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Living in Chiang Mai offers a more relaxed pace of life and lower costs compared to Western countries, but it comes with challenges like a language barrier, cultural differences in efficiency, and adapting to the heat.
The video discusses the author's experiences and observations after settling into Chiang Mai, Thailand, for an extended period. Initially, the author notes that people in Chiang Mai seem generally happier and more relaxed than in Western countries, attributing this to a different trade-off between work demands and lifestyle. However, this relaxed pace also means that daily tasks can be less efficient, such as navigating online shopping platforms like Shopee and Lazada, or dealing with mail delivery, which contrasts with the streamlined efficiency often found in the US.
Living long-term in Chiang Mai differs significantly from visiting, as the city is geared towards tourism, and foreigners may encounter unique challenges. The author highlights the learning curve associated with the language barrier and cultural differences, emphasizing that Thai is a particularly challenging language to learn due to its tonal system. Despite these difficulties, the author finds Chiang Mai to be a pleasant and chill place with a good coffee culture and a unique blend of college town and historical capital vibes.
The cost of living in Chiang Mai is presented as a major advantage, with rent being significantly lower than in Western cities, allowing for a more comfortable lifestyle. However, the intense heat year-round is a notable drawback, impacting sleep and leading to higher electricity bills, especially when using air conditioning extensively. The author also touches upon the changes in local establishments like Maya Mall and the convenience of online shopping through platforms like Amazon, Shopee, and Lazada, while cautioning about potential warranty issues for electronics. Finally, the author notes the convenience of motorbikes for getting around, while also acknowledging their inherent dangers, and observes a surprisingly active late-night scene compared to some US cities.
The primary living in Chiang Mai challenges include navigating a language barrier, cultural differences in efficiency, and adapting to intense heat. Daily tasks can take longer, and learning Thai is a significant undertaking due to its tonal nature.
While Chiang Mai offers a lower cost of living and a relaxed pace, expats face challenges like less efficient daily systems and a steep learning curve for the Thai language. Long-term living also presents different hurdles than a short visit, as the city is heavily geared towards tourism.
Learning the Thai language is significantly challenging due to its tonal system and unique grammar. It requires dedicated effort and good instruction, posing a considerable hurdle for many foreigners settling in Chiang Mai.
Adapting to Chiang Mai's intense year-round heat is a major challenge that impacts daily life and sleep. Expect higher electricity bills if you rely heavily on air conditioning to stay comfortable.
Chiang Mai's cost of living is lower primarily due to significantly cheaper rent compared to major Western cities. This affordability allows for a more comfortable lifestyle and financial independence for many residents.
Thailand, particularly Chiang Mai, can be less efficient for foreigners in daily tasks like shopping and mail delivery due to language barriers and different systems. While vibrant, the country is heavily oriented towards tourism, which can create unique challenges for long-term residents.
0:03 YouTube, and in today's video, I thought I'd just go over some of the things that I've noticed since I've been settling into Chiang Mai. I'm definitely trying to get this one solid as far as internet connection goes. I'm using my phone as a hotspot instead of trying to use the building Wi-Fi.
0:23 So let's go ahead and get into it. I'm just going to share some of the things that I've noticed that, in no particular order, have been the biggest surprises so far in Thailand. And in some cases, they're not even really surprises in the sense that I knew about them going in, but they are at least surprises in the sense that some of these factors I underestimated prior to coming here.
0:44 And now that I'm actually staying here long-term, I'm noticing some of these things. This is the longest amount of time I've ever spent in Thailand in one go. So this is actually my fourth visit or something like that. I've been here since late June, so we're coming up on like two and a half months now, and it's really just been a wonderful time overall.
1:05 There's been a lot of learning experiences, some challenges, some times where because I was trying to see different places, it could be a little bit more difficult. For me, Chiang Mai is easy mode because I've spent about a month here in the past, in the same building I'm living in now. So I'm familiar with the basic layout, how to get to the mall, how to change money, all these things.
1:28 Like how to find new clothing or how to get data, all these things I had done about five years prior in the same city. So when I went to Bangkok, especially Bangkok at full capacity, there was a lot of new things.
