Winter in Thailand

Arthur Orudzhaliev on how to escape the European cold on Koh Samui

Author: Artur Orudzhaliev

The founder of the Ukrainian publication Ain.ua, Artur Orudzhaliev, being the master of his time, leaves Ukraine every winter for countries with a more favorable climate. This time he went to Thailand on the island of Koh Samui and wrote some advice for those who are still thinking about escaping from Europe.

For the second winter in a row we are going to Koh Samui in Thailand. Last year we spent three months here. This time we will be a little longer - we left in October and will return in March. Different acquaintances periodically ask questions that are quite similar to each other. I decided to present the answers to the most popular of them.

I’ll say right away that if you think that life on the island is a bumboo bungalow on the shore, half a day on the beach and discos until the morning in isolation from civilization, then this, to put it mildly, is not so. At least for us. We live in a normal house overlooking the jungle, we work most of the time, in our free time we cook, play sports, watch movies and read books. Of course, this doesn’t stop you from going to the beach, swimming in the sea, traveling around the island and eating local fruits.

How to work remotely

Fine. Better than in the office. I have been working remotely for four years now and have not experienced any problems regarding this. In Kyiv, I work sitting at a table and the window is to my left. On Samui, my window is in front of me. This is the main difference in the workplace. If we talk directly about Thailand, then a big plus is the 5-hour difference with Kiev. When it’s 9 am in Kyiv, it’s already 2 hours after noon. Accordingly, in the first half of the day it is possible to complete a really large volume of tasks, since there are no distractions. It's not that social media isn't updated. New emails don't even arrive.

Regarding remote work, I recommend reading the new book Remote .

Internet

All is well with him. Mobile 3G is everywhere. With its help, I constantly check my email from my phone (even attached files load quickly, hello, Kyiv!). It also serves as a backup channel. It's worse with wired internet. It’s very good to be with him in Kyiv. Samui is fine. All sites are loading, video via Skype is working. Everything greatly depends on which provider and which tariff package is connected and how many people (houses) use it.

Last year, I sometimes had to wait for photos to load (for example, on my Facebook feed). But then there was one Wi-Fi for 12 houses. We've been having a great time watching YouTube videos this year. True, not in HD.

the cost of living

I don't have an answer to this question. As well as the answer to the question, how much does life cost in Kyiv? I can definitely say that talk that it is “very cheap” here is far from reality. It’s really cheap here for Muscovites, but it’s also cheap for them in Kyiv. Compared to Kiev, products are a little cheaper, but the spending structure is different. We eat out more often, for example. In general, as far as I know, people (for long-term stays) spend about the same as at home.

Some example prices:

— Tariff 1 GB mobile Internet — $15/month;

— Rent a moped (the main method of transportation here) — depending on the model, $100-200/month. Car - from $400/month. Just in case, drive on the left;

— Rent of a small house, on average, $400-1000/month. Of course, this is all very rude. You can find it cheaper, there is a large selection of expensive houses. There are plenty of villas that cost hundreds of dollars a day to rent. I will say this - of course, you can live in houses for $300, but don’t think that they will have good plumbing, sealed windows and comfortable furniture;

- Food. Lunch at the market or at the food court in a supermarket - $3-5 per person. In a cafe - from $10. Bottle of local beer (0.66 l) - $2 in a supermarket, $3 in a cafe;

— School for children (teaching in English) — $500/month.

Infrastructure

- Hospitals. There are several good hospitals. The prices are high ($150 - an appointment with a therapist with medicine, a stay in the hospital - $1000 / day). But insurance covers everything. Those who don’t have them (I don’t understand why) use the services of local private doctors, where everything is much cheaper;

— We were in one of the hospitals last year. In terms of equipment, it’s beautiful, all electronics, I think this is what normal modern hospitals should look like. But I don’t know anything about the qualifications of doctors;

- The shops. Small shops can be found literally at every step. Those. every few hundred meters. There are also quite a few large supermarkets. There are 4 of them within a 15-minute drive from us. Many markets;

- Entertainment. Everyone means different things by this. But since I’m writing in the infrastructure section, I’ll list the traditional ones. There is a cinema (films are shown in English), bowling alley, zoo, cafes, massage parlors, various sections for children and adults.

— There are roads, the quality is good.

Animals

There is a widespread belief that all the snakes on the island should attack any visitor as soon as he gets off the plane or ferry. Of course, this is not true. There are various snakes on the island, including poisonous ones. They are rare (last year I saw them only a couple of times), and they bite people even less often. What there are a lot of are mosquitoes (in the evenings) and lizards (small, geckos). The latter are peaceful, often live on verandas, in some houses they crawl along the ceiling, but do not pose any harm. Rather, on the contrary, they eat insects.

Sea and beaches

There is a lot of sea on the island. Beaches at every step. For every taste. Sunsets, big waves, calm water. I’m not a big fan of beach holidays (I swam once in the first 10 days), but what’s good about local beaches is the small concentration of people. The distance between your litter and the neighboring one can easily be 50 meters. During the season (December-February) there will be more people, but still there is nothing in common with Turkey and Egypt, and you can always go to remote beaches. The water is very warm. Tsunamis are not possible inside the Gulf of Thailand.

An important note: the entire coastline in Thailand belongs to the king. This means that you can safely walk through any hotel and swim on its beach. And if you buy at least juice, you can usually use the sun loungers/pool.

Are there many Russians?

Typically, Russians are always interested in the presence of their compatriots and do not like it when they are around. By Russian we mean everyone who speaks Russian, and not citizens of the Russian Federation. There are many Russians. Speech is heard every day. But do not confuse those who live quietly, enjoy life and raise children in a good climate and, for example, package tourists in Turkey, well described in the Comedy Club videos. The second, I heard, also exists, but very little and we do not intersect with them.

Why Samui

This is a good place for a long and relaxing stay. Pleasant combination of prices and infrastructure. In many other places, it is cheaper, but there is no normal Internet. Or, for example, there is a lot of noise and discos around until the morning. To each his own.

If you are also leaving for the winter, have long since become a downshifter, or have some other interesting story, share it with us: editors@tjournal.ru

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