7 thoughts after 7 days: Chiang Mai, Thailand
I’M IN THAILAND! DREAMS DO COME TRUE!
1. I love it here.
We love it here.
The whole Cousteau crew is just happier and excited to go out and do things. Chiang Mai is a place that makes you want to do things. There’s creativity in the air. There are plenty of yoga or muay thai studios begging for your attendance. There are coffee shops just waiting for you to read or write in. Not to mention, the weather is perfect.
It’s exciting to see everyone excited and I feel a new sense of purpose in this environment. Compared to the big city, 24/7 lifestyle of Kuala Lumpur, this is refreshing. Chiang Mai is more my speed. I rented a bike. I feel like I know my way around. Everyone smiles! It’s the best.
2. The misconception of settling in.
I used to think that you needed to get settled in before you could get into a routine. Obviously that idea has been totally shattered with Remote Year. Seeing that we only having 4–5 weeks to actually be in a place, we don’t have time to settle in. You have to get into whatever routine you want to create for yourself on Day 1 of being in your new city.
This month, I kicked Week 1 off with a good morning routine, weekly exercise, and a level of comfort I only found back in Croatia.
I’ll take this knowledge of “settling in” with me moving forward — on Remote Year and beyond.
3. I see white people.
Holy, backpackers!
Chiang Mai is full of ’em.
Not hating, just noticing. It’s refreshing, yet shocking to see so many ex-pats.
4. Mornings for me.
As I said, I’ve developed a morning routine that’s really helped me get my head on straight each day. Thanks to some inspiration and support from other Remotes, I’ve been waking up each morning and taking thirty minutes to myself — sans cell phone. The key? 🔑 Airplane mode.
5. On having my own space.
I’ve never lived alone before! This is the first time!
Am I “adulting” now?
This month, we’re all in studios split across two apartment buildings. It’s really calming to totally have my own space. I’ve been able to stick to my routine a little more than I have in past months. Having my own place is really turning “home” into more of a sanctuary vibe, which has been quite different than every other month on Remote Year. Grateful for that.
Still love all my roomies, though! 😘
6. FUCK YEAH! Moments
My friend Marina brought up the idea of only doing things you say “Fuck yeah!” to. I had one of those fuck yeah! moments last weekend in Pai. We were scootering through the mountains to the hot springs and it was just one of those moments. I can’t even really describe it, but here’s a picture of my pure happiness in that moment.
7. My bank account loves me!
Not really though because I want to buy everything in Thailand.
But actually though — Thailand is nice and cheap for us Americans. #blessed #rich #kidding
Even more so than Kuala Lumpur, you can get everything you need in a day for less than $5. Granted you might be eating omelettes + rice and pad see ew all day, but no one ever complained about that, right? Right?!
I even found a one bedroom apartment for sale in a great neighborhood here in Chiang Mai for $25,000.
😳
Yeah. That’s real.
Anywho, I get to pretend to be rich for another ~3 months and then it’s back to being poor!
Check out my recaps of Còrdoba, Buenos Aires, La Paz,Cusco, London, my Remote Year hiatus, Prague, Belgrade, Split, and Kuala Lumpur. Follow along on Instagram for my daily adventures.
