Living in Thailand with a rural lifestyle is not an easy choice

A mixed-race couple decided to settle on a plot of land in northeast Thailand to live independently, and they share their experiences.

For Ryan and his Thai wife Damo, the pandemic was the catalyst for a radical lifestyle change.

Ryan had been working in the hospitality industry in Bali, Indonesia, for two years when Covid-19 hit.

With tourism having stopped on the island, the couple decided to return to Thailand to be closer to their family.

They traveled to Damo's village in Buri Ram, in northeast Thailand, where Damo's family had given them land.

“We already owned this land and had planned to develop it for our retirement,” explains Ryan, 35.

“But since we had time on our hands, we ended up starting the work during Covid-19.

The couple and their two young sons asked to be identified only by their first names to protect their privacy.

The couple provided a list of their monthly expenses, as well as all costs related to building the house and its outdoor kitchen.

As the pandemic dragged on, the couple eventually fell in love with the rural lifestyle and even started a YouTube channel documenting their life on the farm: Ryan & Mo – Life In Rural Thailand .

They now have over 70,400 subscribers.

The couple lived in Thailand for ten years before moving to Bali because of Ryan's job.

When the pandemic hit, they returned to Thailand.

Far from using their YouTube channel to paint a picture of a romanticized country life, they speak openly about the difficulties they face adapting to life in the countryside.

They covered topics as varied as the cost of living and the challenges of farming in their videos.

As their audience grew, Ryan realized he didn't want to return to corporate life.

“We saw that we could do this on a budget, living a very simple lifestyle while growing our own food and raising our own animals,” he said.

First phase: simple bamboo huts

The family previously lived in a bamboo hut. Photo: Ryan and Damo.

The family arrived in the village, which has about 150 inhabitants, in the early days of the pandemic.

At the time, their plot of land was nothing more than "a big expanse of mud," Ryan says.

Faced with the uncertainty of the pandemic, the couple decided to live cautiously.

“We wanted to save everything we had because the pandemic could have lasted for years, we didn't know,” Ryan said.

Since they were not willing to spend a lot of money on landscaping, they decided to live in bamboo huts.

Local craftsmen built two bamboo huts for them.

“We did that for about a year and a half, and we grew vegetables here,” Ryan says.

This was supposed to be the long-term plan, but pandemic restrictions eased and the couple changed their minds.

“We decided to use our savings to invest in a house.

“We wanted to build a house that would be useful to the children if something happened to us,” Ryan explains.

Second phase: construction of a small house with outdoor kitchen

The finished cottage. Photo: Ryan and Damo.

With sustainability in mind, the couple designed a plan for a small house and a separate kitchen.

They hired a local team of builders to bring their project to life.

They spent 821,593 Thai baht, or about 21,263 euros, on the two structures.

“I did digital drawings, then we were on site every day showing the builders the details of how we wanted the house to look,” Ryan explains.

It took some trial and error to arrive at the final arrangement, he added.

Interior view of the house. Photo: Ryan and Damo.

The result of their labor is a two-story house with an orange roof, a sheltered porch, and a small balcony on the top floor.

Inside, the house is furnished in a loft style, with neutral colors and plenty of wooden accents.

The outdoor kitchen is a single-story structure separate from the main living area.

It is equipped with a large bar and a comfortable seating area.

But the most recognizable elements of both buildings are the log columns that support the roofs.

“It was my wife’s idea,” Ryan adds.

“It has to be treated for termites every year, but we loved it so much.

We thought it looked so much nicer than a square concrete post."

Third phase: thinking about the future

Front view of the outdoor kitchen. Photo: Ryan and Damo.

Ryan realized that in the countryside, some people turn their homes into small businesses to supplement their income.

It could be a small grocery store or even a kiosk selling gasoline.

"It may not bring in a lot of money, but for an old couple, a few people who come into the store every day and spend, it gives them a little bit of cash flow."

This got him thinking about how he and his wife could use their home to make money.

And that's where cooking comes in.

By adding a few tables and a cash register, they could easily turn it into a small cafe.

"It's just a backup solution," Ryan adds.

"If you live in rural Thailand, you have to think about how to make money, even if it's just a small amount."

Some people build houses with the intention of selling them for profit.

This is not the case with Ryan and Damo.

“We know this is a forever home, something we will never sell.

This allows us to add our own personal touch,” Ryan explains.

For example, he describes the tiles in his office as having a "psychedelic" pattern that not everyone would appreciate.

Office tiles with a "psychedelic" pattern. Photo: Ryan and Damo.

But, it doesn't matter since he has no intention of selling the house.

"We didn't have to think about the impact on the market value of the house," he adds.

“We were able to create what we wanted.”

No rent, no mortgage

The living room. Photo: Ryan and Damo.

As for costs, the couple no longer has rent or a mortgage.

Their monthly electricity and internet bills come to about 5,700 baht, or 147 euros, according to Mr. Ryan.

They are connected to the electricity network and also have solar panels.

“We have an inverter that takes power from the solar panels and supplements the electricity during the day, but not at night, we don't store it in batteries,” Ryan explains.

"And for the water, we pump it ourselves from the well."

The bathroom. Photo: Ryan and Damo.

The couple owns about 15 hectares of land, some of which is used for farming and raising animals, including chickens, pigs and buffalo.

“I want to be able to grow our own food or have animals on the farm to feed us,” Ryan said.

“I want to be able to save money, produce our own electricity and have our own water, separate from the network.”

The couple homeschooled their eldest son, Otis, until he was 4 years old.

They plan to do the same for their youngest son, Hugo.

Otis is now 5 years old and Hugo is 6 months old.

Less money, more time together

The couple built a small hot tub. Photo: Ryan and Damo.

Ryan said he knew this lifestyle wouldn't be for everyone.

“The place where we are is very isolated.

We spend a lot of time with our family, we are in nature, but there is a lot of work on the farm.

“It’s not easy to take care of all the animals either,” he said.

But for the couple, the biggest challenge of rural life is finding new ways to earn money.

“You'll still need money, even if you're off-grid and building your own house in the middle of nowhere,” Ryan says.

According to him, living off the land is harder than it looks.

“We have tried to be 100% self-sufficient by producing our own food.

But for us, personally, we don't think it's possible."

Unexpected situations, such as a swarm of insects or bad weather, can easily wipe out their crops and reduce their efforts to nothing.

According to Ryan, while many other families could be 100% self-sufficient, they managed to produce about 35% of their own food.

Instead, what the couple did was find lots of little things that brought in a little money.

"We sell pot-bellied pigs, and my wife sells bottled honey and honeycomb," Ryan says.

“So we have all these little activities that end up supporting the whole ecosystem.”

Ryan said that ultimately they had less money than before.

"We may not be as well off as when I was working in a company, but we can be together as a family."

And that, he adds, is the goal they have always set for themselves in building their own farm and living sustainably.

Source: Business Insider