

30 Things I Learned by Spending One Month in Thailand - behnood
http://behnoodmarvazi.com/30-things-i-learned-by-spending-one-month-in-thailand/

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pimeys
I'm not so sure about the goodness of public transportation in Bangkok.
There's a few trains, one metro and a completely chaotic bus system. Take a
taxi and you'll be ripped off because you're a farang. Chiang Mai is almost as
chaotic, but in a smaller scale. Still you really can't walk everywhere as
easily as in a big european city.

My advice for people going to Thailand would be to go to the north, small
towns like Mae Hong Son are amazing places. Rent a motorbike and drive around
the mountain villages. It's much cheaper than in the south and people are way
more friendlier.

The other option is to go to the southern islands. Koh Samui is the most
expensive place, made for couples and families. Koh Phangan is the party
island where you can buy some marijuana and end up spending 20 years in a Thai
jail. There's some nice hidden places in that island with less drug tourism.
Most of the locals really despise tourists though and I can really understand
that. Koh Tao is the diver's island, but my friend who was there when we were
in Phangan told us, that it's getting more touristy and turning into another
Phangan with young and recless party people. The best islands I visited were
in the Andaman sea. Koh Lanta, Koh Ngai... Much more relaxed places and the
locals really are more friendlier there because the party tourism is missing.

I was there for six weeks and I'd go again anytime.

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salmonellaeater
I left a top tech company two years ago and moved to a similar country
(Taiwan), and I have a few counterpoints.

\- If the cost of living is low, odds are the wages are low too. If you're
living within your means and saving 30% of your income, you're better off
saving 30% of $150k than 30% of $40k. The cheap cost of living only applies if
you're living above your means, vacationing, or retiring.

\- Cheap labor enables different ways of doing things. This includes transit
like tuk-tuks and taxies, but Taiwan has another example: there are no parking
meters. You just park, and a police office comes by every half hour or so and
leaves a bill on your windshield (linked to your license plate).

\- If everyone seems exceptionally friendly, that means you're expected to be
friendly too. My friend here has a neighbor who hates him because he doesn't
stop by to chat all the time like the other neighbors.

\- English names of businesses, like the "Nice Pharmacy" example, are usually
targeted to locals who don't know much English. They have to stick to words
and phrases that locals know.

\- It shouldn't take a trip abroad to figure out your priorities, and
traveling won't even necessarily help.

