COSTS OF LIVING IN CHIANG MAI

Hint:  It's damn cheap!! ...and awesome!

I've been asked by several of my friends what it's like to live in Chiang Mai as well as what the costs of living are so I'd love to share my experiences with you as well since I find myself answering these questions more and more these days.  Often it's a friend that I've met somewhere along my travels reaching out to me for some advice.  For some, they say that they've quit their dead-end job to pursue their passion more seriously and others are planning on being teachers here in SE Asia.  They hear that Chiang Mai is a great place to get their TEFL/CELTA certification and would like to work here afterwards, or it's just a good and cheap place to live where one can continue their Internet job or just to have a home base while they travel around SE Asia.  So of course, many questions follow after that of what's it like, where should they look, how much is an apartment, how are they going to get around, etc.  Keep in mind that my recommendations are based solely on the fact that I'm a single woman who prefers to live alone, eat out, and generally live on the cheaper (but not cheapest) - not for a family of four or someone who makes a lot more money than I do.  I live off of less than $1,000 a month with the ability to save money too.  As of the date that I'm writing this, $1 American is about 30 baht, so have fun with your conversions!  …Now let's get to it!!

// WHAT'S IT LIKE? //

What's it like to live here?  Well, it's awesome.  Chiang Mai is the perfect combination of a small city with big city amenities - malls, movie theaters, large chain stores for supplies and western brands, wifi everywhere, a big live music scene, great restaurants, fantastic festivals, a big expat scene, and night life living right next to rural life about 15 minutes in any direction, mountains hovering over the city, hill tribes, mountain trekking, jungles, farms, rivers, most buildings under 5 stories, almost no chain restaurants/fast food, and a relaxed attitude on life.  The weather is generally lovely with approximately three seasons - hot (and humid) as hell, wet, and nice and cool with temps between 60-97 degrees Fahrenheit.  It's basically a little paradise.  

// START UP COSTS //

There's start up costs no matter where you go and luckily here, they're generally pretty cheap.  You're looking at a deposit for a place to rent, appliances/miscellaneous stuff, and a motorbike (buy or rent - more on that later).  All of these things can vary greatly, but I'll give you an example of what I ended up paying for all these things for a realistic picture.

// A PLACE TO LIVE //

Low 5,000 baht/month.  Low deposit 12,000 baht, plan on 15,000+

Like any city, prices of dwellings vary from neighborhood to neighborhood.  Here, the more expensive places to live are in the old city (inside the moat) and the Neimenhaemin areas.  Furnished studio apartments can start around 4,500 baht per month within town, though average is closer 5,000 on up.  I pay 5,200 baht for my place in the heart of Neimenhaemin plus utilities and wifi (approx. 500-1200 baht/month for utilities and 600 baht/month for wifi).  

Many people opt to live with roommates in 3-4 bedroom townhouses which can vary as well.  A townhouse around Neimen can go for about 18-20,000 baht per month.  Can you find one for less in a different neighborhood?  Yes, you can.

Another thing to look out for, many places will ask for a 6-12 month lease and they give you a better deal the longer you stay over 6 months.  There are several places that do month to month as well which is great for people who aren't sure how long they're planning on staying here or need some flexibility.  For a deposit, plan on 2-3 months of rent up front.

Can you find better deals around town?  Yes, absolutely.  It doesn't hurt to talk to people who have been living here a while to see if they've heard of anything available as places are often passed down from one traveler to another for pretty much the same exact rent as the previous renter.  I've got a friend renting a great place in the old city for about 5,000 baht per month with utilities included and she lives in a nice little studio above a garage with a big balcony area!  How did she hear about it?  From a friend of hers that was moving away.  When she leaves, I want to get in there next!!  The deals are there but they're easier to find once you're here.  I always recommend staying in a guest house for a few weeks while you get your bearings and get to know the different parts of the city, where you ultimately need to be near, and where you want to be.  I chose Neimen because it has several bars and restaurants within a short walking distance, if I have several drinks, I'm close enough to walk home or take a tuk-tuk for cheap, there's two 7-11's and a small Tesco Lotus market nearby, as well as shops, a good little night scene, it's central, and close to the Super Highway making pretty much all of Chiang Mai easily accessible.  

