The Decision

The decision

26 September 2016

Today two years ago I've arrived in Thailand. With little to no knowledge what so ever.
Was it a mistake, hell no. Best decision I've ever made, "biggest also".

I said my goodbye's, board my plane and never looked back once. The land of Smiles are
truly a remarkable place, tropical and full of adventures. Here in this post I will answer
the most frequently asked questions and give my personal feelings towards the answers.

So the questions I get oh so often.

Q: Why Thailand when other countries are better?

A: Well why not Thailand!!!! When I decided to teach abroad, I had a few options (Countries)
   to choose from, I chose Thailand because at that moment it made the most sense. Yes Thailand
   has its ups and downs, but this ride has been a journey unforgettable.

Q: Do the eat cats and dogs in Thailand?

A: No!! No!!! And again, No!!!! Like us foreigners they hate the idea that people eat a mans
   best friend. Well according to my Thai friends they don't eat dogs and cats, BUT someone
   did tell me the Border poorer regions do eat cat and dog. How much the truth hold on that
   I just don't know.

Q: What steps should I take if I want to teach in Thailand, where should I begin?

A: Well, get all the information 1st, then plan, plan, plan and do more planning. Always good
   to be prepared. I will go into more detail about this later in a separate Blog Post. The steps
   I took, the do's and don'ts and what, what.

Q: Do you need a Degree in Thailand to teach?

A: Yes and No. You only need a Degree to obtain a work permit. Can't apply for a work permit if you don't have a degree. Needed for the process. But you can work in Thailand without one. Illegally of coarse. But the schools do it that way. Without a degree they just pay you less, and you need to do border hops every 3 months. But hey, it's all part of the fun ( choose a different country every time, see new places).

This brings me to the end of my post. If you have any questions, need any information or want to leave a comment,  please do so. Be on the look out for my next Post. Make sure to follow me on my blogging site, share with friends and leave some comments.

Have a peaceful evening.

Niel

That Time Again

                                                             That Time Again

So we reached the end of another term in Thailand. All of the teachers are singing the holiday tune, literally can't miss it. So the Big Question is "What are you doing for the holiday?"

Well for starters, I'm going to relax as much as possible, for sure. Most definitely going to the beach. Plans are made and we will leave for the Island Koh Samet round about the 6th of October for about a week of relaxation and swimming. Loads of eating and party of coarse. The Island Samet is about 2 hours drive from the city Bangkok, not that far, and the another hour with a ferry to the Island.

Koh Samet doesn't have to be that expensive. If you are willing to downgrade  your luxury
place you'll stay and trade the money in for more fun on the Island. There are loads to do, snorkeling, scuba dive, boat trips, restaurants, relaxing on the water and so much more. If you've been to the Island Samet and have done some awesome things, please tell me in the comments below. Stay tuned for more updates about my holiday.

Below are some photos of my previous trip to Koh Samet.

My time in Thailand

                       Traveling Thailand Hassle Free

What to know;

Thailand like "they" call it "the land of smiles" is truly a beautiful country with a rich culture
like none other place I've visited so far. I've been in Thailand the past 2 years and it's been the
best experience so far. The food, people, culture, style just about everything is just so different
to what I'm used too back home. Arrived in Thailand 23rd of September 2014, I remember it like yesterday,
that moment I left the airport in Bangkok, the thick wall of heat hit me right in the face just to realize
how hot Thailand really are. I knew it's going to be hot but didn't expect this kind of heat, but you do
get used to it. So let's talk about some topics and get some order in the house....

Food:

Spicy, Spicy, Spicy, unless you ask for not spicy. Not all of the foods are spicy but the majority
of the foods are. I like it though. I believe it kills all germs. Most of your foods contains either
rice or noodles; Pork, Chicken, Duck or Seafood and let's not forget the loads of Chilies. If you look hard
enough and far and wide you'll sometimes find Beef, but not so popular. Oh!!!!! Very important fact to
mention, Thailand doesn't eat cats and dogs. I've heard that the Thailand Border towns do eat cats
and dogs, been there once again didn't see any of that anywhere so until I can prove it's true I will
say it isn't. Okay let's add some Thai terms for food:

Not spicy = mai ped
Chicken   = Gai
Pork      = Moo

Average price of street foods are 35-45 Baht ( about $1) ( 1 dollar = 35 Baht)


Transport

Thailand have a big variety of transport, not all are in the best of conditions but it adds to the
experience of it all. Let's name a few and give some price estimates.

1.Taxi's - I think it's about 6 baht per kilometer, but depends on traffic. (charge fee even no movement)

2.  Buses - Air con Bus about 15 - 25 Baht single trip ( short distance buses)
        No air con Bus 9 Baht single trip ( short distance Buses)

3. Songtae - It's a pick up truck with seats and roof at the back, very popular and cheap, about 7 baht a trip.

4. Van - Air con Mini Bus, charge anything from 10 -35 baht depending on how far you go. 35 baht can take you
         so far as 20km I think.

