After the first week of getting settled into life in Chiang Mai, it became apparent to me I needed to be within walking distance of Grace International. Unfortunately there was nothing available in the neighborhood of the school itself, but fortunately there is a new complex of guesthouses called the Wantana Resort open in a neighboring village about a 25 minute walk away.
In so many ways, it's been a perfect place to live these few months while I'm in Thailand. Like so many Thai guesthouses, their accommodations are family run and they definitely make you feel like part of the family. Imagine the owner offering rides around town and stopping by on occasion with fruit called ma-prang (mango plums) from their orchard. They also offer any service you need including laundry (at 15 cents per article of clothing... 10 cents for underwear =) and even a personal order of a Thai meal that you can eat on your veranda for not much more.
As you can see, accommodations are made up of individual cottages with veranda and needed amenities, including boys on motorcycles (the primary mode of transportation) willing to take you around the neighborhood if you don't have time to walk. While I'm already used to hanging off motorized vehicles such as the the songtaews (open pickup trucks that take you around the city), I appreciate friends who loaned me their bicycle so I can ride to school on my own and get exercise at the same time! I just have to remember to ride on the other side of the road =)
