10 Great Things To Do In Thailand

Thailand

---

Thailand is just wonderful. The people are friendly, kind, and generous. For nine months of the year it is one of the best places to live or visit. Skip January, February and March do to air pollution. Arrive in April and depart by the end of December.

Kindness in Thailand

---

The simplest way to demonstrate this is my experience at an optical or eye wear shop, one in Thailand and one in Atlanta Georgia, USA.

My glasses had a screw that was loose. It just needed a few turns from one of those tiny screw drivers and it would be fine. I walked into an eye glass place in Atlanta and was told they can tighten it for me, but it would cost $30 USD. I asked if they could just leave the screw driver on the counter and look away for 10 seconds and I would do it myself? They told me no.

While in Thailand, I walked into an optical shop and asked the same question. They happily took the glasses, tightened the screw, cleaned the lenses and adjusted them so they would sit better on my face.

When it was all done, I asked how much money I owed them? The answer was just beautiful. “Pleasure to serve you.” There was no charge.

Thailand is so relaxing and peaceful I find my mental health improves every day.

Thailand can be whatever you want it to be.

---

Back home in America, people seem to have all sorts of ideas on what Thailand is. I have tried to explain to them the reality of Thailand but have stopped as I cannot get the message across.

Thailand can be peaceful and relaxing every day and night or Thailand can be an our of control party. You can drink, eat and live an unhealthy life in the heat or you can eat right and exercise every day. You can have 1, 5, 10 or 50 girls every day if you like, or you can have none. You can spend every day at a bar or night club or you can spend it at the pool and beach. Thailand is whatever you want it to be. There is no right or wrong answer to what Thailand is.

Visit Singapore

Cost to live at the beach?

---

It is less than you might think.

I live in a condo at the beach with a 180° view of the ocean. The building is in a quieter part of town and is a bit older, but that also means the living space is bigger than normal. I pay $400 USD rent per month. A weeks worth of drinking water is delivered to my door on the 29th floor for $1 and 1/2 USD. I eat out two meals a day (2 meals cost me about $6 USD). Breakfast is oatmeal with berries I buy from grocery store. (this cost is hard to say as I buy about 2 weeks of eating but it is cheap) Total cost for food, not counting grocery store, is about $ to $8 USD per day.

Electricity is about $50 USD and water is about $10 USD per month; Lastly I get high speed internet and that costs about $30 USD per month. A taxi from my condo to the grocery store (about a 15 minute ride) costs about $3 USD.

As you can see, it does not take much to live like a king here. I would add, that in Bangkok most of these costs are higher. You can double my numbers and its close to what Bangkok living would be.

Visit Czech Republic

Weather in Thailand

---

The weather in Thailand can be brutal. Even for Thai people sometimes struggle with the heat. Day time temperatures can be rough on your body and mind.

Do not come to Thailand for fun in the sun and maintain your normal behaviors from back home. Most long term Westerners living here either know someone or have heard of someone who died because of the weather.

Have the address of where you are staying written on paper and keep it safe on you. There will be times when you address. Sometimes to get home. Other times it might be police or immigration.

I am from the state of Georgia in the USA and I finally figured out why the weather in Thailand is so rough. In Georgia summer time heat can be just as hot as in Thailand. The difference is now and then in Georgia you will get a cooler day to give you a break. In Thailand there are NO cooler days. There is no break from the heat.

Visit Czech Republic

Thailand is not perfect, but it is close.

---

Lets touch first upon things that are not perfect in Thailand.

Immigration is difficult and exhausting | Occassionally I have the real need to feel cold | January to the end of March the air pollution is simply horrible | Many visitors want to ride motorbikes. Thai people know there are laws regarding traffic but it is common to totally ignore those laws and do what you want. For example driving the wrong way down a one way road is normal. | Sometimes during bad storms the power will go out for a few hours | Also, an unxpected negative in Thailand is if you are a Type A person that is always go go go. You will likely struggle. There is no hurry and get things done. If you have a checklist of things to do, throw it away you are not getting it done. Things move slow here and often at most, I can do one thing in a day and even that takes a long time. Going to the bank can be a two hour event, after which, I will be exhausted. I see people lose their patience with this sort of thing. A good example of the slowness and patience of Thai people is that in several years of living here I have never seen one person get angry driving. There appears to be no road rage at all, even in crazy, heavy difficult, insane traffic.

---

Now things that make Thailand close to perfect.

Sunshine makes me happy | Safety from crime | Friendly people | Outstanding health insurance at a cheap price - I pay $110 per month and it is really good insurance. | Low cost, high quality food | I can live on the beach, I cannot do that in America | I no longer drive - saves me a lot of money | A stress free life | I live at what is basically a resort and go to the pool every day | I no longer need to work | I walk on the beach most days. | When my friends back home ask me what I do every day, I enjoy telling them - Not much | I dont spend money on much of anything therefore the stree of wondering if I have enough money for retirement is gone.

---

I never really expected Thailand to make me so happy.

Visit Czech Republic