livinthailandos Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Comparing samui to other islands 1. Rules, Regulations, Laws, similiar or different 2. The island itself is it part of a 1st world country or developing country 3. The people on the island, does it still have locals or does it no longer have locals anymore 4. Size, available resources, infrastructure, 5. Is it possible to get by there with only speaking english 6. On that island how many Local own business vs Foreigner business exist 7. price comparsion on housing, shopping for supplies, eating out, 8. how much money would it take to get by there vs here I wrote why im still satisfied to live in samui I decided to make this a seperate issue and it got me thinking on at least those 8 points. I know for a fact I can get by here for less than $2000 a month how many other places can I get by for that. I am sure there are places that exist but could they bring me the satisfaction that the thai people have shown me. any help or responses to those points would be helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samui04 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I think only Bali is an alternative. But they have strict visa, 30 days, no farang going around forever...just turists.... Never been there personally, but the place is much nicer than Samui... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koheesti Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I think only Bali is an alternative.But they have strict visa, 30 days, no farang going around forever...just turists.... Never been there personally, but the place is much nicer than Samui... I just got back from Bali yesterday. Samui has faster Internet and it's more widespread other than that, Bali has Samui beat on just about everything else. There might be ways around the visa rule which I think involves getting an invitation. I'm sure someone here can set the record straight on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbk Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 A friend of mine lives in Bali and she is constantly complaining about how poor her connection is, something to consider for those who need good internet access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koheesti Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 A friend of mine lives in Bali and she is constantly complaining about how poor her connection is, something to consider for those who need good internet access. I was on a working holiday so I needed it and boy, oh boy was it a pain in the ass to find. I think the top speed offered is 1mb and not every hotel offers wi-fi. But after knocking on a lot of doors I did find a nice place close to the beach that does. If they had good Internet and visas weren't a problem, I would live there half the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samui04 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I think only Bali is an alternative.But they have strict visa, 30 days, no farang going around forever...just turists.... Never been there personally, but the place is much nicer than Samui... I just got back from Bali yesterday. Samui has faster Internet and it's more widespread other than that, Bali has Samui beat on just about everything else. my english is so-so but the end of the sentence is not clear..... do you mean apart Internet speed (not really so fast in Samui ) Bali is better in any category? I cannot believe Bali has a ringroad with more trucks going like crazy than Samui and a sea with everything on it apart clean water.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samui04 Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 A friend of mine lives in Bali and she is constantly complaining about how poor her connection is, something to consider for those who need good internet access. I was on a working holiday so I needed it and boy, oh boy was it a pain in the ass to find. I think the top speed offered is 1mb and not every hotel offers wi-fi. But after knocking on a lot of doors I did find a nice place close to the beach that does. If they had good Internet and visas weren't a problem, I would live there half the year. top speed in Samui is 512k and too much latency to watch any video....at least using Cyberpoint WiFi....but it worked almost every day since jan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbk Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 CAT offers much higher speeds than that with a dedicated line and unless Samui is significantly different than Koh Phangan TT&T maxnet works pretty well . Just ran a speedtest : Download Speed: 2630 kbps (328.8 KB/sec transfer rate) Upload Speed: 850 kbps (106.3 KB/sec transfer rate) As for other islands, is Bali really the only comparison to make? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoorSucker Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 CAT offers much higher speeds than that with a dedicated line and unless Samui is significantly different than Koh Phangan TT&T maxnet works pretty well . Just ran a speedtest : Download Speed: 2630 kbps (328.8 KB/sec transfer rate) Upload Speed: 850 kbps (106.3 KB/sec transfer rate) As for other islands, is Bali really the only comparison to make? Maxnet, Samui. Last Result: Download Speed: 3293 kbps (411.6 KB/sec transfer rate) Upload Speed: 536 kbps (67 KB/sec transfer rate) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pothai Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 How quickly do people forget the bombimgs. Is Bali really worth living at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdman Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Re OPs terms closest islands to Samui are only in Thailand - HKT, KPG and Koh Chang. Eventually Koh Samet. In SEA Borracy, Tioman, Langkawi and Lombock. But there is no island in SEA, with standards similar to Samui. