Chiang Mai beats everything I've seen. But it has one drawback
For years, I filled my passport with stamps from all over the world – from Australia to Latin America to Asia.
I was even the first person in my family to travel abroad – previously, the only holidays we went on were road trips around our home country, Germany.
At the end of 2021, I had traveled non-stop for seven and a half years, visited over 40 countries and lived in several of them.
I finally felt like I needed a break from being on the road all the time. When I was wondering where to create my base, only one city came to my mind.
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There are many reasons to love Chiang Mai
One of the most culturally important cities in Thailand, Chiang Mai, is located in the northern, mountainous region of the country, several hundred kilometers north of Bangkok.
The city and its surrounding agglomeration have approximately one million inhabitants and are famous for hundreds of beautiful Buddhist temples and their ruins.
I was in Chiang Mai several times before I decided to make it my base.
My first visit was about 10 years ago, when the city was more of a backpacker's paradise – with cheap beer on every corner and $5 hostels. per night and crowds of young people riding on rented scooters with all their belongings.
Today it is one of the main centers of Thailand, and yet it still retains its local character and a wonderful balance between tradition and modernity.
I love that, next to modern shopping malls, you can find small, local “mommy shops” run by local families. There are large chains such as Starbucks, but also numerous local tea stalls and fresh food markets.
One evening you can dance in a modern nightclub and the next you can watch traditional Thai performances in a temple.
From a cultural point of view, I'm never bored here – I visit hundreds of Buddhist temples, attend traditional and modern music concerts, and visit dozens of contemporary Thai galleries and art exhibitions.
While I greatly appreciate having a permanent home base, I still love traveling. From this city, you can easily take amazing day trips all year round – by car or boat.
It only takes about 25 minutes to drive to the heart of a wonderful national park. An hour's drive takes you to the historic town of Lamphun.
I have also visited the islands of Koh Chang, Koh Lanta and Koh Samui, and along the way I visited smaller, picturesque towns such as Kanchanaburi and Ayutthaya.
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I was able to build a community here and make a good living
When I moved here, I lived in a pet-friendly house with a garden, in a gated community with a swimming pool, tennis court and other amenities.
My house was about 25 minutes from the old town and the rent was a few hundred dollars a month—well within my modest budget.
Although the area was quiet, it was still convenient: there were car repair shops, fresh food markets and numerous shops nearby.
Building community and making friends here has been very easy for me.
I've met tons of people just by going to events I found on Facebook and connecting with other remote workers and digital nomads.
I have the impression that everyone will find something for themselves here – from yoga classes in various studios, to meetings of tarot readers and drummers of all levels.
As a location-independent entrepreneur, it is also important for me to stay up to date with technology and business developments.
Luckily I found many conferences, meetings and workshops in the area related to the industries I am passionate about — many of them are organized by my favorite coworking space, Alt_ Chiang Mai.
I also enjoyed visiting the Free Bird Café for regular women's luncheons, open mic nights, and other events. Moreover, Chiang Mai regularly hosts a TEDx conference on topics such as AI, technology, culture and sustainability.
Even though life here isn't perfect, I already feel lucky
There is no perfect place, a If I had to pick one downside to living here, it would be the annual burning season in Southeast Asia.
Crop fields and forest remains are burned for several weeks, which leads to terrible air quality and poses a threat to the health of residents.
These annual phenomena make it difficult for me to stay in Chiang Mai all year round because I have my own health issues.
During recent burning seasons, I have been fortunate to be able to rent a car and take longer trips with my dog to find cleaner air and explore other beautiful places.
Despite the burning season, I miss Chiang Mai every time I go on other trips. In my opinion, it has almost everything I could want and need.
It was very easy for me to fall in love with this city, and having a base there for several years was a great experience. Although I still need to work out a few organizational issues, I hope that in the future I will be able to call this part of Thailand my permanent home.
The above text is a translation from American edition of Business Insider
