Talked to an extraordinary man who called himself Sam Lowry. By at least that is how I feel when reading it blog posts. Max (Sam Lowry) enjoys self-development, recovery, organization of information. He lives with his family over 5 years in Thailand. Such a long time allows a very it’s good to know the country from the inside, so I did not miss the opportunity to find out how do expats live, what do they earn, what can be plans for the future of a person if citizenship in this country not really get.
Max, I know that you and your wife have been living in the north for 5 years. Thailand’s daughter was born there. I read once that you are south went, but then still returned to the north. Wow, questions a lot, but first tell me, have you moved there permanently or is it temporary phenomenon? After all, it is difficult to obtain citizenship, but permanent visa-wound bored—
In general, we started with Pattaya, we lived there for 2 years, until finally not tired of living at the resort. Then it was already north. Then we went to explore new places, Phangan really liked, but it is very inconvenient to get to him. For example, Krabi is from center physically further, but you reach it faster because of that he is on the mainland. In addition, we on Phangan were in low Season, sometimes the beaches were completely empty. It’s not clear how there now. Perhaps not so atmospheric and natural as we it seemed.
Is it really in Thailand? Here you are in the search engines spins the blog and other sites, and you do it well. Maybe you already managed to feel the black side of search engine optimization when everything can collapse at any time. So with Thailand all the same the most. The visa regime is soft and can be “optimized”, but all statuses that can be obtained do not give the alien a special right
Add Thai love to political games and wars here. I heard from historical friends a curious fact: for Thailand’s 20th century politics only doing what they dug under each other and arranged revolution. Every government starts coming up with something pozakovyriste. If the leader is inept, he starts with bans.
The story of the overthrow of Prime Minister Thaksin Jinavara is well known. in 2006 (by the way, we are just under this next revolution moved to Thailand). They immediately changed the rules for issuing investment visas. Before as it was: invested 3 million baht – live quietly. 3 million is the average price of a simple house or condo Now it’s necessary to invest 10 million cuts off most people. Let’s imagine how 7 years ago you or I, having sold the apartment, the car, having borrowed money, we buy condo for 3 million, and a year later there is a revolution.
By the way, Thaksin came up with a cool program called Thailand Elite, where for 1 million baht you could buy a special card, and not get Only VIP service at airports, hospitals, spas and immigration offices, but also the opportunity to live and not to bathe about visas Gradually, and then tightened the nuts. That privilege is removed, then the number of family members passing on your card hacked, and Now and at all the program was closed. Money seems to be returned, but sediment people surely stayed.
Well, the status is close to civil (permanent residence), here get very difficult.
So asking about life plans in Tae is an occupation ungrateful. Answer: maybe tomorrow they will ask everyone from here, maybe after a bunch of years, or maybe we get tired of it.
Yes, at least we lived half a year in Thailand, but also managed to understand that the nuts tighten. That is why we are going here live, and do not position it as a complete relocation. Semi-legal the situation is somehow not very close to us, but other options besides studying or scamming, for ordinary people not.
Max, and not thought about other countries in Southeast Asia? For example, in Cambodia, visas are much simpler; a business visa for a year without need to do business, or the Philippines, where about two years can not leave the country? Or did Thailand like it so much are you ready to put up with visa questions?
Unfortunately, Tai is such a stupid, impossible, nasty a place that is hard to leave. In Cambodia, the standard of living is lower. All that foreigners in Tae love so much, all these hypermarkets, food courts, makashnits, good roads, national parks, ubiquitous internet, cheap luxury homes – all this is used the Thais themselves. And Cambodia, Laos, Burma are much poorer countries, the gap with the local population will be very large. Not yet I want to.
I don’t know anything about the Philippines in practice; I only heard that crime there is worse than in Tae and the fact that vegetarian culture there is not developed. Indonesia (Bali), Malaysia – quite livable country with its drawbacks. But in Tae, you know, it’s easy for us. For 5 years, all the corners are hacked. Any problem is solved pretty fast. You say “semi-legal position”. And what is it anyway? In whose head is it semi-legal? I live here and now and for now everything is fine. Go and live in banana cambodia just for the sake of this “position” on pieces of paper? In my opinion, such piety for how the state treats you, we got from Soviet times. “Without paper you are a bug.”
If you move to another country, it’s only when you will like the country. Well, or when all available methods accommodation will be covered with a copper basin.
Semi-legal position – I meant everything that is not refers to citizenship. Cambodia, Philippines is also “semi-legal” in this plan. Of course, we must live here and now, but many I want to settle down enough to build my house, to equip it, can make your own garden. We still do not belong to such people but we do not exclude that they want to have something of their own someday, and not rented. Although, of course, the laws in the world are now such that no one has this “his own” already.
Anyway. Better tell, than you on life earned to Tai and what now? Everyone I met there, either bloggers and site owners, either programmers—
You, by the way, got to the very point about home and garden 
I cherish the idea of making a settlement: remove land, build simple lodges and a common place for food, work and meetings. Who wants, can to farm. The problem is in the absence of other “patients” like-minded people. The second problem is the choice of location, the mind is torn between Phangan, Chiang Mai, Chiangrai and Pai.
