Budget

Day 144

I arrived into Chiang Mai, Thailand on Tuesday, and this time not for ultimate Frisbee. I met someone in Luang Prabang who told me about this little town called Pai near Chiang Mai. She said that it was beautiful and totally relaxing. With only about 2 and a half weeks before I have to go back home, I figured to do as much relaxing as possible before I would start having non-stop all-nighters.


Money usually isn’t too much of a hassle for me because of the crazy exchange rates and because things in Thailand are so cheap. However, the geniuses at my bank decided to not allow any ATM transactions to occur for an undisclosed amount of time in the areas of Malaysia and Thailand; due to a high number of pin # fraud. So I came into Thailand with about 2000 kuai, which equals to about 8,160 Baht, which is equal to about $230. My trip just got increasingly more interesting. Usually when traveling I do not worry about spending a little because it is so cheap, but now that I am on a pretty strict budget, I will have to holster my want for some things. My idea behind buying things, I believe is pretty rational because I will generally only buy something if I feel that I will use it often or if it is important. That will have to be true now more than ever because there are so many cool things here that I want, but do I really need?


My first meal in Chiang Mai was a Thai style BBQ buffet in a giant warehouse complex. Tons of tables and tons of fresh meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit, ice cream, pastries, and so much more. The set up is similar to that of Chinese hot pot. These is a “pot” that looks as though it could be a hat, and it is heated by burning coals. Water or broth is poured around the brim of the hat and then the middle is used as a regular grill. It was delicious and very filling.