Killing Time

Here you are trading the Forex Market, travelling the world, or living the life of a digital nomad.  No doubt you are a jetsetter and always on the go, doing something. Successful people (and traders) typically don't sit still, neither do travel bugs. 

Free Telly for WINDOWS 

Free Telly for MAC

Sometimes however you have time on your hands.  Perhaps it's a long layover...  a long-haul flight...  maybe you have an injury that needs heeling... you caught a travel bug... sun stroke..  your latest culinary adventure has you spending more time worshipping the porcelain god... or you simply have a lot of time on your hands because you only trade like an hour a day...

So what do you do when you have time to kill?

Sure I could go on about doing sports, yoga, etc, but lets face it, you are likely a tech savvy person, inspiring to be one, or you simply want to take advantage of what technology hast to offer.

Here are some ways to kill time:.

• Kodi TV & Exodus - This is a great Interface for Streaming and Torrents.  You can use it on your laptop or buy a cheap Android TV box and install it. First download Kodi TV (formerly XBMC) and then install Exodus  
  
  UPDATE January 2017:  You can now download Free Telly, which makes Kodi & Exodus  Install even easier!!Download FREE TELLY HERE.
• Trakt.Tv - This is a great site for keeping track of what TV show episodes you have watched.  Best part is that it synchronizes with multiple apps like Kodi and DuckieTV
• Duckie TV -chrome app for keeping track of your favorite TV episodes, has a calendar view and lets you search for torrents on multiple sites.DuckieTV
• German MediaThek - ORF, ZDF, ARD, and all the other Austrian / German / Swiss Broadcasting Stations have online stream.  AND you can download the TV series you like, for example Tatort, the longest running Crime Show in the world, running since 1970 and up to Episode 1000 or so. 
  
  But wait there is more.  You can download German MediaThek Shows with this hack.  It's a MeditaThek downloader:  http://www.chip.de/artikel/ORF-Mediathek-Download_47276441.html
   
• Online Streams - Your favorite TV Broadcasting Stations will have streams you can enjoy overseas.  I like watching the CBC's Dragon's Den for example and guess what I can also get it with torrents :)
• http://player.fm - Postcasting is back.  There has been a resurgence of quality content.  Player.FM synchronizes your podcasts across your devices and with your PC and Laptops.

Don't Pack Aspirin

A few days until your trip and you are in panic mode, what should you pack?

You're off to a foreign country and while you decided to pack light, suddenly you are thinking about bringing aspirin, multi-vitamins, sunscreen, boxes of band-aids, disinfectant spray and so on.

 

DON'T

 

All you need to worry about is underwear and socks.  Seriously that is what I found the hardest to find in South East Asia and from talking to other travelers, digital nomads, and expats, they agree that in third world countries those are items hard to find.  Unless you want to wear tighty whities and grandpa socks Made in China that are 100% synthetic and who knows what chemicals they contain.

 

Shoes are another important item.  Especially hiking shoes if you intend to go for a decent hike.  Be sure to break them in.  Sure you can find shoes just about anywhere in the world, but are they going to be a good quality and will they have the style you like in your size?  In South East Asia you just need to walk into a shoe store and they see your size 11s and will quickly wave you off "no have". 

Or you can pay full on regular price for a shoe you can get back home at a discount and really don't like at all.

 

Really all you need is a couple shorts, some shirts, underwear, socks, and shoes.  Everything else you can pretty much grab on the road.  Of course you want to research your destination a little bit to ensure the item you want to buy isn't more expensive and hard to find where you're headed. Like that crazy 30% import tax on foreign made products in Thailand that can go up to 100% for some appliances.

 

You'll also want to check the voltage, and you're better off bringing a NutriBullet if the voltage is compatible.  It doesn't hurt to do a quick google search for <your country name> online shopping <appliance name> to see what prices are like and what's readily available. Like dishwashers and countertop dishwashers in Thailand, forget about it.  Plastic storage containers in Thailand, sure but same price as in Canada.  Unless you want to go down to "Supercheap" and try your luck at one Made in China.

