It is coming to the end of my time in Chiang Mai, yet again, and I find myself sitting on our balcony looking out over Doi Suthep and thinking about how much a place can change you. When we first travelled to Chiang Mai four years ago it was just a stop on our honeymoon in Thailand; nothing more than another destination to visit. But within days we knew that this was the place that we wanted to be. So how can a few days in a simple city change your life? What exactly was it about this place that turned our world upside down?
This is a topic of conversation that is thrown around here at many a dinner table. People from all over the world have got this Chiang Mai buzz and it drives them to return home, sell everything they own and just come back. So as I wander around this charming Thailand city in my last few days, this is what is on my mind. There are many tourist attractions here, which most of us only see when friends come to visit, but there is more to this town than temples, tigers and elephant trekking. Chiang Mai has heart. You can walk down any road (large or small) and just see life going on around you. And the Thai people know how to live!
Every person I meet here is relaxed and they have this way about them that exudes a kind of personal satisfaction with their lives. Most of the expats who come here to live have done their fair share of travelling, but they too chose Chiang Mai as their home. With every conversation I have with one of these Chiang Mai converts, I am more and more convinced that the Western world has it wrong and that we were raised to achieve everything except our own happiness. We are herded into the workforce and expected to go forth and prosper, but there is no consideration for what we want out of life and the very few people who break away from this cookie-cutter mold, seem to end up moving away from entire lives that they have built.
There is no one thing about Chiang Mai that causes what the rest of the world would consider as insanity, the more I think about it, the more I realise that it is not the place that keeps us here, it is the people. Day after day I meet both Thai people and Westerners who are in love with their life. Whether they have a lot or very little, the people you meet in a place like this are kind and sincere and happy. Of course every culture has its downfalls and being raised in Australia, there are many customs here which make no sense at all to me. But who wouldn't want to live in a place where sanuk (fun) is a main priority in everything you do? The people here are driven by the need to be happy and they truly enjoy their lives. For us Westerners who have been taught that happiness should take a back seat to achievement, it is a new way of life and for me, an inspiring way to live.
So whether this is a word of warning about the addictive nature of Chiang Mai or a love letter to my own personal paradise, I can honestly say that every day of my life here is enchanting. Every day I spend in Chiang Mai makes me want more. Why? Because every day there is something about this place that makes me smile.
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| Just a few of the people who make Chiang Mai feel like home |
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