I have been living in Thailand now for a little over one year. I arrived in June 2023. It was a time in my life that demanded immediate change.

As time passes and cycles of life and economics run their course, society and culture within countries will invariably change.

No matter how hard you cling on to the nostalgia of ‘the good old times’, there may come a time in your life where you suddenly find the environment you are in does not align with your personal ethics, life philosophy or views on morality any longer.

This happened to me.

I came to the realisation that If I wanted to live my life with a clear conscience and stay true to my values, I would have to leave my country in order to develop as a person and work towards my vision.

After spending many days researching different country options and weighing up the pros and cons, I ended up on a flight to Bangkok, Thailand. ‘The land of smiles’, so I’d heard.

It’s true, a smile from a Thai person can light you up for days. It is a real smile that warms the heart.

Something about Thailand excited me. Maybe it was the appealing condo tours I was watching on Youtube, maybe it was the low relative cost of living, maybe it was the friendly attractive girls, I’m not exactly sure but I felt the ‘vibe’.

My luggage didn’t arrive with my flight, but perhaps my excitement caused me to not worry about it too much. After the friendly airline staff helped me out, I took a taxi to my hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 4 at 10pm on a Friday night with only my backpack.

The timing was impeccable.

As you can imagine, landing smack bang in Nana at 10pm on a Friday night somewhat energised me, lol.

I stared wide-eyed out of my taxi as we cruised along towards Sukhumvit while absorbing the surroundings of Bangkok.

Excited, I arrived at my hotel, grabbed some food nearby and settled in for the night.

One of the psychological characteristics I have, is that I feel I am highly attuned to the energy of people and environments.

The ‘vibes’ so to speak. I’m able to sense and assess the energy of an environment and its people, then very quickly determine whether or not it is going to be a positive or negative experience if I were to remain there.

I immediately liked what I felt in Thailand.

I could taste the freedom in the air and I liked it.

As I have heard other foreigners observe in the past, you will likely feel a huge weight magically lift from your shoulders from simply being inside this beautiful country. Anxiety disappears, stress disappears, you feel calm, nothing bothers you.

All good things.

It was a much welcomed positive shock to my being.

I observed over the coming months that Thai people have each others backs. They look out for each other in a way that I haven’t seen in any other culture. It warms the heart and it results in a feeling of safety in your day to day life here.

When you enter one of the thousands of seven eleven’s in Thailand you will hear the familiar ‘Sawat-dii kha cheen kha’. A respectful greeting of “hello, welcome”, as you enter the store.

You expats living in Thailand know this well.

A high level of respect within a culture goes a long way and you might catch yourself smiling a lot more than you are used to.

I had suddenly developed a masculine urge to build things with my bare hands and lift heavy things for people. I put it down to the respectful culture, and perhaps the warm feminine energy emanating from the local female population.

After a couple of days settling in, I begin the grind of building and learning everyday, developing skills and attempting to build a location independent online business.

Relentless self education and project building characterise my life, as I revel in the easy-going day to day life in Thailand and the experience of living in a new country.

Much progress is made toward my goals and developing a clear vision for my life to strive towards.

My material desire largely disappears and I find that I am able to apply intense focus to my entrepreneurial tasks at hand and move steadily towards my vision.

All without having to waste precious mental resources to divert the negative energy that I regularly experienced in my home country.

Digging it so far.

I travel to Chiang Mai to stay there for a month. I date a girl, I visit Doi Suthep, I go to a waterfall and I experience the fantastic night market of never ending vendors within the old city walls.

There is a bit of magic in the air in Chiang Mai I think. Try listening to the track ‘Above Chiangmai’ by Brian Eno and Harold Budd. While listening, close your eyes and watch some video footage of the city on the internet. That will give you a good idea of the experience.

It also happens to be an ambient piano masterpiece.

That song along with ‘Head in the ceiling fan’ by Title Fight have become theme songs for my time in Thailand. Ready for memory recall when I will surely reminisce about my past experiences.

I return to Bangkok and decide to stay there long-term to be able to focus on work.

I recommend Bangkok as the best place to live in Thailand if you are starting an online business or working remotely. The Thai people appreciate convenience, and convenience you will get if you choose to live in the Big Mango.

