Peaceful & Simple Life in Thailand | Burning Season | Is It Worth It?

Peaceful & Simple Life in Thailand | Burning Season | Is It Worth It?

Hey everyone, this is Suzy, thank you for joining me today. And I hope you’re having a wonderful day. If you’ve been following my channel, you know that I like to share topics on slow living and minimalism and most of my videos.

And today’s topic is not that much different from my usual except I will be sharing some tidbits on where we live, what we do around here, and some challenges that come our way and how we deal with them.

So if you’re curious about traveling here one day to maybe check out the nature that’s a feature in some of my videos, or you’re planning on moving here in the near future, or soon, then this video may be interesting for you. So Thailand is geographically diverse.

You have the beaches in the south, and then the mountains in the north. So we live in the northern region of the country, and Chiang Mai Province, which is also known as the rose of the north. So if you’re on the plane, and you’re flying over Chiang Mai province, you will see how

Lush it is from above. So there are ricefields, forests, national parks, and it’s just so green all over. Chiang Mai province is also home to the biggest city in northern Thailand, which is the same name Chiang Mai city, but it does not quite look like the typical image of a bustling city.

So there are no tall skyscrapers, no massive malls, and not really a lot of urban landscapes. Instead, it’s more like a sprawling village. And there’s more of the traditional Lanna architecture and buildings. There are lots of Buddhist temples in nearly every alleyway.

There’s quaint local villages, nearby national parks and rice fields, and hundreds of cafes with interesting concepts or themes. While it still gets busy with the tourists coming in, and of course, the residents living here, I still think it’s quite an interesting city to explore.

So the rent here is cheaper compared to the west. But it is somewhat similar compared to the surrounding Southeast Asian countries. There are also different housing options available such as condos, or serviced apartments, or houses in a gated community or houses, not in a gated community.

And the cost varies depending on where you live, you know, the location, the type of residents it is, and a few other factors. But I can definitely say that it is easy to find a place to stay for as low as 300 US dollars a month.

And of course, you can go lower than that, you know, depending on whether you’re staying there alone, or with a partner or with your family. So as far as we’ve been living outside of the city center since we got here in 2018. So our neighborhood is a mix of Thai and foreigners.

And it’s not a gated community. So it’s easy to find a house as low as 300 or 350 dollars a month. In our case, we are renting a two bedroom, two bathroom house with a yard. And included in our rent is free maintenance of the lawn, which is weed cutting and sweeping

Twice a month. For us there’s a lot of advantages to living in this part of the city or outside of the city. Because we are closer to the countryside. You know, in fact, a few steps from our house is a view of the rice fields, and just about

A 15 minute ride and there’s the National Park. So that’s a nice book I could say about living here. But the downside to living in this part of the city is that there’s no easy access to public transportation.

That is why it is helpful if you have your own vehicle, whether it’s a motorcycle or a car, so you can easily get around town. But there are also ride sharing options available if need be. If you don’t have your own vehicle and you’re willing to pay slightly more to go from your

House to the city or anywhere Before we settled here, we stayed in the city center for a month while we were scouting for our new home. And we did find a few condos that were okay for living short term, but we just couldn’t see ourselves staying in that part of town long term.

But I do understand why some people prefer to live in the city because of the convenience to go from your condo, to a cafe or a restaurant or a shop. That’s just a short walk or a short ride away, which I think is both a blessing and a curse,

Especially if you’re trying to stick to a lower budget, because it does get quite tempting to eat out a lot because of the, you know, so many options for restaurants and cafes in the city. So not to get into too much detail. The condos we stay at are pretty affordable.

Plus there’s a free use of amenities if you’re renting there. So there’s the pool, there’s the gym, and there’s also the sauna. And one of the condos we stay that was only a 10 minute walk to one of the largest supermarkets in the city, if that matters to you.

But then there’s also the downside, which is, you know, in the city, there’s more traffic. And there’s also the city pollution outside of the seasonal smog in this part of the country. And also it’s not close to the countryside, if that is something that is important to us.

So Dave, and I enjoy doing slow and simple activities. So during the weekends, we go to a few cafes in town. And just like with vegan restaurants, there are hundreds and hundreds of cafes around here. So you’ll never run out of a new cafe to explore.