1:46 So let's go ahead and get into the first surprise here. Good to see you, by the way. Feel free to introduce yourself. I see we have a viewer. So I would say, you know, the first thing that's been really surprising is, you know, people do seem happier on average than back home. I'm not going to say that's across the board and that there's no challenges here, but certainly, you know, the trade-off we have for the efficiency of life in the West is definitely like, you know, having to work demanding jobs or having to really be present for extended hours for like a business role or something like that.
2:21 And the trade-off of, you know, one of the trade-offs of perhaps not having quite the same standard of living is that people do seem a little bit more carefree here. I notice people smiling and laughing a bit more. I don't think that's the case for everybody, right? Like every American is unique, people's satisfaction is different from person to person. But I think there's definitely, like, everybody that's a working person could admit that at times, you know, the demands of their job, whatever that job may be, you know, can really be frustrating.
2:55 Of course, there is a trade-off, right? Like, you know, if you live below your means in the West, you can really, really get ahead very easily. So that's something that I think a lot of people appreciate and admire. But I think it's interesting to think about the trade-offs.
3:13 The next thing is that, you know, things are not always as efficient as the US. I mentioned this just a few minutes ago, but there are times where I'm like, wow, I wish, you know, not I wish it was America or I wish I was in America, but rather, man, I miss that efficiency in America. An example of this would be getting things mailed. Sometimes it's tricky for me to communicate my address effectively or properly. Sometimes I purchase the wrong item if I'm shopping on Shopee or Lazada because I misread the item description.
3:49 And then also, just like making sure that I'm here, sometimes some items they want you to sign for it, and if I'm out doing something, that could be a little bit tricky to coordinate. So there are certain things that in the US, you know, the lack of the language barrier and the striving for efficiency factors, you know, there are some benefits there.
4:12 I would say, like, alongside that, one thing that it's an efficient experience, it's not necessarily the best overall, but like going to Walmart, for example. Here, if I need to go shopping, typically I'm hitting up a few different stores. I may reduce some of that by going to a shopping mall, but it's hard to find that one-stop shop kind of a place, if not impossible, to find that kind of one-stop shop place like you have at like a Walmart in America.
4:41 I imagine countries like Canada and Australia probably have something similar, and that big box store where you can just get everything handled in one place, it's just so convenient. And here, that is a challenge. Right, like sometimes I have to budget extra time because I'm going to have to go to multiple places that might not be in the same building.
5:03 Of course, there's trade-offs, right? Like everything else, I certainly love Thailand. I'm so happy to be here, but, um, living here is definitely different than taking a vacation here. I'm already noticing that it's quite a bit different to actually be staying here long-term.
5:19 And I think that there's, you know, some people saying like, some people really should just visit Thailand but shouldn't live there because it's very, very much oriented to our tourism and visiting. And I think for living here, you're going to have certain challenges that a Thai person wouldn't have, right? Like a Thai person typically, they're going to have some family here, they probably have a solid friend circle they built up over the course of many years.
5:46 They have a nine-to-five career, most likely, that has them kind of structured around a certain schedule. There's, of course, many advantages to being a Thai person in Thailand, and I think that if you're not, that's going to be part of the learning curve for sure.
6:01 I think, you know, some things like culturally, like one thing that can be a bit challenging is in the US, we're used to things instantaneously, right? We're used to convenience culture. Anytime we want something, we can get it really quick. Well, here, you might find certain things are a bit slower, or people walk a bit slower.
6:19 That's been a big one for me where I'm used to San Francisco, where everybody is in a hurry at all hours. And then I feel like people are really tired and go and crash out in the evenings. But yeah, that's something that you have to think about.
6:33 Is like if you're coming from New York City to Chiang Mai, probably like, I think if you're not going from a big city to Bangkok in Thailand, if you're going from like a big city like New York, London, LA, etcetera, to like a Chiang Mai or a Pattaya, or even like, um, you know, a Chiang Rai, which is even smaller than Chiang Mai, you're gonna have to understand that the pace of life is slower.
