A Day In The Life Of An Expat In Chaing Mai

[bcboy5440]

As a recently retired Canadian considering a long term stay in Chaing Mai, I am wanting to get an idea of what the retirees average day looks like. In Canada I know shoveling snow for 3 month of the year is getting real old but I am thinking I would not have that problem in Thailand. I am interested to hear your thoughts and ideas.

[PeaceBlondie]

I'll go first. Sleep a full night and rise when youI wish. Go slowly. Have a general routine, but be flexible. Acquire new friends and nurture them. Do your hobbies; get new ones. Learn the language if you can. Try to get to know the locals. Walk, run, swim ten months per year outdoors. Do day trips, overnight trips. Explore the internet. Grow a garden. Meditate; think about 1969 and 2019, Eat healthy food.

added: send emails to friends in Churchill and Fort Nelson about winter weather in Chiang Mai

[Ulysses G.]

Walk, run, swim ten months per year outdoors.

Walk, run twelve months.

There is plenty to do here, but it is up to you to find it and do it. My suggestion is to look for a few positive things to do for yourself evey day - yoga, meditation, swimming, massage, exercise and the rest will fill itself in.

[Just1Voice]

I agree with all the above, and would only add that you learn to truly appreciate the Thai people. Despite the government and all their turmoils, the people themselves are warm, friendly and very accepting, especially to those who treat them the same, and who they see are trying to learn their language. My Thai language skills are limited for now (but improve daily), but you would be amazed at the difference it makes when you can speak even a little Thai, and show a touch of humility and respect when talking to them. It will also get you better prices on things in many of the markets that tourists frequent.

I live about 18k to the east of the city itself (on the way to San Kamphang), and I love it here, as does every other foreigner I know. If you need help finding someplace to live, or want to know where to get the best deals on things, send me a PM and my wife & I will be happy to help you.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Wow.. credit where credit is due, this advice should be framed and put on a wall:

I'll go first. Sleep a full night and rise when youI wish. Go slowly. Have a general routine, but be flexible. Acquire new friends and nurture them. Do your hobbies; get new ones. Learn the language if you can. Try to get to know the locals. Walk, run, swim ten months per year outdoors. Do day trips, overnight trips. Explore the internet. Grow a garden. Meditate; think about 1969 and 2019, Eat healthy food.

[Artamus]

Wow.. credit where credit is due, this advice should be framed and put on a wall:

I'll go first. Sleep a full night and rise when youI wish. Go slowly. Have a general routine, but be flexible. Acquire new friends and nurture them. Do your hobbies; get new ones. Learn the language if you can. Try to get to know the locals. Walk, run, swim ten months per year outdoors. Do day trips, overnight trips. Explore the internet. Grow a garden. Meditate; think about 1969 and 2019, Eat healthy food.

The above is a good summary, but several other factors will influence what might happen in the day. Married/single, retired/working (voluntary) and kids/no kids. I've also found that what fills my day has changed over time depending on hobbies, friends you meet etc. The first couple of months it was mainly sorting out banks, cars, house etc etc. Then I started to explore the country from top to bottom (and still working on that - it's a big country). Other relaxation and hobbies can fill as much and/or little time as you like. Learning the language a little everyday is good advise.

Some of my friends fill the day drinking, and others spend all their time on Thai Visa

[Rasseru]

Wow.. credit where credit is due, this advice should be framed and put on a wall:

I'll go first. Sleep a full night and rise when youI wish. Go slowly. Have a general routine, but be flexible. Acquire new friends and nurture them. Do your hobbies; get new ones. Learn the language if you can. Try to get to know the locals. Walk, run, swim ten months per year outdoors. Do day trips, overnight trips. Explore the internet. Grow a garden. Meditate; think about 1969 and 2019, Eat healthy food.

You took that to be advice? I thought it was simply a description of a typical day in Peaceblondie's life, in answer to the OP's question.

