Our Condo

 

Jim, our welcoming committee chairman, has been helping us look at condos and houses, along with lots of other things.  He gave us the name and phone number of a local guy in Naklua that has a condo (or service apartment) with some units available.  So we called Akim and looked at his condos.  Wow!  The unit he showed us was the same price as our "original" planned condo, but far newer and with much better appliances, etc.  We lose out on the ocean view...but gain so much more.  We figure we'll be spending enough time at the beach that we'll survive without our ocean view.  (Cue the violins here...)  So below are some pictures of the condo.  Heck, our standard of living compared to Kent has increased!  The rent on this place is 27,000 THB (about $820) per month.  My school provides a housing allowance of 20,000 THB, so we cover about $200 in rent for this place.  Not bad, eh?
 

View from the entry-way.  In keeping with Thai culture, all shoes are taken off at the door.

Right next to the entryway is the first bathroom.  David and I will probably use this one...I'll store my scuba gear here as well.

Looking back towards the entryway.  Notice the beautiful artwork on the wall.   And the built-in travel book collection.  Nice touch!

The living room.  As you guessed, the condo comes fully furnished.  And we'll get cable, phone, and Internet all for about $30 a month.

 

 

 

 

 

The dining table.

David's bedroom, right off the dining/living room area.  He has a big storage unit.  The couch is a convertible...we might buy David a smaller bed and put the couch in the corner...That's Devin's job...

The kitchen.  Devin assumed we'd be without an oven and without a stove-top.  So this is a huge plus!

Looking through the double-sided wardrobe closets in the master bedroom, into the bathroom.  Very spacious, with lots of storage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The master bedroom.  The other condo had a balcony on our master bedroom.  This one doesn't...but it has so much more that we wanted.

A TV cabinet in our bedroom.  Not sure if we'll put a TV on there or not...we'll be checking prices tomorrow.

And another bonus for Devin...a washing machine!  We originally figured we'd have our laundry handled by a maid...but now we can save that money and do it ourselves.  I think we'll get maid service about once a week to help with cleaning...isn't life great?

This is the spirit house that is prominently displayed on the front sidewalk of our condo.  It is a custom in Thai culture to have a spirit house.  It is intended to prevent bad spirits from inhabiting your house and encourage good will for all.