The Real Housewife of Chiang Mai

Since blogging is the closest thing I have to a job right now and Sandeep is still working, I’m a housewife. The only brush I’ve had with being one before was maternity leave. I didn’t like it. Being without adult company for hours on end and not having professional goals drove me nuts. However, after almost two weeks as a Chiang Mai housewife, I’ve realized I am getting used to quite the luxurious life.

Here is my typical housewife day.

The morning starts at around 8 with the kids bouncing into bed. Be this time, Sandeep has already put in a couple of hours of work, is in a zone, and doesn’t want to be bothered.

The housekeeping crew comes in, does our dishes and cleans our apartment. At 9 our babysitter, Pang, arrives to give me a hand. We then call our driver and tuk tuk to take us for our morning excursion.

While we’re out, Pang occasionly takes care of the kids while I go shopping or get a massage. We eat lunch out and then come home in time for our private afternoon swimming class, which Sandeep joins.  Pang leaves in the afternoon, so I get the kids bathed and into bed for their naps. I then stroll to the neighborhood salon to get my hair blown out.

The kids wake up and the family goes for our evening outing, to a market, a temple, a restaurant or just a random walk. Tonight, Sandeep and I are going on our first date in Chiang Mai. I even went to the mall and got a dress for the event.

And this weekend, somehow we feel we need a getaway from this luxurious life  (Hamptons style?) and are heading north of Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao.

This all sounds quite obnoxious, so I am going to clarify now that part of the reason we chose Chiang Mai as our first base was to be pampered by low prices and ease of living. The large expatriate community here has equipped the city well for foreigners while still avoiding the chaos of Bangkok.

Here is what the goods and services I described above cost.

Housekeeping – included in our monthly rent
Babysitting – $3 an hour
Tuk tuk to city – $6 roundtrip
Massage – $5 an hour
Lunch out – $3
Private family swimming lesson – $12 an hour
Shampoo and blowdry – $2
Dress at the mall – $5
Weekend away – $25 per night at Chiang Dao Nest Resort

Anyway, this is a deviation form my real world and my days as a housewife are numbered. I may as well live it up.