WoW 03: What Chiang Mai Taught Us

What a wild few weeks it’s been for Starback Wanderlust! In response to our last post “Who says it’s not a great time to go to Asia?”, well, turns out it wasn't the best time... We left on March 6th when the Coronavirus climate in the United States was still very new and there was a lack of education around it. There wasn’t any change in day to day life for American’s quite yet. There was a level 1 travel advisory for both the U.S. and Thailand, so travel was considered “business as usual” and there were no additional precautions in place. So we went! Then the climate changed quickly for the United States on March 11th when The WHO declared a Global Pandemic. Amidst all the chaos, we tried our best to still have open hearts and take everything in that Thailand had to teach us. That being said, here is a quick teaser of what our weeks’ stay in the City of Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand taught us. More to come when the dust settles about Thailand overall and our second week based out of Phuket in Southern Thailand.

Here we go!

Road rules do not exist and pedestrians definitely DO NOT have the right of way. If you were thinking of renting a car on your trip to Thailand... maybe don’t? 

If you put gold on anything, it must be fancy. The more gold, the better. 

You could take a tuktuk from Chiang Mai to wherever your heart desires for less than a 15 minute Uber ride in the U.S.

Coconut milk is the base to a lot more recipes than we realized. Almond milk is not the king in Thailand like we are used to seeing at home. Not even an option most times we got coffee!

Elephant skin is a lot more rough than we expected. It’s THICK and lined with little hairs all over.

The “You get what you pay for” rule doesn’t really apply in Thailand. You can walk up to a sketchy shack, pay 3$ for two people to eat and leave completely satisfied (and not get sick 😉). Eating from a street stand is the norm in Thailand.  

It’s hot. All the time. Plan on a minimum of two showers a day if you want to feel semi-human. 

BYOTP. Not because everyone went into mass hysteria and bought all the toilet paper off the shelves... but because toilet paper is never a guarantee in Thailand.

“Smoothies” are your fruit of choice and ice. That’s it. But they are insanely refreshing (pairs well with the heat, mentioned above). 

The inflection in the voice is super important in Thai. The way they say thank you, Khup Kun Ka, has the same music like tone to it no matter who says it. The ka at the end is high pitched and carried out for much longer that other words. Whereas, everyone says thank you with a different tone & demeanor in the U.S.

Mango makes everything taste better. 

Breakfast is not really a thing. If someone eats breakfast or provides it, it’s usually Thai food you picture eating at lunch or dinner. 

Even big, struggling, poor cities are kept clean in terms of trash. It’s a matter of respect for them and I don’t think you would ever see streets lined with litter like we often do in the US. 

Water is not safe to drink, but bottled water is not expensive making it easier for the country to be able to access it.

Wear. All. The. Sunscreen. 

The night bizarre is big, every night. It’s not just a Sunday thing like we often saw online. The vendors are there about 4pm every day for blocks and blocks ready to sell you any off brand item your heart may desire. 

Always look where you are stepping. The sidewalks are wild... if they even exist. They are usually buckled, beat up and have random drop offs to watch out for every few feet. As if you aren’t clumsy enough!

Things you have been taught should be refrigerated, they don’t seem to feel the same way about.

Thai beer is cheap. Wine or liquor is pricey in comparison to the price of most other things in Thailand. Mostly because didn’t seem that they produce much of their own so it’s all imported. 

Living spaces are much, much smaller. Going back to Buddhist principals that lead the majority of the country, they are always trying to be happy with what they have and not want for more so even if people HAVE money in Thailand, they don’t often have a large house or apartment.

Geckos are everywhere. Even inside. Comes as quite the shock when you wake up in the morning and find one running across your bathroom floor.