 

The point is, don't pack the Aspirin. In Thailand for example you won't find it at most Drugstores but sure enough every Pharmacy sells them dirt cheap and in strips of 10 so you don't have to lug around an entire bottle.  Not that I'm a fan of Aspirin anyway, although I did once nurse some plants back to health by crumbling some up and spreading it in the soil.

 

 

Oh yeah the one thing I tend to always pack is some Viennese Coffee from my travels to Austria Europe:

 

 

When it comes to trading, the same logic applies.  Don't get every single indicator you can find or someone raves about.  There are so many schmucks trying to flog their dashboards, indicators etc.

Guess what, they all pretty much show you the same thing in a different way.   You'll get by with just a handful.  3 maybe 5 at most.   Pick a few Moving Averages like SMA 50, 200, MACD, Bollinger Bands and you're good to go.  Click here for some more advanced indicators I created.

 

The point is, don't get tempted to over analyze, and keep it simple.   Pack your undies, socks, wear your best all around shoes, buy flip flops at the beach, and bring enough clothes to fit in a bag pack.

Coworking Office Spaces in Thailand

For digital nomads and expats alike, having an office space can be a must to separate work & life or when space is limited at your accommodation.

Office spaces can be rented in Thailand at reasonable rates however with it comes added headaches, drama, and overhead expenses.   Unless you have a business visa & work permit and intend to run a business that's brick & mortar or has several employees, I wouldn't recommend it. And even then...  why run a business in Thailand, but that's another story.

Coworking Office Spaces are open concept workspaces with your typical office equipment.  Wifi, Computer Desks, Office Chairs, lounge areas, a reception, and break room facilities.  Some coworking spaces even offer mail box services.  Really convenient but as always, remember in Thailand you always want to ship with EMS or registered mail and only to secure locations/people.

Simply put, you can work in isolation, focus on your work, away from distractions at your home, and still part take in water cooler talk if you want.

Packages start at only a few dollars per hour and you can purchase different packages like weekly, monthly, or block packages of 10 hours and more.

The best part is that you aren't committed to your typical 1 year lease and ongoing monthly expenses.

Regus is one coworking space I would NOT recommend. They are expensive and remind me of a bank that has so much red tape and bureaucracy that they are more of a hassle than a convenience.

UPDATE:  A new website has emerged that has simplified finding a coworking space!  Shared Desk

Here is a list of coworking spaces in Bangkok thanks to Chris The Freelancer:

I'm planning my next adventure and stumbled upon this awesome coworking website. Appears to be global and UI is similar to your AirBNB type of websites, easy to use. Quite slick!

Bangkok- Hubba - Ekkamai http://hubbathailand.com/
- Pah Creative Space - Ekkamai www.pahspace.com
- The Hive - Phrom Phong http://thehive.co.th/
- One Day Forward - Klong Toei http://www.onedaybkk.com/forward_type_price.html
- Wolf Coworking Space - Silom http://wolfwork.co/
- Launchpad - Silom http://www.launchpad.co.th/
- Draftboard - Chit Lom http://draftboard.co.th/

Here is a list of coworking spaces in the rest of  Thailand thanks to the facebook group Digital Nomads Thailand

Koh Lanta

- Star Work: https://www.facebook.com/StarWorkChiangMai
- Mana: https://www.facebook.com/manaspacechiangmai/
- Pun Space:
     Nimman: https://www.facebook.com/punspace
     Tha Phae Gate: https://www.facebook.com/punspacethaphaegate

Koh Lanta

- Kohub*: https://www.facebook.com/kohuborg

Koh Phangan

- Koh Space: https://www.facebook.com/kohspace/
- BeacHub: https://www.facebook.com/beachub/

Koh Tao

- Tao Hub: https://www.facebook.com/TAOHUB.THAI/

Krabi (Ao Nang)

- Phansa Space:  https://www.facebook.com/phansa.space/

Pattaya

- Anchor Space: https://www.facebook.com/anchorspace

Phuket

- Stash*: https://www.facebook.com/STASHatPhuket
- Hatch: https://www.facebook.com/hatchphuket/

* means it also provides accommodation 

Good Morning Vietnam

I thought traffic in Bangkok was crazy.   Traffic here in Saigon is even worse, albeit fun.   Kinda like the Forex Market.  It can be a mess of ups and downs and yet fun, when you're on the right side of the trade.