6:57 And I'm really not necessarily in that mode, you know, of retirement at my age. So it is still a bit, I have to be mindful of that, right? I have to be mindful that even though I've got a limited amount of time to be here, I need to get certain things done while I'm here, that everybody else is living their normal day-to-day lives and they're not necessarily in a rush to eat.
7:25 So they can go back and work on something, or they're not having to do like a visa run, right? Where every three months I have to go to immigration services and make sure I'm handling all of the responsibilities in line with that. Not a problem with that, it's just something that does take some time, and I have to be mindful to complete that in an efficient manner.
7:46 And sometimes you do feel like in a rush, right? Like I better get there on time, I better have everything in order for them. I want to make sure I follow all the rules, and that's something that can definitely add to it.
7:57 And I think also, just like, you do feel, I think until you've been here for a long time, you do feel a bit tumultuous, right? Like I imagine I could be here for about a year, but I've got to start planning that exit, right? Like I can't just say, oh well, you know, whatever happens, I'm just going to extend it without having prepared financially and also just like tying up loose ends back in the US.
8:21 So that's where I'm at. I underestimated planning the rest of the trip. So if you're a long-term traveler and you're thinking, I'm going to go to Thailand for like a month and then Vietnam for a month, etcetera, putting all that extra out ahead of time does reduce that sense of ambiguity.
8:37 Where now I'm like, okay, so next summer when my visa is up, then I'll start to be heading toward Vietnam or another country, right? Like Vietnam is high on my list. I still haven't been to Vietnam, but it's really, really close to Thailand. The flight is around 2500 baht.
8:55 So that's around, that's like $70 roughly. Yeah, $70 and 15 cents. So that's a really reasonable price. Vietnam, from what I've heard, has an even lower cost of living than Thailand, which, of course, makes it intriguing as I don't have a role right now and I've got to be mindful of costs and budget.
9:21 Hey, we got a viewer! Good to see you. I thought I'd just do a live stream and share a bit about Chiang Mai and some of the surprises of Chiang Mai.
9:30 But yeah, that's been a surprise. Like, I think I expected to feel more settled. Like when I'm moving in the US, I feel settled pretty quickly because everybody speaks English, I've been to most of the cities in the US, I know my way basically around town, I know some of the general dynamics of being in that specific city. Where here, there's just this huge learning curve of a language barrier and also understanding things like traffic and understanding things like how to handle the rain.
10:00 The rain is definitely more than what I've been accustomed to living in California. And so that's been a lot to learn, right?
10:12 These are not criticisms, by the way, just observations. I'm grateful that Thailand.
10:15 Observations I'm grateful that Thailand has opportunities for people to come and live here for a while. It's certainly a nice break from the grind and from the hustle and bustle. I do wish I had more time here. I know that sounds a little bit strange thinking about a year, but it's just such a pleasant place in so many ways.
10:36 People are really pleasant and friendly. It's easy to, even in spite of the language barrier, kind of do hand motions where you can somewhat communicate with people that way. Typically, they have pictures or perhaps an English version of something like a menu. You can also use a translate app.
10:59 I found the translate app to be super helpful. If you do come here to Thailand, or really this tip applies to anywhere, you'll want to get Google Translate. It can actually translate through the camera, so if you hold the camera up, it will attempt to show you a rough translation of whatever it is that you're looking at in whatever language. Of course, you'll want to know what language you're recording and what language you're trying to get.
11:29 That's certainly something that could be a tip or it can be helpful for you if you are traveling and dealing with a strong language barrier. I think it's a little bit less bad if the language is closer to your home language, but in the case of Thai, English and Thai don't really have much in common as far as a background goes.
11:46 That's something that should be the next surprise. I found Thai to be a little bit more challenging than I would have thought to learn. I'm taking some Thai classes as part of my long-term visa here, and it's really challenging in some ways.
12:03 I mean, today I'm learning about colors, and I've been learning about pen and paper and things like that, basic words. With the tones, it can really be challenging, where English, we assume tone when we speak it, and you can gather things from that. But with Thai, the tone communicates the meaning, and so you're really having to think about that.
