Two border towns worth considering.

Day 26: Living in Thailand

A haircut in Thailand is cheap, for a guy it�s just 50 Baht in a traditional barbers shop, a tip is appreciated, sure you might have a few language problems, I have found a recent photo on my phone of me, with my hair how I want it cut works wonders.

• Haircut 70 Baht - $2.35
• Minutes for Phone 50 Baht - $1.70
• Groceries 205 Baht - $6.90

Total for the day: 325 Baht $10.93 - Total Remaining: 275 Baht





Border towns make convenient places to live
Satun is a very small province in the southwestern corner of Thailand unaffected by the problems that have plagued three other provinces in the south. Satun is definitely worth a mention because it is a border town, which allows for an easy method of legally staying in Thailand for any amount of time, a quick trip to the border every 14 days is all that is needed, better still the cost is nothing, as entering Malaysia costs nothing unlike other borders with neighboring countries.

Satun itself is landlocked and what can only be deemed as a very small town. Surrounded by some of the most beautiful islands in Thailand it is also one of those places that is not regularly frequented by tourists, non of the western conveniences one finds in a larger town are present, a small expat community does exist though. I visited Satun after been in Thailand only three months and at that time was not looking at places in the same way as I did later, 18 months on I could easily stay in Satun a while, as it has some real good basic attributes. If you're looking for a place that is truly Thai enjoy diving check out Satun.

Heading up the coast you eventually come to Ranong, this town also gets a mention mainly because it's a border town. The province is as beautiful as those a little further south, and has plenty of long deserted beaches. I was taken aback by the fact that this province doesn't get much of a mention anywhere and few tourists seem to visit it. Unlike the extreme south Ranong is a safe place to live, if you're heavy into beach life this could be an ideal place to consider, it's extremely cheap, larger than Satun though still typically Thai. It's ok to put the Motorbike on the bus as you can see above, cheap rooms are bare bones the one above was 150 Baht a night in Satun.

   Continue Reading Day 27: Bangkok get away, Hua Hin and Ancient Sukho Thai.