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You are right with a “slower life”. One S Korean vlogger vlogged about his waiting for 3 hours for Jay Fai’s michelin star street food “crab omelette”. He said this experience helped him calm down a lot because in S Korea everything is “PALI PALI PALI-fast fast fast”. That kind of life is very stressful. Slower life in Thailand helps him destress.
Absolutely have to adjust to slower pace of things here. At the same time, as popular as that omelette is, I’m not waiting in line for three hours for any kind of food. Lol
Serg, I fully agree with learning the language, walking, BTS & MRT, Agoda, and most important lose the western mindset! Vacation in Thailand is so relaxing, no hustle, everyone polite and smiling...just what you want. Keep up the videos, I'll get back there someday!
If your are coming to Thailand and watch this, you are way ahead of the curve. I've been here 5 -years and I picked up some good tips, especailly the bus app!
The bus app is really cool! I literally just found it last week. In all honesty, I saw it in Bangkok Pat’s video. That guy is such a wealth of information.
Interesting and helpful Serg. Thanks for taking the time to put this together. One small point - it’s not necessary to keep saying “the country of Thailand.” Everyone knows it’s a country!
Yes I’m in, I know I said it one too many times. Also keep in mind, that sometimes we say certain things on purpose because it helps the RU-vid algorithm.
Just subscribed. Welcome to Thailand. I am sure you will be happy here. I live in Lynnwood. LA. CA. About 40yrs.ago.That was a prime time of my life but as I am getting older I need a place to retire and get some peace of mind. Now I am in Chieng Mai too.. Very happy life is really slower as I needed. Well good day my friend you are in the right place.
Hi Serg a great Video with important explanatory notes for Thailand. I can really confirm that’s Thailand is a great beautiful county. Sure, the People are happy and thankful if a Farang can talk some Words in Thai. I love Thailand nevertheless I know everything isn’t a Paradise, but everybody is able to create is own little Paradise for himself. Yeah Self-control is very important in Thailand. But everywhere in the world isn’t nice to see People out of control. Thanks a lot Serg. Have a nice evening.
@@LifewithSerg Yeah Serg I know. I know from my wife so it’s easy to understand for me. If I don’t know about peoples character in a foreign country it’s good to be only kindly, reserved and better be quiet and not talk loud Bullshit.
The mindset is a big part of it. We had a guy in my company who was a new expat. He wrote a letter to the city of Bangkok about the state of the sidewalk on Suk. Soi 1. Was upset he didn't hear back. Yeah he didn't last.
Most people I know Don’t even know how much they spend on a month because they’ve never sat down to make a budget. This is important even if you’re just living in your home country. You need to know how much you spend on a monthly basis.
Love this video! Jammed packed with some very useful information should I decide to hop over to Thailand for a while but even just on how to live life to the fullest and be wise about many things!👍😀
I sure talked non stop throughout this whole video. Lol. But yeah, hopefully it’ll be useful to some people considering coming to Thailand. Come visit me man. We can go hiking. Lol
@@LifewithSerg Just had a play in Sydney Austraila. It's a cool app. Much better than trying to work it out yourself which not impossible but difficult and complicated depending on where you want to go.
Great advice Serg. Thai people appreciate foreigners who don't make a scene when things don't go their way. Mai bpen rai or No problem is good attitude to have. Pedestrians have to be ultra aware of where they walk too with some footpaths being a bit dodgy. Asoke is a good area to stay for first time visitors with both an MRT and BTS and Terminal 21 Shopping Mall.
Thank you for being open-minded with our crazy culture. But there are a few things I slightly disagree and hope you don’t mind 😺. Actually, majority of Bangkokian lives are kind of in rush, and rarely be in a slow pace. If you’re on BTS and MRT Siloam/Sukhumvit lines during rush hour, the situation is almost similar to Tokyo. I lived in Sweden for a year and I believe that it’s more calmer than here haha. . By the way, easier way for using MRT is you can tap your credit card at the gate. There’s no need for MRT pass anymore these days. 😊 . And one more convenient method to pay compared to using Rabbit Card if you stay here for a long term is your online banking, you can scan QR code to pay or transfer money to any shops, even a vendor on the street. Wish you all the best for your stay!