// APPLIANCES / LINENS //

Depends on several factors

It may seem strange that I would write about the miscellaneous costs like appliances and linens.  But the thing is, is that they often are not included in furnished apartments and are definitely a factor financially as many things are not the same costs here as they would be back home.  So this section includes what some of those slightly more expensive miscellaneous costs could be.

Something to consider when selecting a place to live, is that many apartments and studios do not come with a "kitchen" as we are accustomed to in the west with stove, oven, microwave, sink, etc..  My studio did not come with one and most smaller, cheaper apartments don't come with one.  Many Thai people sort of "build" a kitchen on their balconies that include a gas cooking stove along with a sink, that's very normal.  I have a single gas cooking stove that looks a bit like a camping stove that I bought for 300 baht.  That along with a little shelf/table to put it on and I called it a day with my "kitchen".  Sure, it'd be nice to have a microwave (but does a person really need one??  No.) and a toaster oven, even a blender.  And you can buy all those things if you really need to, but I found that I don't need those things.  To build out a kitchen with cheaper appliances (double burner stove, toaster oven, blender) you're looking around  3,500 baht+.  Another note, several places have all the appliances in them too, but you're gonna pay for it one way or another.  Thing is, it's so damn cheap to eat out here and so many foods are ready-made or very fast to make, many people don't cook at home.  So, it's entirely up to you how much you want to spend on cooking equipment.

Linens and such... it's typical that things like sheets and towels aren't provided, but odd thing is, is that decent sheets are quite expensive here.  You'd think that with as cheap as everything is here in Thailand including clothing and even fabric, sheets are not. Most out there are this crappy, itchy, uncomfortable polyester usually with some sort of colorful cartoon on them.  I definitely don't do cartoon or polyester sheets for a place I'm going to live in and I definitely don't do anything but good quality cotton sheets.  So, I splurged on buying a half decent set (fitted sheet and two pillow cases only) of cotton sateen of which I got on sale for 1,700 baht.  But when you go shopping, don't be surprised to find that the costs of nice sheet sets can go up to 9,000 baht.  Yes, $270.  One last thing… most beds in Asia are quite uncomfortable - the ground is softer then many of the beds here.  So, buying a pillow top for your bed is sort of essential if you want to save your back and actually get a good night's rest.  For decent ones, plan on spending 2,500 baht on up.  

Of course there are a million other little things that one has to get for their place to settle in, but whatever it is, it's cheap here and inconsequential for me to talk about.

// FOOD //  

Low 180 baht/day, Mid 400 baht/day, High - sky's the limit!

On that note, food budgets can vary greatly.  Since my income is on the lower side compared to what many Westerners make here, I tend to eat cheap, but I eat cheap and well.  If you need to keep your finances on the more conservative side, you can be like my friend and eat for about 100 baht a day.  She eats breakfast and lunch provided by her school, then has a larger dinner for 100 baht.  Most of my meals can be anywhere from 35 baht for a large bowl of soup with protein, to 100 baht for two salads and a small entree at the local Burmese place and I'm eating like a total boss there.  So I'd average out my daily meals (light breakfast, lunch, and dinner) to 220 baht per day.  Sure, some days are quite a bit more especially when I eat Western food.  With Western food, plan on each dish being about 80 baht for a small sandwich to 250+ baht for an entree, depending on what you're eating and to be honest, how much cheese is on it as that's pretty much the most expensive food item here, along with Australian or American beef.

// DRINKS //

I'm not going to give you a budget on this as it varies too greatly from person to person, but plan on domestic Thai beers running around 40 baht for smalls, 75 baht for large, imported beers around 200 baht, cocktails around 90 baht, and a glass of house (boxed) wine for about 90 baht.  Obviously, drink prices can be a lot more expensive than that, but this can get you started on your booze budget.    

// TRANSPORTATION //

Motorbike rental 2,500 baht/month or buy for 10,000-25,000 baht

There's four ways to get around here, songteaw (a covered red truck that is basically a public bus/taxi), bicycle, motorbike, and car (well, of course your two legs too but that's free).  

First up:  Songteaw's can take you pretty much any where in town for about 20 baht a ride.  Good and cheap, BUT there are some drawbacks.  1. Along the way, the truck will continue to pick other passengers up, sometimes making your ride a lot longer than you were hoping.  2. Often, you end up choking on exhaust fumes from either your songteaw or other vehicles around you.  3. You may have to wait for a few different songteaws to find one that is willing to go in the direction you're headed.  4. It gets stuck in traffic like all the other cars.  However, should you be in a real rush, you can buy out the songteaw from 150 baht on to take you directly to your destination without picking anyone up.

