Pros and cons of living in Thailand
Continuing the topic of cons (last time I wrote about pros and cons of freelancing), I want to talk about how bad it can be in Thailand.
I have long wanted to touch on this topic, because sometimes I get questions about the cons of living in Thailand, backed up by links to articles from different authors. And if someone is limited to just listing, then some go further and argue that Thailand is hell and everyone is lying about it :) In my opinion, it is foolish to look for heaven anywhere, because it does not exist by definition. Any country has its own ratio of pluses and minuses, and each person chooses the ratio that suits him the most, and at the moment. Oddly enough, but the fact that one is incredibly annoying, the other does not notice at all. Therefore, all articles, including this one, are subjective. Only after arriving at the place and living a little, you will be able to draw your own conclusions. It is also worth considering that in a year or two your attitude to the already familiar things may change, and the plus will turn into a minus, or vice versa..
Cons of living in Thailand
Heat
It's really hot in Thailand and this should be taken into account. If a temperature of 30 degrees and above is too much for you, then you will not be able to sit under a palm tree with a laptop, you will have to look for air conditioners everywhere and everywhere. In principle, many houses and apartments are air-conditioned, in stores they also stand almost everywhere, and you can move between the house and the store in an air-conditioned taxi, or on a bike with a breeze. However, you will have to go to the beaches only early in the morning and late in the evening, although the heat is more easily tolerated near the water and in the wind. And you can also think about the north of Thailand, but there is no ocean.
It's about 30 degrees outside, but not everyone can
Humidity
And besides the heat, it's also humid here! This can affect expensive equipment (it will overgrow with mold), clothes will take longer to dry (if not hung in the sun), moisture is felt in the air, sometimes in bed. And here again air conditioners will come to the rescue, because they dry the air well. True, if the air conditioner works around the clock, then at the end of the month a not frail electricity bill will come..
Particularly humid in Songkran
Internet
The internet is of average quality. The speed is less and less, somewhere up to 1-10 megabits, but the stability is worse: the pings are long, the tracing is somehow difficult to Russia and Europe. It's okay for surfing, blogging and others like them, but for those who care about fractions of a second (for example, for online poker players), it won't work at all. The question can be solved by drawing a separate line for yourself and not using a shared wifi, because the general Internet is divided into everyone, and when people start downloading massively, even surfing can be problematic. A private channel is usually in houses, and in some apartments. True, even in this case, the stability is worse than that of the Russian Internet. But on the other hand, with 3g, the opposite is true, and the speed is excellent and the coverage. No matter how much I traveled around Russia, there is not enough normal 3g, it is only in cities, and then not in all and not everywhere.
Pings and packet loss
It’s somewhere here that packages are lost.
Communication
You will have to communicate in broken English in shops, with landlords, with taxi drivers and just on the street. The less resort place, the more broken the language will be, and the more you will be misunderstood (communication impressions). Can you constantly in a language other than your native language? However, compatriots, as well as foreigners with good English there are a dime a dozen, getting to know and finding a social circle for yourself and your children is not a problem. But you need to understand that these are still not your close friends, with whom you have communicated all your life before, that is, you may not get the desired closeness of communication. Even if you are open, it is not a fact that your interlocutor will easily make contact..
In non-tourist areas, the inscriptions are in Thai only
Other culture
The East is a delicate matter, so it may well turn out that you will not like something very, very much. For example, the difficulty of understanding. Thais do not want to «lose face», so if after your question they nodded and said okay, that doesn't mean anything. Sometimes such illogicality of Thais can piss off, and only the fact that they are smiling everywhere and in fact do not want evil will save them. Although it will save only those who are able to feel the benevolent atmosphere of the country, others may not notice it. In general, in an amicable way, if a person travels to a foreign country for a long time or forever, then he must go there without his charter and try to assimilate: learn the language, accept traditions, etc. Religion is also here, with Orthodox churches strained, like one for the whole country.
Buddhist country
Guys are often ladyboys or just feminine
Work, business and idleness
Those who want to work are not particularly welcome there: there are many forbidden professions, prison for illegal work, bribes and corruption, there are many pitfalls with business and it is desirable to have connections. Therefore, there the majority works remotely: all sorts of programmers, bloggers, site owners, SEOs, copywriters, designers, etc. But there is also a small part of the visitors who have officially settled down. Some are in real estate, some are in tourism, some are programming. In general, if you have a good skill, then you can find an official job here, although it is not entirely easy. In general, if you want to mess around, it's not a fact that it will work out..
School
In Thailand, there will be a completely different school and it is not a fact that it will be the best for your child. I have no concrete examples yet, almost all of my acquaintances' children have not grown up even to school. Again, many rely on home education (at first) and distance education, but this is not for everyone..