 

The picture doesn't do it justice.  Just like a current view of the chart doesn't always give you the bigger picture.   The traffic here is like the "Wild West", no pun intended and no traffic lights needed.   At any time you can have someone coming at you in your lane, to your left, or to your right. It appears chaotic at first but soon you're realize there is a method to the madness.

 

 

Kinda like trading around news times, you'll see the market go up and down, swing around, and spit a newbie out.   But once you've got experience and are one with the traffic, one with the market, then it's just another day.  Albeit nothing like we're used to in the Western World.

 

Driving here is even more fun.  Personally I would rather drive than be someone's passenger, just because I like to be in control.   Just like my trading.  I like to trade myself, manually or semi-automatically.  But not trade with someone else's Robot or Signals.  There are too many of these get rich quick marketing sensations that promise you success in Forex overnight.  I just happened to talk to a client from Western Africa and he has it in his head that he can get someone to write a program to "execute high volume, high profit, low risk, low drawdown" trades.    I had a good laugh... 

 

 

As for Vietnam, it's worth a see.  If you plan on going there, pack light and leave room in your suitcase or buy a new one.  You can get clothes at a bargain, key word, bargain.  At $2 a tank top, $10 for Jeans, $5 for dress shirts it's worth it.  And yeah I know, you can probably get better deals, but then again you won't find the same quality or style.

 

 

Thanks to my Forex Alerts, I kept in the game and made quite a few successful trades, knowing when to stay in and out of the market. Knowing when to open my Metatrader App or just sit out.  That's the beauty about good Forex Alerts.  They keep you from staying glued to the screen while also keeping you from missing out on trading opportunities.  Now that I've got screenshots, trendline analysis, bias, and news built into my Forex Alerts it just got a lot easier to trade with confidence.

 

Digital Nomad - Check List

So you are going to travel and live abroad, perhaps trade Forex, and you are not sure what to bring and want to plan ahead?

1. Passport - Make sure you have plenty of pages and time left.  6 months before expiry it will not be accepted.  You can get it done abroad but that might take a month, during which time you cannot travel anywhere.  Be sure to have a photocopy of your passport and digital scan saved online somewhere along with other id.
2. Visa - Always check the visa situation, it varies based on your nationality.  There are Visa On Arrivals, Visa Exempt (On Arrival), and Visas you can apply for in advance at an embassy in your home country or another country you are visiting.  It is important to know how long you can stay and how it affects your travel plans.  Too many Visa Exempt Stamps can be frowned upon. And once you leave the country, your visa is void so if you are planning on doing a quick getaway for a weekend make sure you know how it affects your current visa. 
   
   For Visa On Arrival (VOA) you may be asked for US$ and exact change.  With no ATM or Currency Exchange in sight.  Be prepared.    US$ is still king in most South East Asian countries when dealing with the government because their local currency is not considered stable or trustworthy.
3. Money - I try to have at least a little bit of money in the local currency but often just exchange at the airport or once downtown.  Depending how much money you are going to exchange it can be a big difference.  For short trips I just exchange at the airport of the country I am going to.  Longer trips, which require more cash, I shop for the best rate.  You can use your bank card too but it will cost you like $5 ever time, so take out big sums, plus you get a lousy exchange rate but it's safer than carrying a lot of money.  Be sure to use ATMs at banks or shopping malls, and not some hole in the wall place and check the card reader to make sure it's secure in place and cover your pin.  You don't want to be a card skimming victim.
   
