I hope you’re doing well! This is just a short post to keep you posted. We came back to Chaloklum and stumbled upon a resort that’s absolutely charming. No beach access, sure, but surrounded by coconut trees. The pool is gorgeous, we even get shade in the afternoon, and there’s a restaurant on site. The chef cooks divinely. We’re truly in paradise! The rent is only €330/month (plus €40-50/month for electricity). It’s so cheap and the environment so pleasant that we decide to invest a bit for our comfort. Before, this was JB’s workspace: After a trip to the market & Home Mart (the local IKEA): JB now has a…

Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Restrictive travel restrictions Overnight, Koh Samui becomes a cluster, with over 100 Covid cases (out of 616 contact cases) following an infection at a nightclub. Koh Phangan treats Koh Samui as a dark red zone (even though they’re in the same province), requiring visitors to provide either a Covid test or vaccination certificate (xxx days after Sinovac, xx days after Astra…). Luckily, they’re not too familiar with Janssen (the embassy allowed us to get this vaccine but it’s not used for Thais) and simply ask that all doses be administered. But there’s only one dose, so just 2 days…

We came back to Koh Samui to get vaccinated. And we decided to extend our stay after the vaccination, to rest in good conditions (in case we had a fever or any other unpleasant side effect).). Since we booked a hotel in the area Bophut, which has a huge concentration of 4- and 5-star hotels, we were able to visit a few of them. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Karma Resort Koh Samui We start with this hotel recommended by a former colleague of JB’s, who knows Koh Samui very well. This hotel belongs to the owner of the famous Karma Sutra restaurant, who…

Many of you have been asking us if we’re vaccinated against Covid. When we went through France in May 2021, the vaccine was still only reserved for the elderly and at-risk people. Being young and healthy, we unfortunately weren’t among those eligible. As I explained on Instagram (see my stories), in Asia, vaccines aren’t as widely distributed and as readily available as in Europe. It’s a scarce commodity and only the lucky few have access to the vaccine right now. And even when the vaccine arrives, there aren’t enough nurses and doctors to vaccinate everyone—since there aren’t enough places to store the vaccine properly. For now, in Vietnam and Thailand…

If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know about my bling side. I have a soft spot for pretty hotel pools, and every now and then I book the cheapest room in a 5-star hotel just to enjoy its pool. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal I had my eye on Melia Koh Samui (Booking link, Agoda link) after seeing photos of its pool and its double loungers as big as a bed. We were supposed to go right after the quarantine in Bangkok, but it didn’t happen. Since we had to return to Koh Samui to get vaccinated by the French…

Haad Rin is world-famous for its Full Moon Party: a place for parties until dawn, a place of debauchery, with tourists sleeping right on the beach half in a coma, endless buckets of alcohol. But because of (thanks to?) Covid, Haad Rin is turning into a ghost town, and that’s the only reason we’re setting foot there 🙂 Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Sarikantang Resort and Silan Residence (where we’re currently staying) have the same owner. So when we received an offer from Sarikantang Resort, offering all Silan residents a 30-hour stay at the partner hotel for 1,700 baht. With this offer, we get…

After a month in Koh Samui, we decide to head to Koh Phangan. Those living in Koh Samui warn us about the boring side of Koh Phangan “there’s nothing to do,” but we go anyway to check it out. We had passed through briefly a few years ago and had fond memories. We were told there’s a community of digital nomads in Koh Phangan, so the infrastructure has been adapted for this type of expat: fiber optics, offices, and even coworking spaces… Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Koh Samui – Koh Phangan by speedboat For the first time, we take a Grab to the…

Planning a trip to Thailand? – Plan to buy a SIM card to have internet access – Book your activities in advance with Civitatis – Protect yourself with insurance that offers good coverage. For example, with Heymondo (5% discount by using this link) After two weeks in the quiet south of Lamai, we decided to head to a livelier area near Fisherman Village, recommended by a fellow nomad. Part 1: Travel JournalPart 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Journal Accommodations Not Suited for Digital Nomads There are no hotels with two work desks in Fisherman Village itself, so we chose to stay at the condominium Replay Residence, which is full…