Second:  Bicycles are a fun way to travel and get exercise too.  They can be rented for 50 baht/day or you can purchase a used one for as little as 1,000 baht like I did.  Thing is, when it's the hot and humid summer here, the last thing you'll want to do is do any sort of physical activity that will make you hotter than it already is.  However, if you're willing to deal with it, it's a great low cost way to get around.

Motorbikes in my opinion are the way to get around and that's what most people drive here.  They're quick, they fit in-between small spaces like between cars that are sitting in traffic and you just zip right by them, you can drive them on the sidewalk (bypassing yet again, those pesky cars and buses that are blocking up the entire street), you can do turns that cars can't, you can park pretty much anywhere you want, you can drive the wrong way down the road and no one bats an eye as that's perfectly normal here, they're cheap and pretty much everyone can afford to either rent or buy them.  While technically, you should have an International Drivers license or a Thai driving license, you don't totally need one.  Only time you need it is the off-occasion when you get pulled over by the police because you're not wearing your helmet or some other ridiculous reason when they need to make some cash - most often, local farangs ignore them and keep driving by, and no, the police don't come after you.  Though if you're caught without a license, the fine is pretty small, I'll guess around 400 baht. 

Now for the downsides to motorbikes: you are exposed to all of the weather both cold, hot, or rainy, if you get in an accident, you're gonna get kinda fucked up (the least being some bruises and a bit of road rash, the worse being well, broken limbs or death), you're gonna end up sucking all the crappy exhaust that comes out the cars and buses that are never maintained for smog pollution, and you are the lower end of the totem pole when it comes to who rules the road.  The bigger the vehicle, the more right to the road they have - though there is the unwritten rule of power in numbers.  Pedestrians, you're generally not even a consideration so keep your eyes open even when you're on the sidewalk.  The other expense you have to consider is gas and basic maintenance.  Gas obviously depends on how much driving you do.  To fill up your tank is about 100 baht.  When I worked about 15km away from home, I spent about 300 baht a week with my motorbike that isn't fuel efficient.  Now that I work closer, I spend about 150 baht a week. 

Cars, I have no experiences with cars here as I simply cannot afford one and even if I could, I likely wouldn't have one as it's impossible to park them any where and any commute is significantly longer than a motorbike.  So, no helpful advice in this department.

// CELL PHONES // 

Low around 500 baht/month

Most people have either an unlocked smart phone or a regular ol' phone that can only do basic texting and calls.  Smart phones are the same prices if not more expensive here than back home, but basic phones can be around 1,500 baht or so.  SIM cards are either free or super cheap.  Phone plans are also super cheap.  You can choose to have a plan that is deducted monthly or top up at 7-11 or other top up machines around town with just about whatever amount you want on there.  A decent smartphone plan for a month is about 500 baht.  If you top up, you can spend less, but essentially you're paying per call (1 baht/min with True), per text (3 baht/ea), or data usage (no idea how much).  Plan on spending 500 baht per month on the safe side if you don't use your cell data too often and use free wifi around town.

// IMMIGRATION & VISAS //

Depends on your visa

Ok, we're all here for different reasons and are on different visas.  I can only speak from experience of being on an educational (ED) visa.  I take Thai language classes twice a week for two hours a day and it not only allows me to learn the Thai language but also about the culture - plus, you're able to obtain a 1-year visa.  The costs of the courses vary slightly from school to school but mine was about 26,000 baht.

The other costs that people don't always talk about are the visa runs and the residency check-ins with immigration.  The average visa run to Vientiane from Chiang Mai can be about $200 with buses, different visas, to get in and out of Laos, the actual ED visa costs, a place to stay, food, etc.  Plan on 3-days to do a visa run.  Immigration check-ins are 1,900 baht every other month.

If you're just chilling out here in Chiang Mai and don't want to do language courses, you can opt to do border runs every 30-days.  It takes the better part of the day to take a bus there and back along with the typical BS that you have to deal with but it is significantly cheaper and faster than going to Vientiane.  However, it can be a pain in the ass to do this every month.

