Chinatown - Bangkok

With Chinese New Year right around the corner, I couldn’t NOT go to Chinatown in Bangkok, which is exactly what I had expected. Lots of red, lanterns, and Chinese people shopping.

Back in Bangkok

I had enough of Patong / beach / drinking / getting constantly catcalled by gogo bar girls, so I flew to Bangkok. I’ll likely be here for three weeks and then back to Chiangmai. It's always nice to be back in a big city with skyscrapers. Reminds me a lot of Beijing, and I for sure miss the big city vibes.

Views of the city were taken from the 18th floor of the gym of the Airbnb I’m staying.

Beach Life So Nice

Food in Phuket

Beaches in Phuket

Team Meeting by Beach

Had a team meeting yesterday (video call) so decided that rather than staying in the condo, I’d walk around until I found somewhere nice. This is where I ended up — some courtyard of a 5 star hotel right next to the beach. Didn’t ask about how much it would cost to stay here because I know I couldn’t afford it.

Beers at the Beach

Patong, Phuket, Thailand

Like many people amid an ongoing pandemic, I’m trying to figure out my life. After almost exactly a year in Chiangmai, my relationship hit a point where I needed to physically remove myself from Chiangmai and take a breather elsewhere. As such, I have moved to Patong, Phuket, in southern Thailand. I’m not sure how long I will be here, or if this was the right decision, but it’s where I am now and I’ll spend the next few weeks sorting out what I want, and ultimately deciding what is best for me.

I have an Airbnb here, about 500 meters from the beach and located close to the central street. The apartment complex I’m staying in has a gym, but I found a better one — though more expensive than any I have seen before in Thailand. But that’s Phuket — expensive. It’s a tourist destination, and among the best in the world, and as such, things here are pricey. Alcohol, food, souvenirs, condos — it all costs a lot more than Chiangmai.

I miss my motorbike and my friends up north, but I felt static — like my life was in a constant state of repetitiveness. And while I do enjoy a good routine, where things are stable and easy, my relationship was everything but that. Yes, I’m spending money here in Phuket that I otherwise would be able to save had I stayed in Chiangmai, but I believe that being here for a few weeks is what I need.

I’ve also never worked while traveling. Sometimes I might have a few small things to do for one job (such as when I was in Europe in 2020), but this is the first time I’ve had 4 jobs and not been settled somewhere. I’ll get used to it, I’m sure, but it’s nice knowing that after I finish work at 4pm, I can head down to the beach or go walk around. Sure, I could have walked around Chiangmai, but it’s nice being somewhere I haven’t been before. That sense of “exploring the unknown” was something I think I missed having been in Chiangmai for so long.

My current visa is “pinned” to Chiangmai, meaning I physically need to go to Chiangmai immigration every 3 months to “check in” so even if I were to move somewhere long-term, I’d need to fly back four times a year. My condo in Chiangmai finishes in June. My plan is to find a new place in Chiangmai, and use that as my central hub. I’ll continue with my jobs, but my idea is to do 2-3 month sprints in different places around Thailand, working remotely but without needing to bring my entire life with me. Yes, I’ll be paying double rent (both in Chiangmai and wherever I travel to), but with the cost of living so cheap here, I think that’s manageable, and also a good way for me to travel while also continuing with my work responsibilities.

For now, I’m enjoying Phuket and excited to learn more about Patong — especially where to get good, cheap Thai food. Life comes at you fast, so don’t be scared to pull the trigger. Though it may seem drastic, sometimes, that’s exactly what’s needed.

Last Photos From Chiangmai...For Awhile

These were the last few photos taken from Chiangmai as I am now in Phuket. I’ll explain why I moved (only for a few months) in another post.

Top two were taken from a public park, and the bottom is Kaphrao with pork.

Starting 2022 at a Temple

This is called Wat Chompu, which made laugh because Chompu is the name of a really delicious fruit here. Don’t know the English name.

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a great 2022! I’d like to say that it can’t be any worse than the last two years, but at this rate, anything can happen.

The “2565” is 2022 in the ancient Thai numbering system. They still use the Thai system for years on receipts, in taxi cabs, and other places.

“Zoe in Yellow” is the name of a big bar compound in downtown Chiangmai.

A Viral State Is Live!

My new novel, A Viral State, is now published and available for sale worldwide.

Amazon (print + e-book)

Non-Kindle e-book

Thank you to everyone who helped me get to this point. It's been a crazy 1.5 years getting this thing written, edited, and published, but I’m grateful to end 2021 having officially published my second novel. I hope you enjoy reading it and don’t worry, although this story is about a virus, it’s a lot more fun than living through COVID-19.

