We once again enjoyed Thailand. Since it was our second visit our goal was to just relax. We didn’t do much sightseeing. Instead we spent our days sleeping in, going out for coffee and a first meal, reading, napping, swimming, going out for a second meal and coffee, and getting a massage every few days.
We took to calling it “first meal” instead of breakfast because it was not what we call “breakfast food” but was the same kind of entree that we would have for our “second meal” – rice, curry, noodles, etc.
One of the hardest parts is not being able to communicate and ask, “What is this? What’s in this?” In this case, I went ahead and bought some of these things and found them to be delicious – sweet and salty.
These are our actual expenses for a one month stay in Chiang Mai.
Total Expenses: $1552.22 for 29 days. An average of $53.52 per day (for two people.)
Food: $587.10 – an average of $20.24 per day.
Accommodations: $666.13 for 29 nights, on average $22.97 a night.
Transportation: $102.00 on average $3.52 per day. ($14.20 for airport taxis, $79 for a month of motor scooter rental and $8.80 for gas. This does not include airfare to or from Thailand.
Entertainment: $191.59 for admissions and 18 massages – on average $6.61 per day.
Miscellaneous: $5.40 an average of $.19 per day.
Thailand has sun, seas, delicious foods and friendly people. It is a great value for your vacation dollars. You can live largely and be big spenders without really spending much!
Our daily average ran just about $5 more than what it was when we were there in 2016. Since then the US dollar has weakened some against the Thai Baht and we noticed an increase in the cost of food and massages.
Some of our favorite eateries have nice garden settings.
We enjoyed having a morning coffee on this lovely patio.
Open air dining at Dash in Chiang Mai. Their Khao Soi was superb and is pictured below.
Accommodations
We stayed at The Treasure Condominium by My Hip which I booked on Air BnB. It was a 2-bedroom, 2-bath unit.
We purposely chose to rent in the same neighborhood where 3 years ago we stayed a month. We were so disappointed to discover our favorite coffee shop and restaurants had closed and we had to find new favorites.
Around the pool at The Treasure Condominium.
Transportation
We rented a motorbike from CAT Motors (www.catmotors.net). They delivered the bike to us and picked it up on the last day. We prepaid the rent plus gave $100USD security deposit (in lieu of giving Thai Baht or our passport) which they refunded.
The Numbers
Number of Days in Chiang Mai: 29
Number of days of rain: 0
Number of massages: 9 each
Number of books I read: 12
We will crave this northern Thai specialty. Chicken Khao Soi has both soft and crunchy egg noodles in a coconut curry and is a treat to the taste buds!
Farmers in SE Asia begin to burn their fields in March which causes the air quality to decline. Towards the end of our stay the air quality index fell to “Very Unhealthy” levels and we realized we were ready to go home!
We arrived home safe and sound to find familiarity and our favorite things: family, friends, spring flowers, a soft bed, espresso machine – and jobs.
Stay tuned for future adventures of Meet You in the Morning.
Meet You In The Morning 
All the street food looks so amazing and unique 😍
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish we had a local food tour guide in the markets so I could learn what things are.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hahah I feel it! And maybe try the food so I know it taste good 😆
LikeLike
I have a soft spot for Chiang mai. I certainly liked it more than other parts of Thailand.
LikeLike
Yes, I agree. It’s interesting that we don’t know other parts of Thailand besides Bangkok! Maybe… if there is a next time…
LikeLiked by 1 person