And what we like to do there, since we’re not really coffee connoisseurs, we just like to sit down, slow down and you know, savor our drink. And just enjoy, you know, the beautiful ambiance, the nature all around, because many cafes

Do have specific themes, and many of them are also situated close to, you know, beautiful nature. And that’s something that we really appreciate about being here. I included a link below to my 34 page guide to living in Chiang Mai, which also includes

Some of my favorite cafes and vegan restaurants in town, and activities that we like to do, if that’s something that interests you. Another thing that we like to do around here aside from going to cafes, and walking around

Our neighborhood, is to ride our motorcycle and explore new roads or go to our favorite routes. The thing about riding a motorcycle however, is that it’s not as comfortable as when you’re riding or driving your car.

But it has led us to some of our favorite walks and hikes and viewpoints in and around the city and the province. But the thing about riding your motorcycle or driving your car here is that you need to have an international driver’s permit, or you can apply for a Thai driver’s license.

Because specially in the city there are many checkpoint areas where you can get pulled over by cops and they check for your license or your permit. So that’s important to have. And if you are driving a motorcycle, it’s very, very important to wear your helmet because you know just to stay safe.

We have witnessed a few horrible accidents on the road involving motorcycles and cars. So it’s important to just be proactive and stay on the safe side when you’re driving your vehicle here. Now if you’re the type of person who likes to attend workshops, or you know do some arts

And crafts, there’s also lots to choose from in here in Chiang Mai, for example, there’s weaving classes, there is pottery, there’s painting, there’s natural tie dyeing, and just so many workshops for us we have done the silversmithing workshop when we were in town when we made our wedding rings.

And we also did pottery a few years back now if you’re into the spiritual workshops, there’s also plenty to choose from. So there’s yoga, meditation, Qigong, tai chi, plant medicine and just so many and Many of them are happening on a weekly and sometimes daily basis.

So, you know, that’s something to explore if those are your interests. And then if he likes sports, there’s different sports clubs or groups that meet up, where you know, you play pickleball, or this golf, or soccer, badminton, and just so many.

So I mentioned in the beginning of my video that I will also touch on some of the challenges that we deal with here, especially in a couple of months when things get a little bit unpleasant around here. So I’m pertaining to the smoky season that we call it, or the burning season.

And it usually happens beginning of March, sometimes late February. And it goes on up to around May or June, depending on when the rainy season starts. I created a video about 11 months ago talking about that topic.

So you can also reference to that, because I explained a little bit more in detail, what the breeding season is all about and how to cope with it. And the thing is that it’s not just in Chiang Mai province, you know, it affects the whole

Northern Thailand and even some parts of central Thailand. And you know, the surrounding countries in Southeast Asia. So what can you expect during the Burning season in this part of the country? Well, first of all, this guy is not blue at all, and it’s gray.

And you know, the moment you step out of your house, you can smell it right away. So it’s definitely not ideal to go out without your mask. So I’m filming this video now in January 13th.

And right now, the sky is still blue, you know, I, I take a deep breath, and I don’t smell smoke. And so that’s still good. And I’m sure you know, coming into February, it’s going to be slowly getting worse. But right now is a good time to be outdoors.

We also like it that the temperature is so quiet cooler, you know, and it’s just pleasant overall. So the way we deal with the smoky season, you know, living here, basically, permanently, is that we stay indoors most of the time. And then when we go outdoors, we choose places that have air purifiers.

And of course, we wear our mask, you know, since we are on our motorcycle, and then we go to indoor cafe’s instead of set out, you know, outside, many national parks are already closed during those months because of the forest fires. So overall, we still love living around here.

When we weigh the pros and the cons, you know, the good still outweighs the bad. So that is what’s important for us. And some people may not agree. And you know, they have their own preference, and that’s okay each to their own.

But I honestly believe that there is no such thing as paradise. Even if one place seems flawless, it can never be perfect, there will always be something not so pleasant about it. And that’s just how it is.