Finally...a monitor....also when my wife and I were in Bangkok we picked up those cheap thin 30-40 baht rain ponchos at where else...7-11, I love that store or the other 10,000 in the city. when we come back, will have to revisit this video to download the apps.Again Serg...anlother 5 star video, you are the (Thailand vlogger) man..............Matt from scottsdale
Lumpini park always has a ton of monitor lizards in there. I saw at least five or six of them. Yes, those ponchos from 7-Eleven are great. 7-Eleven here is just amazing. I go to one almost every single day and they are everywhere. The price is a really good, and they are just, of course, extremely convenient. Thanks for the vote of confidence Matt!
As a Thai I recommend whoever needs a taxi just insist the driver to use meter without extra charge only, and for the TukTuk the price should be the same price as taxi that you can check with the taxi rate in Grab application
I have several Thai friends. I’ve been with them when they try to catch a cab later at night and the driver still told them a flat rate. I watched one friend turn down seven different taxi drivers before one agreed to use the meter. And she is Thai.
It’s definitely more expensive, but I find it as a foreigner sometimes it’s a lot easier for me. Especially if I’m going to an important appointment, I want to make sure I’m going to the right place.
Just discovered your channel and subscribed. Gonna visit Thailand for the first time in my life and in fact Asia for the first time. I usually go to North or South America. Arriving in Bangkok and staying in Thailand for some 30 days. Not sure where to go yet so I'll be watching more of your channel and get prepared.
I hope you have a wonderful time here. There’s so many things to do and see. It’s good that you’re doing research so you can figure out things that you want to go and enjoy.
@@LifewithSerg 'Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance' but I do see a lot about the nightlife on other pages and channels but at night I sleep. For sure your channel is helpful since I arrive in Bangkok and also want to see the city, but so far it's hard to find info about the street food or backpacking and going into nature. I don't need a hotel all the time (or ever) but just a simple motel, a hostel or campsite where I can hang my hammock. That info is hard to find. I've not been in a hotel for many years and always stayed with locals to also see how they live. To learn what their struggles are. Maybe there is a site or page I just did not find yet. Maybe a new twist to your channel?
There are tons of hostels here. My friend Rob over at @projectbangkok Just did a video about one that only cost $2.50 per night. Also you don’t really need info about street food. Just go out on the street, and you’ll see it everywhere. There are no “motels” here. However, there’s plenty of cheap hotels. The videos I make on this channel about things that I enjoy. If it’s not something I’m personally interested in, I won’t make a video because I won’t be able to be enthusiastic about it. Hostels and camping are just not my thing, so I will not be making videos about those subjects. I would suggest you use Google (or whatever search engine you prefer) as you will find the answers you’re looking for. Trust me, the information you are looking for is out there. You’ll definitely find what you’re looking for here, I have no doubts. There’s plenty of camping available throughout most of Thailand, it’s just not an area I’ve researched.
@@LifewithSerg Thx for your extensive answer and found your friend's channel. ;) I subscribed of course and will check it out soon. It's not that I'm cheap and have no money to spend but I just prefer the backpackers lifestyle and I have a lot more traveling to do. I'm also expected in Argentina end of the year. Argentina, Colombia, etc. are for me also more business related since I'm a survival instructor and setting up courses with survival schools there. Anyway I digress. I just found this offer for a return ticket to Bangkok that seemed to good (cheap) to be true. Usually they also are not true but this one on the suggested dates was actually true so spontaneously booked this extra trip. Of course you should not make videos about things you're not interested in. That would show. But judging by the tips you gave in the video I was convinced that you know what you're talking about so I took the liberty to ask these questions. I sure will take my time also to explore Bangkok but will also seek for Thai survival schools that might be interested in some sort of collaboration between our schools. I run a Dutch survival school but lately specialize in courses on different continents. Professional deformation perhaps but I love my profession and nature. So thx again for the extended answer. I will sure check out all your videos and your friends videos also so I come well prepared.
