In my mind, Chang Mai was going to be a sleepy, historic town, but we arrived to a bustling city! And since we chose to stay in a condo near the university on Nimmanhaemin Road (or Nimman Road), we were right in the thick of it. The entire experience was so different than what I had imagined, and isn’t that the point?

It was our first day waking up in Chang Mai and out the picture window of the condo I could see the mountain we were about to hike up. The view of the actual temple we were hiking to was obscured by the other half of the condo building, but out on the street we looked up and saw the glinting gold structures. They looked so tiny and far away it was almost impossible to believe we were just going to walk there.

For my first time in the city, and with only a couple of days to dedicate, I decided to stay in old city Bangkok so that I would have immediate access to the historic sites. I know from prior travels that I can sometimes get overwhelmed when I’m in a new place and instantly have to figure out transportation to get anywhere. So it was wonderful to be able to simply walk out the door and come back for a mid-day break.  

Something I heard a lot before going to Thailand was how ‘cheap’ it is to travel there. And it’s true that you can get whole meals for less than a dollar and even stay in some guest houses for less than $5 a night. But let’s consider the whole picture. The ability to travel to a foreign country is a luxury no matter how you slice it…