Day 26: Chiang Mai 101 - Tips and Advice for The Next Participants

It was 28th of August, my 26th day in Chiang Mai. I gathered up some information related to Chiang Mai. I hope that these information can help you prepare yourselves better in order to minimize the effects of culture shock that you may will experience in the future.

1. Power Plug

In Thailand the standard voltage is 220 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. Indonesian student, you can use your electric appliances in Thailand, since the standard voltage in our country is in between 220 - 240 V (as is in the UK, Europe, Australia and most of Asia and Africa). Thailand uses 220V AC electricity. Power outlets most commonly feature two-prong round or flat sockets. Fortunately for Indonesian students, you can use your regular power plug as it works in Thailand as well.

For your information, the following plugs are used:

2. Grab

Typical Indonesian citizen has our own vehicle, as I do own a motorcycle. I know that we barely walk to go from one place to another. Unfortunately, during my stay in Thailand, I could not ride any vehicle on my own because, first, I could not afford to rent any, and second, my driving license may not be acknowledged. On top of that, I would say that Thailand does not have appropriate path for pedestrians so walking is also daily struggle. Luckily, one of my favorite online-taxi platform, GRAB, operates in Thailand. I always relied on this taxi service to go somewhere. Grab is also popular in Thailand, so you can get a taxi in no time by the time you hit the order button. In addition, the rate for a single Grab trip is similar to the rate in Indonesia.

3. Transportation and Rates

I was assigned in Suksasongkhro Chiang Mai School that is located around 7 kilometers from the Uni where I stayed. So in order to save up some time and energy, taking grab taxi is one of the good options. However, taking a public transportation is significantly less costly. So I always took Yellow Truck (a public transportation) to save some cash. A single ride of Yellow Truck costs 15 bahts ( around 7.000 to 8.000 IDR). A lot cheaper compared to one Grab taxi ride that costs 100 bahts (around 50.000 IDR). Taking the trucks is quite easy. You just need to go to the sideways and then wave your hand if you see a truck coming. They will stop and you can ride it by then. Once your destination is close, hit a button above your head and the driver will notice that you are getting off. Payment is done by approaching the driver and give them the money. You have two options to go from the Uni to the school, you can use either Yellow Truck or Red Truck. Yellow Truck costs 15 bahts, while Red Truck cost 30 bahts for the same distance. So, make your choice. For your information: there are Yellow, White and Red Trucks in Thailand. They differ in routes and rates.