5. Tuk-Tuk - It's like a motorcycle wagon taxi, Personally I never take these, they make their own prices when
             they see a foreigner. For about 4-5Km they can charge up too 200Baht. CRAZY!!!!!!



Hotels and Backpackers
Thailand have a wide range of places to stay, hotels, B&B, Backpackers and some Apartments. The prices also vary from
really cheap to really expensive. Currently I'm living in an apartment with just the basics. With a partly furnished room
it doesn't come to expensive. The more you get the more you pay. My room is about 180 baht a day which isn't too bad at all,
but some rooms can go up too 400-500 baht a day depends on where you live. Let's see, you average per day room at an island
can start at as low as 400 baht a night up too 2500 baht a night. if you are their for the adventure and experience and don't
really care about what it looks like then I would say go cheap and do all the things you want to do. So many activities can't
miss out on any. From Banana Boat, snorkeling, scuba diving and hikes and trails, you can most definitely stay busy all day.
Islands are a bit more expensive than the inland, but over all it's affordable.


Shopping

Not much to say about shopping, plenty of places to go and lot's of money to spend. Let's give a list of Shopping Malls you
can find around Bangkok.

1. Siam Paragon
2. Fashion Island
3. The Mall Bangkapi
4. MBK Center
5. Central World
6. Terminal 21

And the for some Markets you MUST visit, (street markets)

1. China Town
2. Jatujak Green (JJ Green)
3. Silom Night Market
4. Minburi Market

Well this bring everything to an end. I'm looking really forward if anyone have any questions, I'll surely answer them to the
best of my knowledge. If I missed anything please tell me and I'll make another post on this topic and share what I can. Hope
this post were informative as intended to be. Hope too see you all soon in the "Land of Smiles".

Time out in the City

Outing

So it's been 4 month already and I have not posted anything, so it's time to catch up. As you can see I had a free day to do whatever I like so my friends and I, went to a Art fair in the city, had a blast looking at everything displayed. Did some shopping and took some photo's.

School outing

So after a few months of hard work I have decided to post again. This past Sunday I wanted to do something special with my kids and take them to a Shopping mall Zoo. And did we love it. Have a look.

Giant Stone Lady

Lady Giant

And there she is, still waiting for her human husband holding out her hand to take him back. Giant lady from the sea fell in love with a small human, the bond was unbreakable. For some reason he died before he could get to her. And there she stood waiting for him.... True love isn't it.....Her love was set in stone.

This is at a Pier by the Island Koh Samet just 200km away from Bangkok. If you ever find yourself there go check it out, it's amazing....

Winter weather and winter food

The past few days have been very cold in Thailand. Temperatures dropped down to 12-16 degrees. Shame my poor students haven't experience this kind of weather before. But hey thay are all stocked up on fur jackets and hoodies. Today they served some great hot spicy food. To warm you from the inside. Well guys/girls come check in regularly to see what I post. Have a nice day.

The strange winter

Low temperatures

For the past two days it felt like I'm back home. The chill of winter cutting through my bone has struck the tropical country. Upon further research I found that it's the first time in many years that the temperature had dropped to 16 and lower is some other parts. With this temperature I'm sure the shops must have been very busy selling jackets and scarves. 23 degrees is already cold to Thai people since they are use to 28-35 normally. I'm from a country where it does get cold during the winter. But 16 almost froze me. Guess I'm getting very used to the tropical weather. So all my readers if you are coming to Thailand today or tomorrow make sure you have your warm jacket it is a bit chilly outside. Have a great one....

Lad Phrao Bike Park

On a nice sunny day, on a day not to long ago, I've decided to visit the bike park in Bangkok. What a fun and beautiful experience it was. So clean, fresh and beautiful. I would advise everyone to go there if you haven't been there yet. Get exercise too. Have a blast...

Christmas time 2015

And once again 25 December made it's appearance. All in the mood for a jollification. Christmas time is a special time of the year where all loved ones join each other around a big beautiful table packed with food and laughter. Christmas tree on the one side and music on the other. The night flowed beautifully the same as the wine. I'm so blessed to be part of a big group of South Africans in Thailand. Down below is some photo's of our Christmas evening in Thailand. Leave a comment and share my link.

Best, Belle, Rew, Namtarn

My cute little class. Just four years old. Very good students. Been with me for a year already. We are reaching our goals. English for life

Lost at school

1, 2, 3 and two months have passed by like lighting. Been a great journey through the Christmas time in Thailand and then short  after that it was New years and everyone celebrated and partied all over. Fireworks, loud music and a feast. Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy Christmas or New Years as I have planned. Was stuck in bed with a flu. But luckily I felt better during Christmas so I could attend our Christmas party at a friends house. Was ao much fun. I will definitely upload some pictures for all to see. I've been so busy lately with school stuff that I couldn't  post some stuff on my blog regularly. I apologize for that. I will make up for lost time and upload loads of pictures. Thanks for the supporters and positive comments.  I've had a few request about jobs in Thailand as a teacher. I'm always there to help. Hope everyone are having a splendid day.

Niel