Hello from beautiful Chiang Mai!
Today is Saturday, November 22 - Blaise’s birthday!
We have been in Chiang Mai for a week now. I really like it. I think it is too soon for a definitive thought.
Chiang Mai, Thailand is very different from Bangkok. It is a slower, less hectic pace. It also seems more touristy. There are lots of tourists, digital nomads, or expats here. It’s hard to tell which are which but you know they are not native to this area. You can include us in that mix
Accommodations
We are staying in the trendy hipster neighborhood of Chiang Mai, Nimman. It is not intentional being in the hipster part of Chiang Mai - totally happenstance. We got a good price on an AirBnB that we liked the look of and that ticked all of our boxes so we booked it.
What are our boxes, you may ask?
Guest Favorite in AirBnB
Clean
Safe area for travelers - we do some research on the area of town when we find a place we like.
Queen bed or bigger (this one has a king)
I prefer the reviews that say the bed is comfy but that doesn’t always work out.
Kitchenette
Clothes washer in the AirBnB or very nearby (In this case, we have washers and dryers downstairs for 50 baht each (approximately $1.54).
A clothes dryer is nice but not necessary since we have found many countries don’t use dryers; they just air dry.
Hair dryer
A private bathroom that is not one of those wet bathrooms where there is no delineation for the shower versus the rest of the bathroom so you get water everywhere including on the toilet. There is just something about the toilet being part of the shower area that is yucky for me.
We steer clear of places where the reviews say there are hot water problems.
AIR CONDITIONING!!! If it is a colder locale, the place must have a heater.
A TV (although we have booked without one for the right situation - we can still stream on the Chromebook)
If we are going to stay there for several weeks, we prefer it not be a studio - we would rather have a separate bedroom. We don’t always get this but we try.
Reasonably priced - this is location and season dependent. What is reasonable in Chiang Mai, might mean you are in a by-the-hour-hotel in London.
Our go-to apps/services are booking.com and AirBnB. We will explore other options from time to time, but we go to these first. If the stay is a month, we try to use AirBnB since some stays will give you a discount if you stay a month or more. If it is less than a month, we open up to booking.com.
Anywho, we really like the Nimman area. Lots of bars and restaurants to choose from and many services - hair, nails, massage. We have a grocery store just a few blocks from our condo and many options for coffee. There is even a place across the street from the grocery store called Mother Cows that has fresh milk. I love me some ice cold milk! That’s probably weird to many folks but there is nothing more comforting and delicious than a glass of ice cold milk!
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| Hipster Blaise. This is in a square in the middle of a shopping area. The guy in the background is singing Another Brick in the Wall. Very hip. It's hipster to say "hip," right? |
We are about a 30-minute walk from the old town area and 15 minutes from a park.
We have an ice cream shop across the street from the condo building and I am happy to report I have only been there once. If I’m being honest, we did try to go on Thursday too, but it is closed Thursdays.
The AirBnB itself is comfortable, However, we have had two days (out of 9 days) where we had no water. Last Saturday and today (Saturday). The host is very responsive when asked about the situation but water is out for the whole building so there is not much he can do about it. Last Saturday it was about 8 AM until 6 PM. We were told a pipe broke. Today we were told the pipe that was fixed last weekend had another problem but the water should be on by noon. It is 1:11 PM and we have a trickle. Last weekend they started putting in new washers and dryers downstairs and Blaise and I both think something happened during their installation preparations.
The bed is a little hard but that isn’t bothering me too much this time around. I can sleep about 5 hours without waking up and that is a big deal for me. This was the case in Bangkok too so maybe I’m turning the corner on the whole waking up every 2 hours situation. Maybe.
Motorcycle Rental
We have been trying to rent a motorcycle the past few days. Blaise says we need a 150cc motorcycle so we can ride in the mountains. We have had multiple issues with getting one: No 150cc motorcycle available or no motorcycles at all available or they only rent daily (we want at least 2 weeks). What we have found out is that this is the high season here, thus the lack of motorcycle availability. The places that allow you to book online either cost way more than the others or only rent by the day. We gave up for the weekend and will try again on Monday thinking if someone is visiting for the weekend, we will have better luck trying to rent one on a Monday.
When researching motorcycle rental businesses online, I found quite the dichotomy in two of the websites. The first website I went to had a huge warning about the dangers of motorcycles:
But the second website took a more fun approach to motorcycle rental:
Weather
The weather here is so much more tolerable than Bangkok. The temps have ranged from the low 60s at night to low to mid 80s during the day. Midday gets warm but the mornings and evenings are lovely! Wednesday it rained all day long but that was the only rainy day.
Living in One Place for a Month
When you stay in one location for a month, it is not all about sightseeing every single day. You have to live. In addition to sightseeing and exploring where we live, we grocery shop, do laundry, clean, run miscellaneous errands. Blaise gets his haircut, I get my nails done, get my hair taken care of (color and cut), and avail myself of spa services. I also do a lot of reading and we both watch Netflix.
Tuesday, I got my hair done for the first time while on the road. For me, this means getting rid of the gray with a root touch-up including cut and style. My roots turned out a bit red which is odd since my hair is not red. I am hoping with a few washes, it will turn more brown. The result is no Shannan or Rachill. Shannan did my hair for 25 years until she retired and Rachill has been doing my hair for the past few years. The cost of this was approximately $70.00 including tip.
Places We Want to See
While we are here, our goal is to do and see the following at the minimum:
Ethical elephant sanctuary
Doi Inthanon National Park, where the highest mountain in Thailand is located
Trip to Chiang Rai to see the White, Blue, and Red temples
A couple of the smaller things I want to see (not necessarily Blaise) are the photography center we found on the first day and the botanic gardens.
Next Up
We stay in Chiang Mai until December 15, when we leave for Da Nang Vietnam. We will spend Christmas and New Year’s there.
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