12:28 Saying something with a different tone can really switch things up. The language is also very different from English, and you have to be cautious about that when you are trying to say things. With a good teacher, they'll help you to improve your pronunciation and make sure that you're communicating effectively.
12:56 I think getting something even rough out is a good start on trying to understand a language. There is kind of that debate where some people are like, "Oh, you can only use Thai in Thailand." But somebody else made the point, and this is why I'm glad I'm studying Thai: most people like Thailand a lot. There's something that is in Thailand that they like, even if they don't do every single thing that's here. They like the culture.
13:21 For me, that's a big one. I love the culture, I love studying the culture, understanding it. Two, they like the weather. Some people really like hot, warm weather. Some people like the Muay Thai scene. If you want to study Muay Thai, it is of course a Thai martial art, and if you want to be totally wrapped up in that scene, which a lot of people that are into that lifestyle, purely professional athletes, want to be surrounded by that.
13:50 This is a place that you can come here and have that. So there's all these different reasons to come here to Thailand and to spend a long time here. I can imagine even if I don't live here again, I feel like at a couple months, I know I want to stay more than a year. But the timelines are different.
14:06 A year is not the same as committing to here for like five years or ten years or being a lifer. But you have so many different things to come here for. I feel like I'm probably going to come back here again in the future, let's say a couple years from now, three or four years from now, at some point.
14:27 Eventually, I plan to hit financial independence. Especially when I'm financially independent, having investments cover my expenses, this is a great option. I mean, I'm able to live here at a very reasonable price and enjoy a lot of the things that I enjoy back in the US.
14:44 I would say the main drawback is not having friends here, and that really sucks. But you know, aside from that one really big thing, there's a lot that I like about being here. It's just a chill place. The coffee is really good.
14:59 Once you get set up, it is easy to get things done. It does take some time and effort to get set up, getting an apartment, getting phone service, buying whatever little things you need for your apartment that may not come with. Making sure that you've got a rough plan of what you're going to be doing for your time.
15:18 But once you get set up, it's an easy place to be productive. It's a college town, so for those of you who have been to or lived in a college town, you're somewhat familiar with the dynamic. There's a lot of young people here to pursue their education. But it's also a historical capital; it used to be the capital of Thailand, and so it has a lot of history and tradition.
15:38 It's really a unique place, and I totally love it. I think some people, if they're coming here and expecting like a Bangkok or a Pattaya or a Phuket, like a party scene, they're not going to find that to the same extent. It's pretty small here compared to those cities.
15:57 If you're looking to come for like a week or something like that to Thailand or two weeks, you may want to do a day trip up here. I think it's a better city for living as opposed to a city for visiting. And I think that's where I struggled some in Bangkok and then Pattaya is I felt like these are more of like vacation cities.
16:16 More so, I feel that way more so about Pattaya than Bangkok. But like, you don't have to stay here, right? Like if you're coming here for a good time, these are the best places to have a good time. If you're coming here to stay for a while and work on stuff, I think Chiang Mai is a great option.
16:29 They have different strengths and weaknesses, but that's definitely one that you'll want to note about Chiang Mai. Another one, and we talked about cost, I think cost is always on the mind of people coming to Thailand, just because it is a very economical travel destination when you compare it to going to say, like Florida, or you're talking about going to like Hawaii or the Caribbean or the California coast.
16:57 Any of these places that Americans might think of, those are all much more expensive. Now, you have to set aside the cost of the flight, but if you're coming here for a while, you stretch that cost, the flight, out over many months. It's not quite so intimidating, right?
17:12 But when you come here, you'll notice Thailand has some of the lowest inflation rates in the entire world. I've noticed some things have gone up in price a bit, particularly imported goods. Everything imported has gone up, but anything locally produced is really not that much more than it used to be.
17:31 I think that while it is getting more expensive, it's not at the level of a country like the United States or Canada or Australia. It's really very reasonable when I think about what I would pay for basic necessities.
17:48 Well, rent, right? I rented a really tiny apartment in the Bay Area for like $1100 a month US, and it had like shared showers and shared bathrooms, and it was above a pretty noisy establishment. Where here, my rent is $260 a month, so roughly a fourth of that, and I have really nice floors, a nice chair here, a nice bed, it's got a kitchen table, it's got a desk, it's got a balcony.
