New to Thailand

[dachill1]

My wife and I are moving to Bangkok soon. While we are excited about traveling around the city to investigate the different areas and neighborhoods, it would be nice to go there armed with some basic information.

Our ideal place to live in Bangkok would be in the heart of the city (preferably downtown), have an active nightlife scene, very close to public transportation, and apartments around 8,000-12,000 baht per month. However, we do not want to be near any "slums", rough neighborhoods, brothels, or genuinely bad areas.

We've lived in dangerous urban areas before (L.A. and San Francisco), it's not that; we just know we'll have a better experience in Bangkok if we can avoid living in similar environments. I'm sure we'll visit those places and party like rock stars, but it would be nice to come home to a safe place.

Also, can anyone give advice on the following topics:

• What type of electrical outlets are used in Bangkok?
• What is the name of a reliable and fast internet service provider (and where can I go to get the service connected in Bangkok)?
• Who should we look to for cell phone service (and where can we set up an account in Bangkok)?
• Can someone recommend a nice Muay Thai facility for beginning to medium experience level students?

Thanks!