We have been asked more than once what is the difference between life in Thailand and Bali, and where is better. In this post, I will try to answer these questions. I will compare life on three islands - Phuket, Bali and Koh Samui. We lived in Phuket for a month, in Bali for two months, and we have been living in Koh Samui for the fourth month.

Since the three of us are traveling with a young son (at the time of the start of the trip he was one and a half years old), the choice of place, housing and everything else is focused, first of all, on comfortable and safe living with a small child. Also, walking distance to the sea and the beach and the possibility of calm swimming with the baby mean a lot to us. Well, another important aspect, on which everything else often depends, is the cost of living (renting a house, food, transport, entertainment). The available budget has to be optimized, taking into account the fact that we do not know how long our trip will last, and we do not have any stable large income. Therefore, you have to save.

flights

We chose as the first point of our journey Phuket, because they found cheap tickets Moscow → Phuket with one transfer in Novosibirsk of the S7 company. The flight Moscow → Novosibirsk lasted 4.5 hours, Novosibirsk → Phuket - 7 hours. We were specifically looking for a night flight so that our son would sleep on the plane. By the way, Tyoma endured the flight quite well. He really slept the whole flight in his mother's arms.

To fly from Russia to Koh Samui, there are several options. You can fly directly to Koh Samui (with one or two transfers), or fly to Surat Thani (cheap AirAsia flies there), and from there take a ferry to Koh Samui.

The most budget option is to fly to Bangkok (you can take a direct flight from Moscow), from there fly to Surat Thani and then by ferry to Koh Samui. But we must be prepared that the move will take a day, or even more. And yet, the time of arrival in Surat Thani should be no later than five in the evening, because the last ferry leaves at seven in the evening, and it still takes an hour to get there by bus.

Visas

Both countries, Thailand and Indonesia, allow you to stay in the country for 30 days upon arrival.

IN Indonesia Until recently, you had to buy a Visa on Arrival, which cost $35. The Visa on Arrival could be extended for 30 days (for a total stay of 60 days), it costs about $27.

Since June 2015, citizens of the Russian Federation can enter without a visa (according to the stamp in the passport, which is placed at the border). For a long stay, this option is not suitable, because. this visa cannot be extended.

If you go to live in Bali for a long time, it is better to do the so-called. social visa. This requires an Indonesian citizen who acts as a guarantor. There are many agencies and individuals in Bali who will help with this visa for money. A social visa allows you to stay in the country for 6 months. It must be done from outside the country. True, every month it must be renewed in immigration.

IN Thailand The stamped stay can be extended for another 7 days. It costs 1900 THB (approximately $ 57-58).

If you get a tourist visa, you can stay in Thailand without a break for 90 days - 60 days on a visa, plus 30 days by extending it. Then, in any case, it will be necessary to leave. Thai tourist visas are single, double and triple entry. A double and triple entry visa allows you to enter the country two and three times, respectively (you can do a border run). The Thai tourist double entry visa we received in Bali cost 1,120,000 IDR (approximately $87). Single entry, of course, half the price (560,000 IDR).

Visa extension for Bali- that still hemorrhoids. You will have to go to the immigration office at least three times: the first is the application, the second is payment, photo and fingerprinting, the third is receipt. And every time you have to stand in line. One family member can go to apply and get a passport with a visa, but everyone will have to be photographed and fingerprinted. We were especially lucky - on the day when we arrived as a whole, something broke in the Denpasar immigration office. We waited for about an hour, but as a result, we had to come again.

On Koh Samui The extension of the visa took us about half an hour. We arrived, wrote applications, handed over passports with money and photographs, and in 15 minutes received them back with stamps. A tourist visa extension for a month costs 1900 THB.

Unfortunately, obtaining a residence permit in both countries is quite difficult. Therefore, most of the people I met here travel back and forth, or open a work visa (the right to live for a year and other goodies), but for this you need to either pay money or pay money and bother with registering a business.

Choosing a place and renting an apartment

During our journey, we developed a specific scheme for finding a place to live. Even before the trip, we try to study the information and reviews on the Internet as much as possible about the place, beaches, infrastructure and roughly estimate where we would like to stay. Then, via the Internet (Booking, AirBnb or Agoda) for 5-7 days, we rent inexpensive housing without any special claims, not far from the proposed future home. Again, through the Internet for these 5-7 days we rent a car. Upon arrival, we go to see the selected beach and, if we like it, we go around the area in search of suitable housing.

A trip around the area will definitely give you more good and cheap accommodation options than you can find on the net. Local landlords are not friendly with the Internet (both in Bali and Thailand).

In all cases, except for the hotels where we stayed for the first few days, we rented accommodation directly from the owners, which allowed us to reduce the cost of the commission that Internet search engines usually charge.

Criteria by which we choose housing:

• proximity to the sea (so that you can walk with a stroller);
• good internet (we work in it);
• the presence of a kitchen, stove and refrigerator (we prefer to cook at home);
• general cleanliness and comfort;
• the territory near the house where the son could walk himself, and we would not worry about him;
• the presence of mosquito nets on windows and doors (mosquitoes in Asia can be carriers of Dengue);
• our budget.

