Chiang Mai

September 12: To avoid missing our flight due to the limited transport options in the jungle, we decided to leave Khao Sok a day early and spend the night at a hotel near the Surat Thani airport. Due to a language barrier, the bus driver misunderstood us; instead of dropping us off at our accommodation, he drove us all the way to the airport, resulting in a 35-minute walk back to where we were staying. But we didn’t really mind—the weather was nice, and it meant we knew exactly where to go the next day.

When we got to our room and felt the cool breeze from the air conditioning, it was as if all the world’s problems had vanished. We had really struggled with the humidity and heat in the jungle, so here we could finally dry off—both ourselves and our clothes. After a quick visit to a local restaurant—where a friendly woman helped us translate our order from English to Thai—we went to bed in the cool, dry room and slept soundly through the night.

Surat Thani Airport is small and easy to navigate. It took us just over 20 minutes from arrival to get through security and settle into the right waiting area for our flight. We usually try to find alternatives to flying; buses, trains, and boats are our preferred modes of travel, but we realized there were no practical alternatives to flying for this particular route. Taking a train or bus would have taken up to 48 hours, involving multiple transfers, and cost twice as much. The flight takes two hours and costs us 12,000 baht for the five of us. The same pattern emerges when we look at future travel options: nothing competes with flying for longer distances, whether within the country or across borders.

Chiang Mai is Thailand’s second-largest city, with a population of around 1.2 million. The city center—or the ”Old City,” as it is known—is situated within a moat and sections of a brick wall that has gradually crumbled since its construction in the late 13th century, despite undergoing periodic renovations.

Our first impression is that the city feels somewhat calmer and more manageable than Bangkok. It is also a few degrees cooler than our previous destinations in southern Thailand, which we appreciate. A taxi takes us from the airport to our accommodation. It is a hostel featuring four private bedrooms, along with a shared kitchen and living room. The building is vertical, with the common areas on the ground floor and our room at the very top, on the fourth floor. We have a good feeling about the place and think we’re in for three and a half great weeks here.

We are pleased to have a kitchen, anticipating that cooking lunch at home will be both convenient and economical. True to plan, we go shopping and stock the fridge with various tasty items. After a few days, however, we realize that—unlike in southern Thailand—we cannot cook our own meals here for the same low prices at which food carts and markets sell ready-made dishes. Nor can we make the food taste quite as good! After this realization, we have completely stopped cooking for ourselves and eat everything out, primarily at various markets.