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angiud Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 I'm arrived in Bali today and, surprise, no more slow internet with cdma connection! My resort have now a good (for Bali) Adsl. So I can follow the wonderful adventures of we thai expats also from here!! So, one more point for the wonderful Bali!!! Now, I begin to enjoy my holiday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koheesti Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 (edited) I think only Bali is an alternative.But they have strict visa, 30 days, no farang going around forever...just turists.... Never been there personally, but the place is much nicer than Samui... I just got back from Bali yesterday. Samui has faster Internet and it's more widespread other than that, Bali has Samui beat on just about everything else. my english is so-so but the end of the sentence is not clear..... do you mean apart Internet speed (not really so fast in Samui ) Bali is better in any category? I cannot believe Bali has a ringroad with more trucks going like crazy than Samui and a sea with everything on it apart clean water.... Not in ALL categories but in most. The roads on Bali are much better but they are narrower so you need to be more careful. Even some major roads aren't much wider than the Ghost road. The beaches there aren't all beautiful. Kuta Beach when I was there was more filthy than anything I've seen on Samui. But the beach is so wide that a 3 meter wide belt of trash isn't much. Be careful when walking because - as I was advised before going there myself - there are holes everywhere. That's about it for the negatives now that the Internet appears to have a solution. Edited March 24, 2009 by koheesti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livinthailandos Posted March 24, 2009 Author Share Posted March 24, 2009 Dear Super user or Thai Visa administrator please delete this posting as the question at hand is not being discussed and now its moving towards a related internet, computer forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koheesti Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Dear Super user or Thai Visa administratorplease delete this posting as the question at hand is not being discussed and now its moving towards a related internet, computer forum Please read my last post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koheesti Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 (edited) Comparing samui to other islands 1. Rules, Regulations, Laws, similiar or different 2. The island itself is it part of a 1st world country or developing country 3. The people on the island, does it still have locals or does it no longer have locals anymore 4. Size, available resources, infrastructure, 5. Is it possible to get by there with only speaking english 6. On that island how many Local own business vs Foreigner business exist 7. price comparsion on housing, shopping for supplies, eating out, 8. how much money would it take to get by there vs here I wrote why im still satisfied to live in samui I decided to make this a seperate issue and it got me thinking on at least those 8 points. I know for a fact I can get by here for less than $2000 a month how many other places can I get by for that. I am sure there are places that exist but could they bring me the satisfaction that the thai people have shown me. any help or responses to those points would be helpful Comparing Samui to Bali (from what I gathered after a week) 1. Rules, Regulations, Laws, similiar or different There are really no rules or laws on Samui and there are on Bali. 2. The island itself is it part of a 1st world country or developing country Bali is much closer to 1st world than Samui without a doubt. 3. The people on the island, does it still have locals or does it no longer have locals anymore 3.1 million locals spread across a much bigger island. 4. Size, available resources, infrastructure, Bali is bigger, the roads are better maintained. You can drive through the center of the islandwithout need of a 4-wheel drive. The power blinked off once while I was there. 5. Is it possible to get by there with only speaking english Yes. And the language uses Latin letters and sounds so it's incredibly easier than Thai. 6. On that island how many Local own business vs Foreigner business exist I have no idea about this one other than staying at a couple of small places run by foreigners. 