This story was kindly written to us by Alexey, who has been traveling around Asia for more than 6 years and is one of the authors not only of , but also of the travel website byvali.ru. He traveled to Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia, and lived in Thailand for a total of more than 3 years.

Having made Thai friends, he can not only visit popular tourist places and resorts, but also become closely acquainted with the life and way of life of the provincial outback. There is not much information on the Internet about this side of the Land of Smiles, and what is available usually talks about trips to the relatives of a Thai prostitute in Isan (it is no secret that most Western men have girlfriends of this kind, whom they can easily meet in bars, at discos, in massage parlors).

All the more interesting will be the story of Alexey, who has a Thai girlfriend who has nothing to do with Isan or the sphere of intimate services and has nothing to do with the tourism business at all. She was born in the province of Saraburi, in a rural area located 2.5 hours drive from. Alexey talks about a few days in his life when he went to visit his girlfriend’s family for (Thai New Year). This is an ordinary traditional Thai family who is busy growing rice. Its oldest members have never seen Western people “live”, only on TV.

The article also shatters the myth that Thais do not like Europeans, despise them and try to deceive and deceive them at any opportunity.

With this we complete the necessary preface to these notes and give the floor to Alexey.

Hello!

I want to introduce you to a traditional Thai family that lives in a remote province, far from the tourist trail. They grow rice, beans and mango trees, just like their ancestors. Naturally, the way of life is not the same as a hundred years ago, since now there are some benefits of civilization - television, mobile phones, fans. However, these are only external attributes, but inside they remain the same simple peasants who honor traditional family ways, make offerings to spirits, and go to temples.

I was lucky enough to see how they celebrate in the Thai province, it was especially interesting to see how this happens with family, so to speak, “behind closed doors.”

The first day

A few days before Songkran, I agreed with my friend that I would come to her for the holiday in Saraburi, where her family lives. This province is completely unknown to tourists, since there is no sea and no major attractions such as temples or waterfalls. Large areas are occupied by rice fields and villages of local residents who grow this crop.

The provincial capital of Saraburi is an average city, which is not much different from the capitals of other little-known provinces. No skyscrapers or high-rise buildings, large shopping centers, noisy nightclubs, massage parlors and bars with girls, a minimum of hotels.

Nevertheless, this is not a corner forgotten by God - there are large Tesco Lotus and Macro hypermarkets, a cinema, a bus station, shops where you can buy the latest new phones, etc.

And if in Pattaya, Phuket or Samui Tesco Lotus is full of foreigners, here I saw only a few people, both elderly and with their already middle-aged Thai wives. And when I went to the village, I was probably the only white person for 10, or even 20 km. A lot of people came up to me and wanted to meet me or just chat. Moreover, with the most sincere interest, without trying to sell or offer anything. Moreover, they themselves treated me and offered me a drink. How different this was from the tourist places where all sorts of rabble flock, constantly trying to deceive and cheat. However, I got carried away, but I need to tell you in order, day by day.

So, on April 13, I woke up at 5:30, took a shower and went to the one on North Street. I needed to buy a ticket to Bangkok, where I could catch a bus to Saraburi. I arrived so early because I was afraid that all tickets would be sold out on Thai New Year. As it turned out, I was afraid in vain. Upon arrival, I bought a ticket for the next flight for 133 baht. By the way, the most expensive, before the other two bus stations it cost 124 baht.

Departure at 6:50. There were no traffic jams, the bus drove the rest of the way along the expressway, so at about 9:00 it was already at . I didn’t go to the ticket office because I knew that the bus to Saraburi departs from platform 122. Having reached the platform, I saw a bus, but all the inscriptions on it were in Thai (which is not surprising, since foreigners almost never ride them). Therefore, I asked the driver where his “car” was going. Having received the expected answer, I asked the driver to stop at Tesco Lotus in Saraburi, where a friend would pick me up and take me to the village. Then he went inside the salon and sat in the back, by the window. The bus was air-conditioned, the ticket seemed to cost 56 baht, although I could be wrong. But less than 80 baht that's for sure.

We drove for about 2 hours. At first there were few people, but after he passed several provincial towns, there were a lot of people, many were standing in the aisle.

By the way, 20 minutes after the start of movement, a bus passes to Saraburi (more correctly in Thai it sounds like “Don Muan”). Thus, you can use it to get from the Mochit bus station to the airport for mere pennies (20 baht, in my opinion). By the way, almost all other buses going north or northeast also pass it, for example the one to.

