House of the Spirits

Thailand is buddhist, but - perhaps even more - it's animistic. And in Northern Thailand, there are spirits everywhere.

You'll find far more temples than 7Elevens in Chiang Mai. If you've been to Asia, you know what that means. And with a ban on high-rise buildings closer than 90 metres to a temple, Thailand's second city has effectively stopped (almost) all construction that disturbes the conformity of its small-scale city-centre.

But outside the old centre, a new city is sprawling. Not as bustling as Bangkok, but aspiring and wealthy.

It's far from everything, but good food, excellent riverside restaurants and resorts, some truly amazing temples and an endless flower market creates a complex offering that is really appealing. Buy a house now for retirement and age close to the spirits.

One night in Bangkok

If you try to get to know Bangkok by day, I think you’ll end up disliking it. Hot, partly stinking and usually not a pretty sight. Spend the day in a retreat somewhere (the hotel Reflections has a great atmosphere and some fantastic masseurs) and get out at dusk instead. Roam the night bazars and have a drink at Vertigo. It’s on top of the 60-floor Banyan Tree Hotel. And I mean on top of it. Then: go clubbing.

Little Buddha

I can recommend you a two days meditation retreat at Wat Khao Sukim. Probably even better if you stay longer. You’ll get a good room, great chats with the monks and fantastic meals from the nuns. And like every buddhist temple, they wont let you pay anything – but you’re welcome to drop a contribution in one of the collect-boxes.

At Wat Sukim, perched on top of a mountain, they’re now building what is to become the biggest pagoda in Thailand. The nuns of the temple take turns in spending the night at the concrete foundation, praying and meditating. I spent one night with them there, watching them walking back and forth in meditation like serene, white ghosts. I slept soundly on the concrete under my moskito net and woke up to the rising sun. Not a bad moment at all.

A few good men

A quick stroll over the Cambodian border turned into an afternoon with these two guys. Kosal & Tri, journalists working extra in a nearby resort to earn money for starting up a new national newspaper (!).

Good luck, guys. I'll help you in any way I can.

Apocalypse now?

One month in Thailand and time for visa renewal. Which for me meant a 50 km motorbike drive to the nearest border crossing, a quick return stroll over a dusty road, a good iced coffee at the Cambodian border café (Thais have no knowledge of coffee) before my passport got stamped again for another month (the Thai seem to love stamping the way the French love a good argument).

I must admit it was a bit scary to step over the border. Even my cheap travel camera got nervous by the the sight of Cambodia and twisted the pixels. Far less ordered and pleasant than Thailand - but it awakes my curiosity.

La vie est un long fleuve tranquile

Soi Dao, Chanthaburi, Thailand.

This is my foot, my hammock and my view. Three weeks of yoga, pool laps, massage and good food can make anyone a better person.

Here, once everything is finished, 21 villas of varying sizes will have been built and sold to 21 happy Swedish owners. And this isn’t the only part of Thailand that’s being flooded by us former worldwide champions of equality and diplomacy (we have become rather quiet lately, haven’t we?). What kind of exotic attractions in this tropical kingdom are luring these Swedes away from the safe haven of their third-way socialist-commercial paradise?

So far, the only answer I have found is: none. At least no exotic ones.

The more I speak to the half-exiled people here (they’re usually keeping a summer house in Sweden and some consulting assignments suitable for distance work), the more it becomes clear that there’s no real interest in Thailand at all. Thailand is attractive because it’s a friendly, cheap and functioning society with a year-round pleasant climate where farangs (especially Scandinavians) are well treated, corruption is kept at high-politics level (which means out of their eyes) and any expired visa is easily prolonged by a quick return walk across any border (here, the Cambodian).

I’ve spent some weeks here now, and – of course – I’ve also inquired about prices. It’s cheap here, a nice small new villa designed to your contentment won’t set you back more than €40.000 and help around the house costs nothing. And man, they do know how to give a good massage.

Still, when I hear it’s -17 degrees at Potsdamer Platz, I get strangely homesick. Maybe it’s because it’s so many miles to a decent espresso? Or that it would feel pointless and out of context to drink it here anyway? Hm.