7. price comparsion on housing, shopping for supplies, eating out, All cheaper on Bali than Samui and more available as well. 8. how much money would it take to get by there vs here All depends on what you want but it will be less than what you are spending on Samui. Edited March 24, 2009 by koheesti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limbos Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Re OPs terms closest islands to Samui are only in Thailand - HKT, KPG and Koh Chang. Eventually Koh Samet. In SEA Borracy, Tioman, Langkawi and Lombock. But there is no island in SEA, with standards similar to Samui. Phuket is an island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdman Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 (edited) Re OPs terms closest islands to Samui are only in Thailand - HKT, KPG and Koh Chang. Eventually Koh Samet. In SEA Borracy, Tioman, Langkawi and Lombock. But there is no island in SEA, with standards similar to Samui. Phuket is an island. HKT = Phuket Edited March 24, 2009 by Birdman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samui04 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 (edited) CAT offers much higher speeds than that with a dedicated line and unless Samui is significantly different than Koh Phangan TT&T maxnet works pretty well . Just ran a speedtest : Download Speed: 2630 kbps (328.8 KB/sec transfer rate) Upload Speed: 850 kbps (106.3 KB/sec transfer rate) As for other islands, is Bali really the only comparison to make? very fast, faster than in europe i would say, and it seems also cheap. only problem, usb card to buy not compatible with the one I have in Italy... but if wifi stay so slow i think it is time to jump to th enext tech, hoping they do not change standard every year... Of course, with free wifi around 1 megabit no need to change but in a shared wifi environment even choosing the bungalow can lead to bad signal..... Edited March 24, 2009 by samui04 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samui04 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 2. The island itself is it part of a 1st world country or developing countryBali is much closer to 1st world than Samui without a doubt. 3. The people on the island, does it still have locals or does it no longer have locals anymore 3.1 million locals spread across a much bigger island. 3 million people? that is big! I hope they are not all in the bar girl business like Samui... Anyway next winter my visa border trip will be longer, 1 month in Bali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samui04 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 How quickly do people forget the bombimgs. Is Bali really worth living at. ok, this could be a negative point. Any more things not good on Bali? Like for example all buildings have a very old and rotten asbestos roof (like in Samui...) ????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angiud Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Ah, and Bali is not full of prostitutes like Samui. ( but I guess this couldn't be good for somebody) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazygourmet Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 Ah, and Bali is not full of prostitutes like Samui. ( but I guess this couldn't be good for somebody) Actually, Bali has always been a great destination for female sex tourist. As for male "clients", it is as well all over but more discreet and less blatant than; let's say Bantai, Koh Phangan. Kuta-Legian come to my mind for evening and Sanur for after-hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koheesti Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 Ah, and Bali is not full of prostitutes like Samui. ( but I guess this couldn't be good for somebody) They aren't in your face like in Thailand but they are there. I was told by my guide that addresses with an "X" at the end were where they were. So they are behind walls and not out on the road screaming. So much for window shopping. Also, at night there was no shortage prowling the streets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angiud Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I didn't say there are not prostitutes in Bali. Just not so many and not so evident like in Samui. Ah, and tomorrow we'll experience our first 'silent day", when everything in Bali will go to stop, airplanes included. We'll stay at our residence, immersed in the silence of this strange and interesting religious tradition. Think about a silent day in Samui... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highdiver Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 the surfing is way better in Bali. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angiud Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 What about the style, the local creativity, the tight observance of the traditions and the religion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazygourmet Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I didn't say there are not prostitutes in Bali. Just not so many and not so evident like in Samui.Ah, and tomorrow we'll experience our first 'silent day", when everything in Bali will go to stop, airplanes included. We'll stay at our residence, immersed in the silence of this strange and interesting religious tradition. Think about a silent day in Samui... So Nyepi is starting tonight? I forgot about Balinese religious calendar, but used to appreciate this time of the year when I was living there. Good to know that they are still fully respecting their ancestors tradition by keeping the airport shut. I hope (but I am sure) that you are enjoying your stay on the island of gods. Lucky you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samui04 Posted March 25, 2009 Share Posted March 25, 2009 I didn't say there are not prostitutes in Bali. Just not so many and not so evident like in Samui.Ah, and tomorrow we'll experience our first 'silent day", when everything in Bali will go to stop, airplanes included. We'll stay at our residence, immersed in the silence of this strange and interesting religious tradition. Think about a silent day in Samui... i love silence, Bali is really a nice place.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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