I arrived in Thailand a week ago. It’s Saturday morning. I’m sitting at a small buffet table on the beach in the famous Fisherman’s village. I had a very delicious smoothie here the other day.
My accommodation is 9 minutes and 900 meters away from here. I came to do some shopping. I haven’t bought too much food at one time (yet), so by dinner yesterday I had run out of everything. I think that’s perfectly fine, since I can always walk to do some shopping if necessary.
On the way here, I thought about writing about my first week, so I’ll start this post here.
I’m going to meditate for a while now, and then I’ll continue writing.
I have the view in the pictures above. I am in the northern part of Koh Samui. From here, from the northern coast of Koh Samui, I can see Koh Phangan, not that far away. It is another island. Looking towards it, I can see the waters of the Gulf of Thailand (also known as the Gulf of Siam).
This gulf is part of the South China Sea and washes the eastern coast of Thailand. Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao are all located in this gulf.
ChatGPT made me a sketch map of where I am and what I see. It is so funny that I am posting it here.
Koh Phangan was the other island that came to mind as the first stop for my new life. The reason I did not choose this island was that there are more digital nomads living there, and I did not want to join other people or groups right now.
According to the information on the nomads.com website, I could currently connect with three other digital nomads on Koh Samui, but I am not doing that for now. Peace and quiet are good!
My accommodation
In previous posts, I wrote that they could have found accommodation online. Then I delved deeper into the issue and it occurred to me that the accommodation on the site where I was researching is typically for long-term rentals. As it stands, I will be living here for three months, and I am not at all sure whether this qualifies as long-term.
Therefore, a few days before departure, I booked an Airbnb accommodation, where my lease expires today.
The host is a French guy who is like-minded and three years younger than me. There are three of us in the apartment, because his dog, Judy, is also there. The day before yesterday, the host did not get home until around 3 am, after he left in the evening. Since I did not know where he was and when he would come home, I took the old dog out to pee twice, and then put him to bed in the host’s room around 2:30.
That very day, we talked about the future of my accommodation. I told the guy that I liked this place and this area. I would gladly stay here as long as I live on the island, I wouldn’t look for another place to stay. I asked him for a discount on the price and of course I was curious what he would say about this solution.
He said that in a normal situation he would say no. He Airbnbs because he only hosts someone for a few days, and it’s a different situation if someone lives here permanently. But since it’s me, whom he’s come to know as very respectful in the past few days, he asks for some time and thinks about my request and offer.
The next day, that is, yesterday morning, he accepted by saying that it was okay, that he would be happy if I stayed here with him. He would take back a little of the discount I asked for, if it suits me too. We agreed. So, if everything goes well, I’ll be living here until November 20th.
The accommodation is twenty meters from the main road and forty meters from the sea, so when I stand on the small terrace, I can always see the water in the embrace of the palm trees.
I have one room. As I have seen in other houses by looking in through the windows, this house is also a typical Thai building: I don’t see many closets around here. In my room there is only a bed, a bedside table and a hanging shelf. There are no pictures or other things. And of course there is air conditioning. It would be difficult to endure being indoors without it.
I only open the window in the morning. Since all kinds of animals crawl on the walls of the house – especially in the afternoon and evening – I unfortunately sleep with the window closed. I wouldn’t want to wake up to a gecko kissing my face…
There is another room in the apartment that two people share. Judy and her owner. There is a bathroom with a toilet, a shower and a sink. The solution here is that the water from the shower flows into the drain next to, in front of, the toilet. And yes: there is a separate shower head for washing the bottom. I have already tried this, but for now I am still using paper, just like at home. There is nothing else in the bathroom besides the things listed.
There is a kitchen. It is furnished in a fairly minimalist way. There is a microwave, a single-plate stove, a sink, a refrigerator. A few dishes and about two of everything else. Two plates, two small bowls, two knives, spoons and forks.
I think this apartment exhausts the concepts of minimalist living.
There is also a living room and dining room in one space. I use the dining table here, the host uses the sofa. We are nicely distributed in the space.
What I also really like here is that the block in which the apartment is located has a swimming pool. So I swam every day this week, starting my regular exercise program.
It’s good that I am close to everything. I like this place, I love this accommodation.