Around 11 o'clock I landed at Tesco Lotus and called my friend. She said that she would arrive in about half an hour, so I did not fry in the sun (mid-April is the hottest time in Thailand) and went to the air-conditioned Tesco Lotus. It is two-story and not much different from its twins at other resorts. In addition to the supermarket, there were ATMs and all sorts of boutiques with clothes, shoes and mobile phones. There are restaurants and a food court on the second floor.

Around noon, a friend arrived in a car (by the way, her name is Daruni - Darynee, otherwise I keep calling her acquaintance, and acquaintance). I took it out on credit in installments for several years - this is only possible for Thais - and pays around 12,000 a month. She explained her lateness by the fact that the approaches to the provincial capital are full of Songkran celebrations and there are traffic jams.

She came with her 14-year-old cousin, whom she simply called brother. In general, in Thailand, even distant relatives, for example, a second cousin, are simply called uncle. Close friends whom you have known for many years also call each other sisters. And only after asking in detail, it turns out that she is the only one with her parents.

We had a snack on the second floor of Tesco Lotus, either at McDonald's or at KFS. They also waited there for one of her relatives, whom she called her sister. I did not ask in detail, so as not to get confused in her pedigree, who she is in “Western terminology.” She came not alone, but with her husband. Naturally, they immediately became interested in who I was. They started asking questions, and for some reason my husband asked me what he looked like. I replied that it was cool that he seemed like an athlete.

Songkran Province of Thailand

Then we went to see how Songkran was celebrated in Saraburi. About 15 minutes later we arrived at the “point” where Daruni’s sister’s parents were, as well as their child. The “point” was “equipped” with a barrel of water, a basin, a hose and jugs. Plus they sold food - rice, meat, ice cream.

The holiday was in full swing. Those who have been to Thailand could see how it takes place at popular resorts. All the tourists buy water guns and shoot each other indiscriminately. Some people fill their weapons with seawater, which is especially unpleasant if it gets into your eyes or mouth. Not a single Thai would show such disrespect for others - it would never even occur to him to shoot salt water. In general, this method of “war” is not common among adult Thais, and only children and sometimes teenagers carry machine guns. Everyone else fills the barrels, places them on the sidewalk, takes jugs and waters from them. Others place barrels on pickup trucks, drive along the road and water those standing with barrels and jugs on the street. They drive very slowly on purpose, so that they can water others thoroughly and with pleasure receive a jug of water from them in return. This is all done for fun and brings a lot of joy. Children are especially happy.

By the way, both then and all subsequent days, they treated me very respectfully in terms of dousing me with water. The children, shyly, shot in a small stream, but the teenagers either didn’t shoot at me at all, or first asked and only then (also in a modest stream) poured the contents of the water dispensers onto my belly.

How different this was from the Pattaya bar girls a few days ago, who stood on the streets and, without warning, shot straight in the face or poured a tub of cold water down my neck without even thinking about how I would feel after that. But most tourists judge Thais by such girls who fill all the bars and massage parlors. It is because of them, as well as taxi drivers and traders, that one gets the impression that Thais need tourists to take as much money from them as possible. They even sell T-shirts with the words “Walking ATM,” which translates to “Walking ATM.” Yes, that’s how they treat us in tourist places.

But let's return to the streets of provincial Saraburi, where in 2 hours I did not meet a single foreigner. It was a purely Thai party. In addition to water, they also smear each other with talcum powder. This somehow has not caught on among tourists and is practiced only by the local population.

At about 17 o'clock we finally reached Daruni's house. It takes 25-30 minutes to drive from the center of the provincial capital. The house is located among rice fields, next to a river. There is so much space and beauty, wherever you look - there are trees and meadows everywhere and almost no buildings.

The family does not live in the village itself, about a kilometer away from it. There are three houses in total, standing at a distance of 150-200 meters from each other. Daruni’s brother, his parents and grandmother live in the most important and beautiful one.

In the simpler house next door are their cousins. My friend’s father actually lives in a hut, which is blown by all the winds, but he likes it. An iron roof was made to protect against rain, and a mosquito net was installed over the bed to protect against mosquitoes. His house is not locked and has no doors. And there’s nothing to take there - there’s nothing except a fan.

The main house, where the brother lives with his parents, is the most substantial. It has two wings - one-story and two-story (see photo). The first is where the younger generation lives, and the second is where the older generation lives. In the middle there is a through passage, open to all winds. There is a “relaxation area” with benches and sofas, as well as a kitchen. It is here, in the open air, where the pots, pans, rice cooker, refrigerator and stove are kept, and where everyone prepares the food.

