hi everyone Simon back again another installment drowning love number 2
Mai she was in Samui working for the travel board of Thailand
now she was coming up for a 28th birthday and she was Sat there one-day
contemplating life she's had a bad relationship with that Thai guy had really
hurt her she really wasn't interested in any relationships or love she was
focusing on life the future those Thai people they only focus on today not
tomorrow not the future when she was at university they drilled it into her that
whatever career she went forward in whether she ever went in her own
business she had to plan like Westerner into the future
she's been in Samui for a while and sat there contemplating what did she want to
do there was no challenges anymore in her
job she could move back to head office in Bangkok maybe get a couple of
promotions work on bigger scale stuff but
she's taking a fancy glass she started that thing maybe she should start her
own business it's a good time in life she's got a quite a few bits of savings
put together she's been saving hard she hasn't been spending much money and she
starts thinking about it where would she have a business
she knows the travel industry in Thailand inside out she pretty much
knows it all she's been around Thailand now for the travel board most places
mainly entertainment zone places where the tourists are going to go she'll could go
to Chiang Mai North Thailand nearer her folks there be potentially great
business opportunities she's thinking I'm going to stay in the industry I know
a tour shop is the answer the tourists those day trips all of that
there is money to be made with the right trips especially bespoke trips but she thinks
she loves the sea the beach she loves the vibe the tourists seem to flock more
to the beaches than somewhere like Chiang Mai and she sat there looking at
a map of Thailand she's drawn to Phuket she's been there a couple of times short
visits for the tourist board she knows it basically there's lots of Island's
history lots of Tours there's probably lots of tour shops like Samoa however if
she thinks she has got more chance than most of those with her experience the
knowledge she's gained and she starts thinking more and more
phuket would be a great move I'd have to leave my employment have to go there
move start searching couple of days she thinks about this more and more two things this
is it it's time to do it contacts head office speaks to someone
she knows there tells them that she's thinking of leaving now and and set your
own little business up and the person that head office is oh you can't leave
us you've been so good and made now I really am going to go and the person
head office how about take six months off sabatical
will keep you on the books but you won't be paid but with from right now you have
six months off and Mai is a bit reluctantl said okay that's the easiest way to do
it and they agreed mai still a couple more days down Samui they'll send
someone else down and she'll finish with a company a plan now up home see the
folks she finishes job back to the parents tells them she's packed her job in and she is going to start her own business this time a little bit shocked
but very supportive folks and they said if you want some money we'll help you I've got
savings I think I'm going to be alright roughly know what it's going to cost to
do but I think where have you chosen I'm going to go to Phuket anyway they're
happy the supportive day comes she gets on a plane
bangkok phuket in she goes she's already gone online and cheap
hotel 400 baht a night for a Thai person 600 baht if you're foreigner
those little cheap hotel it's not far from the all nightlife and things in
Phuket in Patong she lands early morning finds a taxi to the hotel
checks in sorts everything out pays now if she wants to doesn't want to rush
she's got to find a shop she needs to have a look around and she needs to look
at the competition she's to see what's what so she spends a couple of days
walking all around Patong even pop over to Karen beach and kata beach but Patong
is the spot she's intrigued at the nightlife she's not fussed with it she
knows about it but she's never done the famous Bangla Road at night so she
ventures out in the evening early thinking is going to be lively by six
o'clock she walks into the top of Bangla Road and walks down it's just starting
to people go into working things but she's got the vibe straightaway you can
see what it is and it's not a cup of tea she doesn't like all that side of
Thailand that's all the shops all the way along Bangla Road as well as bars
and go-go's etc and food and alleyways with more but she thinks that's not the
client's how she wants doesn't want drunk foreigners walking into her little
shop if she's on one of those alleys or on that road she does not want that customer
she wants the more mature customer the wedding couples she wants the Japanese
Chinese visitors she decides pretty much straight away
that Bangla Road end of Phuket patong is not for her
she's gonna want to be the other end or further back by the shopping areas so she
finished off Bangla road at the beach end I think's definitely
not and she walks along the beach three quarters of the away along sorry 30% of the way
along before the middle shopping bit she sees a tour shop she has to be nosy she
goes in all usual posts has all the usual trips and day trips the girl comes
over and asked her if is anything help her with she's no i am just having a look
it's all the normal nothing those no bespoke trips nothing she's this is good
they discover basics and she comes out walks further along she's looking at the
shops they're all quite big but they're between the beach after the beach
there's the road it's a one-way system in Patong so you have the beach the road
coming up one way along and then all the shops other side here any of these shops
are gonna cost an absolute fortune to open so there's no way she can get one
of those not for the first shop anyway she carries on walking further along
lots of guys on the other side the road with boards upselling fishing trip fish
and chips fishing trips and jetski hire and
motorcycle hire and she's clocking in at all as she's walking along you know she
gets right to the end there's a chemist on the Left quite a big chemist a little
side street after the chemists the road goes around the corner again it's one
way coming down and the other side of the corners a hotel resort with bushes
around it actually turns a corner there's a beer bar right in front of her
so next to the road pavement beer bar open sort of bar happens a couple more
behind it going up the road along the pavement she notices just in behind the