// MOVING AWAY //

My friend Daytona brought up an interesting fact, if you absolutely must move away from this little paradise, you can sell most of your stuff online through various Facebook groups for nearly the same or just a little less than you originally bought it for.  Things like motorbikes, linens, yoga mats, dishes, etc.  Usable goods in good condition tend to hold their resale value.  I've personally sold a few items on Facebook group like 'Secondhand Chiang Mai', 'Chiang Mai Buy, Sell, Swap', and such and it was rather easy.  Post a picture, how much it is, and any other instructions and it pretty much goes from there.  

// WRAPPIN' IT UP //

So now that you know your general costs, you can make a more educated decision as to whether you'd like to live here in Chiang Mai.  This city has one of the highest number of expats for a number of reasons - low costs of living, quality of life, natural beauty, good culture, a high turnover in teaching jobs, several beautiful places to travel to in northern Thailand, and the Thai people are  so lovely.  There really isn't anything that's missing here if you're looking for the near perfect place to live in SE Asia.  

If you have any questions, feel free to email me and I'd be happy to help!

VILLAGE LIFE

Ladies grooming each other

Early evening traffic along the only paved road in town

Kiew, my mom's dog.  Kiew means 'green' in Thai

People are often covered in powder to keep their skin dry from sweating all day long

On the right: think of it like an ice cream truck, but instead has meats, treats, produce, drinks, etc.

Where the rain water is captured and stored

I enjoy going to my mom's village outside of Korat on the eastern side of Thailand, also known as Issan.  It isn't visited much by tourists so a lot of their culture has remained intact and the rural areas have remained very rural unlike many parts of Thailand.  Besides spending time with my family, my time there also puts a lot of things into perspective for me.  Perhaps it's the life that never was and could have been, that I really do need more city and less country (frankly, the gecko shit that falls from the rafters and onto my bed when I'm in it gets old), that all mosquitos in the entire province are only attracted to me, I've never wanted to kill an animal before besides all the damn roosters that wake people (scratch that, just ME!) up at 3:30am (no, not sunrise - 3:30 in the f'n morning), that gambling is definitely not in my blood (entertainment in the village consists of sleeping, watching cock fights or playing cards and gambling), I am considered very rich (by rural Thai standards I guess it would be true, though by Western I'm definitely far from it) by the locals, and that we should all be grateful for our modern plumbing and clean water.

If you've never taken a bucket shower, let me explain the delightful rite of passage one should take when living in SE Asia.  Imagine a large (empty and relatively clean) plastic trash can filled with water that is mostly see-through and has a bowl with a handle floating on the top or sitting on the lid.  Then imagine standing naked in a small cement room with a squatter toilet and dumping cold buckets of water all over you to bathe in all the while many mosquitos and other insects fly around your naked body threatening to bite you in places you'd prefer not to be bitten.  Now, if you want to wash your hair, you have to use different water - rain water.  The "tap" water is rather salty and dries your hair out, so you have to use the rain water that is collected in these huge ceramic water vase-looking things outside.  Rain water is generally good and clean.  The one nice thing about bucket showers is that you realize you really don't need much water at all to bathe in - and partly because you don't want to stand there long enough for the mosquitos to bite you.  Get in, get out.  That's the name of the game.

Some days are spent touring outside of Korat or often laying in a hammock reading a book, editing photos, or walking around the village taking photos while everyone stares at me.  They are NOT use to seeing farang in that part of the country or at least not farang that look like me.  Not that they've never seen a farang, it's just that they wonder what I am as I look sort of Thai, but tall and big (fat) like a farang, I dress and walk like a farang, and then when I open my mouth to speak, they know immediately - I am not Thai.  But the face, the face sort of looks Thai, so then I tell them I'm luk kreung - translation: half child (aka half and half of this and that).  So because I don't look very Thai, walk, dress, or speak like a Thai, I am not Thai.

Days are also spent hanging out with my great-nieces and watching them play with their friends or runaround the neighborhood.  Sometimes they help me practice the Thai alphabet.  They have the childhood that I had - run around chatting with friends and playing, coloring, riding bikes, doing dance routines, singing, etc.  There are no parents around, but the entire village raises you too.  If you need to be told off, there is always a local who will yell at them for doing something stupid.  That shit would never fly in the US.