On Phuket The choice of housing is quite large and finding what you need is quite easy. But the circumstances were against us - on the second day after his arrival, Artem ended up in the hospital and spent most of the time allotted for finding housing and moving there. And we are with him, respectively. So we were looking for a habitat for the next three weeks, one might say, in extreme conditions lack of time. And first we stayed near Kata Beach in a small bungalow for $ 20 / day (found through AirBnb). This housing was so-so, C grade. It was also far from the beach, and it was necessary to go past the shitty river. We didn't like it. And when Artem was discharged, we went to see Nai Harn beach. This is a beautiful beach, clean, beautiful, one might say, the most best beach Phuket. But also the most expensive. We had only one day to look for accommodation, and with great adventures we ended up in the Nai Harn Relife Condotel. We rented a nice one-room apartment with a small kitchen that had a stove and fridge (a must have for us), almost daily cleaning and a communal pool. The beach is about 20 minutes walk past a pleasant lake. There was also a wonderful roof, on which I went to work in the morning. Great, but too expensive for us - 1000 THB per day.

On Bali we immediately decided to live in Sanur, because. there is the most adapted beach for bathing babies (in most other places there are big waves), and not as expensive as on Nusa Dua. For the first five days we stayed at a small hotel called Dewi Dewi Villas with a pool and free breakfast for $20/day. It was written that there was a kitchen in the room, but it turned out that there was no stove in this kitchen - only a refrigerator and a kettle. So we went to the common kitchen to prepare Tyome's morning porridge. For a short stay this is a great place.

One more time we were in BIMC with insurance from Alfa Insurance.
BIMC- a major hospital for expats, but the doctors behaved, rather in Balinese. They didn’t do any tests (in other hospitals they immediately took blood and prescribed the rest), they gave out only a jar for feces, which had to be brought when it was in time :). Of the drugs prescribed only lactobacilli. It's good that the situation was not so serious at that time.
Alpha Insurance, unlike Liberty, they did a great job and quickly paid for everything.

Applying for BIMC

Comparison of insurance prices:

• Thailand Travel Shield - 5200 THB for three for 30 days (THB / RUB rate is now somewhere around 1.8)
• Liberty Insurance — 5500 rubles. for three for 30 days
• Alfa Insurance - 3048 rubles. for one for 30 days

Summary: Thai medicine is better developed, including in terms of customer focus. Another confirmation of this is the number of pharmacies. In Thailand, they come across as often as in Russia - at every turn.

Not so in Bali. There is a network of branded pharmacies (the whole island is good if there are 10 branches), and there are small private ones, in which the choice is small.

In general, in Bali, as we were told, medicine is the lot of the rich, because. any medical care, even an ambulance, costs money. And if suddenly something happens to a poor Indonesian, then no one will dial “03” just like that.

In any case, good insurance rules.

Food

To be honest, on Bali The food didn't impress us much. The abundance of fried and spicy is the main characteristic of Balinese cuisine. The main dishes are Nasi Goreng - fried rice with egg seasoned with kechap manis (sweet soy sauce) and Mie Goreng - fried noodles.

Nasi Goren - fried rice is hidden under the omelet, on the left - krupuk - rice chips

Sate (Satay) are very popular among the Balinese people - small skewers of chicken or pork, which are served with peanut sauce. There are also Ikan Bakan/Goreng - fish fried on coals or in oil in a pan, usually quite dry, and Ayam Bakan / Goreng - skinny chicken cooked in the same way. On the streets, you can often find carts selling Bakso (Bakso), a soup made from noodles and meat balls.

Ayam Goreng & Nasi

IN Thailand the food is more delicious and varied, which is worth only the famous soups Tom Yam (Tom Yam) and Tom Kha (Tom Kha), papaya salad Som Tam, various types of curry. By the way, fried rice Khao Pad (Khao Pad) and fried noodles, the famous Pad Thai (Pad Thai) in Thailand, too. But they are more tasty and fragrant here.

Tom Kha with chicken
papaya salad som tam

Since we cook more at home, in everyday life we ​​eat about the same dishes. In the morning it is usually oatmeal, muesli, scrambled eggs, yogurt. For lunch - chicken or fish soup with vegetables and various dressings, and for dinner - rice, chicken / fish and vegetable salad. Unlimited fruits during breaks. :)

If you do not go to restaurants, you can eat for $ 10 a day for three. At the same time, the diet will be varied - with fruits and vegetables, which both in Thailand and Bali have the property of seasonality. What is growing and ripening right now is being sold cheaply. What is brought from somewhere is expensive. For example, apples in Thailand cost 15-20 THB per piece ($ 0.5), and papayas cost 40 THB per kg.

Longan, tamarind, herring, papaya - evening market in Karon (Phuket)

While we lived in Bali, there were several seasonal fruits, including papaya, avocado and durian. They could be bought very cheaply. And when the season ended, prices began to creep up.

But in Thailand, avocados do not grow at all, but there are delicious pineapples and mangoes. During the mango season, one could buy a kilo for 20 THB.

Guava, durian, mangosteen, tangerine, pitahaya, passion fruit - roadside fruit stand in Bali

Sometimes we eat potatoes instead of rice. In Tesco on Koh Samui, it is now sold at 28-30 THB per kg. In Bali, it cost more. Also everywhere there are vegetables familiar to us - onions, carrots, cabbage (white, cauliflower and broccoli), tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants.

In general, both in Thailand and Bali, you can eat cheap and varied, but products that are not included in the diet of the local population and are produced or purchased exclusively for foreigners are quite expensive. So, for example, butter in Thailand costs 90 THB for a 220 g pack, and cheese starts at 300 THB and goes up to a couple of thousand per kilogram. Cheese is not produced here. Cheeses are also expensive in Bali. Bread in Bali and Thailand is also not cheap, especially the one that is baked by different bakeries (private bakeries). A loaf of grain bread with seeds in Samui Tesco costs 72 THB.

