I noticed right away, here in Chiang Mai, it is cheaper than anywhere I have been so far. Since I arrived 1 week ago, I have not had to take a taxi anywhere. On Koh Phangan Island, I had to take taxis everywhere and it was a minimum of ฿50-100 to go anywhere. To rent a motorbike, it is between ฿150-200 a day. This price does not include petrol or any unseen repair costs that might incur during use of the motorbike. On Koh Phangan, I learned to walk a lot which made me loose about 4.5 pounds, or about 2 kilograms. To be honest, I prefer walking anywhere and everywhere, but once I begin working I will probably need to have a motorbike, but hopefully I will be able to walk to work. A new motorbike costs around ฿45,000 baht; very reasonable I think. But I would need to have my Thai friend buy it for me if I decide to invest in one, because I am not a Thai citizen and I cannot buy a car, house, etc. I could always resell it later if I need to.
Learning to budget my money here and thinking in Thai Baht is the real way to save money. In the beginning, for some reason, I was always converting the prices into US$. Even though it always appeared cheap to me, when I arrived in Chiang Mai and saw the prices here, what I spent in Koh Phangan looked all too expensive. So I have begun to think in Thai Baht now, and it has helped me in my shopping and everything.
Generally speaking, I do not need a lot of comfort things here. I did not live that way in Cambridge, and I do not feel I need it here in Thailand either. I know I talk a lot about money, but it is crucial to share this information because it means you either sink or swim trying to live in a foreign country depending on your needs and desires.
I love Chiang Mai because the local people here are very friendly, willing to help out, and I can walk almost anywhere I need to.
I have not been in Thailand long enough to know what my daily life will be like and it will take time to fall into any kind of routine. Surprisingly, I have not experienced one tourist activity here in Chiang Mai. People ask me, "Did you take the Elephant Trek?" etc. I am guessing this is because I will be here a long time, so why rush it? I am very excited to be here in Thailand and I have high respect for the people and culture here. I am so proud of their accomplishments.
4 comments:
Josh - i really love your blog - its really very creative!!!!!!!
Thanks! I was getting bored with the other version. I have had a lot of free time here in Chiang Mai, so I put some time into making the blog a bit more interesting. I have a red white and blue theme, do you know why?
well it goes without saying motorbikes are dangerous no matter where you are .. one your on two wheels and two people do not respect motorbikes .. in colombia it was the most dangerous thing i did, riding a motorcycle, because people on the road have no respect for the lives of others, especially the ones on motorcycles .. i would pay attention to how people are there in thailand and make sure you learn how to ride a bike before jumping into something like that .. the little bikes can be just as dangerous as the big ones .. many friends of mine in colombia have had accidents on the little bikes and they are not pretty .. if you get one we can talk on the phone and i will give you some good pointers
I am hoping that I can do the same here in Chiang Mai as I did in Cambridge; I walked everywhere. Even though today was almost 100 degrees in Chiang Mai and I am living without an aircon, I am suprised how I have become used to the heat, I love it.
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