Update: life goes on, things change and Judith and Marco are no longer together as a couple. We are still close friends but we both went our separate ways.
We’re in Thailand, carrying backpacks and traveling low-budget. Apparently, the Thai use a special term for our kind: stinky foreigners. Ha!
Truth is, we have showered every day or even twice since we came here (because it’s HOT!) and opted for an airconditioned room in Bangkok’s Thara hotel (recommended), near Khaosan Road, the city’s most attractive tourist area.
Is your work location-independent or could you move your business to another country? Do you fancy (temporarily) living in a tropical area with more focus on health and adventure? Do you like meeting travelers? Read on!
Why Thailand?
There’s a few reasons we chose Thailand:
- the country’s rich nature
- the wise buddhist culture
- the friendly people
- the low prices
- the great digital nomad climate: wifi everywhere
So a few days ago, we made our way south to the beautiful island of Koh Pha Ngan to do all that.
Also, by what we heard from friends, it just seems to be effortless here to integrate wholesome good stuffs such as yoga, dance and a diet of fruits and veggies into our daily lives of working behind a digital device.
Digital nomads & work life balance
I mean, i don’t know about you, but i often feel i need to ‘create space’ in my busy western life to do my meditation practice or play around. And then sometimes i just don’t… And that’s kinda crazy, because every time i DO create that space to dance freely or cook up something creative or follow a design tutorial of sorts, there’s an immediate awesome effect where not only do i come up with better ideas, but also problems which i thought were there before, melt like clouds before the sun and magic signs start popping up everywhere: you’re on the right track! Keep going!
3 reasons to become a digital nomad in South East Asia:
- A healthy way of living naturally inspires to make more healthy choices.
- The low prices make things like foot massages or daily yoga classes so much more accessible.
- Meeting like-minded people really creates a ‘new normal’ of living a life of joy and abundance, spiritually, physically and economically.
Beach office
In a few days, we hope to be living in our ‘own’ bungalow for the coming months. Until then, we’re in a beach resort. The wifi at the restaurant is fine and we made a nice office for ourselves facing the gently rolling waves of the Gulf of Thailand. We pay 600 baht (about 14 euros) per night for a small 1-room bungalow with private hot shower and a veranda with hammock. It’s really lovely.
Day at the office: swim, work, drink coconut, repeat
We spend a lot of time taking care of business from our beach office, and whenever we feel like it, we dive in the water for a cooling and refreshing swim. I drink juice from coconuts all day, using a spoon afterwards to scrape the fresh white flesh from the shell. It really fills you up and replenishes the body for quite a while.
Television
One downside i find here at the beach resort and in many other places we visited until now, is the television that is constantly producing sounds. My love remarked how serene this place would be if it weren’t for the television. Sports commentary, commercials, action hero movie gunfire. I trust that at least in the yoga schools, the tv will finally be turned off ;).
Prices
Here are a few first observations:
- One coconut costs 30 baht (about 70 eurocents) if you buy it in the street. I swear i could live on coconuts alone, they’re sooo delicious and nutricious.
- Dinners at any restaurant or resort can be something like a green or cream curry or a fresh and spicy vegetable soup with rice and costs around 100-150 baht for a meal, that’s 2,5 – 4 euros.
- Streetfood, if prepared right in front of you, is delicious and can be safely eaten. Buy a pad thai, that’s your choice of noodles with veggies and some protein such as egg, tofu, chicken or shrimp) for no more than 40 baht (not even 1 euro).
Speciality: edible bugs
In Bangkok, i was checking out a food stand selling fried scorpios and beatles and many kinds of worms. A tourist lady offered me a taste from her freshly bought batch. So that was my moment. I ate a deep fried silk worm. It was crunchy, and its inside was rather dry, like liver. I don’t like eating meat and so when the remains of the little fellow got stuck in my teeth, i was rather grossed out. I’m sure same goes for you now. You’re welcome ;).
Here’s my #1 tip on creating the life of your dreams
Here’s a great and possibly life changing advice: be mindful of the people you hang out with. Connect with people already living your dream. Science shows us that your social circle greatly influences your choices in life. Do your friends watch television all day? Probably so will you. Do they work late hours? You may want to meet their dedication. Do they drink lots of alcohol? It’ll be easy for you to join them.
Do your friends do awesome stuff like mountain climbing, scuba diving and learning how to dance the tango, earning a living following their dreams? It’ll come natural to you to do the same and the resources you need will be available everywhere for you.*
Today we’re going to check out a few bars/venues where supposedly our peers hang out. We found a nice website & Facebook group (Conscious Phangan) with people sharing events for kindred souls who like dance, yoga, drumming, etc. Can’t wait to meet all those people in real life.
Next post…
Soon i’ll share more about life in paradise. First, in my next post, i’ll lift the veil on one of the last remaining ‘problems’ in my life. It’s about money. Stay tuned.
Awesome photo by Marco Reeuwijk
* Is it your dream to have a happy family and a safe, predictable rhythm in your days? Same goes there: surround yourself with people already living your dream.