Internet

IN Thailand, unlike the rest of Southeast Asia, everything is fine with the Internet. In all the places where we lived, we did not have any particular problems with communication. The speed of the Internet was quite sufficient to watch youtube and download movies from torrents. If necessary, you can connect the telephone Internet. In any not big store(Family, 7/11) SIM cards of different operators are sold. For example, dtac, which we use, offers various packages - for one day (49 THB - 150 MB), a week (199 THB - 1 GB), a month (650 THB - 6 GB or 799 THB - 12 GB).

On Bali Internet is much worse.

Hotels usually have free Wi-Fi. Some cafes do too. In houses it is possible to conduct cable Internet if a highway is laid nearby, but this is not everywhere. In the house where we lived, the “master's” Internet was distributed via WiFi from a CDMA modem and was of disgusting quality. So we had to use 3G mobile Internet, for which we bought prepaid SIM cards. Most cheap option cost 45,000 IDR (~$4) for 3 GB, but before we found it, 3 GB cost us quite a lot - 300,000 IDR from Telkomsel.

Some parts Bali covered by Telkomsel's 4G mobile internet network, which provides excellent speed but costs comparable to their 3G internet.

Activities

Bali — big Island and there is plenty to do and see. Ancient Hindu temples, volcanoes, the ocean, rice terraces, a forest with monkeys (be careful, they sometimes behave like gopniks, taking away glasses, cameras and everything they can reach; they tore off the Crocs from Tyomych's leg), thermal springs, great places for surfing, yoga, snorkeling, diving, hiking, biking and what you can think of. There is even a palace and a park with fountains. All this is located in different parts of the island, but everything is quite accessible.

Gateway to Pura Tanah Lot Temple

Ulun Danu Beratan Temple

Monkey Forest

On Phuket there are plenty of activities too. You can climb to the giant statue of the Big Buddha and visit the many different temple complexes. You can snorkel, there are diving centers, you can find where to ride a kite (but will there be wind?). There are adventure parks and off-road trips on quads and elephants. You can go for a walk in Old city- Phuket town and walk in the jungle to the waterfalls.

Phuket town
Jui Tui Chinese Temple

Koh Samui in this respect the poorest island. Small area, not much to see. There is also a statue of the Big Buddha, various temple complexes (Wat Plai Laem with the eighteen-armed Guan Yin, Wat Khunaram with the mummy of a monk) and several stupas and one pagoda (Laem Sor Pagoda). There are also several waterfalls. Not so much, but now we have enough, our main activity is Tyoma. :)

Hin Lad waterfall

On Bali For visiting everything more or less interesting, they take money. Sometimes a lot of money. Even if you have already paid for the ticket, be prepared for the fact that they will begin to impose on you Additional services local guides, guides and vendors. We were once not allowed into the territory of the Pura Besakih temple, because we refused to pay for the guide service (the purchased ticket did not work). Buying a ticket is not a problem, but the sale is on the verge of extortion. services are really good.

Temples in Thailand are free. In many tourist places the fee is collected using a donation box, where you can throw a few coins. No one is above the soul. Expensive ($ 10-20) are only all sorts of water parks, safari parks, paradise and others, which are made solely for the entertainment of tourists.

shopping

Go specifically for shopping Bali not worth it, but there are a lot of various souvenirs here. Unbanal wood carving is very developed, painting is both traditional Balinese and modern (at the airport of Denpasar, the capital of Bali, all the gates around the perimeter are hung with paintings created in different styles. A couple of dozen gates of 20-30 paintings each. You can also buy interesting jewelry (there is even a village of jewelers in Ubud), pearl jewelry, batik clothes, colorful sarongs.

Painting at Ubud Art Market (Traditional Art Market)

From Thailand it is worth bringing natural hygiene and skin and hair care products (soaps, shampoos, creams, toothpastes), famous Thai balms, pastes, sauces and spices for cooking Thai dishes, herbal teas. You can also buy inexpensive high-quality clothes and shoes here.

Toothpastes, Creams, Coconut Oil - Maenam Evening Fair

People

Thailand called the Land of Smiles. And this is a very accurate name - everyone smiles here. Just. And you get used to it so much that you also start to smile at everyone. The locals are mostly friendly and welcoming. We have never encountered any negative human manifestations here.

Thais are well characterized by the following case. When we were standing in line at passport control at Phuket airport, a little girl was crying in the next line, who was tired of long flight. One of the officers who was checking passports came out and escorted her out of line with her grandparents. The queue, by the way, was quite large - about 30 people.

When we arrived at Bali, the first thing that caught my eye - no one smiles. But this is not so, the Balinese also smile, but less. In addition, many visitors from other parts of Indonesia live and work in Bali. They are different from the Balinese because they are here for the money.

Only street barkers and sellers are constantly smiling in Bali, but they only need money from you. In some places it gets a lot. So, for 15 minutes while we were walking to the beach from our house, we first brushed aside annoying taxi drivers who, every time they saw us, shouted to us: “Yes, taxi!”. A month later, they finally remembered us more or less, and stopped jumping up at our appearance. Then from the saleswomen from a small market near the beach (they invited us to their store every day for two months. :) As soon as we walked along the beach along the promenade, hostesses from restaurants and cafes sat on our ears. In this regard, Thailand is beautiful, no one imposes their goods and services.

Both Thais and Balinese are positive and attentive to children. And not only women, but also men. Once on Koh Samui, Tyomych was running along the beach and fell down. This was observed by a company of young Thais bathing in the sea. One of them first started shouting something like “come on, get up” to him, and then went ashore, picked Artyom up and put him on his feet.