Some nights I hang out at one of the small general shops and drink beers in front with a few of the locals, namely, one expat who is married to a beautiful Thai lady there who speaks a bit of English as well.  We chat about the differences between our old and new world, relationships with locals, things that we don't understand about the culture, the future of Thailand and just general b.s.  It's a completely different world out there and it's when I'm in places like that, I realize how American I really am.

Often times I witness the women picking out each other's gray hairs, cutting it, or picking out the lice off the younger kids.  There are no salons in places like this so it's a lot of home cut and dye jobs.  Children get bathed in a large bucket outside in front of the family while chickens and dogs run by, then the kid runs around naked again which is ok because they're just going to bathe again in a few hours.  Not a whole lot more to do than hang out, bathe, gamble, and eat - life could be worse.

Families live very close to each other so the community is very tightly knit.  It's difficult to tell the difference between where one family ends and another begins.  Compounds of small houses are situated on a property where four small houses are on the same property.  When you need a dish or some food, you walk over to another house and get some.  It's sort of like a co-op, but without all the hippies and free love.  But there is love there!  And people looking out for each other.  Neighbors interact more too than many American neighborhoods and I really love that about them.  It's a community and everyone is close part of each others lives.

I've spent some time with several of the local women in their 20's and 30's and piecing together some English and Thai, I learned that many dream about leading a more modern, Western life of moving to Bangkok and/or marrying an American or some other foreigner so they can leave their village and support the family.  I can only imagine what it's like to be raised in a small village with some general education, no English, and end up in the same cycle as the generation before - get married, have a child (in whichever order), and make more money so they can support the family. Opportunities can be limited so many go to Bangkok or Pattaya for work.  They end up in various jobs and some work in go-go bars.  Issan women are sometimes known for being bar girls and for those of you who may not have been abroad or spent much time here in SE Asia, bar girls are females who work in a go-go bar for various reasons such as providing company to (most often) men, other times it can be for sexual services, depending on the bar and the girl.  There isn't anything wrong with being a bar girl, it is the oldest profession in the world after all, and the girl and the patron are often in a mutually beneficial relationship, but it's personally not a profession for me and who I am in this life.  But many of the Issan girls do work there and often because the pay is pretty good and they can send money home to their families.  Families in the villages really depend on each other, live together, and financially support each other.  Parents often work to support the family so the grandparents raise the grandchildren.  It's the cycle of life there and it creates a really unique bond.

Knowing what several of the options could have been had I been raised by my mother, I've always wondered, what would have become of me?  Where would I be without a pretty decent education, general mastery of the English language, and exposure to the American world of confidence, big opinions, and critical thinking?  Luckily, that's a road that I didn't have to explore but it's difficult to imagine, me without the confidence and big opinion!  I wouldn't recognize me!  No one would.  I think that I would have still turned out alright, I'd probably know how to cook, and there's a good chance that I would have still become a teacher.  I probably would have had a smaller ass as I'd be on the Thai diet, but there would be no denying that I would still stick out like a sore thumb for being so much taller than everyone in the village.  But it is during times in the village that I'm constantly reminded that my life could have been drastically different.

Being in my mom's village makes me grateful for the life that was given to me.  It's almost easy to do when there is such a stark contrast of life between what was and what could have been and I don't think many people get to peek through the looking glass of the parallel life that almost was.  It makes me feel like Gwyneth Paltrow's character in 'Sliding Doors' but instead I got to see both versions of my life instead of the audience.  I'm glad I was raised in a home where I was able (or at least tolerated) to speak my mind, was given the opportunities to further my education, to be able to travel and see the world, to create a life of my own that was different and independent from my family's, I had my family to love and support me despite my many mistakes and faults, I had good tap water to drink and shower in without worry about some sort of funky intestine issues or stinky fart water coming out, I slept in my own room in a nice house without vermin and lizards living in my room and shitting on me at night - I lived a life having everything I ever needed and more, and I lived in a country where I really could be any one that I wanted to be with very little holding me back.  I've lived a blessed life compared to many parts of the world.  So for that, I thank my Dad for providing the best possible life he could give me.  The word 'gratitude' doesn't seem to cover all that he and my stepmom (and even the Masons!) have done for me, but for all intents and purposes, I have the deepest gratitude for them all.  While I'm sure I would have turned out just fine if I had been raised in my mother's village, I'm particularly glad that I was raised by the village of people that I was surrounded by in my youth.  I've had a damn good life with some damn fine people in it!