18:21 And I'm in a really convenient area. I can walk to everything I need to do, which to be fair is the same as my bigger apartment. I was in a really convenient location there as well, but you know, I'm paying roughly a fourth there of what I was paying, and for much more space and a much nicer and newer building, and just a much quieter area.
18:39 It's easy for me to get sleep here. That's one of my favorite parts is I just feel well-rested living here compared to being in the Bay Area. Some of that, to be fair, Chiang Mai is like a million people versus San Francisco being like eight million people in the metro area.
18:59 Another point, and this is going to be kind of an obvious one for a lot of you, I think, but I underestimated how hot it would be. That sounds strange, right? But in the past, I've come to Thailand for a month or two, and you can kind of. This sounds weird and reverse because some people say they get used to it. I found I still haven't totally gotten used to the heat, and it's been kind of surprising to me.
19:20 Because you spend more time outdoors here, I find myself getting hotter a lot more frequently. It's interesting to me because it's like a year-round thing. From especially from like March until October, it's hot. You have to get used to that. Like if you're going to leave your condo or apartment, and you're used to running the air conditioning a lot, you're used to running fans a lot, you're going to notice the heat for sure.
19:45 It's definitely a big change from what I'm used to, where San Francisco is like cool or cold year-round. It's the coldest place in the summer in the United States, and well, really North America. It's the coldest place in North America for like June through July, even like parts of May and August can be pretty chilly in San Francisco. That's different than here, where it is hot.
20:08 I mean, it is really, really hot, and I run the air conditioner a lot. I've already gotten slapped with some really big electric bills. But one of the tips I have for you is to...
20:18 One of the tips I have for you is to find an apartment if you're going to stay here for a while with a government rate for electricity. I was paying much higher than that in Pattaya and paid like two and a half times what I would be paying up here in Chiang Mai for the same amount of consumption at my building. There are certainly some buildings in Chiang Mai that charge a premium rate for electricity; that's part of how to get additional profit. But I found one that's charging government rates, and that's what you should be paying if you're staying here long-term.
20:45 I get it, like, if in short-term accommodation, they need to build that cost into the rental. But if you're staying here for a while, you shouldn't be getting nickel and dimed on the electricity. It's a necessity, right? For those of us who work online, for those of us who have friends and family back home that need to be online for whatever reason, electricity and internet are interconnected. Paying the more normal rate, the government rate, is what you should be looking to do.
21:18 I wouldn't call it a total deal breaker if they're charging more, but if you're staying here long-term, you've got to really consider that as part of your budget.
21:44 Another surprise has been how busy things seem again. When I was here the last time, it was during the pandemic, and Bangkok was empty. Even the city center of Bangkok had very few people toward the end of that stay, especially in March of 2020. I remember walking all over the city and not seeing very many people at all, and I was so confused because I thought, 'Oh, this is how Bangkok always is.'
22:06 Then I came back, and my first month here in Thailand, I was shocked at how busy it is. I was talking to my friends that lived in Bangkok, and they said, 'Oh yeah, this is how Bangkok normally is. You just saw a really special version to some extent.' In that, you could explore the city, and it was really not crowded. There were very few people during the pandemic.
22:28 So yeah, I was just really surprised to see it. It is a city of like 18 million people in the metropolitan area, and more people moved to Bangkok from the rest of the country every year for work because most of the best work opportunities are in the capital. That definitely can give you that feeling of congestion. I found it to be a bit too busy for my preferences.
22:52 I found that it's very crowded, and it can be very noisy because there's a lot of construction and investment taking place. Here in Chiang Mai, it's a lot more chill. I don't hear nearly as much noise, even being under the flight path of the airplanes. There's not nearly as many planes flying right now as there were five years ago, and even then, when I hear them, they're really not that bad.
23:16 So that's really a difference that you'll experience if you come here to Chiang Mai versus Bangkok. Bangkok is definitely a major city; it has all the vibrancy, the nightlife, the different neighborhoods, the different scenes, the markets, all the different transportation options. That's something that's fascinating to me in Bangkok. Like, you have boats and buses, air-conditioned buses, non-air-conditioned buses, shuttles, different size shuttles. I've taken probably like eight or ten different kinds of transportation in Bangkok.