So I think at the end of the day, it all depends on where you find happiness, where you feel at peace. And another huge component is if you can afford it, because even if you like a particular

Place, but the cost is way over your budget, then that can be stressful and that doesn’t make for a fun, you know experience living in that place no matter how beautiful it may be. So that’s it for this video. Thank you for watching. I hope my video today added some value to you.

And if you have questions, please let me know in the comments down below. I love responding, you know reading your comments. So just drop it all in down below. And I also wanted to add that I created a 34 page guide to living in Chiang Mai if that’s

Something that interests you, I put the link down below as well. So wishing you a wonderful day or night, wherever you may be. And I hope to see you again next time.

I like to talk about slow and simple life in my channel.
And today’s video is not any different – I’ll share our simple life in Thailand and some challenges we deal around here.

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:53 Diversity of Thailand
02:25 Where to live
04:57 Life in the city
06:37 Slow activities
07:47 Exploring
09:09 Workshops & Communities
10:23 Dealing with problems

A Simple Life In Thailand

Today’s topic is not that much different except I’ll share some tidbits on where we live, what it’s like around here, and how we deal with some challenges that come our way, especially in a couple of months when things get a bit unpleasant around here in terms of the seasonal, large-scale smog.

So if you’re curious about traveling here one day to maybe check out the nature I feature in many of my videos, or if you plan on pursuing a life in this part of the world, you might find this video interesting.

A simple life in the city

Thailand is geographically diverse, with beaches in the south and mountains in the north. We live in the northern region of the country, in Chiang Mai province, also known as the Rose of the North. From above, it looks so lush with ricefields, forests, and rich natural landscapes.

Choosing where to live

The rental cost here is lower than in the West but pretty much similar to its neighboring countries. Housing options vary from condo units to serviced apartments, houses in gated communities, and those in local villages.

We live closer to the countryside, which is what we like. Although the downside is not having easy access to public transport as when you’re in the city center. So we invested in our own vehicle and there’s also ride sharing options if need be.

Our city life before moving to our home

Before we settled here, we stayed for a month in the city while scouting for a home in the countryside.

While it’s not our preference long term, it’s convenient to be just a short walk or ride to cafes, restaurants and shops… which can both be a blessing and a curse.

Convenient as it may be, city living also comes with more traffic, not close to the countryside and there’s city pollution even outside of the smoky season (more on that in a bit), so that’s something to think about.

Slow and simple activities

On weekends, we enjoy going to some cafes and there are so many around here, you’ll never run out of a cafe to visit. We’re not coffee connoisseurs but we simply enjoy slowing down, savoring our drink and soaking in the beautiful ambience at some of our favorite cafes in town

Exploring

Motorcycle trips are another one of our favorite activities here as Thailand has good roads overall.

It may not be as comfortable as driving a car but our motorcycle rides led us to some of the most amazing hikes, trails and viewpoints in and around the province.

You would need an international driver’s permit or get a Thai drivers license to drive here. In the city, there are a few checkpoint areas where cops pull you over to check your license. If you don’t have any, you need to pay a fine.

Also, if on a motorcycle, be sure to wear your helmet. I’ve witnessed a few horrible road accidents here so it’s best to stay proactive at all times.

Workshops

What I like about living in Chiang Mai is there’s never a shortage of activities to do. If you’re into arts and crafts, there’s weaving classes, pottery, kintsugi, painting, silversmithing, cooking classes, natural tie dyeing and many of these are daily or weekly workshops.

If you like yoga, qi Cong, Tai chi, plant medicine, meditation, spiritual retreats and the like, there’s plenty here too.

Or if you like sports, there are groups you can join for pickleball, disc golf, badminton, soccer, kayaking, or if you like to do play mini golf, that’s an option too

Dealing with problems

Our life in chiang Mai is generally good – we have friends here, we love the nature, cafes, hikes, the people, and we feel safe and content here. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any problems once in a while.

After living here for 5 years, we have found a way to make it more bearable by either leaving the country during peak smoky season from March to April, or we just stay indoors with an air purifier running 24/7.

Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed this video. Let me know what you think of today’s topic and as I mentioned, I created a 34-page pdf with pictures, links, and information relevant to those looking to visit or live in Chiang Mai Thailand. Check it out in the link below if you’re interested.