food markets in chiang mai Archives : Blue Moose

First Impressions of Thailand

Whilst I have only been exploring Chiang Mai for a week, it feels longer; as different as it is to anywhere I’ve been before, the people instantly make you feel less of a stranger. However, my palid what-is-this-thing-you-call-‘sun’? skin and reddish hair are a dead giveaway to expats who will stop and ask where I’m headed.

I’m not complaining. I could get lost on the 6 mile wide island I call home, so I’m fair game.

After months of preparing and clearing out my flat for Airbnb purposes (if you have more than a pot, a spoon and a pillow, I suggest a 3-month head start) I am finally here, surrounded by the wonderful sights, smells and sounds of a city known - quite rightly - as the city of smiles. Everyone is super friendly and not in a contrived way; there’s a genuine humility and respect for others that makes each connection seem very special.

My aim whilst I’m here is to work - with a view to travelling more and eventually becoming location independent. That said, no one in their right mind would appear on Chiang Mai’s doorstep and immediately put their nose to the grindstone. So I spent my first few days getting a feel for the place that I would be spending the next two months in...

Walking in Chiang Mai

Every street, it seems, is filled with surprises; little alleyways that lead to natural, historical - and delicious - places of interest. Dotted between the stunning brick and gold leaf stupas and 14th-century temples are lines of street vendors selling their wares from makeshift shopfronts. The ebb and flow of locals and tourists alike catch you like a wave, ushering you down yet another lane of tiny shops and open cafes.

Thankfully, in the heat, the pace is slow, and the air is heavy with a sense of Mañana, alongside a smattering of Thai seasoning, fish and hot concrete. I slow down instinctively; to walk at my normal ‘woman on a mission’ pace would just be rude.

Chiang Mai is not a tidy place, nor is it pristine, but somehow it just adds to the eclectic beauty of the place. Backyards spill out onto the pavements with a curious collection of everything from car tyres to old swing frames, bottles and oddities that used to be something a very long time ago. And over time, lush foliage and thick vines have now bound them together so densely, that to remove them - it would seem - would gouge a hole in the very fabric of this beautiful city.

Clearly, I’m seeing Chiang Mai through rose-tinted glasses but for the moment, its beauty is far more than the sum of its parts. A rusted bike next to an old clay sink filled with several pairs of old leather boots becomes a beautiful vignette without trying. Almost every photograph I take looks like a well-planned stock image and not the bumbling efforts of an iPhone snapper. Well pleased; I usually have nothing left after I delete my thumb pics...

Working in Chiang Mai

I’m here to work too though, so this morning I sauntered down to one of the many air-conditioned internet cafes you can find both on the main drag and side streets.

Food and coffee is cheap, and make these great places to get stuff done in comfortable surroundings. Also, staff are friendly and leave you to it, and the ambience in most is pretty great, with laid-back music. You may think that an odd thing to comment upon, but for those who’ve worked in some European places, naming no names (oh alright, rhymes with Lermany) you will know that raising your muse to Roxette’s greatest hits is no laughing matter.

If you’re looking for something a little more ‘office-like’, there are many co-working spaces around - mainly in Nimann, the cooler, trendier area of Chiang Mai - and they cost around 250 baht (£7.00ish) per day which is also reasonable with the obvious added benefit of meeting other likeminded individuals. For only 400 baht (£10), you can also get a 35G 30-day SIM card which will do you for the month and allow you to work wherever you choose for the duration of your stay.

All in all, the working environments here are superb - the perfect setup for a productive working holiday.

...so why am I getting next to nothing done?

Best Laid Plans of a Hopeful Nomad

I thought it would be the heat; that I would be slumped in a gutter somewhere gasping like a fish out of water once I stepped off the plane. Surprisingly, the July weather is fine despite it being about 38 degrees with around 80% humidity. Coming from Scotland, anything over 20 degrees is considered high Summer, and the guys are ‘taps aff’, with people fainting in the street from heat exhaustion; but here, the humidity softens the burn and makes it quite comfortable. So the heat, to my relief is not the issue.

Perhaps the food, I had thought, would be an issue, from talk of a minimum one-week stay on the toilet as a rite of passage (literally) due to delicate dispositions. Whilst part of me believes this is yet to come, I’ve found the food to be incredible; super-cheap, delicious, and totally fresh. However, there are things you can do to try to avoid losing time and weight whilst staring at worn-out bathroom tiles - like not having ice in your drinks,

brushing your teeth with bottled water and sticking with tried and tested street vendors. The Thai people seem to be very accommodating with their food and drink, so learn a few words like ‘Mai Phet’ (not spicy) or ‘Mai Nahmkeng’ (no ice) and they will accommodate you happily. Here, the only issue I’ve had so far is trying to get a hot cup of tea (you can take the girl out of Britain...) which ranks way down below the frappucinos, iced teas and mate fusion espresso thingamabobs that are so popular here. No hardship there. For now.

Blame it on the Buddha

No; the food, weather, culture, beauty and cool oddly shaped fruit vendors (the fruit, not the vendors) on every corner make this an amazing place to be; but, for me, the 300+ Buddhist temples to visit, scattered across every nook and cranny of this amazing city, is the biggest barrier to getting work done.