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The view
from our hotel room at Kata Beach, Thailand Thirty days straight at the beach
is a record for us. Even though we lived in a
beach town in California before leaving our jobs, going to the beach daily was impossible, because we were both
working long hours.
We stayed a
full month in the beautiful tropical
island paradise of
Phuket, Thailand,
and strolled 30 yards to the beach daily. Traveling in the off season,
this well-situated hotel gave us a sea-view room for a monthly
rate of $435USD.
Phuket can be pricey -- it's the
most expensive place in
Thailand, especially if one
eats out
for every meal. So we chose to eat
breakfast in the hotel room, with food we purchased locally, and we took
full advantage of the room's mini-refrigerator. We also found an
excellent restaurant that served a variety of Western and Thai fare for
one-half to one-third the prices of most other places in town. And it
was right by the water.
Since all of our needs were close
by -- waves, beach, body-surfing -- we were able to walk to the
neighboring stores, and to fancy restaurants when we wanted a treat.
Transportation, housing, and food expenses we had covered.
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However, what about impulse buying?
Souvenir shopping? Temptations were everywhere, and the temptations even
come to you!
Tourists at play, locals at
work
As in most countries in the developing world, the beach is a place
where vendors do business. They pass by numerous times each day while you're
lounging underneath an umbrella and soaking up the rays. Enticing you to
purchase something you could easily do without, they'll offer you items like
a hand-carved elephant or a hammock.
After saying no a few times,
most sellers realize that we are not buyers, but they do still stop
to say hi. And there was one young, energetic guy who was hard to
overlook. He was selling board shorts, something very fashionable in
today's beachwear. In the local markets, we'd seen them selling for
2,000 baht, roughly equal to $64USD at this time.
His starting price was just 600
baht. After bartering with him, we ended up paying 300 baht for a
pair of shorts -- just over $9 -- and we both were satisfied with the
purchase.
One advantage of staying
long-term in a location is that we get to meet and learn about these
vendors, all of whom have a story to tell.
The board-shorts vendor
was no different. Each day, he would stop by to see whether we were
interested in another purchase. He was a businessman and understood
his market and products. He was originally from
Vietnam and owned a shop 30 minutes north
of our oceanfront location and worked the beach on many days. When we asked
him how many pairs of shorts he sold on his busiest days, he answered,
"15,000 baht worth." That's very impressive for a beach vendor, considering
that the average Thai wages are quite low.
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Adventurer's Guide to Destination Choices
Our vendor then proceeded to tell me that
he sells only about 10 or 15 pair of shorts a day! How did he make so much money
selling so little merchandise?
He explained that during the busy season, the
same shorts we'd bought for 300 baht go for 1,500 baht. Curious, we asked ask
him who would pay such inflated prices.
A plate of
fresh steamed mussels for a buck and a half! "Oh, that's easy," he replied. "The
two-week millionaires."
Those are the people who take their two-week
vacations with money to burn and no regard to prices. Our vendor says he can
spot them the minute they set foot on the beach.
Wondering what his impression of me
was (Billy here), he jokingly quipped, "key nee owl," which is an
affectionate Thai expression for "Cheap Charlie." He knew me well.
We take the position that our
retirement is a
lifestyle and not a vacation. We get to a location, check
out the pricing, and
do some comparisons before buying.
And those board shorts we paid 300
baht for? We just saw them in Burma for the equivalent of 200 baht.
Our vendor won yet another battle.
Make the most of your vacation
Below are some tips for saving money during your time off.
Travel off season.
Our ocean view room at the
Kata Sun Beach Hotel cost $435 for the entire month.
Eat where the locals
eat. They know where the better-value eateries are.
Beware of impulse
buying. Don't buy it if it's just going to end up in a
closet back home.
Research other hotels
for your next trip. Even if you've found one you already
like. And always ask whether breakfast is included.
These are simple tips, but it's
amazing how much difference they make. And we still have as good a time as
any two-week millionaire.
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