Market of Eden: Living in Chiang Mai

This is something that I deal with on a daily basis, and many of my friends have echoed the same sentiment: driving in Thailand is dangerous. So I decided it was finally time to write about it - about the facts, rules and advice on how to drive in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Let it be known that for the most part, Thailand has really great road infrastructure and excellent highways connecting the whole country. The problem is not the quality or layout of the roads - although as Chiang Mai is rapidly developing, there should be consideration of no-car zones or incentives to walk or cycle - the problem is with laws that are not enforced by authorities, who allow potential murderers to continue behaving badly on the roads, and all too often cause the tragic loss of life you can see in the newspapers every other day. So it's people that are the problem, too.

Almost every night of the week I get takeaway dinners from my local no-name restaurant, which is seriously lacking in ambiance as well as pretence, and is bursting with delicious, simple, cheap Thai food. I know there are lots of these around, and other people have also been lucky enough to find their own special no-name place, which are usually conveniently located to them or just housing some friendly cooks and other interesting locals. Mine has become a bit of a special place for me that I have grown to appreciate quite profoundly, and expect to miss more than many other places once I leave Chiang Mai.

It's been over a year since I wrote my cost of living on 37K, and obviously as a private teacher my schedule went through some ups and downs since my first cost of living post. It's about time for an update, so you can see what life might be like on the other side of the coin. Here's my cost of living making around ฿20,000 a month in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

This is definitely not one month's salary!

By February 2013, I was merrily working away at my numerous jobs and hobbies, and making a good salary by Chiang Mai standards. Generally, the salaries here are lower than Bangkok, and as Chiang Mai is becoming more and more popular, the good teaching jobs are becoming more and more sneaky. Employers will pay you less because they know you've already fallen for the city, and before you know it you'll be speeding along the superhighway four times a day just to earn that elusive 30k. (FYI, that little rap was entirely unintentional.)

So, I'm going jump right in and totally expose myself here by breaking down my work and money situation at that time (everything's quoted in Thai Baht, and is half the full price because I'm half of a couple):

Cost of Living in Chiang Mai
Rent:	2,750
Bills:	50 for water 300 - 600 for electricity (this depends mainly on air-conditioner usage) 250 for internet
Eating out:	Street food or dinners from our local place add up to about 100 a week Eating out at restaurants on the weekend cost anywhere between 300 - 500 a week
Groceries:	100 a week at our local fresh market 100-200 a week at supermarkets
Entertainment:	1,000 or more a week goes on drinks with friends, movies, or in my case, buying clothes. Oh dear. It's much cheaper to have a picnic at a waterfall or take a walk on a mountain – who would've guessed?
Petrol:	300 a week
Airtime:	200 a month. I don't use my phone that much over here - as teachers we've got more than enough time to make plans on Facebook.
Laundry:	20 - 40 a week
Other:	500 - 1,000 a month for picking up a bottle of vitamins, going to the dentist, or taking the occasional yoga class
Monthly total:	*12,000 minimum - 14,000 maximum*

My various teaching jobs in Chiang Mai
Kindergarten	Job: 3 hours a day, 4 days a week Pay: 400 an hour Total: 19,200 a month (this is a very good salary for a part-time job)
Language School #1	Hours: on average, 4 hours a week Pay: 250 an hour Total: 4,000 a month
Language School #2	Hours: on average, 2 hours a week Pay: 280 an hour Total: 2,240
Private Students	Hours: 1, 2, or 3 hours a day, 5 days a week Pay: 300 an hour Total: 12,000
English Camps	Hours: infrequent, as they are hard to fit into busy schedules. One camp could last anywhere from a few days to a week or more. Pay: 1,000 a day, as well as paid transport there and back, accommodation, and food Total: depends
Monthly total:	*37,440* (not including English camps)

I'm sure many Chiang Mai grumpalumps will try and dispute my claims above, as I've seen endless bickering on forums over salaries and available jobs in the city. Many tend to believe you can't earn more than ฿25,000 here, or that it is impossible to make a living teaching privately or part-time (which is apparently a common teaching option in Bangkok). I've had my own experiences teaching on both sides of the coin, and I have to say I'm a firm supporter of private teaching, and building up your own hours to make your own salary.

It's difficult to detail everything about this particular topic in a blog post, but feel free to email me if you have questions about building up a private network, and where to look for jobs that aren't your typical 9 - 5.

Here are some photos of my various teaching jobs:

Gorgeous little munchkins from my kindergarten. These particular ones are all around 5 years old.

Crazy bunch!

A whole lot of grumpy K3's.

K2's rawrring at me, yikes!

K1, you are so small. Why is this?

More K1's, about to go swimming.

Myself and a class of awesome K2's.