A LEAP OF FAITH IN SOLO TRAVEL

Yeah, I went camping by myself somewhere in this photo

A friend of mine asked me today when was the first time I traveled alone.  I had to think about it because as far back as I can remember, I’ve always been a bit of a loner and did things on my own.  Even after I learned to drive a car, I was always on some sort of road trip with my friends, but then I recalled that first time, that spark, the trip that popped my travel virgin cherry.  I had just turned 18, freshly graduated from high school, already accepted into the University of Oregon (I was a bit of a hippie back then), and ready to quickly spread my wings.  There was this event happening in Eugene, Oregon that I had heard about called the ‘Oregon Country Fair’ that I really wanted to go to.  Think of it as a hippie renaissance fair meets Burning Man (without the electronic music and extreme weather).  So once I get an idea into my head, I figure out a way to do it.  All I had to do was convince my dad that I could go there alone.  I believe I told him I was going up to sign up for classes, do the university intros/tours, and such.  To be perfectly honest, I don’t even remember if I did those things or not or if those were even scheduled on campus… and to be even more frank, I think that I could have signed up for classes over the phone and done the intros when I moved up there for the school year at the end of August.  I just really wanted to go to the OCF.  So after enough convincing to my dad, I did. *Sorry Dad!  Water under the bridge, right?  ;)

So a day before the fair, I took off in my Taurus station wagon (lovingly missing half of the paint on it) with a small bag of clothes and toiletries and I hit the open road for the first time all by myself.   Now, from where my parents live in California to Eugene, Oregon takes about 10 hours to get to.  I start my drive in the morning going up the I-5 driving through flat farm land for hours, until I start reaching the mountains of Shasta going all the way up through Grants Pass in Oregon, up through Ashland where the Shakespeare festival happens every year, then down into the valley where Eugene is.  I check into a motel and the next day, I head to the fair outside of the city and spend two days wandering around this mecca for hippies nestled into the woods where this little utopian society is creatively made amongst and within the trees.  Everyone is dressed in tie-dye or some form of very creative attire.  To me,  I was in my own little heaven with my overalls and Jesus sandals (aka Birkenstocks) and away from home for the very first time on my own.  Little did I know, my adventure was just beginning. 

Now, because of my excitement I had left California in such a rush that I decided I would deposit my paycheck when I got to Eugene so I would have enough money for my little adventure.  After the first day of the OCF, I went to the bank ATM to deposit my check.  At first, I thought it was strange or some sort of a glitch that it wouldn’t allow me to deposit my check.  So I went inside to the bank and found out that I was not allowed to deposit a check into an out of state account.  Since I was a bit naïve in all this real world banking BS, I hadn’t really budgeted my trip for what I had available to me in my account.  At that point, I decided to cut my trip there in Eugene short so I could cross over the Oregon-California border to deposit my check.  Thing is, is that I didn’t want to draw any attention as to why I had come home early and I really didn’t want my newfound freedom and adventures to end so soon. 

Instead, I decided I would go camping in northern California… somewhere…. without camping equipment.  I did after all have a sleeping bag that I always kept in my car in case I ever got drunk at a party and couldn’t drive home (you can’t say I wasn’t being responsible!).  My “supplies” I had in my car were: my large CD player (this is back when they were the size of a medium-sized dog) and a liter of vodka that I kept just in case I happen to go to a party (I didn’t drink beer back then) - thus why I also had the sleeping bag.  I decided I had more than enough to survive at least one night out in the woods.

After Day 2 of the Oregon Country Fair, I headed back to California, with my tail slightly between my legs, but ready for another adventure.  And adventure I had!!  I crossed the border and got into the Shasta area in the late afternoon deciding I needed to find a campsite.  Considering there was a massive forest all around me, I figured it should be pretty easy to find.  Yeah, I pretty much ate those words shortly after thinking them.  I saw a generic state sign on the side of the road signifying there was camping to be had at some random exit.  So I took it thinking it wouldn’t be too far from the freeway.  Perhaps there was one, but I certainly never found it.  I drove into the woods, further and further looking for some sort of sign for this elusive campground.  At this point, the sun is set, I’m alone, 18 years old, and no cell phone as they didn’t exist back in those days.  I’m thinking “hmm, what the f*ck did I get myself into?”.  FINALLY, I saw a sign for camping, though it wasn’t a “camp ground” like the KOA type campgrounds with facilities and all.  This was a dirt road heading further into the woods with about 3 cars and 4 RV’s parked in random places.  Considering the time and such, I thought I’d make the best of it. 