There are several mango trees, greens, cucumbers and tomatoes growing around the house. At first I thought that the water for washing dishes came from the river, but I was told that it came from water pipes installed by the government. The toilet and shower are on the ground floor - these are two separate doors. No hot water and, of course, no baths (this is not customary in Thailand). My toilet was broken and I had to go to a neighboring house.

Daruni decided to play a joke on me and said that “in a big way” I should go somewhere under the bushes away from home. A few hours later I felt the urge and went where she sent me. The next morning she said that if I needed to relieve myself, then I should go to the next house. I said that I had already gone into the bushes. Her laughter knew no bounds. Then she ran to tell this funny episode to her relatives in order to amuse them too. I used this example to show that in Thailand, and in Asia in general, people laugh without malice, without trying to offend or humiliate. It is a carefree laugh, devoid of superiority and desire to offend.

After arriving home, we washed the car and had dinner. We rested for the rest of the evening. I was given the most luxurious room in the one-story wing. It was large, with a double bed. It belonged to another of Daruni’s cousins, but he gave it to me, and he went to spend the night with his girlfriend.

Before going to bed, I helped my friend’s 14-year-old brother solve math problems. He is a terrible truant and goes to school, God willing, once a week. Parents turn a blind eye to this, since they are not expelled for absenteeism. Why didn't I care about them? He is probably not going to college, although without a higher education in Thailand it is difficult to get a well-paid job. Those who have just completed school can rarely count on a salary higher than 15,000 baht per month... By the way, I never solved those math problems, despite the fact that I was good at school. I just completely forgot the school course, all sorts of tangents and cotangents. And to be honest, few people need all the school knowledge in the future, with the exception of the ability to write, read and count (although the latter is no longer needed now, since every mobile phone has a calculator). The guy also did not solve the problems on his own, but looked them up on the Internet and wrote down the solution in a notebook. On this happy note we went to bed.

Second day

Darunia went grocery shopping in the morning, and I helped her father put on the roof. It’s not that they “harnessed” me - they didn’t say a word - I just had nothing to do.

After breakfast we went to the “continuation of the banquet”. This time we didn’t come to the street with water sprinklers, but to the temple. Oddly enough, a social “get-together” was taking place on its territory. A stage was set up where local bands sang popular Thai hits. Young people were dancing around to the music. As usual, not a single celebration takes place in Thailand without food. Therefore, next to the stage there were tables and “mobile cafes” where they sold rice, meat, drinks and sweets.

In addition to singing, dancing and eating, you could play the lottery. It is a win-win and if you bought a ticket for 50 baht you could get a prize. I had to use a net to catch one of the balls from the container and open it. The name of the prize was written inside. There were many of them - from Pepsi Cola bottles to fans and bicycles. We were unlucky - only chips and juice won.

At the height of the celebration, a fire hose began spraying the party from a fire truck that was still standing peacefully. Everyone had a lot of fun.

I was the only white person at this celebration of life. One very tipsy young Thai wanted to make friends with me, asked questions in broken English, wanted to learn a lot from me. I think others also wanted to, but they were more sober and, due to the innate Thai shyness, did not dare to approach. Some expressed their interest and affection by asking if they could throw water on me. I agreed and they shot at me with a modest and purely symbolic stream. No one tried to unload a full clip.

Towards evening, the service began in the temple. Or rather, not a service, but an expression of respect to the Buddha and the monks and receiving their blessings. It went like this. A small altar with a statuette of Buddha was installed in the open air, and monks of different ages sat on chairs nearby. Each Thai first poured water from a small cup onto the Buddha, and then poured a few drops onto the shoulders or palms of the monks. They called me too, but I was embarrassed - after all, I was raised in a different culture and for me it did not matter as much as for the Thais.

Afterwards we stopped at another temple, where music was still playing. There, Thais also came up to me and began to offer me a drink (and a snack). Therefore, again I was in the spotlight, which I actually don’t really like.

We returned home already after dark. We had dinner, chatted and went to bed.

Day three

In the morning, Daruni and her family left for the cemetery where her mother was buried (she died of cancer at the age of 40, when her daughter was only 20).

