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CircadianRhythm wrote:

Hi everybody,

Please excuse the newbie nature of my post, I am just seeking some general guidance and will be thankful for any you can provide.

I am looking to be in CM from May 2015 for a period of 2 and a half months.Ìý I will be travelling alone, so my first challenge will be meeting like-minded adventurers (I will be working during my time there too).

I've had a think about my budget and think 12,000 Baht/month is reasonable for a furnished room/studio that is centrally located.Ìý The main things I'm looking for is easy access to Wifi and, if not in town, then with good transport links nearby.Ìý After reading plenty of stories online, I don't think I'll be hiring a scooter!Ìý I'd also like a small kitchenette if possible, and would definitely appreciate aircon as I'll be there over the summer months.

My main question is - how many of you were in a similar situation, and what did you do?Ìý I've thought about booking a hotel for 5 nights and then looking when I get over there, would that be advisable?Ìý What are my chances of securing a condo for 2.5 months?Ìý Can I house share?

Thanks in advance - ANY advice, positive or otherwise, is welcome

Welcome to EB... Ìý

I suggest that you Google search for accommodation like guesthouses or cheaper hotels. Just type in cheap accommodation chiang mai into your search engine and see what comes up. Hotels and guesthouses often have wifi and you can bargain with them for a lower rate for a long term stay. A condo may want longer term rental and not include power water gas etc.Ìý
Check out this site to give you an insight into cost of living numbeo.com

CircadianRhythm wrote:

Hi everybody,

Please excuse the newbie nature of my post, I am just seeking some general guidance and will be thankful for any you can provide.

I am looking to be in CM from May 2015 for a period of 2 and a half months.Ìý I will be travelling alone, so my first challenge will be meeting like-minded adventurers (I will be working during my time there too).

I've had a think about my budget and think 12,000 Baht/month is reasonable for a furnished room/studio that is centrally located.Ìý The main things I'm looking for is easy access to Wifi and, if not in town, then with good transport links nearby.Ìý After reading plenty of stories online, I don't think I'll be hiring a scooter!Ìý I'd also like a small kitchenette if possible, and would definitely appreciate aircon as I'll be there over the summer months.

My main question is - how many of you were in a similar situation, and what did you do?Ìý I've thought about booking a hotel for 5 nights and then looking when I get over there, would that be advisable?Ìý What are my chances of securing a condo for 2.5 months?Ìý Can I house share?

Thanks in advance - ANY advice, positive or otherwise, is welcome

Agree with Stumpy, short term rental is likely to blow your budget if you can find a place.
Extended stays at guest houses can be very good value, most owners will come up with a discounted monthly rate.
Yes aircon would be useful as you plan to be here in the hotter months and no don't hire a scooter or motorcycle-sadly they turn out to be death traps for many here.

CircadianRhythm wrote:

my first challenge will be meeting like-minded adventurers.

....if not in town, then with good transport links nearby.Ìý After reading plenty of stories online, I don't think I'll be hiring a scooter!....would definitely appreciate aircon as I'll be there over the summer months.

My main question is - how many of you were in a similar situation....ANY advice, positive or otherwise, is welcome.

I think your "first challenge" may be the weather.Ìý Technically, you'll be in Chiang Mai during the "rainy" season, but summer there is the highest-humidity season and don't expect any rains to cool you off significantly.

I WAS in a similar situation once -- of the many trips I made to Chiang Mai between 1999 and 2010, one was in the summertime (all of July and August) -- and I learned this:

Summer conditions in Chiang Mai are worse than Bangkok.Ìý At least Bangkok has plentiful air-conditioned taxis and a SkyTrain that has AC.

Forget about "transport links" living out of town -- most folks were getting around the province in non-AC tuk-tuks and non-AC tsongtaews or on "motos."

If you somehow can swing a private vehicle with driver and AC, that would be best.

But figure that from about 8 a.m. to nightfall, it's going to be so hot and humid all day, that a gentle three-minute walk will have you schvitzing heavily.

I'd live in a way that you don't have to commute to work...keep out of the sun...consider using an umbrella for shade just walking around, as some of the locals do...get access to a swimming pool (not hard)...and drink lots of liquids.

Don't succumb to the temptation to get a "scooter" or "moto."Ìý You'll see whole families riding on the back of one...but for a visiting Kiwi, it's just too dangerous.

One thing you won't worry about is having air-conditioning in your living space.Ìý Any decent landlord or guest-house will have plenty of AC for the Chiang Mai summer.Ìý To do less would be cruel.

Eventually, I moved to a city where it's a comfortable 68 degrees Fahrenheit for the daily high, 12 months a year.

cccmedia in Quito, Ecuador