[scheff]

Great write up! I'm thinking of doing the exact same thing. A couple of questions -

Why the limitation to being able to only do 6 months? Do they stop renewing your visa after that?

Have you looked at other neighbouring countries like Laos, Burma and Cambodia for a similar arrangement?

[pieterhg]

Thanks!

The most I could get from the Thai embassy in Amsterdam was a double-entry visa. If I wanted a triple-entry visa (giving me 3x90 days or 9 months), they required me to have booked all my flights in and out of the country beforehand. That was a bit too much planning for me.

I believe there's education visas if you study Thai at a school for a year, but that seems like too much of a distraction while starting up a business.

Yes, I'm actually trying Phnom Penh in Cambodia in 2014. Cheaper, although internet connectivity might not be up-to-par and it's a lot less safe from what I've heard.

[maccman]

Or Saigon - had a great time there.

http://blog.alexmaccaw.com/traveling-writing-and-programming

[pieterhg]

I'm actually in Saigon right now! Do you have any recommendations for spaces to work? I am trying SaigonHUB on Monday.

[maccman]

Hmm, I was usually working out of my hotel room or cafe's along Phạm Ngũ Lão street.

[homakov]

Vietnam and cambodia are just shit compared to thai.

[maccman]

You should try Siem Reap - much nicer, and seems almost european.

[notahacker]

Or if you want somewhere relaxed Battambang has most of the benefits of Siem Reap (even day trips to Khmer ruins!) but without the tourist circus.

[studentrob]

Not particularly unsafe, I live in PP. Lived in NYC previously and I liken it to that, just different things to watch out for. Mobile internet is good (Cellcard is the best), I think I've gotten up to 300KB/sec, though there is some lag connecting to, say, my Linode in NJ.. maybe a 1 second delay in the terminal. Anyway it's currently $1.50 for 7 days or 1 GB, whichever comes first, and I can reload if I finish early. I go to a coworking space (CoLab) for faster internet, all-day A/C, and a good quiet working atmosphere. I consider that membership part of my rent, though rent is cheap here anyway. Have a two bedroom, two bath, estimating 2,000 sq ft + a covered roof terrace, for $300 / month. And it doesn't get cold here =)

[janameri]

In Phnom Penh you will get a decent 5Mb mobile connection reasonably cheap, but fixed 'broadband' prices are expensive, like $30/month for 256kb!!

[Radim]

It's probably because the OP had a double entry tourist visa.

You can renew easily -- or at least could, a few years ago. I lived in Thailand for two years, entirely on tourist visas.

Let me just add there's a marked difference between how OP describes his Thailand experience, and living outside of start-up/expat communities.

[scheff]

care to elaborate?

[Radim]

Why not. There's plenty of more detailed info out there, and I don't claim to be any sort of expert after mere two years, but here's two stereotypical extremes:

Tourist-eyes: beautiful beaches; nice weather; safe; cheap food; laid back, friendly smiling people -- PARADISE!

Live-and-work-there-eyes: rampant bigotry and racism (common to most SE Asia); dishonesty ("losing face" and all, again shared across SEA and not specific to Thailand); nothing ever gets done (the famous wait-for-crisis management aka the reverse side of the laid back culture); encouragement of keeping in line and professional mediocrity; (lack of) quality healthcare; dirt; systemic corruption and mafia; massive drinking in connection with ubiquitous handguns; relationships aka love the farang cash machine; farangs always 2nd class citizens no matter what (land ownership &c) -- BUSINESS OWNER'S HELL!

Now that's just to juxtapose two extremes, neither is "the truth".

When it comes to running a business, beware of that viewpoint #2. Freelancers who just hang out with other freelancers on the beach for a few months don't need to care, of course :) For serious business, Malaysia is much more organized and welcoming.

Hopefully I don't get downvoted for this paradise-shattering post -- I still have many Thai friends and I love the country despite all its problems.

[pieterhg]

You're absolutely right on most of those points. With regards to the racism: I did experience it when I entered night clubs, and it felt weird I had to pay an entrance fee and the Thais did not. But on the other hand, I know foreigners (esp. Westerners, like me) simply cause a lot of trouble in night clubs and obviously hitting on their women. In a weird way, you pay that off with an entrance fee.

In my limited experience, much of the racism I saw Westerners deal with, was most of the times them behaving in a stereotypical Western way (loud, obscene and rude). I don't have a problem with that, but Thai do.

I've come very far by just being over-polite and friendly to everyone I met. Bowing a lot, smiling and always staying calm in conflict situations (e.g. outside at 4am with drunk people).

With regards to dating, I mostly dated hi-so girls, which in the end paid more for my drinks, than I did for theirs ;)

[Radim]

Actually, I meant racism toward dark-skinned people (Thais or otherwise), not so much toward Westerns.

To wit, skin whitening is a monstrous business in Thailand.

I'll never forget the forest of umbrellas on really hot days, or people walking in long sleeves, just to fend off the sun and "stay white" :)

[scheff]

I've spoken with a few of westerner businessmen in Thailand now, and they re-iterate much the same sentiments.

My view has become "go there as a tourist who happens to spend several months on business" as opposed to "go there with a view to doing business with the locals".

Likewise I have met some lovely Thai people. They are very caring and welcoming.

[agilebyte]

Presumably also because working somewhere for more than 6 months usually means you are tax resident and the visa is a tourist and not a work visa?

Not that it is probably enforced in Thailand.

[pieterhg]

Yes, the law is not ready for this set-up yet. But as you mention, unless you cause trouble, it's not really in the Thai's interest to enforce that you might officially be breaking the law by working (even if it's for yourself).