From there, I pulled into a spot near a creek and went into the back of the car, pushed down my seats so they were flat and could lay my sleeping bag out, go through my bag of “food” which consisted of my usual road trip cuisine: a bag of Cheetos cheese puffs, Original Corn Nuts, a small bottle of Coke, Toffifay, and a bottle of water.  Surprisingly, an older though trustworthy gentleman in his 60’s or so approached me and asked if I’d like to borrow a flashlight to set up my “camp”.  I took it and thanked him for offering it to me.  We make small talk and he offers to have me join him and his family for dinner that night over at their RV set ups.  Sure, lots of red flags should be going off, but he was genuinely kind and I saw his family, which included a few generations of people.   Plus, the idea of having a nice hot meal sounded great – at least significantly better than me hanging out in my dark car, eating cheese puffs, and listening to music all by myself until I fell asleep.

When I was done getting everything together I headed over to their camp, which was so nice and well set up.  There were three families there and they told me stories about how they all came about camping there.  The three eldest couples had all met in high school and were high school sweethearts.  They had been camping together there in Shasta every year since they were in high school – that’s a solid 40 years of camping together!  I found that absolutely incredible and all the other family around them were their own children and grandchildren helping keep the tradition alive.   We sat around the fire and they offered me plenty of food to eat, shared stories with me, I shared my adventure with them, and introduced me to their children of which one of them I learned was the accountant for the Grateful Dead of which at the time, I was a bit of a deadhead, so it was particularly cool.  As the night waned, the offered for me to have breakfast with them before I took off in the morning, of which I was happy to. 

I suppose that this is every parents worse nightmare of a scenario that could potentially turn bad – an 18 year old girl with no real experience in the world, no money, no cell phone, no one knew where I was at, alone an hour deep into the woods at night, with no (real) food, and no first aid/survival skills… yeah, it does sound bad.  But I don’t think I would have done it if I felt there was any real danger.  Don’t get me wrong, I was certainly a bit terrified, but I was more terrified of the unknown rather than something bad happening to me.  I look back on this and I wouldn’t have done any thing differently - it changed my life.

Because of that night, this chance encounter with strangers in the middle of nowhere (quite literally!), changed who I was and my faith in going into the unknown alone.  That’s not to say that I don’t take certain precautions, but I learned that I can’t be scared of my fellow human beings either.  Most people in this world are good people.  And because of these leaps of faith with the universe that I’ve taken numerous times in my life, going into a very foreign scenario alone, I have ended up meeting some incredible people with amazing gifts to share that I would never have met and I likely wouldn’t have had those experiences otherwise.  It seems when I open up, so does the universe. 

Photo credit: via Steve Motley

FLASH TRAVEL: SEOUL

How could I not love this face?! This guy is hilarious!

Every country has their version of meat on a stick, and this one happens to be several different kinds on a stick

Floor to ceiling and aisles and aisles of gift wrap!!!

On my way back to the states, I scheduled the longest layover I could find online with the cheapest tickets available.  I didn’t really care where I would be landing, I just wanted to explore another country for free (essentially).  So I found a flight that had a 16 hour layover in Seoul.   The unfortunate thing was that it would land at 11pm so that wasn’t exactly ideal, though I’ve done it before in Kuala Lumpur and wandered around all night for a 7am flight.  This time I decided to sleep in the airport until 7am and then head into the city for the day. 

Upon arrival in Seoul, all of the bigger lounge chairs had been taken as well as the benches and such.  So I found a nice little spot in a restaurant with bench seating that was dark and hidden enough away that it would be difficult to spot me.  After making sure it would be difficult to take my bag with all of my most important items without waking me, I fell asleep just fine.  In the morning, the employees of the restaurant were setting up around me and woke me around 7am when it was time for them to open.  I groggily woke up and got myself to immigration where I was given a day visa, got my maps at the information booth, and set out for the hour-long train to take me into the city.  The trouble with flying through different time zones and sleeping in uncomfortable and sometimes loud public areas is that you don’t really get quality sleep so unfortunately I fell asleep on the train on the way in, and fortunately, a local had woken me up at the last stop and luckily the correct stop for me. 

