Pai

We just got back to Chiang Mai after spending a week in Pai, a small hippy town, about a 2.5 hour drive away. The intention was for it to be a romantic getaway, but instead we got sick. Zen booked a nice room for us at Montis Resort and we ended up having to move twice to different rooms due to plumbing issues. For the inconvenience, we negotiated a discount, a couple extra nights for free, complimentary room service and snack bar. The resort was not very busy at all and overpriced in our opinion.

I heard good things about Pai, but was not at all impressed with the town. Not much to see or do, but I like that it was cheap. It was nicest at nighttime. It was basically one big street market with lots of noisy traffic, more like how I envisioned Thailand being.

All in all, it was a very peaceful, relaxing and uneventful trip watching movies and taking baths, so can't complain.

Things I've learned about Thailand

So far I've been having a good time riding around on a scooter with my husband, seeing the city and all its diversity. Chiang Mai has pretty much anything you're looking for, from cozy small European cafés and old towns to modern shopping centers. You can try a different restaurant every time you go out to eat and the living expenses are about 50% of what they are on Maui. If you go to a restaurant that caters to the tourists, the menu will most likely display the range of spiciness. If you go to a restaurant that has a lot of locals, you might want to ask for "less spicy".

Most Thai people don't speak a lot of English, so I've learned three words so far: thank you "Khob khun ka", hello "Sah wah dee khrap!", and they call Caucasians "farong". If you want to get food to go you say "takeaway" and if you need to use the restroom you say "toilet". When you are ready for your check at a restuarant, point your finger downward and stir in a circular motion.

There are a lot of trip hazards, especially when entering bathrooms because the way they clean the floors is by hosing them and letting the water go down the drain. In a lot of places they do not provide napkins, paper towels, toilet seat covers or toilet paper, so it is good to carry some with you. Trash cans are also harder to find.

Businesses close really late, most locals work at least 10-hour days, so you can go to the dentist at 6 pm or get a massage at 8 pm.

A few downsides of living in a city in Thailand is that the air quality is very bad and they have a rice burning season, just like they used to on Maui. Usually the summers are incredibly muggy and hot, but we have lucked out with the weather and most of the time it has been pretty overcast. Luckily the cost of A/C is affordable here. It's been really nice living in a bigger apartment that costs about four times less than on Maui. I suspect it will be a challenging adjustment returning to our tiny cottage back home...

Venturing out into the World!

Well folks, I finally made it out the front door to explore the wonders of Chiang Mai! It really helps to have my husband here as an experienced tour guide. Riding around on a scooter, zooming through the traffic, is the fastest way to get through the city. Here, everyone drives on the left side of the road. I expected Thailand to be a crappy, ugly and polluted third world country, but it turns out there is a wide range of options from poor class to high class. The nice thing is you can live luxuriously for very cheap. If there's one thing I love, it's saving money! There are quite a few healthy cafés, customer service is on point and I love that there is so much green tropical vegetation. Rudeness and hostility does not exist in this culture. It is very muggy, but hasn't been too hot luckily. I got a Thai massage for the first time, it basically felt like I was getting beat up, but very relaxing. 

One thing I miss is the ocean. Back home in Maui I go to the beach almost every day. However, there is a really nice pool in our apartment building and a gym, so I won't let myself get fat during this two-month vacation. So far... what's not to like? 

Oh, and we've also been spending our time saving a bird that fell out of the nest onto our balcony. We named him Mr. Splits and we suspect his mama is still around feeding him because he is pooping a bunch! We provided shade for him, are giving him water and feeding him bread soaked in soup. He seems to be growing and getting stronger every day!