When it comes to your stock portfolio the recommendation is always diversification, diversification, diversification. Not only amongst industries, asset classes and market cap, but also outside of your own country. This can mean other developed nations such as Germany, Japan and Canada or it can mean those super risky and often super profitable emerging markets. One such emerging market is Thailand and since I am living here I have begun to take a closer look at the Stock Exchange of Thailand (Thai SET Index) with an eye to profits. Continue Reading →
I know I kinda left you guys hanging with the post about Thailand investing breaking up my moving to Thailand series last Tuesday. Sorry about that and I hope you are still around to continue reading the story. This week I am finally going to tackle the part of the move that is directly related to my finances; the cost of the move and getting set up in Thailand once we arrived. Continue Reading →
When I left off last week we had been in Thailand for a total of 17 days, we had spent time in Bangkok, Tak and Chiang Mai and we had spent $6026.11. All this without moving into an apartment yet, though we did find a suitable place. This week I’ll go through the expenses for getting set up in the apartment. If any of you are considering moving to Thailand (or any other overseas location) this can serve as a potential guide to your costs. Keep in mind of course that your expenses can vary wildly depending on your needs and wants Continue Reading →
Now that you have all the background information about our move to Thailand I’m guessing some of you might be wondering how much it cost to get set up here? Any intrepid travelers out there looking to expatriate and explore the world outside their home countries? Read on and you’ll see what it cost us to make the move to Thailand and to get our household set up. Continue Reading →
No, I haven’t lost my mind. I know it isn’t New Year in most of the world, but here in Thailand it is. It is the reason things have been quiet around Money Infant and if fact around the entire internet where I’m concerned over the past 10 days or so and all I can say is one word…Songkran.
Most of you probably aren’t familiar with the word Songkran, it is the Thai New Year and is equivalent to Christmas, New Year’s, Easter and the 4th of July all rolled up into one! Thailand becomes a huge party and water fight the likes of which you’ve never seen for anywhere from 3-10 days (depending where in the country you are) and pretty much anything other than having fun stops.
Here’s a picture showing the scale of the water fight. This was taken on Silom Road, one of the major business districts in Bangkok. Think of it as equivalent to 5th Avenue in Manhattan or perhaps Mission St. in San Francisco. Needless to say, nothing is getting done here today other than fun!
And for a ground level view of the fun take a look at this short video…
As crazy as Bangkok is during Songkran there are actually better places to celebrate such as Pattaya or Chiang Mai, which is famed for its Songkran celebrations that can span up to 10 days some years!
Contrary to what you would think from the picture and video above, Songkran actually began as a religious holiday (it still is one too), but the Thais with their penchant for “sanook” have made it into what is likely to be one of the best parties in the world. Here’s a slightly more detailed article about Songkran that I wrote several years ago.
Significance of Songkran in Thailand
The word “Songkran” originally comes from the Sanskrit language and means “move into”, referring to the orbit of the sun moving into Aries. It marks the end of a year long cycle and is the beginning of the new solar year. Thus Songkran is the Thai New Year celebration.
Obviously as a New Year celebration Songkran is a time for new beginnings, and it is also considered to be a time for thanksgiving. It is a time for people to reflect on acts of thoughtfulness and kindness that they have experienced and to consider how these acts bring peace, happiness and well-being. It is also a time for reunions and most Thai’s return to their family homes to renew family ties.
Songkran embodies the traditional Thai cultural values and the underlying significance of Songkran is the process of purification and cleansing. This is a cleansing of all evils, ills and misfortunes that may have occurred and starting the New Year fresh with all the is good and pure. Water is symbolic of the cleaning process and signifies purity.
My Songkran Recomendation
As fun as Songkran is in Bangkok, I would recommend Chiang Mai as a better place to celebrate. The party is not as crazed and frenetic and it also last for a longer time. And I find that those in Chiang Mai are not as aggressive as those in Bangkok.
As for us, we headed south to the beaches of Krabi for a more sedate Songkran. Uncharacteristically I actually got my camera out down there and will have some photos posted later for those of you who might be interested in coming to Thailand for a beach holiday. I haven’t been everywhere in the country yet, but so far Krabi is probably tops in my book for a beach destination.
Several readers have been surprised that I am writing from Thailand and that it is a permanent move for us, not just a vacation. I’ve had questions about why Thailand and how did I decide on Thailand as well as what the move was like and what I’m doing currently in the Land of Smiles.
So I thought why not start a weekly series where I can give you all the gory details of my love affair with Thailand, the process of setting myself up for the move, selling our stuff and saying goodbye to the States and what’s happening in our life here now. Continue Reading →
At last the much hyped and long awaited Bangkok budget! Keep in mind that this budget is for 2 adults and a 2 year old living in what is considered one of the better areas of Bangkok. If you are single or willing to cut back on food and conveniences you can probably get by on less than we are currently. You can also get by on less in other areas of Thailand such as Chiang Mai, Hua Hin, Pattaya or virtually any of the islands (Phuket excepted). In fact, we are currently planning on moving out of Bangkok ourselves to cut back a bit on expenses. So, consider this an interim budget and look for an updated version sometime in July. You didn’t really think this would be the end of our Thailand expenses did you? Continue Reading →
So when I left off I was up to 2005 and the winds of change were ready to blow into my life.
The past couple years I had been developing the idea of expatriating, leaving America to live in another country. What country though? I had been traveling quite a bit over the past 5 years and the list had been narrowed down to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Costa Rica. Russia was a contender, but as you can see from the short list I didn’t want to endure any cold weather. Mexico was also a possibility, but I had never been there yet, so couldn’t really assess whether or not I would like it. Continue Reading →
Tuesday’s are set aside for my experiences in Thailand. Last week I introduced you to my first experiences with the Land of Smiles and this week continues our saga.
So last week we wrapped up with my first experience of Bangkok way back in 1997. Though it was my first experience it certainly wasn’t my last. The following 3 years contained plenty of trips to both India and Singapore and with each one there was a mandatory stopover in Thailand. Sometimes just a long weekend and sometimes a week’s vacation tacked onto the end of the business trip. Yeah the Big Mango definitely had me in its grip. Continue Reading →
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