An Asian man’s view on retirement on Samui

[silver sea]

I found this to be an interesting article:

 

http://www.storm.sg/koh-samui-retirement-migrating/

[PoorSucker]

Nice find. 

I am wondering how traffic is in Singapore if he thinks traffic here is well mannered. ?

[islandguy]

Nice to hear an enthusiastic take on Samui from a new resident. Slowing down seems to have come easily to him

 

Accepting the island’s population as being only 60,000 shows he hasn’t dug very deep into what is around him, that will probably come sooner rather than later with his new connections.

[Coconut007]

3 hours ago, PoorSucker said:

Nice find. 

I am wondering how traffic is in Singapore if he thinks traffic here is well mannered. ?

I didn't get this bit as well. I'm experienced driving motorbikes and while in Samui I felt like the drivers are getting commissions from hospital if they get a farang there.

[Samui Bodoh]

12 hours ago, Coconut007 said:

I didn't get this bit as well. I'm experienced driving motorbikes and while in Samui I felt like the drivers are getting commissions from hospital if they get a farang there.

 

It is all where you are coming from; I learned to drive a motorcycle in Indonesia and Vietnam, so when I arrived in Koh Samui it was a giant step up in terms of safety and ease.

 

Interesting article. I am happy for the guy that he found something that he likes. I would be very interested in reading a follow-up article in a few years to see how he is doing; the quiet life is a wonderful thing but not everyone is able to adjust to it. 

 

[Tropicalevo]

I left the rat race over 17 years ago and came to Samui. However, I had no plans to slow down. I just wanted a better style/standard of living.

 

On Samui I found just that. Yes - the island is very different now. There are ATM machines, supermarkets, much more traffic and lots of options for food and drink. The weather is very good and so are most of the Thai people that I interact with.

 

I wish Mr Brown all of the best in his retirement. I understand his comments on the traffic and cars etc. I too came here after a few years in Singpore.

 

Enjoy your life sir.

 

(and I still love living here.)

[Coconut007]

6 hours ago, Samui Bodoh said:

 

It is all where you are coming from; I learned to drive a motorcycle in Indonesia and Vietnam, so when I arrived in Koh Samui it was a giant step up in terms of safety and ease.

 

Interesting article. I am happy for the guy that he found something that he likes. I would be very interested in reading a follow-up article in a few years to see how he is doing; the quiet life is a wonderful thing but not everyone is able to adjust to it. 

 

I've driven in the Philippines, Bali and Thailand on many occasions but Samui was the worst experience when it comes to other drivers.

 

Once a taxi driver overtook me and then jumped on breaks without any reason. Another time a car almost sandwiched me with a standing car I was overtaking - he had empty street next to him.

[Samui Bodoh]

5 minutes ago, Coconut007 said:

I've driven in the Philippines, Bali and Thailand on many occasions but Samui was the worst experience when it comes to other drivers.

I can't speak to the Philippines, but I can say that there is much more to Indonesia than Bali (wonderful as that is). I learned there many years ago, on roads that were absolutely terrible, with chickens flying at you every few yards in a village, etc. In Hanoi, there were so many people on bikes that you needed to ride with elbows LOCKED rigid, or you would get bumped, knocked over and then run over. Koh Samui was/is bliss compared to those two (and other) experiences. 

 

9 minutes ago, Coconut007 said:

Once a taxi driver overtook me and then jumped on breaks without any reason. Another time a car almost sandwiched me with a standing car I was overtaking - he had empty street next to him.

That is just a Tuesday  

Apologies! Yes, it is madness, but after a while, a recognizable and manageable madness. I rarely notice the weird stuff anymore, but simply unconsciously correct for it.

 

I look at it as part of being a resident here in Koh Samui, and I am very happy to be here! 

 

[huberthammer]

On 07/10/2017 at 5:21 PM, Coconut007 said:

I didn't get this bit as well. I'm experienced driving motorbikes and while in Samui I felt like the drivers are getting commissions from hospital if they get a farang there.

The big difference is that while traffic is aggressive and at times chaotic in Samui people do pay attention to what is going on around them and anticipate what might happen next. Driving in Singapore there is a complete lack of awareness and common sense (people stopping in a roundabout to check their phone, jumping red lights to then block an intersection, never giving way to ambulances etc.). 

 

For me driving in Samui is a lot more relaxing compared to the egoistic driving in Singapore. 

 

[mindovermatter]

Interesting that he picked Koh Samui over the other beautiful spots in Thailand!