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Toilet paper on your table instead of napkins? The good thing about that is at least if you have to go to the bathroom you can carry the roll in with you?! Things that make you go hmmmm…
ReplyI can relate to most of this post. I just moved to Chiang Mai about 2 weeks ago and love it here. And yes, it’s been a challenge creating a routine for myself to work on my blog or other ventures. But I do like the fact it’s cheaper to eat out than cook! Cheers and happy travels!
ReplyAnd not only is it cheaper but you have so many options here which is great! Love the food! Glad you are enjoying Chiang Mai 🙂
ReplyHow do you get a place in Thailand, we have bent there several times and I did not know you could you own place, I thought own Thai’s could buy a place to live?
ReplyHey Robert,
We never bought a place in Thailand, rather rented for 6 months at a time. However, foreigners can own a condo in Thailand, they just cannot own land. Although, I think it is best to rent. This is way less hassle.
ReplyI backpacked through Thailand a few years ago and will be going back to Chiang Mai later this year for an extended stay. Brittany you and I are in the same boat with the toilet situation! I had never even heard of the bum gun before I got to Thailand. I’m much more used to it now but I still haven’t accepted it. I still walk around with tissues in my pocket just in case. My boyfriend will be joining me this time, so it will be a whole new experience. I’m excited to show him some of my favorite spots. Hearing your experience working and traveling together and how it has worked out is very uplifting. Thanks for the great post!
ReplyHaha even after 2 years there I can’t accept it!! That’s funny! Thanks so much for the sweet words though. And enjoy your time in Thailand with your bf!! 😉
ReplyYep – it was a learning process but definitely not a bad thing by any means! 😉
ReplyBeing charged for ice seems odd 🙁 Are you in a touristy area?
ReplyWe found it was pretty normal to be charged for buckets of ice in some of the more upscale bars, especially when they have their beer promos. We also learned you can often get it removed the bill if you speak up 🙂
ReplyMy wife and I are from California, retired now in are 60’s, and we find the pollution & traffic to be some of the worst problems in Thailand. Open sewers is not great either. I have been trying to find a place in Thailand that I can be happy to live, away from the traffic & noise. We own a 2bdm 2bath condo in Nonthburi , not many foreigners living in this area. I rarely find any Americans in Thailand, I don’t get hardly any chance to speak English except to my wife. We have been here 3 years, and i have figured that in order for me to find a balance, we are going to return to the US for 6 months out of the year, and because it is so expensive to live in California we will be renting a room from are friends. Do you plan on visiting your family & friends in the future? So nice to talk to some Americans, good luck to you & your future. Patrick
ReplyWanted to know if you have any info about Chanthaburi? My Hubby is thinking of maybe taking a job there and relocating the whole family. We have two little ones 11 months and 3 years old. Concerns are safety, medical, air pollution for kidos, and schooling. We are from Miami and have not found much info on this area.
ReplyHi Michelle, that sounds like an exciting opportunity for your family! I’m sure a little scary as well 😉 Unfortunately we never made it to that area in Thailand but I can tell you this…Thailand is a pretty safe place in general. Honestly, I feel safer there than most places in the States (Miami included!). I have some posts on the healthcare as I had to visit the hospital a few times while living there. Although, I’m not sure what the options are in Chanthaburi, I found it pretty good (and so affordable) in Chiang Mai. Air pollution is definitely an issue and I don’t see that going away anytime soon. In the north it gets really bad in the months of March and April so many expats in Chiang Mai migrate south to the beaches for those few months. So I don’t think it will be as bad where you will be, but overall its not great. Schooling I don’t know much about there either, but I know there were many expat families in Chiang Mai that had kids in the international schools there and I heard nothing but good things. Hope this helps a bit! Thailand is truly a wonderful place and the people are so welcoming. It will be a fantastic experience. 🙂
ReplyHi guys!! I really like your website.. I think that you took the right decision moving in thailand I’m thinking about travel to Thailand next November and I have a question for you.. Do you think that it’s safe enough for a girl (21) to travel solo in Thailand for a couple of week? Thanks and good luck with your journey! (If there is any mistake with my english, soryy ^.^)
ReplyHi Elena! Thank you for you comment. Very exciting about your travels to Thailand! I can honestly say that Thailand is one of the safest places we have traveled. We never felt unsafe or threatened. That being said, you should still use your street smarts like you would anywhere else in the world. Petty theft can be a problem so keep your personal items close. Do not roam by yourself late hours of the night. Do your research about the scams that are prevalent in Thailand so you are not taken advantage of (although it really happens to all of us at some point!). Other than that, just enjoy yourself and soak up as much as you can. Its an amazing place! 🙂
ReplyOne thing, you never mention, which baffles me, in Thailand, is the floor drain in my condo, and all private residence.