Since many people thanked us in comments to articles and in private messages, it was decided to create a new website that would tell about other countries in exactly the same detail, with photos and videos. They called it symbolically - Byvali.ru, to emphasize that everything written is verified information and we really “were there” and saw it all. It’s no secret that the Internet is full of sites where articles repeat each other letter for letter, which are simply copied and the authors have never even been there. Naturally, they are full of all sorts of blunders, the most popular of which are essays about the island of Krabi. There is no such island in Thailand and never has been! This is the name of the province and the city that is its capital.

But let's return to the story about my stay in the Thai province of Saraburi. Soon after I wrote the article about Mui Ne, Daruni arrived from the cemetery. We ate and again went to the temple where we were yesterday. There is the same program: songs, dances, food, lottery. You could feed the goats for 10 baht.

Afterwards we decided to have a family dinner. We went to the Macro hypermarket, where we bought groceries for 1,500 baht.

We returned home at about 19. By that time, several more relatives had joined us and in total more than a dozen people had gathered. They put 2 braziers outside and began cooking meat on them. Other dishes included salad, rice and vegetable and mushroom soup, naturally all with chili pepper, without which they don’t eat in Thailand. To make it more fun, the TV was placed outside the room. The feast lasted for two hours.

Then they began to creep. I was again given the best place on a large bed, and visiting relatives with children slept on the floor on mattresses next to it.

Day four

In the morning they told me to pick a mango for my trip (today I had to leave to renew my visa). There were several trees nearby, I took a net and removed a couple of them.

But Daruni’s relatives considered this not enough. In addition, they gave me a bunch of bananas, a bag of some sweets, and fish chips.

Then I attended the “home” Songkran. This custom is very old, much older than pouring water on the street. The oldest member of the family blesses the others. Here it was an 80-year-old granny. Each of the younger members approached her in turn, dropped a few drops on her hands, knelt down and folded their palms as if in prayer. Then grandma put a cord of thick thread on everyone’s hand - a kind of talisman-amulet that cannot be removed until it breaks and falls. At the end they invited me to go through this ceremony.

Before leaving, we clicked goodbye to each other, everyone wanted to take a photo with me. Those who spoke English invited me to visit them again in the future.

Daruni then drove me to Saraburi Bus Station where I caught a bus to Bangkok.

Final word

In conclusion, I would like to summarize my impressions of visiting the Thai hinterland and its inhabitants.

Everyone showed sincere interest and care for me, and disinterestedly: they gave me the best bed, constantly offered sweets and asked if I was hungry, strangers wanted to get to know each other. No one ever asked for any money or to buy anything, or to provide any service.

I realized that ordinary Thai people are very hospitable and welcoming, kind and always ready to help. And for them, a foreigner is an interesting guest who needs to be taken care of. But in order to meet just such, real Thais, you need to get away from tourist places where a white person rarely sets foot. Unfortunately, the worst representatives of this nation come to tourist places, with whom normal Thais will not even communicate. For these people, the main thing is to rip off more money from foreigners, and this gives many the impression that we are just a source of money for them, that they smile falsely, etc. In fact, the vast majority of Thais smile sincerely and are ready to help you themselves, without demanding anything in return.

Denis

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Having once visited Thailand, a native Irkutsk woman Nelya I decided that I definitely wanted to live in warmer climes. It was not easy to implement our plans - we had to retrain from a journalist to a guide and first hone our professional skills in Turkey. Only a year later the girl arrived in Pattaya. She has been living here for almost seven years. In the new country, Nelya got married, gave birth to a son and feels at home. She told AiF.ru how Thailand captivated her.

Tourist, not worker

In Thailand, there are about fifty professions that are legally prohibited for foreigners to occupy. For example, only locals have the right to work in the tourism and beauty industries. These restrictions appeared thanks to the former king of the country Rama IX. Even 40-50 years ago, he understood that foreigners could seriously compete with native residents in these sectors of the economy. For this reason, I couldn’t just come to Thailand to work as a guide, but I started researching the issue and got a job with a large tour operator. I worked my first season as a transfer guide in Turkey and only then came to Thailand. Naturally, my work permit did not say that I was a guide; it said “translator.”

Personally, all my papers were completed legally, although there are a huge number of illegal immigrants here. They say that problems with documents can be easily resolved; supposedly the police in Thailand are willing to negotiate with violators. But, in my opinion, these are all fairy tales. There are constantly a lot of demonstrative arrests taking place in the country. And if there is no money to pay the fine and hire a lawyer, you will simply be deported.

