This is week two of our stint in Chiang Mai and it has been considerably different than week one. I feel as though we are settling into more of a real life here, now that we are out of the central tourist zone, living an an apartment with our own space. Whilst a guesthouse is a great option for a while, you have to consider that the limited space and potential noise will become a bother after a while.
Renting a house or condo in Chiang Mai is not the easiest of tasks, everyone operates in 'Thai time' which means that if they respond to your email 5 days after you sent it then that's just fine. The multitude of apartments for rent are easy enough to find on the internet, but finding one without the hidden catches and additional costs that fits inside your budget will have you tied to your computer for a time. As with everything here, speaking the language would be of great assistance to you when interacting with local real estate agents; they too only have a limited grasp of the English language which makes task at hand a little more difficult. There is then the concern of who to rent through - after reading some letters in a local expat publication about stories of 2 months rent used as a deposit and not being returned for the silliest of reasons. If you are looking to rent an apartment in Chiang Mai, you need to be wary of the additional expenses that you might incur. The bond for an apartment can be anything from 1-2 months rent (even if you are only renting short term), you will most likely have to start gas, water and electricity accounts for usage and also be aware that in some cases a building will have fantastic facilities such as a pool and a gym which may or may not be included in the rent.
We have chosen to settle (for the next month) in the west of Chiang Mai in then Nimmanhaemin district, close to the university and some of Chiang Mai's best food and nightlife options, whilst still being within walking distance of the old city. We have chosen a studio apartment in the popular Hillside 4 Building which provides us with (free) access to a large swimming pool and (paid) access to a large gym in additional to a beautifully renovated studio with kitchen and laundry facilities. As many of the guidebooks say, this area of Chiang Mai is not the cheapest place to live; but when I compare the prices here, to the prices at home, I feel like I have hit the jackpot! Within 5 minutes walk of our apartment we have Nimmanhaemin Road (which is the Lygon or Chapel Street of Chiang Mai), filled with great cafe's, nice restaurants and a multitude of bars but still provides the option of a 30B meal from a street vendor. In the other direction we have the Huay Kaew Shopping Centre which is home to KFC, Subway and a number of other international food outlets as well as some pretty good shopping!
There are even less English-speaking Thai's in this area than there were in the tourist district but it is not really a bother. Most of the local people are able to say a few key English words and they are very gracious with our extremely stilted efforts to speak Thai. The interactions between the Thai and the Farang (foreigners) are usually friendly and filled with smiles - after all, a smile goes quite a long way when it comes to a communication barrier in a place known as 'The Land of Smiles'! As with any foreign speaking country, your efforts to communicate in their native tongue are widely appreciated and in the case of Thailand, it might just save you from being ripped off if you speak more Thai than other tourists! This is not to say that most people don't make the effort; it is virtually impossible to get through even the shortest trip to Thailand without hearing the words Sa-wat-dii (hello) or Korp-khun (thankyou) repeated over and over. What I have found though, is that if you attempt anything outside of these two very basic words you will be greeted with even larger smiles than usual and find that people become even more accommodating (if that is at all possible!).
Day-by-day my love for this place is growing. Every interaction seals this place more firmly into my life. I had a girl from Montreal tell me yesterday that she told herself that since she was so close, it made sense for her to explore other parts of Thailand and even the neighboring countries of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. And the whole time she was experiencing these places, she was thinking "I miss Chiang Mai" and that just says it all!
 |
| Nimmanheamin Road by night |
 |
| Dave making friends with the locals |
No comments:
Post a Comment