Our Neighbourhood... the Good, Bad, and the Ugly: Photography Week Four

I am excited to share this post to set some things straight.  Sometimes people assume we live in a "tropical paradise" where we spend our days drinking fresh coconuts while lounging on the beach.  Okay, we do have fresh coconuts quite often, and we do have a pool to lounge at if we want...  however, our reality is much different than a "tropical paradise".  We don't live on a compound or within a special community full of Westerners.  Our housing was not arranged for us.  We live in an apartment building in the heart of Chiang Mai (I will admit, it is a really nice apartment that is not so typical for Thai people.  See more photos here of our apartment).  There is a mix of locals and expats who live in our building, however, our neighbourhood is mostly Thai.  Also, in case you weren't aware, we are nowhere close to any beaches.  Chiang Mai is nestled among the mountains of northern Thailand and it would probably take at least a full day of driving to see the ocean.

I also want to set another thing straight.  Before moving here, I read online and heard people talk about how Chiang Mai is so ideal for living, even as a foreigner.  It is talked up BIG time how there is basically nothing to not like here.  I learned very quickly that there are some huge draw backs that people don't seem to mention.  Don't get me wrong, I love my life here, however it took some adjusting.  Going for a walk here is a tremendously different experience than back in England or Canada.  In fact, I became very frustrated during my first few weeks here.  It seemed that I couldn't leave the house without almost tripping over broken sidewalk stones, almost getting hit by motorbikes, smelling terrible sewage smells, tip toeing my way over garbage, and finding myself not sure whether to hug every stray dog or run for my life.  These things became a part of my daily life.

There are plus sides, however.  The green, the flowers, the palm trees... just look past that garbage on the ground and that nasty sewage smell, and Chiang Mai is actually quite beautiful!  Also, there's something about the daily life here that intrigues me.  People lead different lives here than what I'm used to.  That in itself, has made going for a walk an entirely new and exciting experience for me.  I've now accepted the "flaws" of this neighbourhood.  I have learned to embrace that this is home for me, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now.

Looking across the street from our Condo building to the Chiang Mai railway station.

Immediately, there are places to eat, and smells wafting...

This new "American" restaurant just opened a few weeks ago.

A tuk tuk driver taking a nap.

More food stalls.

Doesn't this break your heart?

Corner restaurant.

Morning offerings are put outside their homes.  Oranges and incense (often times there is rice as well).

Anyone need a toilet?

That is our apartment building at the end of the street.

 

These grates often welcome nasty sewage smells.

Watch where you step..

mailbox

Entrance to a fancy new moobahn (subdivision).  What a contrast...

These people put out corn for sale.

This is where we fill up our water jugs.  And say hello to this little cutie :)

:)

Food stalls.

They make good coffee! Literally!

Blossoms have fallen on a parked car.

We get to pass these tall palm trees every day!

Restaurant just down the street from us.

Monks out for a meal.

Green mangos!

I end this walk back across from the train station.  Here you see backpackers, locals, and a couple of monks heading to and from the station.  We've gotten used to hearing the trains blow their horns or the voice of the announcer from our apartment.  Sometimes they play loud 90s music.  We don't know.  Either way, our life is interesting here. :)