The Thailand of today is the most desirable spot in Asia to live. For foreigners the cost of living is one of the lowest in the world (see, for example, www.worldsalaries.org/cost-of-living. shtml) and the quality of life is among the highest. For example, Thailand is now twentyfirst on the Economist’s quality-of-life ranking of all nations.

Temperatures in the south of Thailand and at Dolphin Bay are more moderate than the country as a whole, ranging from about a high of 33C (92F) to a low of 21C (70F). There is a warm season, from March to August, when the days are practically all bright and clear. During the rainy season, from September to November, the mornings are normally sunny or partly cloudy. It doesn’t rain every day, and if it does, only for ten or twenty minutes. Dolphin Bay generally does not see the seasonal heavy rains prevalent to the north and south. There is a lot of sunshine during the cool season, from November to February. This is high season for golfing and at the hotels.

Modern Thailand reflects the country’s long history. In particular, Buddhist art and Thai culture, independent of the rest of Southeast Asia and the world beyond, are still the dominant cultural element in the country.

Thailand is known throughout the world for its tolerance to western ways but retaining its culture. Unlike all other countries in Asia, it is possible for a westerner to live here without compromising his or her

identity, exchanging no more than a smile with the Thais, whose culture dates back a thousand years. Or become immersed in everything about Thailand—the visual arts, the religion, the dance and the handicrafts, to name only a few of the advantages offered by history and culture here.

Foreigners resident in Thailand inevitably mention the natural beauty, particularly that of the thousands of miles of beaches as yet untouched and islands where it is possible to stay in a bungalow and eat the catch of fisherman descending from fisherman now obscured by the dark clouds of the past. Or the green forests of the north. It is, however, the trust and gentleness of the Thai people to visitors from afar that distinguishes Thailand from its neighbors in the region. Talk to anyone who has really spent time here and in other countries in Asia. It is friendships with the Thai people that make foreigners understand that Thailand is their home in Asia.