When we first decided to go to Thailand we had to sit down with a spreadsheet and determine whether or not it was a financially viable option for us. Two weeks in the sun ( or snow , thanks Scotland) is all well and good but this is seven months of groceries , bills and living.
We usually have an international annual vacation and so that covered the initial ticket budget, next was to secure accommodations. We are incredibly fortunate that my parents own two homes in the area and one, happily for us , not so much for them, is sitting empty and only about a 5 minute stroll to the beach. Thanks Pops and Naphat ! It doesn’t hurt either that there is a sparkling saltwater pool in the front and plenty of room for all of us, including a room for a schoolroom.
I asked my father to go to the local grocery store and price a list of foods for me including items such as : a kilogram of chicken , a loaf of bread, rice, veggies, etc. He did this for me happily , he’s a good man. Some Western foods were comparable to here and the local produce and poultry and seafood are cheaper. We will eat fresh foods and less processed foods and I am hoping to learn to cook some Thai dishes using local ingredients. There are unfortunately some really amazing bakeries there and we all enjoy cakes.
Our cellphones will be easy to use by buying a Thai SIM card and paying a monthly pre paid fee to have calls , text and data at our fingertips. There is internet at the house and free WiFi in many restaurants. We are hoping that our Netflix and Hulu will be accessible and failing that we will buy DVDs at the local market of all the latest films. Games such as dominoes are a favorite of ours as is Connect 4, jigsaws and horror upon horror, actually having conversation with the kids of an evening.
Transportation will be a little more of a challenge. A typical Thai family can fit 5 people comfortably on the same moped but not us! Dad has offered the use of his SUV but I am not the most confident of driving in Thailand (think about 5000 motorcycles cutting you off with said families on board every 2 minutes ) , speeding buses and trucks piled high with cargo looming over and past you .There are other local options such as my personal favorite, the tuk tuk. a small carriage attached to a motorcycle with a canopy over it. For about $3 the driver will take you and your groceries about 5 miles (my dad thinks this is outrageously expensive) His favorite other than when he drives himself is a songthaew which is a pickup truck with a cover on it and benches for the fortunate passengers not forced to hang off the back . This mode of transport costs 10Bht and that’s about 30 cents for the same as the tuk tuk.
Eating out is about 100-120 Bht for a curry and rice ( approx $3-4), a large local Chang beer is about the same. There are many wonderful places to eat in Hua Hin and Khao Takieb including British foods, French bakeries, the food court in the mall has very traditional food . You buy a prepaid card and pass from vendor to vendor loading your tray. A meal in there is only about $1-2! If you want fancy there are beautiful hotels to eat in as well as incredible seafood places locally.
For groceries we have air conditioned stores ( just like here) or the local produce markets where we may not recognise most of the offerings, this is where my step mum will be our guide. Imported foods are pricey, such as decent coffee and cheese, but we will treat ourselves once in a while to luxuries and eat local delicacies (just not the fried crickets for me). Wine and spirits are very expensive and so the local firewater (Thai whisky) will have to be the base of our poolside cocktails.
Entertainment will be swimming, visiting the parents, exploring the local countryside, excursions to Bangkok , exploring caves and waterfalls , walking (and cleaning) the local beaches, learning to cook, hopefully some pottery classes for me and general cultural education. We may have visitors and they will join us in our South East Asian experiences.
Overall, Justin coming back to the USA to work for us will be the financial rock we need to make this happen and for that we are all very grateful. We will tighten our belts, live by local standards and enjoy the simpler things in life for a while.
By Arlene
Seven Months in Siam 