My My My Chiang Mai

I landed in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Wednesday morning around 9am after leaving Houston at 6:25 on Monday evening.  Tuesday was lost in translation.  I flew Qatar Airways, and there was a layover in Doha for about 3 hours followed by a brief stop in Yangon, Myanmar where we stayed on the plane before finally landing in Chiang Mai.  My seat preference is always by the window, but this trip made me seriously consider changing that preference to the aisle for long flights.  Thankfully, I sat next to an old couple on the flight from Houston to Doha, so I got up to stretch and use the restroom every few hours when they stood up.  On the flight from Doha to Chiang Mai, there was an empty aisle seat on the row in front of me with a guy in the window seat and empty middle seat.  The flight attendant asked the woman in the middle seat next to me if she wanted to take that aisle seat, and she declined. Seriously?  Who chooses to stay in a middle seat, especially when they are flying solo?  After dinner, when everyone stood to use the facilities, I saw that the aisle seat in front of me was still open, so I took advantage of it.  I could stand and stretch my legs as often as I liked.  Winning!

After arriving in Chiang Mai, I made my way through customs and baggage claim before exchanging US dollars for Thai baht (appx. 33baht/dollar).  I needed cash immediately for the taxi and hostel.  I took in all the sights and sounds of Chiang Mai on the short drive from the airport to the hostel.  There were vehicles everywhere, cars, trucks, red trucks (called songthaews), bicycles, and lots and lots of motorbikes/scooters.  Songthaews seem to be the most common mode of public/private transportation.  You flag down a truck and tell the driver where you’re going, and they will agree or disagree to take you to that location for a flat rate of 30B per person.  The ride is shared with other people usually going in the same direction. Vehicles drive on the left side of the road and drivers sit on the right side, which is opposite of driving in the US.  The taxi turned on a small road and dropped me off at the Nonni Guesthouse hostel, which would be my home for my first week in Thailand.  I was a little nervous about staying in a hostel, but at $8/day, I decided to give it a try.  I had a private room with a shared bathroom (I thought I had booked a private bathroom, but I didn’t.)  There were 4 rooms on my floor and 2 bathrooms.  I rarely ever saw the other guests, and the bathroom was always available when I needed it.  I disinfected the bathroom every time I had to go in there.  It’s probably the cleanest toilet in Thailand.  (Aside: I am a germaphobe, which could be a major issue while traveling.  I always clean surfaces in my hotel room and bathroom upon arrival.  I have lots of travel size Clorox bleach wipes and hand sanitizer spread throughout my luggage.  If anyone comes to visit me along this journey, I hope that they will bring me more Clorox wipes and Wet Ones hand wipes.)  The owner/host of the hostel, was a Brit named Alan, and he was very kind and accommodating.  He helped setup tours and gave me recommendations on things to see/do.  My first hostel experience wasn’t too bad.  I’m probably going to stay in hostels again along this journey, but I need to have a private bathroom.

Thailand is twelve hours ahead of Central Standard Time (Dallas/Houston).  That means that 2pm on Tuesday in Houston is 2am on Wednesday in Thailand.  I woke up throughout my first night in Chiang Mai because of text alerts and notifications on my phone in the middle of the night, so I added the Do Not Disturb setting for the future.  My body quickly adjusted to the time change after a couple of nights.  I talk to my family and friends when I'm either starting my day or ending my day.  My primary mode of communication is WhatsApp. The app is free and allows me to talk, text, and video chat for free no matter where I am as long as there is wi-fi.  

I stayed near the Chiang Mai Gate, which is on the southern border of the Old City that was surrounded by a brick wall and a moat for centuries before the Japanese destroyed the walls in WW2.  You can still see the remnants of the gates around the Old City, because they were restored in the 70s and 80s.  There are shops, street markets, restaurants, hotels, temples, schools, and more within the Old City.  I spent my first couple of days exploring and found a few places that I returned to later for food.  Also, there are massage shops EVERYWHERE!  You’ll see signs for “Thai Massage” on every main street, alley, hotel, spa, and even at temples. From what I’ve seen, the average cost for massages is around 200-250B for an hour.  I found a massage school at a temple that charges 120B for the hour.  That’s around 4USD! How could I resist that price?  I could go there everyday.  

Lessons learned: 

Choose an aisle seat for  long flights

Change phone settings to "Do Not Disturb" at night

Shop around for the best deals