Travel Ideas

Population

61 million, 10 million of whom live in Bangkok.

Climate

Tropical and always but always hot. Sometimes hot and rainy in September-November but always humid, hence why the Thais are disgusted at An enormous country with Amazonian rainforest along the equator, tropical beaches and farangs who only shower once day and wear the same clothes from morning to night.

Economy

Thailand has its act together more than most places in South East Asia and there’s a high standard of technology and service. i.e. things work. There are hardly even any power cuts. The wealth doesn’t spread much beyond the cities though and much of the countryside have insects as part of the daily diet not just because they like the taste.

Government

The recent military overthrow of the corrupt elected government probably means good for the Thais but less so for the traveler with more draconian restrictions on sales of alcohol at night. The military promise to hold elections soon. Ho, ho.

Otherwise the king is extremely venerated in Thailand, more than anyone else and he wields considerable power just with any offhand statement. Never lick a stamp with his face on it if you want to stay out of Thai hospitals.

Religion & Culture

Thais are Buddhist and in a very Thai way with monasteries part of the social fabric and young males often spending a year of their lives in robes. The Thais, of course, eat anything that moves but still the reverence for life holds and they also have a notion that the head is holy and the feet dirty so watch where you point your toes.

Thais are pretty easy going and it’s a value to stay calm and they have the usual Buddhist equanimity about living and let living which means that they’re into having a good time.

Visas

Hmmmm. In the old days you got two months visa at Thai consulates or you just flew in and got 30 days, The trick then was to give your passport to a travel ageny who then took it to the border and got you stamped out of the country and in again for 30 days. But then some agencies started using fake stamps and the whole scam eventually blew open.

Now though, the military has decided that tourists can enter and re-enter a maximum of twice, meaning 90 days in total – after that they have to spend 6 months out of the country. Watch the big rush for student visas and the language schools springing up just on order to supply the necessary paperwork to the long term Thailand travelers.

Language

Thai is the national language and is a tricky, mono-sylabbic tonal language meaning that the same word can mean 5 or 6 different things depending on the tone with which you say it. Thus ‘I’m going to the shop’ might come out as ‘I’m about to drown my grandmother’, providing no end of hilarity for the Thais. They will love you for learning their language though and it’s a good way of marking yourself apart from the rest of the ignorant tourists.

Rent

Apartments can be quite easily found in the cities for $100-200 depending on your level of luxury. Bangkok is naturally the most expensive.

Hostel

Cheap rooms can usually be got for $3-5 a night on average, even if the walls are paper thin.

A meal out

Street food is one of the great delights of living in Thailand and you can get a plate of noodles, pad thai, or a soup with wonton for about half a dollar. Expect to pay $1-2 for a cheap sit-down meal with chicken curry and rice.

Transport

There’s a weird kind of bus segregation in Thailand where agencies arrange special buses for the backpackers whereas the Thais head to the bus station. There isn’t much of a price difference but you need some command of the language to utilise the latter and the former are notorious for stopping to allow thieves on board at night – did you wonder how the Khao San Road boys made the tickets so cheap?

Living Estimate

$400 for a cheap life in the main cities, $800 to live in style. If you head somewhere small and cosy then you can live on $200-300.

Travel Estimate

$5-15 if you eat street food. Hundreds if you spend a lot of time in go-go bars.

Overview

Thailand has long been a favourite place for Westerners to live in Asia. There is always work in Bangkok and Chiang Mai teaching English or working with newspapers and many Western men, in particular, enjoyed hanging out with Thai females.

Everything works in Thailand and it’s rare to get sick. The cost of living is low and there’s a lot going on. In many ways it’s one of the ideal places to relocate. On the other hand you’ll always be a farang and Thais will always be a little freaked out by things like body hair and your habit of showering only once or twice a day.

With the recent military takeover it remains to be seen how friendly Thailand will be to ex-pats and it may be necessary to enrol in a lax college to learn Thai or something in order to stay longterm.

Where to Live in Thailand

Bangkok has been the expatriate hub if only because it provides work, a social life and just about any amenity you care to name. It is big, polluted and lacking greenery though so it may not be the tropical paradise you had in mind.

The islands are beautiful but are run like backpackers resorts and so there’s a high turnover of people which is great for the variety of people you’ll meet but less so for establishing any kind of stability.

Chiang Mai might be a good alternative with a much smaller population than Bangkok and much quieter too. Otherwise you can stay in any small village or town in Thailand but then speaking Thai will be an absolute.

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