I think it’s great that you are doing this for a business angle as well. There’s definitely lots of Thai people here who love to go camping and I have seen riverside camps on some of my trips. I just don’t know enough about them to be able to give you the proper information. I hope you have a wonderful trip!
Thank you for the great video Serge. The bus App is a great tip as I could never fully understand the Bangkok bus system. Many times I was staying in areas where taking a bus would make a lot of sense and it was always difficult to figure out the right numbers and routes, many time it was trial and error... Let's see how it goes the next time with the App! 🙏
To be quite honest, I just discovered this app about a week ago. But yes it is confusing because we don’t read the language. The app makes it so much easier because you could put in a destination and it will tell you exactly which buses you need to take
Fantastic video. We vlog our travels around Australia but are so keen to get back to Thailand asap. Wish I had found your channel before we came last time. Will definitely download the apps you have mentioned. Also we have decided to book alot of things ourselves next time instead og using a travel agent so good to know the websites you had booked through for accommodation
A pack of cold tissue drinking water (from 7/11)morning and evening is the best time to walk.Hey Serg your Thai better and better hope you learning more.👍👍👍
Yeah, I tend to go out in the middle of the day when it’s the worst heat. 555. I know that’s not very smart. I’m trying to teach myself some Thai. It’s going very slowly.
Hi, Serg I enjoyed your informative video. I use Agoda and grab because once book you know how much your jouney will be. Once I have a place I want to settle down I normally get to know a driver or two I take their phone numbers and get a personal experience and normally cheaper than the app but if I need something right now the aps are the way froward. Take care GOD Bless you and yours. M
12:15 A little correction, LINE is owned half-and-half by both a Japanese (LINE Corporation) and a Korean (NAVER Corporation) company. The two largest user bases of LINE are Japan and Thailand, with Indonesia being the third but falling off in popularity in favor of WhatsApp. So you're wrong about the Southeast Asia part, it's only true for Thailand. Even the Philippines mostly uses Facebook Messenger
One does not need to carry change to get a ticket to ride on the BTS nor the MRT. You can simply go to the attendants who are always working the windows and buy a single fare using bills. It's quick and no passport required. For short timers and infrequent users this would be a wiser choice.
@@LifewithSerg cards get swallowed by machines, you cannot retrieve them if the bank is not open. Also skimmers are used at atms that are not attached to a bank. Seen it happen 100s of times.
Grab is more expensive the Taxi using meter, but is great if you do not have a lot of taxi traffice in your "soi" like for me from my soi to airport would cost 40 baht but when I used grab 180 baht.
Yes I have noticed that the meter fare is almost always less than the online price. However, what I like about Grab is that I know that the driver is going to take me where I need to go, and I don’t have to dicker over the price.
That is one thing I forgot to mention. Grab requires a credit card. That’s another reason why I like it. I don’t have to worry about handing over cash as everything is just charged to my card.
@@LifewithSerg I’m visiting September so I’d hope my friend has some of this covered. But for sure , if I moved there I’d really take on board a lot of this especially the apps ..
Thank you Serg for this very thorough and concise guide on essential things needed in Thailand. Will the VPN over-ride the required 2-Step verification when signing into IPhone and MacBook Air laptop?
Glad you enjoyed it Heather. All the VPN does is change your IP location. So for instance when I am in Thailand, I could fire up my VPN and have it route through Dallas, Texas (or wherever). Then I can watch Netflix shows that are in the US. If I don’t do that, I will get a lot more Thai content when I log into Netflix on my computer here. It’s also useful for booking hotels and airline tickets, as sometimes when that website thinks you’re in a different city it will give you better rates. The VPN just changes your location to make the website you go to think you are in a different place than you really are. It will not affect any 2 form factor authentication.