In Bali, attention can sometimes be too much - almost every time we walked with our son, someone constantly touched him, patted him, hugged him or just smiled and shouted “Hello, baby! Where's his mom? Many took pictures of him or climbed to be photographed together. It's suffocating. In Thailand, too, it happens that someone will hug him, touch him or take him in his arms, but less often, without fanaticism.

When we find ourselves in a large store, Tyoma likes to run around and grab something from the shelves. In Bali, he used to gather a crowd of saleswomen who, with a groan and a squeal, ran after him and chirped happily with him.

In Thailand, I'm not afraid to let him run around the store alone - if all of a sudden, they will definitely help him, lift him up and console him. And if he suddenly decides to go somewhere on his own, he will definitely be stopped by local aunts from nearby massage parlors and laundry until I or Lyuba come running after him.

The Balinese take their religious and cultural values ​​very seriously, and if you ignore them, you can really get luley. Numerous gods and guardians with large clubs (some tear off their heads) that stand at each temple, or even just like they say that the people here are harsh, if that :)

Local life and customs

We haven't had much contact with the Balinese and Thais outside of the "tourist world" (here on Koh Samui, a little more), so my impressions are probably distorted.

Life Balinese densely filled with Hinduism. Almost everyone regularly (at least three times a day) makes offerings to the gods and demons. To do this, in every house there is a small temple, or at least an altar, where these offerings are put up. Also, offerings are placed on the threshold of the house, on roads, brought to the sea (gods and demons live everywhere, after all). Then they swim along with algae and debris. Offerings must be made in national dress (sarong, blouse with a belt), and, putting it on in the morning, many Balinese walk around in it all day.

There are a huge number of temples in Bali, and all of them are active in one way or another. Gates and altars are usually guarded by sullen stone monsters. In general, the temples in Bali look rather gloomy and intimidating.

The altar is guarded by severe demons
In Bali, temples are found at every turn

Visits to temples are subject to strict rules, the form of clothing is obligatory (closed top and bottom). Naturally, there are markets near the temples visited by tourists, where every second one will grab your hand with the exclamation “Sarong, sarong!”

Typical Balinese temple
And if you go inside, then there will be like this

Thailand- a Buddhist country, but here they are tolerant of all religions. There are more temples in Phuket, less on Koh Samui (although Samui itself is smaller :). There are Thai Buddhist temples with red tiled roofs adorned with golden horns on which bells hang; there are Chinese Taoist temples with rich, colorful paintings and indispensable dragons. You can walk in them for a long time and look at every detail.

Bells hang near Buddhist temples and stupas
Buddha at Wat Plai Laem Temple
The shutters in the temple are decorated with wooden paintings.

Near Thai temples there are also signs prohibiting visiting the temple in shorts and T-shirts, but if you have already come in this form, no one will kick you out. You must take off your shoes before entering the temple.

When you walk the streets in the area where we lived on Bali, there is a feeling that you are either in a workshop or in a cemetery - stone carved gates and facades are everywhere. Each house is surrounded by a high fence. Above the fences are broken glass and barbed wire.

Every house in Bali has a carved stone gate and a high fence.
Sometimes the gates are decorated with intricate wood carvings.

In Thailand, if there are fences, they are very symbolic, low, often in the form of green spaces. Human-sized fences are rare and, as a rule, fence off some wild territory (so that animals do not climb?). In Phuket, I also saw tall fences around some villa-cottage settlement, but this was rather an exception.

Both in Bali and in Thailand, many earn money through trade, many small businesses and shops. People do not do business "just for fun", here it is a way to feed themselves and their families.

There is a pancake shop on the street not far from our house in Koh Samui, where Mister Pancake works. He's been making pancakes at the top of his game every night for the last ten years. He is famous, and people line up for him. He earns well (turnover, I think, up to 1000-1500 THB per hour), but he is not even close to the “business youth” we are used to. He is 55 years old, he is dressed in old jeans and a shirt. I think he will continue to do so as long as his health permits. Other people around live in much the same way - measuredly and without envy of other people's successes, everyone does their job and will do it for ten years, and twenty. Happy and with a smile on your face.

Bali is a more "moving" place in major cities, but in the villages (of which there are many) everything flows very slowly. I think that life here has not changed for the last 500 years. True, not everything is so fast in cities either. So, for example, it takes several days to extend a visa (in Thailand - within a couple of hours). Fixing something around the house is also a long time (and the result is not guaranteed :).

General Feelings

Indonesia is a rather poor country, and you can feel it. The Balinese are more closed than the Thais, so to speak, "on their own mind." Foreigners for them are walking wallets from which they need to squeeze as much money as possible. In Bali, you feel some kind of wildness, something primitive, especially if you go to remote places away from tourist areas where visitors are extremely rare.

On the streets and beaches, unless there is a pretentious hotel next to the beach that monitors cleanliness, it is rather dirty. Remains of offerings, plastic bags and bottles, a variety of household garbage lying not only on the shore, but also floating in the ocean. Once we arrived in the evening at Jimbaran Beach. While bathing, plastic bags constantly clung to their legs. It was very unpleasant.

The beaches of Bali are not particularly clean.

Thailand is a civilized country with enforceable laws and order. All public services, which we have encountered here, whether it is a post office or an immigration office, work clearly and without any bureaucratic troubles. The beaches are relatively clean, the locals do not arrange much srach, tourists behave worse - they leave cigarette butts behind. On the streets, dirt, unfortunately, is also found. Also in the evening on the roadsides you can see bags of garbage. But garbage trucks drive every day and clean everything regularly.