What is strange here is that the houses here are very free. For example, we don’t close our doors all day. I see that the doors are open in other houses too. Many shops are just covered with tarpaulins when they close. Of course, the shops are better closed, but there are also many where a lot of things are left outside in the evening, at night. I have not had any unpleasant experiences with this so far.
Sometimes there are other residents in the house:
The area
As I mentioned, Fisherman’s Village is nearby. There are plenty of shops, restaurants and entertainment options here. I haven’t been to the famous night market yet, but I constantly feel like I don’t have to rush, I have and will have time for everything.
What’s strange is that there is a weed shop on every street here, not just one. I’ve seen this elsewhere in Europe, but it still surprises me.
The day before yesterday I took a longer trip, I went far beyond the borders of Fisherman’s, a total of 12 kilometers there and back. I didn’t reach the end of the village…
I wanted to, because according to the host I can see Komodo dragons there. I’m very curious about them, I’ll definitely look for them.
The first “real” beach, Bo Phut Beach, is 1.5 kilometers away from me.
The foods
During the walk I just sat down to have breakfast. Or lunch. I don’t know. It’s 10:50, let’s call it brunch. This is a slang word formed by combining the words breakfast and lunch, which means exactly the meal between two meals.
Pleasant music is playing everywhere. For example, right now a cover of Maxi Priest’s Wild World is playing. I really like this song.
I will have a green curry, served with rice. I expect it to be very delicious, as all the food I have eaten so far has been. This curry will cost about 1,700 forints.
All other food is much cheaper than in Hungary.
Plus, while eating, another of my favorite songs was playing, Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins.
Cause it’s another day for you and me in paradise
While eating, I read my current book. It’s a book by Juli Havasi, titled Paper Dolls – or Can You Have Two Homelands? I just realized how similar the story is to my life. I know the writer personally. We were both members of the Győr Writers’ Club organized by the Hungarian Writers’ School. It’s about a female chief physician in Győr. This is her second book. I consider this one to be just as good and valuable as the first.
One thought the protagonist of the story has at a certain point in the book is: “Fantasizing unexpectedly turns into agonizing homesickness. I miss not only Emma, but also Botond and the complete accessory: Aunt Vilma, my father-in-law and our snobbish group of friends, for whom I ceased to exist overnight.”
I feel lucky in the restaurant (also), that on the one hand my circle of friends are not snobbish, and on the other hand I don’t feel like I have ceased to exist for anyone, or anyone has ceased to exist for me.
Then – still in the restaurant – another thought comes to mind: “… the mind is a practical thing: all you have to do is look for a bigger difficulty, and we can bear what we are in more easily.” I hadn’t thought of this before, in this form. I usually use – I think – the gentler version of this solution. I have been deep in my life a few times. During these times, I often thought about the difficulties of others. I often said at such times that my problem isn’t so bad, maybe someone else would give half their life to have the same problem as me. In the case of a love heartbreak, for example, it is practical to think about how much worse it can be to take care of a child’s long-term illness. Or to starve, to be homeless. At such times, I could immediately be grateful that I really “only” have this much trouble. If I think about Juli Havasi’s words now, I actually did the same thing as the main character in her novel: I looked for a bigger difficulty. But – I say it again – through the difficulty, I always saw gratitude for my own life.
I was not disappointed with the curry. It was very, very delicious. I lived well, I didn’t have to eat until evening. I ate a hearty meal for 2,100 forints, including mineral water and rice.
The heat
It’s really hot. But it’s not unbearable for me. It actually took a minute to get used to the fact that I feel like I’m in an oven here all the time. I took a shower half an hour ago. There’s no sign of it anymore. I’m sitting in my swimming trunks in the living room and I’m constantly wiping my hands so that my laptop doesn’t get wet. My pants feel like I’ve been in a pool because I’m constantly sweating. I don’t even have to move to do this.
I have to wipe my glasses often because sweat runs down them. If the air conditioning in the room doesn’t work, my body immediately signals me to turn it on with huge drops of water. When I come out of my room, which is cooled to 23 degrees, into the living room, the intense heat immediately hits me in the face. It doesn’t just wave at me, it reminds me with a fist that heat is natural here.
I don’t think this is something that everyone can handle, I’ve heard people say that they really liked the country but couldn’t stand the heat. I’m lucky because I can simply ignore the heat. I’ll add that I’m always in loose clothes, mostly in one pair of pants all day, without underwear. In traditional everyday clothes, I think this would be unbearable.