Just be sure to live within a ten minute walk to a BTS station and a nice cafe or co-working space. Any longer than a ten to fifteen minute walk and you will be sweating balls in this Thailand heat.

If so desired, you will be able to lease a very affordable condominium in Bangkok. One that will most likely include a high quality co-working space, a gym, a pool, multiple creative spaces and unique leisure and recreational spaces.

Incredible bang for buck.

You might not use the facilities that much because you will be hustling, but they are very nice to have.

If you are not a retiree and want to live an entrepreneurial lifestyle, I believe Bangkok is the optimal place to do that within Thailand. Chiang Mai is also great for this but you may find you miss the opportunities and options available in the large metropolis of Bangkok.

For me island life and beach life in places like Phuket and Pattaya present too many distractions if you are looking to get work done. But I definitely have the utmost respect for those that are killing it in business on the islands.

Those guys and gals have some serious focus abilities.

When it comes to the cost of life necessities such as food, shelter and water you can keep the costs very low here if you want to.

It seems to me that Thai people earning a lower-end salary are able to afford comfortable accommodation and also healthy restaurant or street food in Bangkok. This is what I have gathered from my observations anyway.

A low salary in my home country cannot really buy you comfortable accommodation without sharing. Dining out will be a luxury expense, indulged in rarely.

There is something for everyone here.

If you want to live it up and spend big on accommodation and food and leisure, you most definitely can. If you want to spend the bare minimum on these things and just survive comfortably, you most definitely can as well.

The geographical arbitrage of exchanging a stronger currency for the Thai Baht holds immense power.

For me I’ve noticed a three to seven times increase in purchasing power through exchanging Australian dollars for Thai Baht.

Except for Starbucks coffees though. Damn they are expensive. Also technology products, you’re not really going to get the arbitrage there.

The life essentials, yes. You will substantially increase your purchasing power and quality of life if you hold a stronger currency than the Thai Baht.

It may not always be like this. Who knows, perhaps the Thai Baht will be in higher demand in the future and become more like the Singaporean dollar.

High relative future growth in South-East Asian economies seems to be probable in my opinion. Although public and private debt levels can be high, demographics and GDP growth are relatively favourable when compared to economies globally. Just look at recent Cambodian GDP growth per capita figures, they are very positive.

The future looks bright.

I enroll in a Thai language school and attend Thai language classes online two days per week. My teacher is great and I stick it out with her for a full year. I enjoy learning a new language properly for the first time as I observe the high turnover of my classmates.

It makes sense I guess, people need to make cash and perhaps language class isn’t at the top of the priority list.

I walk around different Thai neighbourhoods and see little fat smiling buddha statues and spirit houses that stand proud and remain remarkably unvandalised. A testament to a peaceful and highly respectful culture influenced by buddhist principles.

After a two month stint in Nonthaburi, I leased a condo near Punnawithi BTS station in the Phra Khanong district of East Bangkok.

I stayed at a hotel in the area previously and enjoyed the quieter local vibes when compared to central Sukhumvit. Near this hotel, I randomly discovered the perfect hangout for budding digital entrepreneurs in Bangkok – True Digital Park. This became my second home for the next 8 months in Thailand.

An observation – By far the biggest positive of Thailand for me is that it is incredibly welcoming. You can be yourself, there will be no judgement and you can live your life as you wish.

Live and let live as they say.

In day to day life, I believe people should be able to take on any risk they desire. Even if there is a chance it could be detrimental to them. It is a characteristic of a free society.

A simple unhindered risk/benefit analysis is a beautiful thing. It is one’s own decision.

That is what I want in a society and Thailand lives up to its reputation in this regard.

It is hard to articulate this feeling in words. You just have to come here and experience it, as many foreigners have done and will continue to do.

As I write these words and think about how I have come to love this country, I feel tears welling up in my eyes….

That is how much of an impact your environment can have on you.

My experience is that changing your environment can be hugely transformative and positive.

If living in your home country has become unviable for you, don’t be afraid to go where you are treated best.

Your life could drastically improve.

Much love and gratitude to the people of the kingdom of Thailand, please don’t lose what you have created.

Create, generate and move forward……

Shernon