In Thailand, I feel very simple. Everything around is simple, and inside everything is simple.

In Bali, everything is very complicated. Quite a different feeling. When at six in the morning at sunrise you sit on the balcony and try to fix a broken WordPress, and then in the temple nearby they turn on the morning mantra, which is sung by a brahmin against the background of a traditional Balinese xylophone chime, suddenly everything inside picks up and the chaotic complexity of the sounds coming through is intertwined with the smell of incense, which the neighbors have already taken it out into the street as offerings. It doesn't work at all.

Thailand is straight, like a line chart. Bali is like a fractal. This manifests itself both in architecture (imagine the Vologda carved polisade in 3D and made of stone), and in talking with people (you look into their eyes and see ... no, not a double bottom, but something very cleverly woven), and in dealing with bureaucratic system, and in traffic.

In Thailand, I feel better. Here you can breathe and relax. In Bali, it didn't work for me.

Summary

If you are an amateur active rest, crazy daredevils, lovers of adventure, drive and all kinds of extreme sports, then your choice is definitely Bali.

If you are an old fart family with a baby who is looking for comfort, safety and a quiet life, then Phuket or Koh Samui will be the best option.

How to get there

The airport on the island of Bali is Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar, from where you can take a taxi to anywhere on the island. Its only drawback is that when departing from the airport, you need to pay a fee - $ 20 per person, it did not apply to a child under two years old.

Airport on the island of Penang. You can get from it by regular bus and taxi (taxi to Georgetown is approximately $10-15). A big plus is that AirAsia flies here, you can find Kuala Lumpur-Penang tickets for $ 10 and fly 40 minutes.

Koh Samui Airport is private, you can get out of it on foot (!), by minibus, taxi or rent a motorbike / car. AirAsia does not fly here, but you can take combined tours this airline, for example to Surat Thani and then an hour by ferry. There is one nice nuance! From Penang, you can fly to Koh Samui by the Malay company FireFly (fireflyz.com.my), which is convenient for those who get a visa in Malaysia, travel from here with a child, etc. Because the flight Samui-Penang or Penang-Samui for a $55 promotion.

Housing on long term

It all depends on the place, the village, the beach!

Houses on Koh Samui for every taste and color. And in general, finding a house is not a problem, both on the coast, and next to the sea, and in the depths of the island. Moreover, the proximity of the sea will not always be a decisive factor in the price, the age and filling of the house also matter. pleases good offer mid-range homes for $300-$500 per month. However, the most important point here is when it is planned to rent a house. Because if there is still a choice in September-October, then the closer to the new year, the fewer and fewer free houses.

On Bali Same a good choice housing, we really have experience of finding a house only in Ubud in the month of February. And there we were faced with the fact that there were almost no free housing at affordable prices ($ 350-400) for us. Either villas with prices starting at $800 per month, or something with a beautiful price of $200-300, but completely unsuitable options like a separate shared kitchen, an abundance of stairs and (or) neighbors. My personal opinion is that in Ubud (and judging by the photos of rented housing in thematic communities) in Bali, housing is most often more beautiful, visually more interesting, but during the season it is very, very difficult to find a suitable house, especially inexpensive. Our home in Bali

In Penang renting a house for a few months is very problematic, but for a year it is very real. Perhaps it is more convenient to focus on condos / apartments, since they are in abundance in the north of the island, overlooking the sea and next to the bridge, overlooking the mainland. The prices are very different, but judging by the ads on thematic sites, you can look for pleasant ones - from $ 300-350 per month for a 2-3 bedroom apartment in some complex.

children

If you look at the islands from the point of view of the question “Wintering with children”, then approximately like this:

with children, you can get a good job on each of the islands, everywhere there are local and English-speaking schools / kindergartens, both on an ongoing basis and one-time classes. On Koh Samui there is a Montessori kindergarten school, in Bali - Bali International, Green School, in Penang - Uplands. The only and most tangible disadvantage of international schools is the high cost of education.

Everywhere there are pools and the sea, places for walking. The pool in Bali, more precisely in Ubud - it just saved us, because you don’t run into the sea from Ubud every day

But at the same time, it is important to take into account seasonality, because during the day in the heat you don’t really get around either yourself or with a child.

In any case, children's leisure is very dependent on their parents, and in principle, very good leisure can be organized on each of the islands. On Koh Samui, we mostly had the sea, but in Bali it turned out more and brighter than anything, you can read in the article -

Geographic data (attention: the weather is always indicative)

Bali is the largest of the islands under consideration - 5,780 km², about 150 by 80 km in length / width, the climate in Bali is equatorial-monsoon, the rainiest months are November-January, the hottest are November-December, March.

Penang - 285 km², humid equatorial climate, rains in October-December, April, the hottest months are May-July. There are four seasons in Pinang - wet, hot, hotter and the hottest (according to the guide).

Koh Samui - 228.7 km², you can safely go around on a bike in a day and even faster :) the rainiest months are October-November, March. The hottest May-July. It is best to go on vacation to Koh Samui in January-February.

In the center of all the islands there are jungle mountains, and in Bali volcanoes closer to the north, there are light earthquakes. In general, I like to look at the weather by region on this resource - pogoda.turtella.ru, where everything is very well scheduled for months.

Water, sea-ocean

The sea of ​​Koh Samui is Gulf of Thailand, there are excellent beaches for swimming and contemplation, the tides are well felt. At low tides, children are of course expanse (depending on the beach). The weather and the sea in general are good, but not very predictable, if it is windy, then the water will be opaque. But in general, it turned out to be very comfortable with a child on Koh Samui (in November-December), the sea / sand is the main entertainment (1.5-2 years), we were on the beach until 11:00 and after 16:00, in the shade under a palm tree it was very comfortable.

