Table of contents for Living Like a Thai
- Living Like a Thai
- Living Like a Thai Day 1: The 200 Baht a Day Challenge
- Living Like a Thai Day 2: Losing Money in My Sleep
- Living Like a Thai Day 4: Pee Baa Falang
- Living Like a Thai Day 5: It’s a Wash
- Living Like a Thai Day 6: The Frugal Tightwad
- Living Like a Thai Day 7: I’m Bored
- Living Like a Thai Day 8: Going AWOL
- Living Like a Thai Day 9: Falling Down That Mountain
- Living Like a Thai Day 10: The Belt Tightening Begins
- Living Like a Thai Day 11: Tofu, Really?
- Living Like A Thai Day 12: Going Native, Almost
- Living Like a Thai Day 13: Lunch with the Ladies
- Living Like a Thai Day 14: The Late Edition or Quiet Be
- Living Like a Thai Day 15: Halfway there!
- Living Like a Thai Day 16: Beer & Vegetables
- Living Like a Thai Day 17: Red Moon Eclipse Edition
- Living Like a Thai Day 18: Once in a Blue Moon
- Living Like a Thai Days 19 & 20: Ringing the Bell
- Living Like a Thai Days 21 & 22: Aircon Down Pigs Cooking
- Living Like a Thai Day 23: Put a Fork in it…I’m Done
Pattaya Lighthouse as seen on my walk today
While I spent yesterday as Thai as possible just hanging out and watching the boob tube I realized that this experiment is boring me to death. I venture out every day for a nice long walk usually accompanied by some picture taking and people watching but it’s not quite the same as going out and visiting some friends at night.
There is nothing stopping me from going out at night but I know myself too well and going out could lead to a budget busting night leaving me 20 baht a day to live on for the rest of the month. Key to the budget is keeping it simple and staying in a lot. On the plus side I am getting a lot done but the one thing that is lacking in the first week of this experiment is social interaction, which if I were Thai I would be having a lot more of.
Even the poorest of Thai’s will have meaningful interactions all day long in groups while eating or just walking to the market, being a falang trying to live like a Thai I am not getting the same social needs met. I think I will try and go out tomorrow night for a few hours with my limited funds and catch up with some friends…should be interesting to see how that turns out.
Living Like a Thai Day 7
Today was another good day for the budget although my one nasty habit, smoking, did get the better of me today. I started off the day with a banana and mangosteen for breakfast leaving me the same for tomorrow which means I’ll need to hit the fruit market for some more. I then went for a nice long walk and enjoyed a wonderful Cha Nom Lawn (Thai hot tea ) for 15 baht ( $.51 ) on beach road as I sat for a bit and people watched.
Unfortunately I was out of smokes and I couldn’t bear to buy another cheap pack of Thai lung busters so I popped into 7/11 and bought a pack of Marlboro lights for 78 baht ( $2.65 )…maybe not the most frugal of purchases but boy did that first smoke taste good with my hot tea 
Besides I did well yesterday on the budget and you can’t always do the right thing.
For lunch I heated up some water and had me a ramen noodle cup, I like the cheap noodles but they are getting boring so for dinner I ventured out to a small Thai restaurant I haven’t been to in at least 2 years that is located on Pattaya Klang. The place looks like a bomb hit it but the food is always impeccable and my plate of Ka Prao Moo (spicy basil pork with rice and vegetables ) hit the spot for only 40 baht ( $1.36 )and that included a coke.
I already know tomorrow I have to make a water run and pick up some more fruit, but I’ll also be looking to buy some veggies and chicken or pork so I can make some meals at home with the rice I bought.
Observations Today: Even when not on a self imposed budget I wasn’t going out every night, more like a few times a week generally around the weekend. Just those few nights a week can add up because drinks for the most part can be just as expensive as they are in the west, unless of course you are a really cheap bastard and drink the cheapest nastiest beer. An even balance has to be struck and while I need to go out and be amongst people maybe I need to find other less expensive ways of doing so.
| Purchase | Amount | Cost | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cha Nom Lawn | 1 | 15 baht | 15baht |
| Marlboro Lights | 1 pack | 78 baht | 78 baht |
| Ka Prao Moo | 1 dinner | 40 baht | 40 baht |
| Today’s Total | 133 baht ( $4.52 ) | ||
| June Total | 965 baht ( $32.85 ) |
Blog Post RSS
