The One Well Contented

[Seeker]
All Knowing Sir,
One Well Contented,
What is the way to freedom?

[One Well Contented]
The way to freedom
has three parts.

[Seeker]
And, All Knowing Sir,

What are these three parts?

[One Well Contented]

Seeing rightly,

not being confused
by worldly ways.
This is the first.

Saving appropriately,
not spending
on useless things.
This is the second.

Taming craving,
feeling content
knowing release from desire.
This is the third.

[Seeker]
And, All Knowing Sir,
how does one see through worldly ways?

[One Well Contented]

The way to see through

is to know:

- when the TV says "this is good",

the ad says "you can be better",

a friend says "I have this thing,

I have done this",

an enemy says "you will never have" -

these things do not affect you.

[Seeker]
And, All Knowing Sir,
how does one avoid useless things?

[One Well Contented]

The way to avoid useless things

is to know what is needed.
Not more,
Not less.

Is one fed,
is one housed,
is one warm,
is one well?

Know these things.

[Seeker]

And, All Knowing Sir,

how does one obtain release from desire?

[One Well Contented]

The way to obtain release

is to reflect:

"does this lead to freedom?"

Then one will have no choice,

but to go forth on the path.

ERE Country Profile: Thailand

Thailand is an amazing country.  The people are open and friendly from such a deep place that it's hard for a cynical westerner to grasp.  The food is great.  So are the arts and culture.  It's really hard to go wrong with Thailand.  But, it's not undiscovered.  You'll see a lot of foreigners around.  The country is heavily traveled, though I suppose that makes it easier.

(Rated from 1 to 3; with 3 being best)
Affordability: 2.5 - 3 (Bangkok is expensive, but once you go outside the capital things get increasingly affordable.)
Hassle: 2 (1 for visa, 3 or less for housing, 2 for everything else.)

Affordability:
Housing in Bangkok is not that cheap.  It's probably cheap by western standards, but that's not affordable enough for me.  Outside Bangkok housing is more affordable.  I stayed at a nice clean hostel in Chiang Mai for US $3 per night.

Food is very cheap.  If you have a kitchen you can buy food in the store or at the market that might be half or less the price of what it would be in the US.  Eating out is also cheap as long as you eat at the right places: the good ones.  You can get a small, but reasonably sized portion of food for US $1-2.

Transportation doesn't seem like a huge bargain to me, but it's not expensive either.  A ride on a Bangkok city bus cost US $.50, the subway was priced according to distance traveled so US $.65 - $6, a first class sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai during busy season was US $40, a songtaew (truck taxi) around Chiang Mai was about US $.50.

I don't know first hand about medical prices, but I've heard prices are low.

You can get a Thai (non-freaky) massage for less than US $6 per hour in Chiang Mai.  A bit more than that in Bangkok.

SIM card rates were cheap too.

ATMs charge foreign cards a high fee, though if you have the right card it will get reimbursed anyway.  Some fees were about US $5 per withdrawal.

Hassle:
Visas are where Thailand falls short.  It's a hassle.  If you fly into the country you can stay for 30 days without a visa.  If you enter by land or sea you can only stay for 15 days without a visa.  There's a limit on how much time you can spend in Thailand per year without a visa, so you can't just fly in and out each month.  You can go to an embassy outside Thailand and apply for a tourist visa which costs money and allows you to stay in Thailand for 60 days.  Either way, you'll be spending time and money working out the visa situation.

Housing is less of a hassle than in Malaysia for a couple reasons.  First, there are plenty of one room/studio apartments for rent.  Second, short term leases are more common.  However, many places that will accept a short term lease still expect a three month lease, which you will note is 30 days longer than a tourist visa.  Overall, you can work around the system and expect to find much less hassle than in Malaysia finding housing.

Plenty of reliable banks and ATMs around.

I had a horrible time trying to find vegetarian food in Bangkok.  In Chiang Mai, I couldn't turn my head without seeing a vegetarian menu sign.

I found English speakers in the remotest of places.  The friendliness of Thais makes communication easy to deal with anyway.  Thai is a bit hard to learn, but not impossible.

Conclusion:
I really like Thailand.  It's a vibrant and interesting place.  If the visa situation were easier I would name it a top ERE country.

Medical Expenses In Malaysia

The cost of health care in the US was a large concern of mine when I was debating leaving work. Even affording health insurance is difficult in the US, much less trying to afford health care without it. It is one of the many reasons I thought living overseas may be a good idea. Of course there are plenty of other reasons also, but not being able to afford health care if I need it is not very comforting. Luckily Malaysia has a good reputation for health care from what I've heard. I was lucky to not injure myself while in Malaysia, but I did take the opportunity to do some preventative measures.

Scaling... mountains? fish? teeth!

While I was in Malaysia I took the opportunity to catch up on some dental work. I decided to have a cleaning that I was overdue for. I haven't always been good to my teeth in the past and regret that now, so I knew I would be looking for a dentist while I was in Penang.

I did some research online and the first thing I found was the terminology was different from what I was used to. They call teeth cleaning "scaling" in Malaysia. Then I looked for dentist recommendations from expats online. I found some and checked them out by first calling and then doing a walk-by. In the end I chose a place that was recommended by a couple people online and was able to see me right away. It was in a reasonably convenient location also.

My experience was quite good. I made the appointment the day before I wanted to go. The office was really clean and new. Much better than the dentists I've been to in the States. I walked right in and was seen right away. No waiting around. They used state of the art equipment with cameras (to show me up close the before and after) and other fancy mechanical equipment. There were two ladies working on me directly and a third or fourth hanging around helping with I-don't-know-what. I was in and out before I knew it. The pricing wasn't totally obvious or up front, but in the end it still only cost RM100 (~USD33). That was without insurance. It was less than I would have paid in premiums for the really affordable dental insurance I had when I was working.

As long as I don't need major dental work I think Malaysia is ahead at this point.

Jibber jabber

I also decided to get a shot in an immunization series when I was there. A "jab" if you will. I looked around a lot and searched for clinics the same as I did for the dentist. I walked past offices to see if they looked clean and I called a list of clinics to see how much they charged for the shot (there was a medium sized range). I stumbled across a nice clinic while walking around. It looked modern and the doctor was friendly and helpful. I left and thought about whether this was where I wanted to go and eventually I did.

When I actually got my shot I walked right in off the street without an appointment and was seen right away. The shot costed RM45 (~USD15) which is almost 10% of what it would have costed in the US according to the Healthcare Bluebook. Again I was in and out as quick as if it was 7/11.

My healthcare experience in Malaysia was good. I don't know that living without health insurance is a wise idea, but if I had to do it I'd rather do it in Malaysia than the US. In Malaysia, there seems to be a wide range in quality, at least judging by appearance, but good care is available and affordable.