Bali - washed Indian Ocean and the Bali Sea. There is a beach holiday in Bali and there is a very beautiful beaches, but renting a house for a long time right near the sea is almost impossible, they are not, unlike Koh Samui and Penang. The water here is more powerful, still the ocean than on Koh Samui and Penang, where sometimes you swim like in a giant calm pool. This also happens in Bali, but much less often in other places there are always waves that are not suitable for swimming a child. In general, in Bali (we really lived in and you can’t run into the sea from there on a bike) somehow beach holiday walked past us, and we went to the pools more and more.

Penang is washed by the waters of the Strait of Malacca, there is a beach holiday here, and you can also live literally on the beach, only it will be an apartment / apartment in a huge high-rise building with a landscaped area around, with a mandatory pool. Of course, the sea is not as clean as on Koh Samui, for example, but if you wish, you can swim on Batu Farringi and take a boat (or walk along a rather long path) to the beaches in national park. The only thing in the sea can be jellyfish, it is advisable to have vinegar with you to wipe the burn area with them in case of anything.

Transport

Koh Samui

On Koh Samui, songteos (tuk-tuks) go in two directions along the ring road, the cost depends on the distance and during the day it is approximately $1.5-$2.5. After 18:00 it is already necessary to agree on the cost and direction. There are taxis. But it is most convenient to rent a bike or a car, although the island has very mountain roads. Renting a bike on average is $100 per month, or $5-15 per day, a car - from $400 per month.

Bali

In Bali, transport is full of different things, and at the same time there is no intelligible system. Local travel agencies have information about minibuses and buses in various tourist destinations, you can rent a bike / car with a driver (for a day, half a day) or for any period without him. Estimated cost per bike per month - $50, per car - from $200. In addition, minibuses have recently been launched according to a specific schedule and route,

Penang

Penang has a very developed system public transport(buses with air conditioning), the fare depends on the distance of the trip and is paid on the bus (to the driver in a special box, the driver does not give change). The only downside is that the buses are quite slow and wind around a lot. And in Georgetown there is a special tourist bus, on the main sights of the city - for free! And of course a taxi on the counter or negotiate in advance. You can rent a bike / bike, bikes from $10 per day.

Infrastructure (shops, hospitals)

Each of the islands has international Airport, large stores and various hospitals. The only thing, of course, is that these shops and hospitals are concentrated in the most popular places among tourists.

There are many large shops and various hospitals in Penang, and it also depends very much on the area.

There are three large stores on Koh Samui - Tesco, Big C and Makro, the first two have a playground, and Makro is a wholesale store.

Household trifles (washing, water, massage)

There is a choice on Koh Samui, you can take clothes to the self-service laundry yourself - an average of $ 1 baht per load and then dry it yourself, or rent everything to local aunts and get everything fresh, then the average price per stack we got was $ 4, it seems to be 1 kg - $1.5. In Thailand, we have not rented things to the locals for a long time, as they overdo it with rinses and it turns out a complete synthetic stench, plus they can wash something with a thread of color, and then only apologize that it is stained :) Massage on average $ 10 per hour session. Water in large bottles (20 liters) is less than a dollar, but it was unpleasant for me to drink it raw, so I bought any pop music like Nestle for drinking - almost $ 2 for 5 liters.

There are no self-service laundries in Bali, but you can always and everywhere wash everything and the price is not for weight, but for the number and name of things, like so many T-shirts, so many pants, we had a small stack on average $ 2. I liked that everything was ironed and only slightly smelled. True, something can be lost, a couple of things gradually didn’t return to me, I didn’t check it and noticed it too late, maybe I could have found it. Water in large bottles (19 l) approximately $2, delicious. Massage is a little cheaper than in Thailand, from $7 per hour session on average!

But we didn’t live in Penang for so long that I could write something on these points. We bought water in 1.5 liter bottles - delicious, there are londries in hotels / guesthouses, we didn’t go for massage, it’s not at all on every corner.

food, food, cafe

Everything about food is completely subjective. I wrote more about food on Koh Samui and Ubud in Bali in the notes of the same name - and The cheapest and most varied food in cafes was on Penang, although food in stores seemed to us more expensive than in Samui stores. But the most expensive was in cafes in Bali and at the same time the least tasty. Everything on Koh Samui is very good, varied both in terms of taste and price.

Attractions, leisure

The most diverse leisure on the island of Bali, after all, it surpasses Samui and Penang in size. In Ubud alone, away from the sea, you can do a bunch of different things - read the article - , shopping. And outside of Ubud - the sea, trekking, hot springs, surfing, caves, parks, etc. And by the way, yoga in Bali is popular, especially in Ubud. And besides, Bali has a rich culture - there are dances and, in general, various ceremonies are frequent.

Attractions on the island of Penang are numerous and varied. See our article There and national park and the sea and amusement parks, farm fruit, butterflies. There are many interesting things indeed.

Penang, view from above
next to the stones "Grandma and Grandpa", Koh Samui

locals

In Penang, it seemed to me the most even and calm attitude towards visitors. Well, a place on the bus is not inferior to a mother with a small child in her arms, even if they sit in specially designated places at the beginning of the bus. It's nice to say something :)

Internet

The Internet was the best and fastest we had in Penang, it was by default where we lived. Literally flew.