Hii Serg! Amazing vid as usual! Just a quick question, I assume you can top off the transport card once you buy it...right? Like, do they have a place in the station where u can top it off? Or how is it? 👀 Bc for instance, here in Arg, we've sth like that, u buy only one card and you've in any station a place to top it off and in some kiosks and I wanted to know if it's like that e.e Anyways, thank youu! n.n
For vacations, wouldn’t your travel insurance cover any medical costs? Just wondering if you recommend getting this as an extra on top of travel insurance?
Hi Kristy. Since I’m not on vacation and living here, my US health coverage will only cover emergencies. I’m not willing to take that risk since I’m going to be here for quite some time. If you’re only coming for a vacation, then of course you don’t need to bother with local health insurance.
Westerners always complaint about the hot climate in Thailand but one thing you might not realize is no one dies because of heat wave. I know a lot of people in the states died because of heat wave.
It’s a different kind of heat here. It got much hotter in Texas (44°) and that is much more dangerous than the weather here. The humidity here is really the tough factor.
Have you been to the Philippines? After visiting the Philippines a couple times I’ve never been anywhere where the people were so friendly I loved it. Do you think the people in Thailand are even more friendly?
Eric, I have not been to the Philippines yet. I absolutely plan on going. There were a lot of Filipino people in the San Francisco Bay area where I lived for 40 years. They are definitely very friendly people.
Thai people can’t understand much English so we are quite shy. But when we smile to you or help you out of our comfort zone we are so sincere. It cones from our heart even we can’t communicate well we still help you.
Everything is recorded on my iPhone 13 Pro Max. I have always used the built-in microphone, but one of my subscribers sent me a Hollyland Lark 150 wireless microphone set up, so I’ve been using that in the last few videos. I use a very basic handheld tripod. All of my videos for the last two years have been edited using iMovie on my iPhone. I’ll be making the switch to Final Cut Pro X on a MacBook Pro soon.
All phones made in the last 10 years will work worldwide. Yes you can get a SIM card from any provider here. I strongly recommend AIS, they have the biggest network in Thailand.
About taxis, if you have a Thai girlfriend or wife, let her get the taxi. If they don't use a meter, she justs shuts the door and flags another one down. Because she speaks Thai and they can't pull the wool over her eyes. But most taxi drivers are very nice too,,,,,,,,,,,,
I was threatened to be killed by the Russian mafia on Koh Samui (because they wanted me to make a very lucrative deal with Chinese millionaires which I declined) and strangely was offered to kill a man right where you are in Lumpini park.....sounds incredible but both are true. I am not a criminal and of course declined the proposed murder. Thanks for your video with good points. I spent about three months in Thailand and despite the above-mentioned incidents I did some amazing travels. The Thai people are wonderful people....the problems I had were with certain foreigners.
@@LifewithSerg Yes it was plain crazy but I did get the chance to visit amazing temples, do course in meditation with monks, see fantastic scenery with a mystical vibration, do some long distance swims and travel down the Mekong river and many other wonderful experiences. My misfortune was to meet a very attractive Russian girl who tried to lure me into illegal actives. Did you happen to know that Americans are the only nationality part from Thais of course who can buy real estate in Thailand? The Russian mob wanted me to buy properties and then resell them to Chinese with false contracts.
I’ll be honest with you, I met my best friend here via Tinder a little more than a year before I came here. It was great to finally meet her when I arrived, and she is still my closest friend here in Thailand.
@@LifewithSerg great. I’m hopeful as I said, we chat daily. I’m not one for regrets so shall meet , see how it goes .. works ft , and she’s not a youngster .. late 30’s.. lives with her sister. Don’t drink much , seems quite grounded. And to date , never asked for money. Haha - yet 😂..
I find that I think better when I’m moving, and it’s also much more scenic previewers. If I have to sit in one place and talk for that long, most people would find it very boring.
Like your videos but you're mistaken about only living ONCE your soul (never) dies you have lived many lives you just don't remember them next time you see a Buddha monk ask him they are aware of this have a great day