The pool has become an important part of my life this week. Whenever I go there – you know, morning or evening – the water is always pleasantly warm. I don’t have to do any tricks to get in, I just step in.
The apartment is well located. The sun shines into the living room early in the morning, but I don’t usually sit there then. From then on, it’s in the shade. Regardless, if the fan isn’t on, it’s terribly hot. There’s no air conditioning in the living room. The three of us share the only fan, but I think Judny needs it the most, as she can only cool herself with this and her tongue.
Az emberek
Tulajdonképpen ez az, amiért jöttem. Talán csak az az egyetlen elképzelésem volt ezzel az országgal kapcsolatban, hogy itt mindenki mosolyog. És talán ez volt az összes várakozásom az új életemmel kapcsolatban.
Nos, nem mindenki mosolyog. Még sincs bennem csalódás. Nyilván nem arra számítottam, hogy az utcán mindenki idióta módjára mosolyogva tévelyeg és mindenfelé mosolyognak az emberek. Nem így van! Végzik a dolgukat, el vannak foglalva a telefonjukkal, beszélgetnek egymással, talán olyan témákról is, aminek semmi köze nincs a mosolygáshoz. Viszont minden kapcsolódásban benne van a mosoly, és ez az, ami Magyarországon annyira hiányzott nekem.
Ha valahová bemegyek és köszönök, vissza köszönnek és rám mosolyognak. Ha valaki előre köszön, mosollyal az arcán teszi. Ha valakire ráköszönök, mosolyogva köszön vissza. Ha hívnak valahová, mosollyal teszik. Ha összeteszem a két kezem a mellem előtt és azt mondom, hogy “köszönöm, nem!” ezt mosolyogva teszem és mosolyogva fogadják. Az összetett kéz a jellegzetes thai köszöntést, az ún. wai.
The wai is not just a hand gesture, but a cultural gesture with deep meaning in Thailand.
Meaning and role:
- The wai is an expression of respect, humility, and goodwill.
- It is most often used as a greeting and farewell, but it can also be used to express gratitude, apology, or respect.
- The gesture: the combination of the two palms in front of the chest (as in prayer) and a slight bow of the head.
Ideological and religious background:
- Buddhist roots: the wai is related to the añjali mudra (prayerful hand position), which is used in many South Asian cultures to express respect and spiritual purity.
- The gesture is about restraining oneself and showing respect for others, so it has not only a social but also a spiritual meaning.
- In Thailand, the wai is considered to express unity and harmony: external respect (towards the other) and internal peace (within ourselves) are present at the same time.
Hierarchy and customs:
- The form of the wai (how high you hold your hand, how much you bow) depends on who you give it to:
- to friends, peers in front of the chest,
- to elders in front of the nose or forehead,
- to monks or a Buddha statue above the forehead.
- This reflects the hierarchical value system of Thai society, where respect is an important daily practice.
What I like best about this description is “… where respect is an important everyday practice.”
And just then a friend of mine wrote to me – “Synchronicity” is working again: “How are you, where are you? How are your days going? If you’re at home or in Bábolna this week, we can have a beer. I respect you, you’re a good person!”
As I write this, I’m reading this: In Thailand, everyday life is permeated by respect and the search for harmony. People’s politeness is manifested not only in words, but also in gestures, such as the wai, which is a sign of greeting, respect and goodwill at the same time. Social hierarchy plays an important role: younger people always turn to their elders with respect, and they show special respect for monks. Calmness and a smile are almost mandatory, since it’s not by chance that the “land of smiles” stuck to Thailand. Open expression of conflicts should be avoided, they prefer to strive for peaceful solutions. This particular behavioral culture makes Thai people friendly and hospitable, which is a quick experience for foreigners.
What a coincidence. Several people have asked, I have told and described several times – most recently in one of the last posts – why I came to Thailand. I couldn’t find a particular reason. Now I’m starting to suspect that – although it hasn’t crossed my mind once in the past months – I’ve known for many years that Thailand is called the “land of smiles”… Maybe my subconscious brought me here?
One last thought about people. Dad wrote me a letter regarding my previous post. Among many, there is a thought that is dear to me. “You will pass on the experiences of your life rich in experiences to your descendants, to your friends who will be enriched by it.” Somewhere I feel that somehow, but this is how it will be…
I am grateful to be able to live here!