[Ajarn]

Agreed, once you figure stuff out, and where to get it fixed...You can relax and enjoy everyone or no-one. Everyone has differing desires here, it seems. Some like me (now) prefer the isolation from any hassle very nice. But that takes some time to accomplish, in my experience

Edited June 22, 2009 by Ajarn

[PeaceBlondie]

Well rasseru, I left out the part about cavorting. But the OP didn't suggest we get personal.

[Ulysses G.]

Most Thai Visa members are too busy exploring the culture to do any covorting!

[Rasseru]

Well rasseru, I left out the part about cavorting.

I thought you had that covered with your admonition to 'think about 1969'.

[IanForbes]

Most of my days in Chiang Mai have a sort of routine. I get up about 8 to 9 AM and go for a walk of anywhere from 5 to 12 kilometers. Somewhere along the way I stop for a Thai breakfast of Kow Pad moo (stir fried rice and pork) or sometimes even a falong breakfast. I'll pick up a few bottles of fresh squeezed orange juice on the way back to my hotel room where I'll spend a few hours on the internet.

After that it is a few hours of creative writing (working on a book) or drawing. After looking at the computer screen for several hours my eyes will be too tired to continue and I'll need a nap for almost exactly one hour. Then I'll awake refreshed and eat a bit of fresh fruit (bananas, oranges, pineapple, melon, mango etc) and walk over to a friend's place to spend a hour talking or maybe go shopping. Maybe we'll plan on going out for supper as a group or some other entertainment.

About 10PM I'll hop on my motorcycle and ride into the Loi Kroh area where I'll visit two bars where I know the staff. I'll play some pool and head for home somewhere between midnight and one AM. I'll check the internet one more time and hit the hay. About two or three times a week one or more of my several lady friends will come visit me in the afternoon.

Interspersed in this routine I'll do some shopping and go for ride in the country on my motorcycle. I have a lady friend who likes to go for a walk, so occasionally I'll do part of the trail up Doi Suthep. I also have a good friend who likes to fish and he does most of the planning for both of us.

Over my five months annually in Thailand I'll take a trip down to the Krabi area for a week and a trip to my time share in Jomptien. I usually visit the family I look after in Kanchanaburi either coming or going on my southern trips.

It's a bit of a routine, but it fits my life style. I can't say it would suit everyone.

[doppa]

i read the news today, oh boy, the english army.........

[Rasseru]

. . . It's a bit of a routine, but it fits my life style. I can't say it would suit everyone.

That last statement seems somehow uncharacteristic of you, Ian.

[IanForbes]

. . . It's a bit of a routine, but it fits my life style. I can't say it would suit everyone.

That last statement seems somehow uncharacteristic of you, Ian.

When you write it all down it DOES sound a little boring, doesn't it. It gets better if I add photos though.

[Rasseru]

. . . When you write it all down it DOES sound a little boring, doesn't it. It gets better if I add photos though.

I would be fascinated to see how you would achieve that in relation to your recent observation, made elsewhere, about what your friends thought and wished as they lay dying with tubes in their various orifices.

[NancyL]

What do we do? Get a full night's sleep, fix a leisurely breakfast and watch the great view from our dining window. It's fun to see all the activity in a bustling city. Go to Thai language classes or swim laps at the condo pool on days off from school. Keep ourselves and the condo much better groomed than we did in the States. Manicures/pedicures/massages are so much cheaper and better here. Hubby even has a manicure/pedicure routinely. Shop for food, maybe clothing and stuff for the condo. Go to first run English language movies every week. Check out the latest, newest cheap buffet at a swank hotel. Read books and magazines. Watch DVDs. Download favorite TV shows from the internet. Eat out with friends. Hubby takes long walks several times a week (at least that's what he says he does) and takes a nap most afternoons (that I can check out!) Sew, knit, go to ladies luncheons. Read newspapers on-line. Listen to NPR radio shows on-line.

There is no shortage of things to do. My blood pressure and cholestrol have improved dramatically here. It's an agreeable lifestyle.

