5 reasons why I chose to live in Thailand

Posted on 31. Jan, 2011 by arth101 in Daily events

At the time of publishing, 1 AUD = 30.83 Baht. The highest we’ve seen in a while…

1. Food

The capital city of Thailand, Bangkok offers over 1 million street stalls, all easily accessible and open 24/7 most of the time. Each street stall offers a wide comprehensive listing of dishes; dishes which are not normally found in restaurant menu’s. From 30 baht to 60 baht a dish, what more can one ask for when it comes to choosing something cheap to feed on? My personal favourite is either Tom-kha kai or Khao phad gai (fried rice with chicken). Quick to cook and very delicious at the same time.

2. Transport

Although it is possible to haggle down the price of a taxi, transport is cheap regardless of how low you haggle the taxi driver. Depending on the distance you travel, you should not normally pay more than 150 baht. Insist on using the taxi meter instead as that will give you a fairer rate (Most taxi drivers turn off their taxi meter at night-time to make more money off foreigners).

Aside from taxi’s, if you live near the BTS or MRT train station then you are in real luck. 1 single journey from one side of town to the other should not normally cost more than 40 baht. The bonus here is that all skytrains and underground trains are air conditioned with seats to sit on. Trains arrive in an orderly and timed fashion (the later the time… the slower the trains arrive).

3.Accommodation

Over the last decade, renting an apartment in the Western countries have soared so much that the money you make from work; 50% of it or more will go towards paying that rent off. Rentals here in Thailand are reasonable and affordable. Not to mention the cleanliness side of things…

4. Entertainment

Bangkok is a city which never sleeps at night. There is simply too much to do to keep a person entertained for hours. From shopping malls to eatery all the way down to nightlife, you will be amazed at how fast time goes by. Forget Melbourne or Canberra where there are dress codes to abide by, it is perfectly acceptable to party in shorts and a pair of thongs (although not recommended in places like RCA or Ekkamai).

5. Freedom

Thailand is a relatively free country in it’s own right, in the sense that noone gets judged based on their appearance. Everyone simply gets a chance in life, from dating women to getting accepted into Thai society. Just this element alone is really uplifting having come from a Western society where freedom can be limited. The rules are much more relaxed here in every regard and at the end of the day, Thailand is a mai ben rai (no need to worry) orientated society. It all works out at the end.

- If you are already living in Thailand, then good work. For those who are not, I hope this post inspires you to do something about your life and to get travelling. Live this nomadic lifestyle. -

A weekend up in Koh Larn, Thailand

Posted on 26. Jan, 2011 by arth101 in Daily events

What a great get-away from Bangkok! Escape the hustle and bustle of the busy polluted city and spend a weekend up at the beaches, away from the main crowd.

* A note of warning however: These pictures are not 56k friendly*

It all started off quite simple. One simple suggestion lead to the other… a weekend get-away was needed from Bangkok. You see, living in Bangkok ain’t so easy sometimes – life goes by at a relatively fast pace. Not to mention, the smog and the pollution really does do your head in at the end of the day.

So… a proposal was put forward by a friend of mine… “Let’s go to Koh larn and forget about the stress”.

Enjoy the pictures