A Garden Homestay, Home from Home
Surat Thani Homestay a Covid-19 Creation is as the title states, a Homestay designed and built because of and during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Thai husband and a Scottish wife together re-inventing ourselves during the Covid-19 pandemic. Located in a small village named Phra Saeng, in Surat Thani Province, Thailand situated among a rubber plantation is where Baan Farang began. Pre Covid-19 our plan was to build a Coffee Shop & Bar on our land in Phra Saeng, Surat Thani, Jack my husbands home.
Then Covid-19 arrived and our Surat Thani Homestay a Covid-19 creation began. Our Story – Surat Thani Homestay Covid-19 Creation – Baan Farang Homestay Phra Saeng.
Im Michelle a Scottish mature lass driven by my zest for life and the strength to never give in, always in search for a positive and having belief in myself, Is how I got to where we are today..
In 2011 I embarked on my new life, an adventure to a Tropical Island in Southern Thailand which was my second home – Koh Samui. I purchased a Coffee shop in the Big Buddha Temple, an Iconic sightseeing attraction. Big Buddha Temple is located on a very small Island Koh Faen, off Koh Samui. Getting to the Big Buddha Temple via a causeway.
In 2012, I met Jack a Thai National whom at the time was working as a bar tender in the very popular Boutique Hotel, Bar and Restaurant, The Jungle Club Samui.
Our life together began over a Banana Daiquiri Cocktail with carrot decoration ! Strange but very true. His improvisation I found utterly cute, and from that evening on our life would begin together as one.
Together we started a new business, an Online Tour Agency and Jack took customers around the Island with my customised Tour Itineraries.
Our business – Samui Explorer quickly grew through popular demand for tours with Jack.
This is when our future planning began – An authentic Thai village life.
Jack having worked in numerous tourist destination since a young man, had an urge to go back home to his village to be around his ageing family.
We decided to work on building Samui Explorers presence to enable us to re locate to Phra Saeng, Surat Thani (Jacks Village ) living an authentic Thai lifestyle, operating our Online Tour Agency from our new village home.
Although moving away from a tourist destination( a tropical Island) to a Thai village is neither an option or desire for most ex-pats Farangs (Farang which is the Thai term for a foreigner) for me the challenge excited me.
The prospect of building another life, new challenges, meeting new people and being able to explore Thailand whilst I worked, was to be my ultimate move forward in life.
2020 July was the date we set and planned our new life, unknown to us what lay ahead – Covid-19.
Using our own funds, we built our home on land which Jacks father lives. Over 2 years, we would leave Koh Samui for 1 week, every 3 months and work on the build of our house, and planting fruit trees. Slowly our plan was coming to fruition
During this period we decided to make a home-made Mud Hut for friends and family to come visit. This was to be the hardest challenge I took on.
The Mud Hut was built from soil around the land. Rubber trees removed to include the roots. The soil was mixed with water and dried grass, mixing by foot to make a sticky but almost dry mix
A double walled bamboo template was made to hold the soil, which would become the walls. Once the Bamboo template was full, and soil dried, the bamboo template was removed.
To follow the build you can follow our Facebook page link below. Watch our story from start to finish – PhraSaengTown (บ้าน ฝรั่ง)
Late 2019 Covid-19 had started its spread, and slowly tourists stayed home. Cancellations began with Cruise Ships, which had a huge impact on our Online Tour Agency.
Our Coffee shop suffered too, so we made a decision to close the Coffee shop and move 8 months earlier to Surat Thani. We could never have envisaged what was to follow, and presently remains the same – May 2020 still Thailand remains closed due to Covid-19.
Meanwhile we started the build of our Coffee Shop & Bar and completed our Mud Hut.
Over the following months the Covid-19 pandemic spread rapidly throughout the Globe with no return in sight of normality returning.
Investing in the build and no income, our funds where starting to decrease rapidly.
Unsure of the future with tourism in Thailand, or if it will ever return as was, we took the decision to take a gamble using what savings we had left to build a Homestay focusing to start with the locals who had started to travel around their own Country,
Baan Farang logo – The meaning behind Baan Farang Homestay logo which I designed is a symbol of bringing Thai & Farang (Foreigners) together among nature. The logo symbolises hands together around a tree as in nature.
During Covid-19 Camping then became a new interest, for the Thai people, they started to explore their Country, on a budget. So we then decided to offer camping, but using Glamping tents, a much more comfortable, fun option.
We went a step further and made housing for the Glamping tent with outside seating and a bathroom with garden views.
I believed that our Surat Thani Homestay, location is perfect for people travelling around Southern Thailand from Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Trang Islands, Koh Lipe, and Krabi – A Surat Thani Homestay.
A Covid-19 Creation situated in a Rubber Plantation, surrounded by nature. A garden retreat for travellers to enjoy, a Home from Home Homestay.
And so Covid-19 settled down in Thailand, restrictions began to lift and the Thai people started to travel. Our gamble paid off, customers found us, and business slowly began to build however we didn’t anticipate how popular Baan Farang Homestay Phra Saeng would be.
Then the Covid-19 second wave came, restrictions where back on and everyone stopped travelling. The bookings stopped and months went by with yet again no income.
My urge to survival, stay positive and a little gambling kicked back in, and I refusing to give in holding onto hope that this will all return soon.
70% of the booking inquires were for groups 5 – 10 persons which we could not accommodate. So the new plan, digging deep into the little saving we had left, add another, larger Glamping tent sleeping 4 persons. Preparation and building works began.
Glamping tent 2 – Images of the building work so far for Glamping tent 2. A wooden home with a joining bathroom, is soon to be completed.
Jack, had by this point found a new skill, a skill of finding free bamboo and wood. Its amazing would you can find for free from the Thai people, by offering a token gesture – a Leo beer, is all it took (ha ha Yes strange but utterly true.
I have became the painter & decorate, designer, gardener, cleaner, labourer and unfortunately a wife came last.
Jack grew stronger, he found vision, and found the strength not walk away when I would have my regular menopausal out burst (ha ha) Builder, roofer, plumber, labourer and husband.
Post Covid-19 2nd wave
As Thailand started to lift restrictions the Thai people started to travel again, but bookings were sparse. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit Thailand worse than the first wave, we found ourselves back to the start.
Covid-19 3rd wave
All hope was fading, fear was setting in and I was starting to accept my fate of living on our land with no savings, no income just surviving.
Was this to be my fate?
Then I finally started to except my fate, the stress and worry all seemed to fade, and I started to live, not survive! Holding onto the faith that I have in myself and Jack, I started slowly let those what if days pass to what are we doing today.
Never give up on hope, hold on to a little positivity no matter how hard life becomes, and the light at the end of that dark tunnel will appear.
This is our story of Baan Farang Homestay Phra Saeng Surat Thani – A Surat Thani Homestay a Covid-19 Creation !
We hope to see you all one day at Baan Farang Homestay Phra Saeng. Sharing our story with friends would surly help us for the future ahead,
Thank you for reading our Surat Thani Homestay a Covid-19 Creation story
Michelle & Jack