24:03 It just never ceases to shock me where, 'Okay, so how am I gonna get there?' So I'm gonna get on a boat and ride the boat to the end of the line at this pier, and then I'm gonna get off this pier and walk to the BTS station. I'm going to take a BTS up to this other BTS station, then I'm going to get on a bus right up here to this road, get off the bus, get on another, and ride close to my hotel, and then get out of my hotel and walk. It's just really, really wild to have that experience.
24:30 To go to Pattaya, I would take a bus. To go to Bangkok from Pattaya, I would take a 10-baht bus and ride it across Pattaya. Then I'd walk about a kilometer, maybe a kilometer and a half, maybe two kilometers to the bus station. I'd get on the bus, take the bus about two, two and a half hours to Suvarnabhumi Airport. Then I get off the bus at the airport, walk downstairs to the basement, get on the MRT train. I'd take the MRT all the way to Phaya Thai, and then I'd get on a bus if I was going all the way up north. Then I get off that bus, and so like five different modes of transportation to go from Pattaya to where I needed to be to renew my visa. Really, really always a surprise to have that kind of experience.
25:27 Even here in Chiang Mai, you've got motorbikes, you've got tuk-tuks, people ride regular bicycles, you've got taxis, of course. It's a good taxi to get to my condo from the airport. You can walk in some areas, but other parts of the city are just not as pedestrian-friendly. That is perhaps a challenge or a drawback. If you're a big walker, you'll have to really be choosy about where you live. You'll probably want to be around Chiang Mai University or around an Iman or parts of the Old City to really be able to walk around and enjoy the city.
26:07 And yeah, I think that's definitely worth your consideration when it comes to picking a place to live.
26:31 I'm surprised at how much Maya Mall has changed. Maya Mall is here in Chiang Mai, and it's partly the basement. I don't know if any of you have been here to Chiang Mai, but it used to be that the basement had this more old-school style Thai food court, and you had different vendors serving up their unique thing. Now it's gone to like a card system, and they've also gone to more what I would call default options. So it's not quite as interesting as it used to be.
27:01 If that's something you noticed, let me know. I think they swapped to that earlier this year, and that was disappointing because the old style was just super awesome. Same with the fourth floor; it used to have a similar style, and they swapped it to a key card system. I guess it just makes more sense from a business perspective, but it is unfortunate that they did that. They also took a lot of the seats out, so that's something I miss about the old way Maya Mall used to be in the past. But you can't have it stay the same forever, I guess.
27:31 So yeah, definitely something that you'll want to think about. That's more in the style of Bangkok anyway, like all the Bangkok malls, many of the food courts, almost all of them do have that key card system where you pre-load a card, and you use that card to pay for your food.
27:52 Any other surprises? I'm surprised, you know, I can order from Amazon. That's always a surprise for me when I'm abroad. There are certain things that I want to be able to purchase here but can't find very easily. Being able to get those on Amazon is just super convenient, right? You do pay a little bit of value-added tax, and in some cases, you can pay extra for shipping and that sort of thing. But it's nice to have that.
28:14 I would also recommend, if you are here and you need to get something, to look at Shopee or Lazada. Both of those are local options, and they're really effective as far as finding certain things. But if you can't find it on Shopee or Lazada, I'd recommend checking out Amazon. Potentially check out Alibaba. I've never ordered from Alibaba to here in Thailand, but that's definitely something to consider.
28:37 I would say look at more of the small to medium items. I wouldn't necessarily be looking to replace like a laptop or an iPhone or something like that. But if you're looking to buy a t-shirt or some deodorant, then it's worth considering. Always compare the price as well, because some things, like I mentioned, my favorite deodorant is like $20 for a stick, about 700 baht for a stick on Lazada. So I'm going to be taking a look at Amazon to see if they're offering it for less, because I don't want to pay $20 for that, and I like the brand that I like.