The toilet and sink, are standard North American design with drain stops to keep bad sewer smell out of the bathroom.
I am in a bran new condo, with beautifully designed shower with a glass window, and glass sliding doors, but the drain in the shower and the floor beside the toilet clearly do not have an air lock to keep the sewer smells out.
Every condo, in the building would be build the same in a 35 story building. To buy a plastic stop is a few dollars but the floor space, would be greater. I imagine the drop ceiling would take up the room needed for this plumbing. This would cost, in concrete, and over-all height of the building.
Obviously, the contractor, wants all the tenants to smell sewage rather than make the building taller.
I get the cost savings, but no where in Canada or USA will you find a shower without this stop in the drain of the shower.
I have even smelled sewage outside a large restaurant in Bangkok, because of this technic to save money.
This will never make sense to me, because it also allows cockroaches to freely walk from the sewer into any bathroom, which unfortunately I had happen to me, before I put in a stop.
I also seen wrongly wired condos with no rational reason they were wired wrong. There is only 3 wires, how can anyone be that stupid.
There are anythings I can say wrong about Canada, and USA, but mostly its because of the racist British dumping unskilled East Indians, and Africans into Canada’s labour market in the millions, destroying whole neighbourhoods. Thats why I am here in Thailand, as Canada, will have a pathetic death thanks to the British.
Replyahhh yes the dreaded bathroom stench! We might have to update this post to include that as well. Another thing that baffles us as well! So many great things about SE Asia and then so many things that make us scratch our head. 🙂
ReplyHello, we visited Thailand twice last year and loved it. We are thinking of moving there in the future but I will be in a wheelchair down the road and I was wondering how handicapped friendly you notice things to be there? I stayed in Bangkok and Chang Mai and both places are wonderful. I was wondering which city you thought was most friendly to Americans and might prove more modern with regards to accessibility for handicapped people? Thanks for any incites you may make.
ReplyThank you for sharing.
Just wondering if there is any local online forum or Website for job hunting in Thailand?
ReplyI would love to live in Thailand. What kind of work is available for expats? My husband and I are 35; still many working years ahead of us; but perhaps with less stress. Congratulations on your happiness!
ReplyIts really hard to work in Thailand as an expat as they are very strict on this. The one exception of course would be teaching English. This is the route many expats go and there are plenty of opportunities available!
ReplyMy wife & I are 73, retired, and comfortable in Houston. I find myself fearful for the US in many aspects and am strongly interested in initially being an Expat at least for 6 months a year.
My concerns:
– are health insurane as we are on medicare which we will loose.
– how to cope both the hazy season and the monsoon seasons in Chang Mai.
– being able to integrate in the Thai community with no Thai language. Is living near a university helpful in this regard?
Any comments appreciated.
Thank you forr you expression.
Q1 do you have residency in thailand How?
q2. I heard americans can buy house and land. have you looked into it
q3. any direcions you can offer on buiding our own internet business?
q4 whats the chance of opening a little quiet bar on the beach (not too much) any suggestions on whats a good area to do so?
thats our ultimate dream to do 6months there (thailand) or philipines and 6 months home ( australia)
onlytee@hotmail.com