beer bars there is a little alleyway there it's about six foot wide as you can see
some shops down the left at the ends are public lavatory well guarded by what I
would call grumpy old thai lady but only if you're a foreigner the first shop on
the left is in this alleyway it's empty then there's a salon there's a tailors
and there's another little shop at the end make up bit like a salon but just
for makeup and nails and things and then there's this lavoratory and three bars on
the right with bar stalls all the way around these sort of oblong shaped bars
a separate bars but this bar dolphin bar on the front corner anyway a little empty
shop so she just looks in the window and it's horrible it's dark and there's all
sorts a tattoo shop all sorts of weird pictures and paintings on the ceiling
and the walls but it's only it's about eight foot across two and a half meters
across the front all glass front window with a door eight
foot across it comes back so you can see about 10 12 foot back there's an alcove
in the back can't quite see the lights are off this perked her interest
anyway she needs the lavortory she walks down the alleyway past the salon and the
tailors it doesn't get accosted by the Indian guy tailors because she's a lady
he's selling me men's suits mainly yes the little lady the old lady sat outside
of lavortory whose lovely to her being thai of course grumpy old cow uses
lavortory then as she came out she mentions the lady this shop there's no sign on
the shop saying for rent or anything and this lady says to go into the salon
which thinks the lady's in that so she walks up bars on the left as I say the
bar stalls as a few tourists in that because a few meters into the salon and
there's one ladyboy having hair cut the works by a girl sat in the chair
facing the mirror there's two chairs in there two mirrors but over in the back corner there's
this old Thai lady with a gold on a dress to her like silk dark red
two-piece suits and the girl playing with a ladyboy says can i help you
and she said I'm inquiring about that shop the little old lady in the corner
her eyes went ping as if she just won the lottery immediately jumped to her feet
as if she was a 21 year old come across said that's one of my shops would you
like to have a look at it the surprise by this mai yep
let's have a look at it by all means and the little old lady grabs mai by the hand
and trot out of the door couple of meters up to the empty shop and
then the lay old lady goes in our handbag it's scratching around pulls out
some keys fiddles around with the keys eventually gets the key for the door
opens the door pushes the door open it stays open and then she trots off to the
back and switches on come the lights but there's a red light purple light they're
all dark bulbs and things each I still can't see much but she beckons mai in
the furnitures been emptied the carpets horrible and it is just a room there's
12 foot down to the back and by 8 foot across little out little sort of cut out
alcove of the back with a sink little bit of a work top what looks like Marks
from where a microwave was sat and really really small toilet in a little
doorway that the door just obviously had some blinds or something there that
little toilet European but only the ones sink and then mai starts
thinking this could possibly work I could get a couple of desks in here it's
next 30 meters from the beach from the water this tourist of the bars outside
this has got to be you know she's thinking maybe this is about 7,000 baht
a month rent for such a little shop and she says the lady how much this shop how
much do you want for it why is it empty and the lady replies tattoo artist just
ran away a couple of weeks before didn't pays rent just disappeared and the lady
said that she wants 20,000 baht a month for the shop
mai nearly fell over a fear of 20,000 you know which couldn't be rude but it's
sort of what and this lady 20,000 baht a month hmm
and Mai is that price negotiable do you need accommodation whoa
you have accommodation there's nothing above the shop it's only one floor under
the roof or were a lot and the bars just single floor and the ladies yeah come on
come on pushes mai out the door turns around locks the door lights are off
grabs her hand again and just walks back towards just five meters
towards the beach round in front of the chemist and there's another road there
turns into this road walking away from the beach and their shops all the way up
the suburb this may be 50 meters under metres of shops it goes up about 30
meters in between two shops there's a doorway and see up a couple of concrete
steps off the road so pulling mai along up chooses door open it's not locked and
inside some stairs going up concrete steps quite narrow until walkway with a
metal banister there looking over the top of the shops at the tattoo shop and
salon on the bars and then over there you could see this complex to resort
hotel and this little walkway along with this metal balastrade you know
the lady turns to the left goes along a couple of doors keys again
rattling around the door opens this door clicks the switch the lights come on
pulls Mai inside and in there is a nice maybe 30 35 meter square meter so
as you're walking on and right to the door there's a shower toilet sink
mirrors list of all ensuite the main room is a single bed there
another single a couple of seats a coffee table or window but no balcony
right in just a window overlooking the street the side street and her
televisions down there I fan up in the corner two corners and then there's a
vertical stand on the floor and she says to Mai what you think what you
think mai this is lovely really nice and it's very close to the shop how much
is this now Phuket is expensive where ever you are it's expensive
she wants 10,000 baht a month for this room it's not too bad considering you're
so close to the beach and Mai wow that's a bit more you
can get rooms in Phuket similar you know maybe a mile back and down towards the
town for about six thousand six and a half thousand and the woman says how long you
want room and shop deal we can do a deal she's been to each other in Thai so it's
me interpreting we do a deal what would you like you know how long do you want
and they said well what would you do for six months you want twenty thousand for
that ten for this so a lot of money thirty thousand baht woman says one year one
year if you have one year shop and the room together she'll do twenty thousand
baht for the pair that's a huge drop now Mai is interested I mean okay if the
shop that's 15 for the shop five for the room
we'll continue this one or the next one where's Joe he should be back by now