Internet on Koh Samui (village and Ban Thai beach) is also of high quality. We have Wi-Fi / LAN, which was immediately included in the cost of renting a house, but in bad weather there were small freezes and the speed changed by the time of day.

The weakest internet was in Ubud, Bali, but for extra money we can more or less solve this issue.

We always try to make do with the available internet, as we try to travel as cheaply as possible, and in general, either we were lucky, or you can live in housing in the $ 350-450 price range with the available internet.

Subjective opinion about prices

Of course, it all depends on each person, preferences, needs. We don't eat meat, we don't drink alcohol, but we eat fruit by the kilo. We rent a bike, not a car, actively wander around the sights (after all, there is a “biting” paid entrance :) and try to cook at home. We manage with the available Internet, we don’t buy outfits, only children’s bulky pieces / books. Sometimes we allow ourselves trips to a massage and, or if it’s really tempting, then to some kind of We find ourselves in various unplanned situations - like a lens breakage or If you travel for a long time, then you can not be afraid of off-season weather - after all, this is good savings.

In general, on Koh Samui (and indeed in Thailand) life turned out to be a little more expensive for us than in Bali, in Ubud. Although we led a more interesting and eventful life in Bali, there was less comfort. Housing was simpler, without air conditioning, but it was beautiful and with its own mini-garden, and it was cheaper to rent a bike. In Penang, we did not live long, and in principle, in terms of prices, in my opinion, it is very comparable to Koh Samui.

A little bit of results

The most comfortable, simple, safe wintering with or without children is, in my opinion, wintering in Thailand, on Koh Samui, or somewhere else. Specifically, on Koh Samui there are also quiet quiet places, and party. It is convenient that if you wish, you can move and live on other islands - Koh Phangan, Tao - got on a boat and voila, explore new spaces! If this is your first wintering, then our article may be useful - and

cultural and very varied recreation in Bali, but it doesn't feel as safe as Koh Samui. That is, wintering in Bali is very possible and good, but there are some nuances. However, here you can learn something new - surfing or yoga :) It's far from the mainland, sometimes the lights turn off, small earthquakes happen, a volcano is nearby, Javanese builders are inadequate. We lived in Ubud and practical advice can be found in the article -

On the island of Penang there is more cultural and urban recreation / life. It is convenient that the mainland is at hand and there is a national park, and in general there are a lot of different interesting things.

In general, the choice of where to go to Koh Samui or Bali, to Koh Samui or Penang, now it seems to me that it is quite possible to do :)

We bought a ticket for the Samui-Bangkok bus for me in advance at the bus station on Nathon. When buying, we were surprised why the price was 1066 baht, while we arrived on Koh Samui for 700 kopecks on a VIP bus, and then they showed us the layout of the cabin and offered to choose a seat. At first glance, it seemed to me that this was a minibus scheme, and not a large bus, there were so few places! Only 8 rows and 3 seats in each (2+1). I chose a place for myself under my favorite number 5. Apparently, we arrived in Koh Samui by a VIP bus of another company.

The bus itself is amazing. The chairs are very comfortable and very wide. The distances between the rows are huge, when the person sitting in front leans back, you hardly notice it. And there weren’t many people at all, 7 people left Koh Samui, then someone else got on, but in the end no more than half of the bus was occupied. Whereas the first and second class were packed to capacity. By the way, they started at the same time and rode all the time with us. There were no foreigners on the VIP bus except for me, only Thais, but the "conductor" duplicated all the announcements for me personally in English.

I was on the morning bus, at 7:30 it leaves from the bus station. Of course, I did not have time to have breakfast, I thought they would feed us normally on the way. For breakfast they gave two cookies (one of which was so-so) and half a glass of coffee. And about 11 we were dropped off and told to go to eat. There's a Thai buffet: rice and platters of rice toppings on a rotating stand. I even found a non-spicy dish there and ate almost all of it without sharing it with the Thais, especially since they were not interested in it. Well, after that we were not fed. For a night bus, this is normal, but for a day bus, it’s somehow not enough.

We were told that it takes 12 hours, but it turned out to be 13. The bus was an hour late. It’s good that I still didn’t decide to take the daytime bus at 15 something, otherwise I would not only overpay for a taxi, but I could even be late for the plane that left at 6 in the morning. By the way, about the taxi, as soon as I got off the bus, some Thai began to wave his hands at me, smile and call me to him. He conferred with his girlfriend for a long time and gave out a price - 700 baht! Yep, now! Then the second jumped - 400 baht. It’s good that at that moment I saw a stop where Taximeters are standing, otherwise these prices scared me :) According to the meter from South bus station to Don Muang Airport - 240 baht.

Airport Dom Muang is a separate song. There is no internet! The seats are absolutely uncomfortable, the backs are incredibly short, they only reach the middle of the back, which means you won’t sleep while sitting, and you won’t sleep lying down, because. the seats are concave and when you lie across they dig into the body terribly. But there is no Internet, so I had to sleep, and in fact my eyes were stuck together. I even wanted to sleep like Thais on the floor, but unfortunately I'm not so prudent, and I didn't have a sleeping bag or something like it. I had to sleep for a long time, 6 hours. On such a "bed" it's just incredibly long. If there is an opportunity not to spend the night in Don Muang, you need to use it.

The flight to Bali was excellent. I met the dawn already in the sky. It was incredibly beautiful. I slept almost the entire flight, waking up just before landing, because you can’t miss the landing. When landing, I saw familiar places, so interesting. Volcano Batur, new road, which we rode in the first days of opening, the airport and the place where we looked at the planes. Pogola was clear, so the whole island was visible.