Thai schools have strict rules, it is better to go to a private
Food
Food in Thailand cheap but only cheap thai food. Can you eat it for a long time? Or will you constantly yearn for herring and sauerkraut? In fact, there is a lot here for a European, both in the supermarket and in the cafe. Not everything, of course, you can immediately find in the supermarket, but you just need to look more carefully and ask the expats where it looks like, sometimes it is not obvious. And it is worth preparing for big expenses on European food, but something in general can be very expensive and it will be easier to do it yourself or order parcels from Russia. Now, however, in those places where there are many Russians, there are home production facilities where you can order your usual food. Green buckwheat, black bread, sour cream, cheese, chocolate, potatoes are available, but expensive. Fermentation, herring, brown buckwheat, usual drinking yoghurts, regular cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, semolina, caviar - no.
Thai chowder
Cheese is more expensive than in Russia
Citizenship and Visa Issues
You can leave for Tai for a long time, but most likely you will not see citizenship. Even if the marriage with a secret is concluded, then not everything is going smoothly there (it's easier for girls). So either a work visa, or a student, or a tourist, or a stamp (everything about visas and stamps). The last two options involve constant departures from the country, once every 3 months or once a month, respectively. And many visas are renewed every 3 months. Like?
Stamps in the passport
Not always cheap and not for everyone
No matter how much you read other people's reports, it will be cheaper or more expensive to live, you will find out only on the spot. It's like with Thai food, everyone has different tastes, one thing, another another. For example, someone definitely needs a European car, it will cost more here. Well, if you compare it with some Russian outback, then Tai may turn out to be more expensive, even if you save money. There is a lot more to write here, but the point is that «live normally» is interpreted differently by everyone, hence the spending will differ.
Trekking sneakers are more expensive than in Moscow
Insects and tropical diseases
And even though fears about insects in thailand and other dangerous creatures are exaggerated, after all, there are all kinds of living creatures here and more of them than in their homeland. This is generally speaking, because Russia is large and the composition of the fauna varies from region to region. But most likely you will only come across harmless geckos and cockroaches, which will only spoil your mood with your acute dislike for such divine creations. Also in Thailand you can catch all sorts of diseases. dengue fever type, rarely malaria or get Quincke's edema after being bitten by someone. Therefore, do not forget about travel insurance.
Colony of ants outside the apartment window
Pretty girls, isn't it?
Dirty and smells
If you are some inveterate esthete, accustomed to German pedantry, then in some places you may have a hard time. Walls can be shabby, slop will flow down the street, or a lot of debris. And next to the cafe, sometimes there is such a dushman that the noses of not all people will be able to endure it, especially if they cook something with pepper.
Pretty shabby street
The pros of living in Thailand
I don't know if I managed to describe the cons, because I wanted to dispute each of the points, I could hardly restrain myself. And to let off some steam, I will briefly list the pros, but not in general, but specifically for myself.
- Climate and nature. First of all, I would leave for Tai because of the eternal summer. Yes, I also have seasons when over 30 degrees is not very, but for me heat is better than cold, because everything below +15 is not comfortable. Here is the sun, I need it at least 50% of the days of the year. But the presence of the ocean is not critical, although this is a good bonus..
- An atmosphere of benevolence. Whoever says anything about smiles, but I want to smile and want to smile in return. In addition, I believe that they are almost always sincere, maybe because I try to visit places where there are fewer tourists..
- Safety. I can do without comparisons with Russia, but here I feel just mega-safe, and this feeling is expensive.
- Thai food and fruits. If I admit the thought that I will get bored with Thai food someday, as I’m tired of Russian (especially in winter it is felt), then tropical fruits, I think I would eat forever.
- Cheapness and simplicity. In Tae, I can get a higher standard of living for the same cost. That is, I am from the category of those who are more profitable to live in Thailand than at home. And also here it is simply captivating how simply and quickly the issues of housing / food / movement are resolved, and not so much because of the cheapness, but because the whole country is tailored for visitors. Oh, how this is sometimes lacking in other places.
I wrote a little and briefly on purpose, because the article is more about minuses than pluses. And in fact, eternal summer with smiles is enough for me (the first two points) to cover any disadvantages. The ideal option, of course, is 25 degrees (and at night 20) all year round, but there are not so many such regions in the world, and here it is already starting to play a role, like with the visa issue, and what are the prices for living there. In Thailand, it is very easy to obtain a tourist visa, and it is even easier to travel to border runs. Here are some more separate articles on the pros and cons, though in comparison with Russia:
Why we winter in Thailand
Impressions of Moscow after a winter in Thailand
Impressions after two months of solo travel in Thailand
Thailand relaxes or why pay more?
P.S. Once again, I want to say about the subjectivity of such articles and add that I only spent the winter in Thailand, I did not live there for several years in a row, did not open a business, did not arrange children for school, etc. However, despite this, I can afford to express some judgments about whether I would like to live there for a long time or not :)
P.P.S. What else have I forgotten bad?