Chiang May/June
We stayed in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for the month of May, so this portion of the trip quickly became referred to as “Chiang May.”
From a travel perspective, we’ve been pretty boring here, but honestly, it’s been a much-needed month of productivity. We have loved working from our little studio overlooking the mountains. We actually extended our tourist visas to stay another 30 days here! This way we will get to see more of the city and the surrounding areas in June.
When it wasn’t too hot we just opened up the doors and had a nice indoor/outdoor setup.
As I’ve alluded to in a previous post, it isn’t super easy nor straightforward to manage a work-life balance as digital nomads who are freelancers. It requires A LOT of time management, planning, and motivation. However, we’ve learned a lot this month about how we work best and things that we can improve upon in the future.
At the beginning of the month, the air quality was still quite bad. Northern Thailand always experiences a burning season beginning in February and lasting through part of April. According to the media though, this has been by far the worst year for it. At one point in April (a few weeks before we were due to arrive), Chiang Mai was the most polluted city in the world. That is mind-boggling to me. We live in a world where majorly polluted cities like New Delhi and Beijing exist. Between the loose regulations and lax government, it seems like the problem will persist. Even if the Thai government acts, the pollution from neighboring countries like Laos and Myanmar creeps into Thai territory.
It’s also blazing hot and humid. It’s now officially the rainy season in Thailand, so there are showers most days. It’s actually fascinating to watch the storms roll through with downpours and it always feels much better outside after the showers. All of these reasons led us to stay in more often this month.
It is so cheap here! Coming from the islands where many more tourists are, being in a city with more locals and expats, prices are much better. We hardly cook because you can walk down the street and get a steaming hot bowl of noodles for less than $2 or order dinner on Grab (Asia’s answer to Uber) for both of us for $5-7.
I ordered this chicken and rice from Grab at least 2-3 times per week and it's 50 Thai baht (about $1.50)!
Another great thing about Chiang Mai is that it is surrounded by mountains, so there are loads of hikes and nature trails to explore. We did the “Monk’s Trail” which is a popular walk/hike up to a gorgeously serene Buddhist temple.
Wat Pha Lat.. also known as the “Jungle Temple.”
There are loads of yoga studios in Chiang Mai but I chose the most popular one in the area with the most reviews. The studio is also certified by the US Yoga Alliance, which ensures the teachers know their stuff. When you live a life without much routine and structure, it’s incredibly helpful, for me at least, to have things scheduled in advance. I loved my yoga routine which kept me centered and active this month.
We intentionally spent a Sunday afternoon considering future plans and researching destinations. When we set out on this adventure in February, which seems like a lifetime ago now, we didn’t necessarily know what we were doing. We thought we could come here, see if we could make this lifestyle work, and return to England to normal life if we determined this wasn’t right for us.
I know we made the right decision now. It’s definitely not for everyone, but I think that deep down we both knew we were cut out for this. It’s crazy that this whole digital nomad world exists in real life. It is a bit like yachting. You can follow people on social media, read blogs, and try and picture yourself living that life. I can say, it’s nothing like actually living it. Oftentimes it’s better.
When I landed my first job as a stewardess on a superyacht, I couldn’t believe I was there doing it. It was truly the most fun and formidable time in my life and I wouldn’t change that time for anything.
Chiang Mai has been referred to as one of the world’s top digital nomad cities for years, which I had heard of on podcasts and read about in newsletters. It’s awesome that we’re here now living that life.