At the airport I was met by a personal driver. He drove me to the hotel. We drove for a very long time. I already forgot how narrow the roads are in Bali and how crazy the traffic is. The Ecosphere Hotel is located on the oceanfront in Canggu on the world famous EcoBeach (at least it says so on the sign :). Around - only villas and hotels, you can’t reach civilization (Kuty, for example) on foot, and I don’t drive a bike. I have not yet found where to buy fruit here, there is only a minimarket, but there, as usual in Asia, there is no fruit.

The hotel itself, as I understand it, is Russian. Their website is in Russian, the managers are Russian, they also offered to pay for the reservation to a Russian account, the menu has "Borcsh moskovskii" and "Sharlotka". There is catastrophically little space here, in Ubud there was many times more space in our homestay. everything is so compact here: a swimming pool and several houses. There are rooms for one, two and four. Judging by the photos, the rooms for one and for two look good. But I live in a room for four. It's generally creepy. Bunk beds, although the place allows you to put ordinary ones, the door to the bathroom does not close, the shower gives out hot water only in exceptional cases. Well, at least I'm alone. And the prices are wow! I don’t know what it is connected with the proximity of the ocean and surfers or Russian greed. In Ubud we rented a room for $10 a day for two. Here a place in a room for four costs $22 per day, that is, from all four they can get $88 per day! Seriously, we could drop the price, maybe these rooms would be full. Now I live in one of these and my surfer neighbor in the second, also alone. The hotel is quite dirty, at least in the "cheap" rooms.

In general, there is a completely different Bali than in Ubud. There is no such riot of nature and beauty of architecture.

Swimming pool in the yard:

There are even jobs, but there is no Internet in the room:

The view from the window, and so everywhere around:

I was very surprised by my number:

Our trainer is coming today and we will start Flexing Strength. I will definitely tell you later

Regardless of the host country, it has similar features. These are beaches of stunning beauty, clean (almost everywhere) sea, exotic nature, many monuments of history, religion and culture. And yet there is a difference, which is why the question sometimes arises of what to choose - or.

The first island belongs to Thailand, a power with which no one in this part of the planet can be compared in terms of tourism. Bali is the largest of the islands, the first in the country in many tourist positions, the more interesting the comparison process.

Koh Samui or Bali - where are the beaches more beautiful?

Koh Samui offers various options for beach areas. The best is Chaweng, located on east coast. Fine sand, clear sea, picturesque bays surrounded by greenery. Many hotels are built just on the shore, which allows you to enjoy the sun and the sea without going far from your place of residence. The second most popular beach is Lamai, here the sand is slightly larger, there are rocky areas, but hotels offer beauty treatments and spa massages.

The dream of tourists coming to Bali is to find a paradise beach, there are such places all over the island, but strong winds blow in some places, so it’s good to sail there, not sunbathe. In other parts of the island, strong ebbs and flows interfere with comfortable swimming. The beach and Pang Padang, which became the filming location of the famous American film Eat, Pray, Love, are considered the best.

Entertainment

Popular activities on Koh Samui include hiking and road trips. beautiful places islands, listed natural monuments: rocks Khin-Ta ("Grandfather") and Khin-Yai ("Grandmother"); beautiful waterfall with the name Namtok; turtle island Ko-Tao. You can have fun in the local aquarium, where the most famous tropical fish are presented. The tiger zoo offers to get acquainted with the more formidable inhabitants of these territories - Bengal tigers and leopards. Among other recreational activities, it is recommended to visit a transvestite show, a crocodile farm, a butterfly park.

The most popular entertainment in Bali different kinds sports and marine entertainment. Divers from all over the world come to this island, who know about the most beautiful underwater landscapes, the richness of the animal world. There are opportunities for single diving and organizing multi-day dive safaris, daytime and mysterious nighttime encounters with the depths of the sea.

The second popular sport is surfing, due to the strong winds that blow in a certain part of the island throughout the year. Beginners in this business go to the Kuta resort, experienced surfers meet in where long, constant waves await them.

Landmarks and monuments

On Koh Samui you can find many temple complexes and traditional Buddha statues. They are located throughout the island, located in cities and outside urban areas. Tourists also love to visit Ha Thon, main city islands where you can walk along the streets, watch the life of ships in the port.

Interestingly, Uluwatu, one of the resorts in Bali, is famous not only for its waves and a large number of surfers, but also for its temple complexes. They also attract curious tourists from different parts of the island. They come not only to see the temple, but also to appreciate the amazing music and dance show, in which up to 150 participants can take the stage at the same time.

Top attractions in Bali places of worship, thanks to which this corner of the planet was called the "Island of a thousand temples." It is interesting to look at them from the point of view of history, culture, architecture. Particularly impressive is the "mother of temples" - the Pura-Besaki complex, which includes more than 20 religious buildings and structures.

Another amazing sight awaits guests at the Tana Loh temple. At high tide, all approaches to it are covered with water. The second feature of this building is that it is a "link" in the chain of temples, built in such a way that, as soon as you approach one, you begin to see the next one.

Comparison of the Indonesian and Thai islands, well known in tourism world showed that they have a lot in common. And yet the rest on both islands is different from each other. Therefore, Koh Samui will be chosen by tourists who:

• want to relax on paradise beaches;
• love to have fun and engage in sports;
• love to travel around the country in search of sights;
• ready to explore the deep sea.

Travelers who:

• know that a good beach needs to be looked for;
• are going to join the world of surfing and descend on sea ​​bottom;
• are fans of Buddhism and ancient Buddhist culture.