The Difference in living in Chiang Mai to living in Toronto

The difference in living in Chiang Mai to living in Toronto is of course sunshine all year around in Chiang Mai.

It’s warm to hot. When it becomes very hot , the challenge then is to remain cool This is done with air

conditioning which costs a fraction of the price in Chiang Mai relative to Toronto because of the low price of electricity in Chiang Mai.

The other habit that one does if possible is lie low between say 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. the hottest time of the day.

If you are fortunate to have both the time and the money ,you can go to another country for the summer months that has a pleasant summer weather. It would have to be in Europe or maybe Japan ,but Japan is an expensive country to live in unless you are living in the countryside. I know this because I once spend several years living on the edge of a small city in Japan. Japan gives you a 3 month Visa on arrival.

One prays for a good old fashion tropical rain storm to cool things down for about three days before the humidity builds up again. It ‘s more the humidity that is debilitating rather than the heat itself.

In Toronto one might suffer a total of a week at most of extreme heat in the summer time.

There is something quite delicious knowing that upon waking you know that the temperature will rise to 28C every morning without fail.

Enough about the weather.

The next big difference between the two countries is the service industry , everything from everyday eating out to having massages. To give you an idea of price differences , a one hour Thai massage in Toronto is $95.00 and in Chiang Mai a two hour massage is about $20.0 with a most generous tip.

My sushi dinner of six California rolls and two Mackerel rolls is a princely sum of less than three dollars. Fresh tropical fruit is inexpensive and tree ripened. Avocados go in and out of season.

A meal at an organic vegetarian restaurant will cost you anywhere between $3.00 and $5.00 as a rule. If you eat in the tourist area of the city you will pay substantially more for everything.

The mending lady will charge you perhaps $4.00 dollars for extensive repair to several pieces ,but oftentimes the cost is only $3.00.

The cost of laundry seems to vary from place to place, but ten pieces ironed will set you back around

six dollars. Most of the time you can do your own laundry and hang it up on the balcony to dry as I did this morning.

The average hair cut is $4.00 as is the manicure and pedicure. A lady can have their long haired washed , dried with a head massaged and for about $5.00 .

Custom made clothing is cheaper than what you buy on the rack.

You cannot drink the tap water in Asia . I drink the best quality Spring water called, “Aura” and a 15 litre bottle cost me about $.75 . Your can drink distilled water at half the price.

Getting around with ,”Grab” the Uber of Asia generally cost less than three dollars to most destinations around the city. There is the red cab pick up that charges one dollar a person to take you anywhere locally. It will be four times that amount to go to the Airport. Best to take ,”Grab”.

Cell phone use cost me about $8.00 a month. Data usage is not expensive and many people have it on their iPads as well as phones.

One of the biggest differences between the two countries is the graciousness of the Thais compared to the often indifference service found in Canada.

Their Wa or bowing makes for a very hospitable environment everywhere you go as well as their big smiles. Thailand is often referred to as ,”The Land of Smiles”.

This article is from the viewpoint of someone who does not have to earn a living while being in Thailand such as a long term traveler or a retiree.