Welcome to Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai,
where the festivals light up the sky,
the lovely temples will bring a tear to your eye,
and the friendly people love to say hi.
So shouldn't you come to Chiang Mai?
Well that's the question we're going to answer in this video.
Whether you're thinking about coming for a short visit or maybe even living here long term,
we're going to tell you all of the great features of this city but also
just a few things that we thought missed the mark,
all to help you decide whether or not Chiang Mai is the right destination for you.
My name is Ryan my wife Emily and I are the Snail Travelers.
It seems like there is always a festival or special event going on in Chiang Mai,
and probably the best festival here if not one of the best in
the entire world is the Yi Peng Festival.
In fact let me suggest to you that you intentionally try to be here
in Chiang Mai when this festival is going on usually in November.
I promise you this is a festival that you will never forget for the rest of your life,
and as you've been seeing in these video clips it's the
lanterns that make this festival so spectacular.
Then you've got the Loy Krathong or floating basket Festival this
Festival lasts for three days in Chiang Mai
and is usually also sometime in November.
The festival involves making a small basket with
candles and then releasing the basket into the river
and watching it float away.
There are also all kinds of music festivals that you can enjoy in Chiang Mai.
We went to a Jazz and Blues Festival on our most recent trip to Chiang Mai.
You just listen to the music here and tell me it's not fabulous,
just for a few seconds because I don't want to get a YouTube copyright violation.
We've also been to a few food festivals going on at various times here in Chiang Mai.
And really there are so many more celebrations and special events happening here all the time,
and we give a thumbs up to all of the festivals we have attended here.
Okay, khao soi, this is by far my favorite Thai food,
and you can't get it everywhere in Thailand it's mostly just available
up here in the north and in The Chiang Mai area.
It's got two kinds of egg noodles the regular boiled ones kind of like pasta,
but then you've got those fried crispy ones sprinkled on top.
This is all in a delicious fabulous heavenly curry sauce.
A little spicy and I don't normally like spicy food, this is one tasty exception.
And if you get this which you absolutely must be sure it has the coriander or cilantro topping
because that just adds to the deep and marvelous mix of flavors.
Again if I could only eat one Thai dish before I die,
khao soi would be my number one choice and it gets a thumbs up.
Okay let's say you want to come retire in Chiang
Mai but you're nervous about having to make new friends.
Well don't be nervous.
The expats here organize a breakfast that is the perfect way to get connected with the community.
When you come to this breakfast as a newcomer they will ask you a few questions about yourself
and then match you up with a long time expat
and bam look at that, you've already made a new friend.
And this new friend will introduce you to others
and before you know it you are part of the community..
Oh yeah and the food at the breakfast is really good too.
Okay you can probably guess that this will be our first thumbs down in the video.
The air quality is especially bad when many of the fields out in the farmland are being burnt
and there is no rain to wash away the smoke that time of year.
If at all possible avoid visiting in January through March.
Even some of the longtime residents pack up and leave this time of year
I've spent about six months of my life in Chiang Mai now on three different trips,
and the Old Town never fails to impress me.
When I say the old town I'm referring to the area inside the moat.
See that square on the map? That's it.
First of all the moat itself is nice to visit too.
You can get some scenic photographs there
and some areas around the moat still have the old
city walls and gates that were once used to protect the city.
Now once you get inside into the old city that's where you'll want to start wandering around
just looking at the old houses and historic buildings.
And please turn off your Google Maps I dare you turn off your Google Maps.
Just wander aimlessly through the alleys that's where you'll find the hidden gems
including the numerous and beautiful temple complexes.
You'll see people going about their daily lives maybe even monks shopping at 7-Eleven, who knows?
In Chiang Mai you can join all sorts of clubs and groups with
people that share common interests with you.
You can join most of these groups whether you're
living here long term or even if you're just here for a short period of time.
These pictures you're seeing are from a sewing group that
Emily joined the last time we were here.
Then we left and came back three years later and they were just as welcoming this time around.
There are also theater groups; we saw a play performed by this group.
There are hiking groups, pickleball groups, book clubs, clubs for kids, clubs for teachers,
just name the club and you will find it here.
A big reason you might be considering coming to
Chiang Mai is because of the cost of living right? I can read your mind.
Prices here are very reasonable.
Expect to pay around US$400-$500 to rent a small one-bedroom apartment on a one-year lease,
a few hundred more for a month in an Airbnb.
Most of the modern apartments here at that price include a pool, gym and security.
The price of meals is going to depend on the type of food you get.
Expect around US$2 or less for Thai food.
For Western food you're looking at maybe $8-$10 for a meal,
quite a difference compared to the cost of Thai food.
Overall based on our personal lifestyle we think the two of us could live comfortably in Chiang Mai
in the US$1100-$1300 range per month for both of us,
not including health care or trips back to the US to visit family.
Not only is it inexpensive but we feel like we get a high quality of life for that inexpensive price.
And if you're on a really tight budget consider Chiang Rai as an alternative to Chiang Mai.
It's just a few hours away, it's a little more affordable,
and it's becoming more and more popular with tourists and expats alike.
Oh Chiang Mai what happened to your bus system?
When we were here in 2019 there was a fabulous bus system.
There were several different routes, it was very affordable and the schedules were convenient.
Unfortunately the buses were not running on our recent visit.
You can still get around by songthaew which are the red trucks that you see in Chiang Mai.
And you never have to worry about finding one because they are everywhere.
Just wave one down they will stop and you can ask where they are going and negotiate the price.
Sometimes you will ride in the back of the truck
by yourself and sometimes you'll share the ride with other people.
There are also motorcycle tuk-tuk taxis to get around,
and of course there are the ride sharing apps you can use like Grab, Bolt, and In Driver.
But Chiang Mai maybe you'll bring back the buses in the future please?
Are you ready for a break from the city?
Well if you are head up into the mountains surrounding Chiang Mai
and specifically to Doi Ithanon National Park.
And bring a jacket with you here,
it's noticeably cooler up here and a great way to escape some of the heat in Chiang Mai.
There are several hiking trails in the area both for short walks or for longer hikes.
There are some magnificent pagodas to honor the king and the queen of Thailand,
and these pagodas are surrounded by beautiful gardens.
And go to some of the waterfalls too.
I visited this waterfall on my first visit to Chiang Mai
way back in 1995 and guess what it's still there!
This park is about two hours outside of Chiang Mai
and you'll have no trouble finding a tour
or a song dial driver to take you out to the national park.
We saw and used these drinking water machines that you see here.
They are located in apartment lobbies, on city streets, and all over really.
It only costs 3 Baht or less than 10 US cents to refill a big 6 liter jug of water.
This saves money, this saves wasting plastic,
and I wish they had these machines everywhere we travel don't you agree?
So there you have it. Those are all the things we like and don't like about Chiang Mai.
Overall we think it's a fantastic place to come visit and even live here long term.
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Thanks for traveling with us.