"On a pencil"

In Thailand, the migration service works very well: those who constantly travel back and forth on a tourist visa are immediately taken on board. Some 5 years ago you could simply cross the border with neighboring Cambodia, return back and the visa issue was resolved, now such things are stopped. Since my husband came here at the invitation of a foreign company and works under a contract, my son and I were given a “family” visa based on his work visa. The company pays for my spouse, which is about $1,500-2,000 a year; for me and my child it costs about $600 ($300 each). In general, children under 14 years of age do not need to get a visa; authorities often turn a blind eye to this. But, since questions may still arise at the border, I prefer not to skimp on such things.

Quick wedding

In June it was exactly 4 years since my husband and I officially got married in Thailand. Why in this country, and not in the spouse’s homeland or in Russia? The fact is that from a legal point of view it was easiest for us to draw up the documents here.

My Thai friends warned that registering a marriage in the local municipality is almost the same as going to pay utility bills: no one would think of coming there in a white dress in full regalia. For the Thais, the most important part is the religious one, so it is celebrated on a large scale, together with the whole family. Indeed, when we came to submit documents to book a beautiful date - July 7, I realized that even in an ordinary sheath dress and with a bouquet of flowers I would look strange in this setting. What happened next was even more interesting: we gave all the necessary papers, they brought us some forms where we had to sign, as soon as we did it, it dawned on us that this was a marriage certificate! One could forget about the beautiful date. The woman who processed us simply said with a smile: “Your documents are all in order, why come a second time?” This is how we became husband and wife, but now we have something to remember.

Wedding religious ceremony in Thailand. Photo: Shutterstock.com

Expensive pleasure

Childbirth in Thailand for foreign women is paid, no matter which clinic you go to - public or private. Regular medical insurance will not save you in such situations; you will have to buy a more expensive policy on quite interesting conditions - it must be taken out even before pregnancy occurs. Usually the insurance company gives you a year, if you meet this deadline (get pregnant), then they will bear all the costs. I have not taken out such insurance and I must say that having a child in Thailand is an expensive pleasure. Because of this, some Russian women go home to give birth. But I didn’t consider this option for myself.

Of course, in another country it is difficult to raise a child without grandparents, sometimes we resort to outside help: there are many Russian nannies here who secretly come to work for the season. The cost of such services depends on the qualifications of the person. The average price is 300-400 rubles per hour. A Thai nanny will cost about 2 times less. By the way, the locals themselves also use the services of nannies for the simple reason that maternity leave here lasts only 3 months.

Bribes? No, I have not heard

There is nothing to do here without health insurance, since everything is very expensive. To understand the price range, I’ll just say that when my son and I were in the hospital for 5 days with pneumonia, it cost us 150 thousand rubles. Naturally, each member of my family has insurance; for me and the child it costs approximately 200 thousand rubles.

I have heard more than once that Thailand has terrible medicine, but I fundamentally disagree with this. Firstly, I have something to compare with, and secondly, I often resort to the help of local doctors - I gave birth to my son here and now that he is growing up, we also sometimes visit the doctor. It is naive to think that if the sea is nearby and you live in a warm climate, then the child will get sick less than in Russia. In fact, I face exactly the same problems as any other average mother.

Even in an ordinary public hospital, where the poorest segments of the population go, very decent conditions have been created: normal food, clean toilets, and a shower is required. Some private wards in Russian hospitals look much worse compared to them. In addition, unlike our medical staff, no one here would think of taking any money from you under the counter or just a tip. If you try to thank a Thai person in this way, no matter a nurse or a doctor, the person will look at you with blank eyes. Of course, I cannot say that there is no corruption in this country at all, I just, fortunately, have not encountered it.

Thai baht. Photo: Flickr.com / Karn Bulsuk

The dark side of Pattaya

We settled in Pattaya not only because of my husband’s work, but also because I personally consider this city to be one of the best for permanent residence. It is located close to Bangkok, it has its own airport, life is in full swing, plus fairly mild climatic conditions - there are no tsunamis or earthquakes, the rainy season is not as pronounced as, for example, on the islands.

As for the not very good reputation of this city, I can say that it is greatly exaggerated. For example, when I was still working as a guide, I often heard stories about how Thais supposedly rejoice at the birth of a girl, because she can be sent to the panel. This is complete nonsense! Yes, there is a lot of prostitution and establishments with a dubious reputation, but this does not mean that the whole of Thailand is like this. By the way, if you look closely, you can understand that among the priestesses of love there are not many Thais, they are just women from other countries in Southeast Asia. The locals are not alien to generally accepted moral standards; it would never even occur to them to walk along Walking Street! This is bad manners. I myself live in a very quiet area - Pratamnaki, where there are no hot spots, and no one walks half naked under my windows.