This little guy's the cheeky one.

I love this kid. He regularly told me, "I lub you, Teacher Adrian."

Beautiful little girls.

I love their poses!

Hello sunshine!

Happiness!

A little playground.

A random samlor in an unused corner of my kindergarten.

My Turkish students, and also some of the best people I've ever met.

My Turkish students put together a makeshift farewell party.

Yum!

Learning a traditional Turkish dance.

The lovely Beyza showing me a traditional dance.

A street in the heart of Vientiane.

A few months after my first exhausting and educational visa run to Laos, I was shivering on an overnight bus

So it was December 2012. By this time I'd gathered up a few private students, who I saw on a regular basis. I was happy with this working arrangement, although I knew I'd have to bring in more money eventually. For the time being, I was still spending every extra moment I had trying to explore and learn more about Thailand.

I got in touch with Dragonfly English Camps, and a few weeks later I was on a bus to the province of Loei for my first ever English Camp. The transport, food and accommodation was taken care of, and the pay on top of that was pretty good. I'm sure you can guess English Camps are also a whole lot of fun, where you spend your time running around with kids of all ages, playing games and being silly. The only downside is that Dragonfly don't make their way up north as often as I'd like, so it would be impossible to make a living through them. If I were down south I would definitely work with them, as they travel around as a team doing camps in cities, towns and even remote villages, staying in all sorts of places and meeting tons of awesome kids.

Check out my photos from my Loei English Camp:

My Friend. Awesome!

A whole lotta scooters!

I'm going to break down some long-term transport options in the city of Chiang Mai. The favoured mode of transport for the masses are scooters of all shapes and sizes, while the common cars are either gas-guzzling mini-tanks or city-friendly smaller cars:

Thailand's favourite car models: Honda Jazz, Isuzu D-Max, Honda City, Toyota Fortuner.

However, cars are unaffordable for many foreigners who move to Chiang Mai, as well as being a rather inefficient way to get around the small city. The next option would usually be a two-wheeled vehicle of some kind:

Thailand's favourite scooter models: Yamaha Nouvo, Honda Dream, Honda Click, Yamaha Mio Fino.

Here are some good places to look for second-hand scooter sales:

The Seconhand Chiang Mai group on Facebook - by far the biggest and most frequented.
The Secondhand and Real Estate ChiangMai group on Facebook - also very large.
Do a search in the Thaivisa Classifieds.
Or in the Bahtsold Classifieds. Both are very popular.

Another option is to go straight to the huge Saturday and Sunday Bike Market, which is a little way out the centre of the city. My boyfriend bought his bike there and haggled a few thousand Baht off the original price. It's basically like a big Bike Pound, where all sorts of models in all sorts of conditions are waiting to be loved by just the right Falang. Check it out on the map below:

View Larger Map

My boyfriend on his Thai hoodrat bike. So gangster.

And here I am on my bike, which I'm very bad at gesturing to.

October 2012. I'd finished my TEFL course, and needed a job. In order to stay and work in Thailand, I needed a work permit. And in order to get a work permit, I needed a Non-Immigrant B visa. Yes, all very bewildering, especially for an easily discombobulated soul such as myself.

Instead of relaying all my mishaps and learning curves about my first visa run to Vientiane, here is a breakdown of the right things to do, and how to actually get yourself from Chiang Mai to the long line at the Thai Embassy in Vientiane:

Slanting Buddhas. Cool.

What to do before you leave Chiang Mai:

• Go to The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, and read about the requirements and fees for the visa you require.

• Go to The Thai Embassy in Vientiane website, and download the application form for a visa. Fill this out at home before you go. Glue two 3.5cm x 4.5cm passport photos onto the form.

• Make sure you have all your paperwork for your Thai visa. This is especially difficult, seeing as the rules change on a whim at the embassy, and it's all too common to get sent off to another country missing that one vital page still sitting on your employer's desk. Missing a piece of paper is not worth staying a few extra days or, worst scenario, having to go back again empty-handed.

• Make sure you have everything you need for a Laos visa on arrival. Download this form, now. You also need two passport photos, and your passport, of course.

• Book a bus ticket to Udon Thani. At Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Station, go to ticket office number 13 or 14, and buy a night-bus ticket to Udon Thani. It should cost between 800 - 1200 Baht depending on what kind of bus you're after, and leaves CM at 8 pm, arriving in Udon Thani at around 8 am the next day.

• Get yourself US dollars, Baht and Kip. There are plenty of currency exchanges in Chiang Mai. In Laos, you should always try to pay in the quoted currency, which could be either of the three. You can usually work out which currency would be cheapest for you at guesthouses and restaurants. Tuk-tuk drivers always seem to quote in Baht, but then again, all of them are grossly overpriced. One place you do need dollars to save money is at the border, for your Laos visa on arrival - check this page for the latest visa fees.

