My new room in Pak Chong is not ideal but its a place to live and settle in before school starts and for that I am very grateful.
I found this room with the help of the teacher working with me in Pak Chong, Peter, and his wife Nee. Nee is Thai and her family lives in the area and Peter is from England but has been living in Thailand for 8 years. So two weeks ago I came to try and find a place to live without all my stuff in tow and Peter and Nee were nice enough to scout out some rooms ahead of time and then pick me up from the bus and drive me around looking at said places.
The first place we looked at is about half way between the Tesco Lotus complex and the center of town (where the school is). It's around the corner from Peter and Nee's house and is in a small neighborhood that backs up against a hill. So the view from all sides is pretty great.
Pros include:
the view
the price (4000 B per month)
the size
furniture and mattress included
nice owners
proximity to Peter and Nee
Cons include:
general location - its out of the way and there aren't any samlaws or tuk tuks here, only motorbike taxis* and songtails (which are like trucks with benches in the back part and have stops but aren't for private transport) so its difficult to get around
outlet placement in the room - i know this sounds like a weird complaint but there are two outlets in the room and they are possibly in the most inconvenient locations possible
bedding (including sheets, pillows, towels) not included - turns out I was really spoiled in Chaiyaphum
no refrigerator - again, I was spoiled in Chaiyaphum
The second place we looked at was really nice. I didn't get to see inside a room because they were fully booked but the location was awesome - right in town - and included a fitness center across the driveway. The people there were not as friendly but they didn't need my business so I'm not sure that's indicative of how it would be if I lived there. The lobby area was really really nice - great furniture and very open. And the price was 4500 B per month.
The last place we looked also had a pretty good location. It was a little off the main road but was within easy walking distance to school. This place included furniture (but not bedding or anything like that) and the room was a good size. The price was also good - 3800 B per month. So sounds like this is where I should be living right? Wrong. There were two major problems with this place. One was that it felt dirty. Not in a 'the floors need a good mopping and the sheets need washing' way but in a 'if I touch the walls I might get a disease or something because they are oozing grossness' way. The second problem, and this probably contributed to the first problem, was that it felt like a jail cell/cave. There was one tiny window and it had bars and it let in almost no light. Writing this it sounds like really petty reasons not to take the room given its pros but trust me when I say pretty much nothing would have convinced me to live in that room.
So despite the location problems I am currently living in Room numero uno. And actually, living here the past week I've grown to like it more and more. I love being able to take walks around the neighborhood I'm in and taking the songtail into town or to Tesco is pretty easy. Plus I've rearranged the furniture so the layout of the room is much better and the outlet situation is less annoying (actually I kind of prefer it to other outlet situations because I've customized it for me). Food is a little bit of a problem because there isn't a lot to eat in the area and without a refrigerator its difficult to cook for myself. And I haven't actually had to struggle with going to and from school every day which I think will be a challenge because school children will be taking up space on the songtails and it will be a little weird for me to be riding with them (every other teacher will either have a motorbike/car or take a motorbike taxi). But I'll figure it out and I think it will probably work out just fine.
*Motorbike taxis don't work for me because I struggle to ride them (both phsycially struggle to keep my balance and mentally because all I can think is 'Donercycle! Donercycle!'). Also, even if I did want to ride one, I can't ride sidesaddle on a motorbike and I have to wear a skirt or a dress and I can't stradle the bike in a skirt or a dress here. So motorbikes are out.
Dear Caroline, I loved hearing the options of choosing your room, and what a difference it makes seeing the photos of your room and view. Your rearranging the furniture made a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you had to take a long term lease or if you would be able to move when another room that was more convenient to food and activities became available. I'm so glad you have established friends already. That makes a huge difference in how anyone feels about where they live.
When does school start. I can hardly wait for your next blog. Thanks so much for posting. Love, OMO