Christmas in Chiangmai

$38 Christmas Present from Mark

Degen, 

I've been known to give books as presents, which I presume go unread, whereas you actually read the darn suckers. I had to outdo myself for Christmas, so I thought, instead of a book, why not give the gift of education? TOGETHER. 

Merry Christmas, 

Mark

The donation (a desk costs $38) made in your name will be put to use right away, supporting the next generation of education in Malawi, paving the way for a brighter future.

Thank you for playing a part in our work.

– Your friends at UNICEF USA.

Merry Christmas Eve — Traffic Ticket...

Got caught in a police trap on the highway and was fined 200 baht ($6) for not having a driver’s license. Paid it this morning and as he handed me my receipt, the officer said, “Merry Christmas.”

Condo Christmas

Glad to see Christmas lights everywhere im Chiangmai. Beijing was a bit bleak during the holidays.

2021 — Year In Review

As 2021 comes to a close, I thought I’d write out some of my highlights, accomplishments, and everything else that happened:

• Didn’t do a whole lot of traveling, but visited Krabi in southern Thailand

• Got a 1-year education visa for Thailand after months of extending my 2-year tourist visa

• Finished (and super close to publishing) my second novel — A Viral State

• Came in last place in my Fantasy Football League (1st year doing it — I did NOT have beginner’s luck)

• Bought a motorcycle (still figuring out how to get a driver’s license in Thailand)

• Went to a Chiangmai FC football game

• Helped my girlfriend open a bar

• Bought a new MacBook Pro (2020 w/touchbar) // My 2015 served me well, but couldn’t keep up with workload

• Bought an Apple watch 7 to replace my FitBit

• Celebrated my 32nd birthday in a warm climate for the first time in almost a decade. Most past birthdays were spent in Beijing, and 2020 birthday was in Tirana, Albania, which was also cold.

• Donated the majority of my jeans, long pants, and long-sleeved shirts and got an almost entirely new wardrobe better suited to Thailand’s climate

• Did a full year of No Meat Mondays. You can check out what that was like here

• Got two new jobs — KrASIA (tech media) and MagicFew (crypto consulting) // Still working for China.org

• Put away $50,000 into my brokerage & Roth IRA

• Read 10 books

  • Blood Meridian — Cormac McCarthy

  • Kafka On The Shore — Haruki Murakami

  • The Crying Machine — Greg Chivers

  • Timbuktu — Paul Auster

  • A Wild Sheep Chase — Haruki Murakami

  • Mr. Vertigo — Paul Auster

  • Pastoralia — George Saunders

  • Killing Commendatore — Haruki Murakami

  • Bangkok 8 — John Burdett

  • Sputnik Sweetheart — Haruki Murakami

Looking forward to celebrating Christmas with friends this weekend, and yes, I bought several ugly Christmas sweaters from Taobao, so get ready for some great pictures.

Overall, it has been a bit of a quiet year for me amid all the COVID-19 restrictions. Thailand didn’t really fully open for most of 2021, and even now, it’s starting to close back up because of Omicron. I have worked from home (and remotely) all year, which has been nice. I don’t miss the office at all. I finished writing my novel and spent lots of time putting together all the pieces that go into publishing it.

Basically, I worked a lot, had fun with friends, dealt with the struggles of being with my girlfriend, saved a lot of money, tried not to fall into a COVID-19-related existential crisis, and exercised daily. It was a pretty routine year. Looking forward to doing more traveling in 2022, even if just domestically within Thailand, as well as starting some new personal writing projects. I plan on staying in Thailand for the foreseeable future, though unsure what next year will bring. Hope anyone reading this had a great 2021, despite all the challenges it brought with it.

Here’s to 2022 and the possibilities it brings with it!

Oysters

Cover for New Novel — A Viral State

This is the cover for my new novel, “A Viral State.” Worked with Tim over at Dissect Designs, who also did the cover for “Contraception.” Incredibly happy with it. Just a few more steps until the novel is published — need to get it internally formatted, then send over the page count to Tim so he can create spine width. The back cover blurb has been finalized, as has the back cover design. Once the internal formatting is done, I’ll finalize full book jacket, then get it over to Amazon to publish!

Thanks to everyone who listened to me talk about this book. It’s certainly been a wild ride, having written it for over a year across more than five different countries. Will post link to blog once everything is ready to go, both print version & e-book.

Christmas Trees in Chiangmai

Also had a nice lunch by the lake. Not as nice as a beach-side lunch, but up here in the north, it’s the best we get. (Food picture is fish in a red chili sauce with veggies on top)

Picture of me by the ocean is on the Christmas tree in the HK office of the company I work for (MagicFew…MF)