I arrived at their central train station where all modes of transportation converged on several levels and of course, in a new language to adapt to while I am still half asleep.  As frustrating as trying to figure out where I’m going and how to get there can be, I’m in my element when I have no idea what I’m doing or where I’m really going.  It’s a great opportunity to interact with locals and ask around for directions of which they were happy to direct me to the subway station and were curious as to where I’m from. 

Often times, entering into a new country and city where the first place you’re going into is the busiest part of the city (a transportation hub) in cramped areas, freezing weather, loud, screeching trains, foreign languages around you, and the weird smells can really be an assault on the senses especially when you’re tired.  But somehow, I have found absolute pleasure in it.  As peeved as I can initially be, I love it.  I absolutely love the shock to my system while I try and adapt to this new foreign environment. 

Unfortunately, when I finally got outside, the shock I didn’t expect was the blast of FREEZING COLD air.  I had just come out of SE Asia where it was 95 degrees and humid.  Even with all of my winter gear on, it didn’t prepare me for Seoul.  Thing is, I forgot how cold ‘cold’ really was!!  It was like going straight into a walk-in freezer and then closing the door and never letting me out for the entire day.  It was painful, literally painfully cold.   

Since I was only in Seoul for a day, I’m not going to pretend I know where to go or make any real recommendations.  I went to a large outdoor market where I was fascinated with the hustle and bustle of daily life - where the streets were coated in inches of ice, dozens of tiny Korean barbeque restaurants were nestled side by side in small walkways and the hot food beckoned for me to not only sit down and enjoy a dish or five but also to stay close to the fire so I could be warm.  I loved meeting this one vendor who made a sort of candy out of flour and honey where the process was almost like making taffy, but instead this confectionary delight came out looking like delicious, delicate webs – yet he was the highlight of it all.  He obviously had a flair for entertaining and for being a people person, so between him and his really unique product, he had been on television several times and was able to entertain me with his wonderful personality and smile while showing off his product. 

After the market, I headed to the Royal Palace to catch the changing of the guards which I’m really glad that I did.  I loved their dazzling, colorful costumes using every jewel-toned color along with accents in feathers and shells.  Afterwards, it was wonderful to just wander through the grounds that were covered in snow and appreciate the season that I’ve never lived with being from Los Angeles and now living in Thailand.  I have to admit; there is something quite solemn and comforting of being in the snow.  It’s almost like it drives me to want to feel the warmth and connectivity of others around me… but of course, I was doing Seoul alone, so it left me wanting to snuggle up and be close to others.  Funny thing how weather can do that to people.  I’m so use to living in really warm weather that I do almost anything to avoid touching anything that might make me sweat more, and there I was wanting the opposite. 

I wish I had more time in Seoul to get to know it a little better, but I’m glad that I did get to spend at least a day there.  I’m also glad that I didn’t make a blind move to teach there.  I know many people say it’s a great place to live and teach and I’m sure it is, but I can say even with the short period of time I was there, that it’s not for me as it felt cold and industrial.  I want to live in beautiful places in the world where I smile when I step into the aesthetically and/or naturally beautiful world outside – which to me is gorgeous architecture, urban design, and landscape – a place where my soul can escape, be inspired, and wander.  Unfortunately, my soul didn’t connect with their Seoul and that’s ok.  Perhaps I'll give it another try somewhere down the road…    

Some advice from my friend of places to go in Seoul when you have only 10 hours to explore: 

10 hours would let you jump onto the metro and head into downtown. Takes about 30 mins or you can take the express bus. I would get off at Namdaemun - so you can visit the market there. It's one of the biggest and craziest in Asia, you'll love it. Then you need to head on over to the Royal Palace - it's close by. It's gorgeous and set against a mountain in the north of Seoul, and there are always guards out in traditional costume, so try and catch the changing of the guard, it's really something. Explore the palace grounds, and make sure not to miss the secret garden. It's stunning. Then you're going to want to hop in a cab and ask the driver to take you to a restaurant that serves Galbi and/or Samgyeoupsal - traditional Korean barbecue. If there's still time, take a taxi or the metro to N Seoul Tower - also called Namsan Tower - wicked views of the city and the tower itself is neat. Take a lock and leave it there for good luck, haha. No real recommendation for Korean food on the specific restaurant front - make sure you try street food at the market, and any of the 1 billion traditional Korean barbeque restaurants will be as good as any other!