Thailand so far…

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I’ve been in Thailand for over four months now! Things have been going great and I’ve gotten into a good routine with lesson planning, work, and taking trips on some of the weekends. Thailand has really grown on me.

A big thing getting used to has been not being able to take hot showers (whaaa?). During the first month when I was traveling around Thailand and doing my ATI course, I stayed in hotels and hostels where hot water for showers was a typical thing. Every one of the showers had small hot water heaters hookd up to the side of the shower. My apartment doesn’t have that. Hot showers aren’t a typical thing here.

Learning about money management definitely wasn’t something I was expecting as I started working here. When you’re making a small salary and still want to satisfy your travel bug, you have to get good with your money!

It’s interesting to see the different ways all of the teachers talk about and manage their money. Saving 50% of your salary is a big thing in the personal finance world. At my school, some of the foreign English teachers try to do just that.

At the start of every month, when I get paid, I put half my salary in an envelope and try not to touch it. The rest of my salary is mine to spend. It works kind of like Paula Pant’s Afford Anything Anti-Budget. I just pull my savings off the top and spend the rest. For the first two paychecks so far, I’ve been able to save slightly more than half my salary.

Thailand Culture

Land of smiles

They don’t call Thailand the “land of smiles” for nothing. People can be very friendly here! The clerks at the bank and 7-eleven smile when assisting you, thai teachers smile at you in the hallway. It goes a long way.

Now everything wasn’t always so rosy. The first two to three months were a difficult transition. Everything smoothed out as time went on, though. Culture shock is always something to content with when traveling. Especially when you start living and working in another country.

Taking shoes off

I’ve gotten used to taking my shoes off. At my school, I have to take off my shoes before entering the kindergarten classrooms. It’s also customary to take shoes off when entering temples, some tourist attractions, message and spa parlors, and other places.

In Thailand, the head is regarded as the most important part of the body, because it is where the spirit resides. The feet are the furthest away from the head so they are the lowest part of the body spiritually. Feet are not to be pointed directly at buddha relics, and other important and spiritual things.

I’ve even started taking my shoes off at the door of my own apartment!

7-elevens and message places everywhere

There are 7-elevens every two to three blocks. It’s crazy. I thought at first how was  it possible to have so many. Wouldn’t it cause trouble for each establishment since there are so many? Nope! Every one of them regularly gets people coming through the sliding beeping doors.

Like the stores back in the states, the ones here have a variety of prepackaged food/meal items. Although, the selection is different for the stores here in Thailand. There are a bunch of rice and noodle dishes for 37 baht ($1.06 USD). There’s “toasties” as well!

Message places can be found on every few blocks as well. Hour long messages can be done for around 200-300 baht ($5.70-8.55 USD). So inexpensive!

Holiday trips

I try to make a habit of going somewhere every weekend. It doesn’t have to be big or in some far off tropical beach, just something. Thailand is so so so beautiful and diverse. I love the different shaped mountains, Jurassic Park vibe from looking at them (yeah, haha) , beautiful beaches, and diverse atmospheres.

Three big trips I’ve taken since I started work: Chiang Mai, Ko Kret+park, and Koh Chang.

Chiang Mai

It’s commonly said how “everyone loves Chiang Mai”. While maybe not everyone loves it, it is a pretty neat place. Being in northern Thailand, the weather is a lot more compliant to visitors than the hot and polluted atmosphere of Bangkok (Bangkok is still a great place though!).

Chiang Mai is considered the digital nomad capital of the world. It offers a low cost of living, good internet speeds, and plenty of attractions and laid-back culture.

Ko Kret & Chaloem Kanchanaphisek Park

Just outside of Bangkok’s bustling and chaotic nature lies Ko Kret, a small artificial island that resulted from a canal being dug to provide an easier route along the Chao Phraya River. Ko Kret is known for its laid-back peaceful rural atmosphere and pottery.

The island doesn’t have any official paved roads, just a narrow concrete path circling the small island. There is a nice weekend market here that makes it perfect for a weekend day trip. I went on an early Saturday.

I rented a bike for 40 baht and spent the next three hours riding around the island, making multiple stops along the way.

After Ko Kret, I went to Chaloem Kanchanaphisek Park. Stunning views in this place!

Ko Chang

This has been the best trip by far (sorry Chiang Mai). There was an five-day weekend due to Thai Lent holiday. Me and eight other teachers from my school went to Ko Chang for the holiday.

Ko Chang is Thailand’s second biggest island, after Phuket. It’s notable because it’s one of the Thai islands that remains not too negatively affected by tourism.  I got to the island by taking a five-hour bus from Bangkok to Trat then a ferry to the island.

Everyday, us teachers took to the beach and every night we took to the clubs. The white sand beaches were seemingly endless. The mountains and cliffs gave a very Jurassic Park vibe. Seeing them was so spectacular and something only my eyes could catch (the camera images did come close though 🙂 ).

It’s a great feeling to be around fun and spirited people. That’s what I got while in Ko Chang.

All in all, Thailand has been great so far. Midterms at school have just been completed after a 2-3 week process. Now back to the daily routine!

What trips are you dreaming up or planning to take? 

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Colin // RebelwithaPlan

Colin Ashby is the writer behind Rebel with a Plan, a website dedicated to people who choose to rebel against the norm of living in debt and feeling financially unenlightened. He believes everyone has an eccentric quality to embrace and that lattes are sometimes a necessity (despite what the personal finance community tells you).

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