Quote: (09-18-2012 03:42 AM)scotian Wrote:
Quote: (09-17-2012 10:32 PM)MaleDefined Wrote:
Chiang Mai is so fantastic that you'd be doing your lifestyle harm by living on that. Seriously, Thailand is cheap, but not that cheap. You'd be living well away from the gate, or in an unspeakable shithole by western standards for that money and be eating rice for months at a time. Another year of saving will make life exponentially better when you arrive in CM.
I'm not sure of the angle of living a dull life in a foreign country. Most move abroad to live a life previously unattainable within the western world, and this is absolutely attainable in CM.
Living in Chiang Mai, as amazing as it is, seems like a serious downgrade living in threadbare conditions.
That extra 6 months living in the western world could do your lifestyle a world of good.
Can you elaborate on why you prefer Chiang Mai to other cities in Thailand? I'm fairly certain I'll be over in Thailand sometime later this year and am still undecided as to where I'm going to set up shop for my 2-3 month trip.
I really liked CM in the sense that it oftentimes would feel like a small city to me. The people were over the top friendly, especially once you became a 'regular' at a shop or restaurant. It was cheaper than Bangkok as well.
The nightlife is decent, but I could see it getting a bit boring as the options are limited. However, I'm probably not the best person to ask about the nightlife as I didn't explore student bars apparently located on the Western side(I think?) of the gate.
The food is excellent and very diversified. I would go to the market located toward the south end of the gate, (I think? I don't remember the name of the market) and have a hodgepodge of 'that looks good' and get out of there with 100 bhat less and a full belly.
Getting out of CM is very easy as well. Air Asia flies out of CM direct to many locations throughout SEA and the airport is very near to the center of the city. A night of heavy drinking meant I woke up to a mess of a hotel room and a flight that was leaving in an hour and 10 minutes. I was able to stuff my shit in my bag, get to the airport, go through security and make my flight with time to spare.
Overall, I enjoyed the 'feel' of CM as much as any city I've ever visited.