• Book yourself a room in Vientiane. I know many people including myself who have gone to the city and walked around until they found a suitable place to stay. This is possible because the built-up area is so small, but is also a hassle in the heat, with bags on your back, after a long journey from Thailand. On top of that, many places are fully booked exactly because it's a popular visa run destination. I've listed some recommended places below, but keep in mind my objective was to save money, while also not making friends with bedbugs - a bit of a hard task.

• Finally - print yourself a map. What I do for new places is print out a printscreen of Google Maps on a certain area, then scribble all over it. You could make yourself walking routes, circle restaurants you want to try, or even just to mark where you're staying. Sound complicated? Look at my example below:

An example map with all sorts of cool stuff drawn on it.

What to do on the trip to Vientiane:

• Take a bus to Nong Khai. Your bus from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani should drop you at Terminal 2, which is where you'll find the local bus to Nong Khai. This bus costs around 20 - 40 Baht, and it's a 1 hour ride to Nong Khai.

• Take a tuk-tuk to the Thai Border. From where your Nong Khai bus drops you off, you can accept one of the many tuk-tuk drivers' offers to take you to the border, for around 40 - 70 Baht. This is where the Thai Immigration Office will stamp your departure out of Thailand. You'll need your passport, and a departure card which you find and fill in at the office.

• Take a bus over the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge. You will be offered more transport once you've walked through Thai Immigration. I'd recommend the 20 Baht bus, which will take you over the bridge to the Laos Immigration Office. Here you will need your passport again, your Laos visa application form and photos, and a filled-in arrival card which is available at the office.

• Take a tuk-tuk or minivan to Vientiane. Once you've received your Laos visa, you will walk into another gaggle of hollering drivers. At this point, the more fellow travellers you glue yourself to, the cheaper your fare will be. You can get an air-conditioned minivan for around 500 Baht with relentless haggling, and a tuk-tuk for half that price.

• Don't get tricked. There will be plenty of tricksy folk who will offer you all sorts of things along the way. Thai visa? I'm getting one in Laos, thanks. Direct package to Vientiane? I'd rather keep my 2000 Baht, buddy. Just ignore them.

MORE important stuff to do:

• Don't waste money on needless transport. Everyone is trying to rip you off in Vientiane, because you're wearing that ridiculous sign on your head that says, "I'm here for a visa run, therefore, I'm loaded." Doesn't make sense, right? Well, taking a personal tuk-tuk everywhere at 500 Baht a pop doesn't make sense either. Leave your stuff at your guesthouse, and take an early morning walk to the Thai Embassy. At 6am, Vientiane is much cooler and quieter, and you get a chance to see some sights on the way.

• Do spend money on necessary transport. Yes, people do walk over the 1km Friendship Bridge to save money. But honestly, who wants to do that after travelling for so long? Just rather take the 20 Baht bus, and watch those sweaty fools walk along the Friendship Plank.

• Have a holiday. Plenty of people go all the way from Chiang Mai straight to the Thai Embassy in Vientiane. In my experience, this makes for a whole lot of grumpalumps and mopeymoaners. Firstly, you'll be getting there when everyone else does, and amazingly, at the exact same time the Thai Embassy employees' stomachs start growling. Everyone is hot, rude and pushy, and already hates Vientiane. Take an extra day to collect yourself and make your visa run an enjoyable trip.

• Get to the Thai Embassy early. If you take my advice, and stay in Vientiane for three days, now's your chance to take that early morning walk mentioned above, get yourself a number, and go and wait about an hour or so in a coffee shop nearby. Much less stressful than standing around in the 10 am heat with a hundred other visa hopefuls, while your ticket says 742 and they're calling out number 515.

• Go and pick up your visa and passport the next day. This should be your third day, and you should have thoroughly enjoyed your stay in Vientiane. Just don't enjoy it so much that you forget to pick up your visa. It has happened.

• Book yourself a bus home. A minivan should cost around 800 Baht, and a night-bus bus home should cost a little more. There are plenty of travel agents within walking distance from one another in the city, who will organize your trip all the way from Vientiane (so much simpler than getting there!). It's also worth asking the person at your reception, because they might just offer to book it for you. I've gotten discounts and deals by being friendly to the tired-looking woman at the front desk, which is the only reason I'm ever friendly, of course.

My "Vientiane Goodies" map:

Here I've made you a custom Google map of some places I enjoyed in Vientiane, as well as some guesthouses myself or my friends recommend. It's quite rare that Laotian guesthouses or restaurants have websites, so instead I've included some links I found the most helpful.

View Vientiane Goodies in a larger map