New Community, New Career, New Life in Southern Thailand

It.Is.Quiet....very quiet tonight here in Railay Beach, Thailand....Usually between the hours of 7-9 pm there are hundreds of tourists walking in and between the restaurants, bars and tourist agencies looking for their next meal and tomorrow's adventure...but tonight, there is no one.  The weather is fine, the sky is bright, the seas are calm, and yet the island is in fact, dead. I hope it's just the final remains of tourist 'low season' here in Thailand, and that we will only have a couple of weeks more to grit through before we start turning over some real profit.

The quiet might be a small blessing in disguise, because for the first time in weeks it is allowing me to sit still and reflect. The last two months of my life have been moving at super sonic speed, and I have been swept up in the momentum of its changes.  In case you didn't know already, I got married. I married a lovely Thai man, named Tik, and we are happily settling into 'a life for two' here in our little piece of paradise. We actually live in paradise. Railay Beach has some of the most photographed beaches in the world and almost every publication promoting tourism in Asia and tropical paradise will host a picture of Phra Nang beach, which is now just a 5 minute walk from my work. 

Despite the trash I've read about online (and personally seen in some red-light areas throughout Thailand), expat love with a Thai man is an exciting and fulfilling adventure so far. It's not easy, that's for sure. There's a LOT of paperwork to take into consideration and a lot of legal loops to jump through to guarantee your love is true and not 'a ticket out' one day. But, I'd do it all again in a heartbeat since I know I am the luckiest girl in the world to have the love of a good man like Tik. 

So, currently Tik and I are doing great! Another interesting change in my life has been my recent career change. From freelance, travel guide extraordinaire and long term volunteer adviser, I am suddenly in the hot seat of managing my husband's rock climbing business! And I'll be the first to admit I have absolutely no idea what I am doing! 

We're spending a lot of money we don't currently have purchasing gear and whatnot; I'm hoping there's some truth to the old saying "you gotta spend money to make it!"  We are also refurbishing a home. Tik's home has been the bachelor crash pad for years, and in need of come serious touch-ups. The past month we have spent money on new roofing  building windows, raising walls, purchasing a mattress/pillow/bed set, new fans and household supplies. It's been a slow process, but we seem to be in our last days living on Railay and ready to move to Ao Nammao soon! This will be a great move for many reasons, mostly cutting down on daily expenses such as: food, fruit, coffee, snacks, shop/office supplies, etc. Ao Nammao means easier access to markets, cinema, shopping plazas and newspaper stands (everything a modern lady needs!) 

I am also slowly adjusting to Southern Thai life. The Southern Thais are remarkably different from their northern counterparts: they're louder, faster, spicier cooks, ruder, aggressive in their hospitality (if you can imagine such a phenomenon) and constantly borrowing money from each other. The borrowing money aside (I guess a lot of Thais have false conceptions of local Thai marrying foreigner = automatic wealth!); the community here has been very welcoming and supportive of me and Tik. I hope I can make friends quickly, because right now my only friend and confidante in sight is my husband which might prove troublesome someday.  

OK...time to start perusing online resources for running a small business; 'accounting 101' and 'marketing in a new era of technology' should be the first hits!

Lots of love from Thailand! 
Stef