29:17 It's certain products you would think they've got to have that, they may not have. Then other products, you'll be surprised that you can have that. Like everywhere I go, I can get Gatorade, I can get Coca-Cola products. You know, what else can I get here? Really, Nike products. Nike is popular here, Adidas is popular here. They do have Apple Stores here. The main reason I say have caution about purchasing is I don't know how warranties work. I don't know if you buy it here and then go back home, your warranty may not apply. But for the small things, yeah, go for it.
30:01 Yeah, definitely throw some comments in the chat if there's a question you had or thoughts you had on Thailand. Always happy to answer and help.
30:30 I think another thing I'm surprised about is the gyms. The gyms are just pretty nice here. It's not perfect, but I think for the value that you get, it's just really, really good to be able to go and work out there. The thing that I think is interesting at my gym is they actually will serve you a protein shake for like 70 baht, about two dollars. You can also have personal training services there.
30:52 I like it a lot because of the variety of equipment they have, and it rarely seems to get crowded. If I mix up my times, I'm finding more and more what is and isn't crowded. You can definitely go at certain times.
31:05 You can definitely go at certain off-peak hours and have a little bit more space to yourself, but even during peak hours, people seem pretty respectful and they're willing to let you use the equipment for however long you need. Then they'll swap in after you need a break or you're wanting to move on to your next exercise. I like that they have a space to do yoga and stretch out because I find that as I get older, stretching really helps a lot with my flexibility and feeling good. It's a nice way to cool off from a workout as well.
32:00 I've been surprised at the late-night vibe. I think that's something that's different than the US, especially in San Francisco. Toward the end of my time there, it began to become a little more dangerous feeling, especially at night. Sometimes you see some unsavory characters running around the city. A lot of people in the Bay Area work a lot because it's expensive, so you have to produce a lot. At night, there wasn't really tons going on. There were some bars and concerts, but a lot of that stuff seemed to wrap up by midnight.
32:30 Here, even in Chiang Mai, there are options to go get food at one o'clock in the morning. There are people out walking around and riding motorbikes. It's not quite as lively as a busy part of Sukhumvit in Bangkok or Pattaya, where there are plenty of 24-hour businesses. But even up here, there's still a decent amount going on. You can always go to a 7-Eleven late at night.
32:56 It's interesting that the 7-Elevens here are 24/7. If you can't sleep, and I found I couldn't because of the heat, I Googled it. I was like, 'Why am I having insomnia?' They explained that a lot of people who aren't used to the extreme heat in Thailand struggle to sleep. That can keep them up until really late at night. Exercise can help a lot of them.
33:19 As soon as I got back to my workout routine, that definitely helped me have more normal sleeping schedule. But even that being said, I am awake until like 2 AM and I get up around 10 AM. That's not ideal, especially when I go back to the West. Of course, the weather will go back to more of what I'm used to, but I'll want to be going to bed by like 11:30 PM or midnight and getting up at 7:30 or 8 AM to start my day.
33:53 That's something to think about if you are coming to stay here for a while: the heat. Especially if you have a situation where your aircon is broken or, for whatever reason, you're not able to sleep. Exercise can definitely help you feel a bit more rested and able to sleep.
34:27 It's been a little bit surprising, but a motorbike does make things more convenient here. I've talked a lot about the dangers of riding a motorbike, but it can be disappointing sometimes when you really want to go explore but aren't willing to take the risk of getting hurt. A lot of foreigners run into issues with motorbikes, and I don't want to run into issues, so I choose to operate without one.
34:59 It definitely sometimes feels like it comes to your detriment, but I'm always on the side of caution, especially in a place that I'm just not as familiar with as back home. I think I'm going to wind this stream down. Definitely throw questions, thoughts, or comments down below. I think I'm ready to go get some dinner; it's getting close to 5:30 PM here. Thanks so much for watching; I always appreciate everyone watching and giving thumbs up. I look forward to seeing you soon. I'll be trying to throw a video together sometime next week; it's just been kind of hectic schedule-wise. Thanks so much, and I'll talk to you all soon.
Follow the journey through expat life, travel experiences, and the realities of living abroad while exploring different places, cultures, and everyday life overseas.