[T_Dog]

As a recently retired Canadian considering a long term stay in Chaing Mai, I am wanting to get an idea of what the retirees average day looks like. In Canada I know shoveling snow for 3 month of the year is getting real old but I am thinking I would not have that problem in Thailand. I am interested to hear your thoughts and ideas.

BC Boy, you are getting a lot of ideas on what we do here, but why not tell us more about yourself? What do you like to do? Do you have any strange hobbies like welding, flying model airplanes, photography, or mud sculpture? The people that seem the happiest here seem to have some type of odd hobby that keeps them occupied. Let us know what you like to do and chances are, someone here can chime in.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

11 am. Wake up.

11:05 am, feel next to me to check there isn't anyone there.

11:10 am, decide against having a shower

11:20 am go sit outside the Veerachai court mini mart

11:21 am Order first large Chang

etc. .

[Rasseru]

11 am. Wake up.

11:05 am, feel next to me to check there isn't anyone there.

11:10 am, decide against having a shower

. . .

As soon as you realise you did not sleep with anyone the night before, you decide against having a shower, is that it? Makes a lot of sense to me . . .

[IanForbes]

. . . When you write it all down it DOES sound a little boring, doesn't it. It gets better if I add photos though.

I would be fascinated to see how you would achieve that in relation to your recent observation, made elsewhere, about what your friends thought and wished as they lay dying with tubes in their various orifices.

That is easy to explain, Rasseru. I lead two parallel lives of which both are quite different. For seven months I live in Canada fishing and exploring, unless I'm writing or painting at home. Right now I'm doing the latter and that is why I've got time to waste on the internet. The other five months I spend in Thailand where it's much warmer and there are OTHER things to do.

So far I've been lucky and none of my Thai friends have died. But, that is to be expected because most are much younger than me. So far since returning to Canada almost three months ago I've been to two funerals, and one more old friend is still in hospital waiting to die. I hate being morbid, but I can see myself there within the next 15 years. I'm lucky to have good genes and I'm pretty healthy. As I've said many times... just being alive and actually "living" can be two different things entirely.

The OP said he was single and just about to retire, and was looking for a bit of advice on what an expat might do in Chiang Mai. I just pass on what I do and how much I enjoy my life style. I understand that everyone wants something different out of life and all you can do is make a few suggestions and step aside. Although I'm not a true expat, I spend enough time in Thailand to feel like one.

[bcboy5440]

As a recently retired Canadian considering a long term stay in Chaing Mai, I am wanting to get an idea of what the retirees average day looks like. In Canada I know shoveling snow for 3 month of the year is getting real old but I am thinking I would not have that problem in Thailand. I am interested to hear your thoughts and ideas.

BC Boy, you are getting a lot of ideas on what we do here, but why not tell us more about yourself? What do you like to do? Do you have any strange hobbies like welding, flying model airplanes, photography, or mud sculpture? The people that seem the happiest here seem to have some type of odd hobby that keeps them occupied. Let us know what you like to do and chances are, someone here can chime in.

I have tended to be one of those workhorses with a demanding corporate job so developing my own interests took a backseat as most of my spare time was doing things for the family. So now the kids are grown and my wife is gone so a buddy suggested I needed to look at a new life in Thailand. So things I enjoy: walking - going to the gym - badminton - riding my old goldwing - meeting new people - writing - play bridge.

The concern I have is being able to connect with English speakers to help bridge into this new life. I would want to learn Thai but that will take time and a new country and different language can set one up to be isolated and that is not what I want. I would like to be able to have the opportunity to make some new friends, but I am not much of a drinker or into the bar scene which is often the most likely place to meet people.

I hope that adds a bit more info to help you understand where I am coming from.

[T_Dog]

BC Boy, your background is a fairly familiar tune here. Chiang Mai is a place where you can find a really nice life. There are lots of opportunities to get together with English speaking folks, and if you want to avoid them, you can do that too. Once you are here for a while, you will know which cafes and pubs are the ones that suit your lifestyle. I don't drink very much, but I do like to go out with friends once in a while. There is an expats club that meets every other Saturday and they usually have an interesting program with lots of time to meet new friends and chat in the hallways.

