Today's myth about Thailand 🇹🇭 (#3) is that there's no #Bitcoin community here. After 5 years in Thailand, I'm discovering that Bitcoin runs deep here.
There are Bitcoiners everywhere, they're just low key about it!
The Bitcoin scene among Thais is large and growing fast. The Bitcoin Standard is now the #2 book at Naiin, a major bookstore in Thailand.
There's a 4,000 person Discord server in Thai language dedicated to all things #Bitcoin , and the educational company @Right Shift has 30k YouTube followers and runs a global Bitcoin conference in Bangkok: v2 coming in September 2024.
Also, check out the #siamstr community 😉
Bitcoin physical spaces and meetups like
@npub13pn4...gctw by PlebPiccoloJr (you on Nostr?) and
@npub1e2ay...8a4l , Bitcoin Learning Center by
@Jimmy Kostro in Chiang Mai and
@npub1yyhn...xnuq in Phuket are also growing across the country.
Don't sleep on Thailand 🇹🇭
Cons of living in Chiang Mai
1. Streets are not designed solely for walking. There are some parks where you can walk undisturbed, but most streets you walk in will have car/scooter traffic as well.
2. Traffic can be dense, especially in high season from October - January. If you have a motorcycle/scooter this doesn’t matter as much (you can lane split, filter, etc). In a car, some streets get gridlocked at busy times which can make your commute much longer than planned. Avoidable with some planning and familiarity.
3. Every year around March the air quality takes a nosedive for 2-6 weeks. This is known locally as “Burning season” and is the result of seasonal forest fires. Many nomads choose to travel abroad, visit home, or go to Southern Thailand (like Phuket) for a few weeks to escape the smoke.
Pros and Cons of living in Chiang Mai
Pros:
1. Incredibly safe and friendly vibe - as in zero crime of any kind, you lose your wallet and someone will find you to return it. It will break your conceptions of what life outside your front door can be like.
2. Very affordable cost of living. Houses rent for $300-$500/month, lunch is $2-3, gym is $2 for a day pass.
3. Abundance of nature; very green city, with hikes and outdoor activities right next door on the Doi Suthep mountain.
4. High concentration of nomads and expats in coworking spaces and
5. Incredible cafe scene, probably 1,000+ boutique cafes in a city of ~1M. High end coffee plantations are dotted all over Northern Thailand, so most beans are locally sourced.
Cons coming next...
Hello! This is your Satlantis ambassador for Chiang Mai. As an American living here since 2019, I've settled in to life in Northern Thailand for the long haul.
For those of you planning to visit (or live in!) Chiang Mai, here is my "starter kit" of the best cafes, restaurants, massage spots and more I've discovered over my time spent exploring this beautiful land. I will be transferring this list over to Satlantis, but for immediate value, here’s the list on Google Maps.