And I was engaged and engaged in growing sites with search traffic, which hangs and brings money advertising site dating Sites English-speaking.
Good idea with the settlement. Maybe you even know about ecovillages in Russia, so my friend and I started one thing, but I was somehow drawn to warm countries, so I left the project. True difference is that “your” is quite different from conventional “farming” on leased land is therefore not surprising that you had a few like-minded people. I think that Farmers do not particularly need a “community” around, they alone. Therefore, In your case, maybe you should not focus on the earth? Although no one prevents her from having a small piece just for the personal garden. To that not everyone wants to invest in construction, knowing that tomorrow may already ask from here. By the way, because as an option you can just rent a small cottage village with 10 houses and so to live together.
And there is no accent on the ground. I am not a farmer and I don’t like a garden. But those bananas and papayas should be planted, if possible – and why not? The emphasis here is on cohousing, living in nature (ideally – not on bald land, but among trees, in a forest or jungle). Not everyone will need to invest in houses, but some kind of backbone of 2-3 families wishing to divide the initial expenditure is needed.
By renting cottages in the village negative attitude. It rather in total, there will be concrete boxes with fully concreted earth around. They will stand in the suburbs, with all the attendant nishtyak in the form of neighbors from all sides, barking dwarf little dog circulating to and fro cars. I want to build very cool something. Koh Phangan live guys name themselves Phangan Earhtworks. They took the land for 7 years, already built 3 houses, yoga studio, a dome for meditations in the dark. Everything looks very and very cool. And the fact that the earth is briefly removed – they are not annoying. In Chiang Rai, our friend built an amusement park on the ground, which, in words, was given to him by the elder of the village for a small fee. This, by the way, is a good illustration to our talk about rights. Who wants – he takes and makes, based on realities. The rest are looking for excuses.
While we live in an ordinary concrete house
Yes, I perfectly understand you about concrete boxes and nishtyakov Recently I came across a site about guys who bought 10 ha in Latin America and build a house in the jungle. Something like your thoughts are true with a tie to the ground. I guess very many would like to live in a similar way with friends. Fair saying, do not know what people are stopping. Although, probably, if talking about us, we are still in the process of forming our Earnings, which means we can not settle anywhere in this way. Can and others as well.
You mentioned the creation of sites for traffic. Comfortable profession for travel. But tell me how you got the idea to make Disassembly point, not related to your work? Even the words It is difficult to choose what it is, and it seems like a journey, and it seems like not. Better to explain.
In my opinion, everyone who lives in Tae helped several acquaintances and friends moving here. Friends and we helped. I’m big amateur talk about mass culture, about everyday a life. Yes, and accumulated what to tell in 5 years. At the same time, tourism and traveling in pure form I do not like. And at some point the thought came: to make an event where people can learn necessary information about life in the country. Well, at the same time see different parts of it, work out something interesting. Invite a friend who more than two years is a guide for the countries of Southeast Asia, we designed the route and entertainment part, I prepared theoretical And so this program appeared, in the beginning of the year they conducted The first issue, on April 29th, is the second one. By the way, I invite everyone Life-trip.ru readers to the program, I will give you an additional discount.
“To do something interesting” is what eg?
Yoga on the balls, climbing, climbing several mountains through temples and waterfalls, massage lesson, cycling, tea tasting. Cool tasks related to the theoretical part.
And the last question, which is my very interested in. Tell me how real a person is. so come live in Thailand while not having remote work and significant funds? Something can be thought of on the spot, for example do some small business?
Of course, a typical job in Tae is work in the travel industry. From questionable occupations, such as the “assistant” guide (by the way, for the last two years this profession has finally lost its appeal, before it was possible to earn money, but now it’s just meaningless risk), to quite legal, for example, you can work manager in travel companies, translator in various companies.
Those who want to find a job in the specialty, I would advise monitor bulletin boards (for example, this one), and by yourself post job search ads there. You can get on work in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, in industrial areas. Can teach English almost everywhere (in some schools they take non-carriers). You can do your favorite hobby and work as an instructor. on yoga, dancing, diving.
Finally, you can try to open a business here. Of course, the path is not for everyone, although almost everyone who came to Thailand right away is beginning to think in a standard way: open a restaurant, lounge massage, etc. Many close pretty quickly.
By the way, such a scheme is quite common among Europeans: save money, quit, live a year traveling or just one country like thailand. Why not try it? And there, maybe some ideas of work and business will appear. Need only want …
– Maxim and I could talk for a long time, but I’m fine I understand that all the questions at once do not ask, so you can write your question in the comments, I’m sure Max will be able to you reply. Well, of course, if you are going to live in Thailand, I advise you to pay attention to his point of disassembly, still not Every day the opportunity to get 5 years of life experience in Tae compressed for a couple of weeks.
Life hacking 1 – how to buy a good insurance
Choosing insurance is now unrealistically difficult, therefore, to help everyone travelers, I make a rating. To do this, constantly monitor forums, I study insurance contracts and use insurance by myself.
Insurance Rating
Life hacking 2 – how to find a hotel 20% cheaper
First, choose a hotel on Booking. They have a good base offers, but the prices are NOT the best! The same hotel is often possible find 20% cheaper in other systems through the RoomGuru service.
Discount hotels