Walking Street in Pattaya. Photo: Shutterstock.com

Transvestites are common here. I worked with some of them while still a guide. Out of curiosity, I even asked our drivers several times, who, by the way, were mostly older people, how they feel about such things? And no one ever said a single harsh word; at most they could grin. It's just that Thais don't like to pry into other people's personal lives. If you behave decently, no one will care about you. The second point is related to religion. In the Thai interpretation of Buddhism, it is believed that if you did a lot of bad things in a past life, perhaps in the next - thanks to reincarnation, you will have the body of one person and the soul of another. Roughly speaking, you will be born a man in a woman's body or vice versa.

This is Buddhism, baby

“Work is not a wolf, it won’t run away into the forest” - this is about the Thais. Don’t think that they are lazy and don’t know how to work, they just have a different attitude to life due to climate and religion. Visitors are often offended by locals because they may promise something and not deliver. In fact, it needs to be accepted, understood and forgiven. Everything is explained simply: for example, a Thai plumber cannot tell you that he is unable to do something or does not know how. It is very important for him not to lose face, since there is a special attitude towards this here. Most likely, you will hear an encouraging phrase: “Madam, I will come to you in an hour.” But an hour will pass, or maybe even a day or two, and he will still not be there. In this situation, you just need to remind him with a smile that you are waiting for him. Without aggression, although it is difficult to react calmly in such a situation. However, living here, I learned. This is Buddhism, baby.

It seems to me that we should learn from the Thais how to behave in public places. For example, locals know how to stand in line; they won’t get in front of you under the pretext of “should I just ask or will I be there for a minute.” Thais in this sense are much more patient than Russians. The second very important point is a sensitive attitude towards people with disabilities. There are ramps everywhere here, unlike my native Irkutsk and other Russian cities. Even if they are not there somewhere, not a single Thai will pass by when someone needs help. And one more thing: the country has a law that obliges large companies to allocate a certain number of places for people with disabilities. In my opinion, this should be the case in any country in the world.

Photo: Shutterstock.com

No cheating

It is often said that life in Thailand is cheap. But do not confuse the concepts of “tourism” and “emigration”. When you come for 3 months with a child to spend the winter by the sea, rent inexpensive housing and eat only fruit all day long - this is one thing. But when you are in the country permanently, you need a comfortable standard of living, plus legal support - get ready to pay!

Our tourists are often advised to bargain with the Thais. They don't really like it. Yes, you can get a discount if you make a large purchase in a shopping center, but buying a watermelon and trying to pay half as much for it is very strange. Even the locals themselves don’t ask for discounts.

Traditional floating market in Thailand. Photo: Shutterstock.com

Don’t think that everyone here dreams of deceiving a white tourist. Perhaps someone can really cheat you, but such things happen everywhere. I live near the popular tourist center of Pattaya Park, where there are many fruit stalls and they are much more expensive there than in other places due to the high rent. I assure you: for both Thais and tourists the prices in such a tent will be the same. Want cheaper? Go to the regular collective farm market, which is open from 5 to 10 am.

The average salary in the country is approximately 20-30 thousand rubles, given that there is no winter, of course, you can live on this money, but it is not easy. Prices for food that Europeans are used to eating are the same as in Moscow. Local cuisine is much more accessible, but not every visitor will like it. It seems to me that for a more or less decent life in Thailand, a couple without children will need 2-2.5 thousand dollars, including rent, of course. The times when people rented apartments in Moscow and lived here without denying themselves anything with this money are long gone.

Pattaya. Photo: Shutterstock.com

Country of comfort

Of course, I have repeatedly asked myself the question: “Can I continue to live here?” In principle, why not? Inflation in the country is proceeding at a very slow pace. For example, in Thailand only civil servants have pensions, everyone else does not. But every Thai knows that if he put 400 thousand baht in the bank 10 years ago, then this money will not depreciate. Many people can only dream of such stability.

The country has decent universities, in addition, Singapore is nearby, where many people go to get higher education and China. So I’m also calm about my son in this regard. Thailand cannot be called a “third world country”; it is developing quite quickly. In general, I have already adapted to its rhythm and traditions, I feel comfortable and don’t want to leave here.