees we will more than likely move in November (after most of the IVF treatment is over). For now though, we have pushed this aside and IVF is the main focus again. Que sera, sera :-)
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