My Chiang Mai: living in a moo bahn

There are a lot of moo bahns (housing communities) in Chiang Mai. Although most of them are a bit out of the city, the lifestyle they provide can be quite appealing. My moo bahn has lots of security guards. I'm not sure what these guys can actually do if something happens, but it is nice to know that they are around. There are six of them at the main gate at any given time - one on each side of the road to salute you and four to read the newspaper and chat.

At the gate to my subdivision, there is one guard to salute you or sleep. I also have the phone number at the gate, in case my neighbours get rowdy and sing karaoke too loudly. The greatest thing though, is I can leave all my doors and windows open while I'm at home and feel safe.

My moo bahn also has a bakery, restaurant, laundry service and convenience store. The restaurant delivers and they even know my voice, so I don't have to tell them my house number. The food is cheap, good and arrives quickly. They even bring milk and beer from the convenience store. It sure beats cooking!

The laundry service is quite good if you don't have a washing machine at home, which I didn't for several months. People in my soi (street) have not realized that I have a washing machine now though, and they still hang clothes all over my fence, a prime sunny spot. 'Mai pen rai', I just hang my clothes on their fences.

My moo bahn also offers a swimming pool, gym and sauna. People living here can buy a book of ten visits for 300 baht, making it quite affordable to visit the gym and have a swim. It's also much safer to walk or jog in here. Almost all the dogs running around are owned by people and pretty friendly. Additionally, there is a lot less traffic than on the main roads.

The people who live in moo bahns have usually shelled out a fair bit of cash and I haven't found a neighbour I didn't like yet; you definitely won't be 'slummin' it' in one of these communities. Everyone is pretty quiet and very friendly and there are quite a few ex-pats along with Thais. After living in a moo bahn, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else!

By Chantana Jasper from the USA.

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