You mentioned your Goldwing, and Northern Thailand has some of the best motorcycling in the world in my opinion. Great roads, mountains, inexpensive places to stay, and an adventure around virtually every turn. Badminton breaks out in thousands of parking lots all over Chiang Mai every evening so you might be very popular based on that alone! Learning some Thai is spot on, as it will help you in many ways, and also help you become accepted with the locals. Even a few words helps. Best of luck to you in your decisions. We have been there too!

[Ulysses G.]

I would like to be able to have the opportunity to make some new friends, but I am not much of a drinker or into the bar scene which is often the most likely place to meet people.

You will make friends easily here, if you do so normally and you do not have to go to a bar to do it.

[Nienke]

Ways of getting in contact with other like-minded ones is going to the meetings of the Chiang Mai Expat club:

http://www.chiangmaiexpatsclub.com/index.asp

There are several activity groups you may want to check out: http://www.chiangmaiexpatsclub.com/groups.asp

There is also the Chiang Mai Friends Group: http://chiangmaifriends.org/

You can start learning the Thai language already, or at least get a feel of it: http://www.learningthai.com/

[IanForbes]

The writers club has a small group of members who meet once a week at the Papparazi restaurant. I received some valuable advice from them. You "might" hear some negative replies about the expat club, but ignore them. If you only meet one or two people from the group that you could make friends with then it's been a success.

[lukeskywalker]

Hey Ian,

I am a writer, can you please give the specifics on the details of the writer's club?

THX

[PeaceBlondie]

Hey Ian,

I am a writer, can you please give the specifics on the details of the writer's club?

THX

http://www.lifewb.org/writerswb.html

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun BC Boy 5440,

Welcome to Chiang Mai !

I think you got some great responses from PeaceBlondie and Just1Voice among others !

I think one of the best reasons to live here is so that many days can be "un-average" days; a continual delight and challenge to me (even after a total of eleven years here) is finding my assumptions suddenly shaken up at any moment, often hilariously

Many people come here as part of a conscious desire to change their life, some come to retire, some come to drink and whore themselves to death slowly or quickly, some come out of fascination for some aspect of Thai culture, or for academic study, or to engage in serious involvement in Buddhist meditation of the Theravadan tradition (Vipassana). Some are running away from something, and others running towards something, and others just want a nice warm cheap place to hunker down for a while until they figure out what they "really" want to do.

There are organized groups where Thais and Farangs mix, like the bicycle club; and then there are a wealth of groups that are usually farang only. There are certainly networks of writers, visual artists. If you are a "serious" writer of original fiction (and if you know who people like Borges, Kundera, Doctorow, Saramago, Marquez, Allende, and Calvino, etc. are), please PM me after you've arrived and got settled in.

My experience is that individuals greatly vary in their needs to achieve a sense of self through "being" and "doing" : in my experience the nature of that balance between being and doing can change here in very interesting ways depending on the person. For myself, I think living here has helped me move towards "being," although, paradoxically, I've never been more "busy" intellectually.

Paradise waits for you, but don't be surprised if it takes you a little while to let that fully sink in, and for you to cease hallucinating your own version of an "Angel with a Flaming Sword" preventing you from returning to where you wish you were

best, ~o:37;

[doppa]

well i guess it depends on a number of things, what activities you pursue now, how you manage your life in general, some pass the hours reading, some tv, some painting,some drinking, some discovering places they've never been, some just shop till they drop,some swim, some luv the ladies, some play some sought of sport, and although i'm not actually here in chiangma yet [4 days and counting], i believe it's really and individuals choice of whatever he or she is into.

if you ski, forget it.

the one thing you are guaranteed of , is the weather, from hot, to flipping hot, to cool.

but the question to you is, what do you enjoy.