   Also be advised that some countries may ask you to show funds, in cash.  I personally haven't been asked but I don't look like a poor back packer.  On the flip side, overdressing may give suspicion that you are working in the country. 
4. Internet - The first stop after I arrive is to get a local sim card for my smartphone with an internet plan.  I have never paid more than $10 for a couple weeks.  Sometimes as little as $5 for a month with 4GB data.  Of course I also make sure my accommodation has internet.  However for short term stays the wifi can be spotty so I have my phone as a backup and can tether the connection and share it with my laptop if I have to.  Make sure your phone is unlocked or just get it unlocked when you arrive, it's usually very cheap in South East Asia.
5. Accommodation -   This for me is the toughest one.  For long term stays I must have certain comforts, be away from crowds, good location, but quiet neighbourhood.  For short stays the location should be walking distance from transportation.  If you intend to stay longer then get a guesthouse for 3 to 5 days and extend it if you have to, until you find a long term stay.  The longer you stay, the better the deal.  And paying your entire stay of several months or year in advance gets you a better deal too, however I find it gives me less control and leverage, and I don't want any drama if the landlord disappears.
6. Be Flexible - It's best to have a rough plan with rough travel dates. I typically just book my next trip, in and out of the country and keep my options open when I arrive, booking only a few days in a city in the event I don't like it.  Bus, Train, and Air Fare is usually very cheap when you arrive so you can travel within a country on short notice.
7. Transportation - Personally I like to get around without tuk tuks or taxis.  Either on foot or in big cities by subway.  My favorite is motorbike.  They are cheap to rent (and buy), cheap to maintain, good on gas, and so much quicker and easier to get around.  Make sure you have an international drivers license and inquire about the local laws.  Without the proper license you will be held responsible for any accidents even I you are not at fault.
8. Insurance - Travel and Accident Insurance is a worthwhile investment.  Be sure you are covered, at least with basics in the event of a serious accident. 
9. Immunization - I am somewhat skeptical of immunizations but you should inform yourself several months before your trip on what's required.
10. Medication - Pharmacies are available everywhere so I just have some aspirin or vitamins for travelling to boost my immune system, but honestly I just eat a lot of fruit these days.  If you have any prescriptions make sure you stock up and inquire abroad as soon as you arrive.
11. Food - Most food is safe, just use common sense.  Ease into streetfood if it's your first time.  Eat where there are a lot of people and keep an eye on food preparation.  "medicinal" alcohol is a good idea too sometimes.  
12. Laundry - Often quite inexpensive, I prefer to do my own, it's quicker and without hassles.
13. Clothes - It's often best to come with as little as possible and to travel light.  Shoes, underwear, and socks are the only items most travelers have a difficult time finding because of quality and size.
14. Local Language - The funny thing is that if you don't speak the local language fluently, nobody cares or understands you anyway when you try and learn.

Digital Nomad Report - Cambodia

The last two weeks in Cambodia have been interesting.   Phnom Penh, the capital and biggest city, ended up to be very disappointing, and Siem Reap, the small city that hosts Angkor Wat has been surprising.  btw, the name means "Siam Defeated".

If you are a digital nomad, that is an online worker that can work anywhere in the world, provided there is an internet connection, then Siem Reap is worth exploring.  It is relatively inexpensive, albeit Thailand, which is far more developed, might be a better and just as inexpensive option.

The upside of Cambodia is its downside, it is a developing country and decades behind its neighbouring countries.  You can get a meal for a couple dollars and rent a big house quite reasonably.  In Siem Reap aleast.  Phnom Penh was expensive, dirty, and completely unappealing, but don't take my word for it, see it for yourself.  I would say a day in Phnom Penh is enough.  3 days in Siem Reap, and then see Vietnam or Thailand.

Internet is fast, accommodation is reasonable, food is good and healthy.  The language is a little harsh, I suppose I now know how German sounds harsh to a non-speaker.  You also have to bargain and watch out for scammers looking for a sucker to overpay.  Especially tuk tuk drivers.   Seems the locals just look at foreigners as ATM machines.  Worse than in Thailand.

What's better than Thailand are the quality of foreign travelers.  It's not a "Party Destination" so it's nice to sit in a Café and talk to fellow travelers, instead of avoiding drunks looking to party.

The visa situation is good, and the US$ is the currency of choice here, but be careful bringing in your bills.  Any small rip and it won't be accepted.

I would consider Siem Reap my Plan B should I not find another place in South East Asia to live.