AI Systems for Agency Owners | LachlanCB
Asia Life

Living and working in Asia

Three years based in Chiang Mai — what it costs, what it takes, what breaks, and the parts nobody puts in the brochure.

03
Years based here
06
Sub-pillars
Chiang Mai
Base

I moved to Thailand in 2023 and have been based in Chiang Mai since. These pages cover the cost structure, the seasonal problems, the gear, and what most writing on this skips. The logistics are easy. The belonging is hard.

Most writing on this life comes from people ninety days in. Everything is still novel and nothing has broken yet. I've been here long enough for the second year to happen. That's where the interesting information is.

Countries
  1. Sichuan, China
    First trip, 2024

    China

    Three weeks in Sichuan in early 2024. What China is actually like for a foreigner who does not speak Mandarin, which apps you need, and why I came back preferring Thailand.

    • It is not designed for foreigners
    • Snow, and a town that lights up
    • Two cities, two answers
    • The apps you actually need
    • Getting in, as an Australian
    • Would I go back
  2. Northern Thailand
    Base since 2023

    Thailand

    Thailand as a base rather than a trip. Why I chose it, what staying actually involves, what it costs, and how the rest of the country compares to the city I live in.

    • Why Thailand and not somewhere else
    • The part nobody photographs
    • The country past the city
    • The catch, stated plainly
Cities & towns
  1. Chiang Mai
    The base

    Chiang Mai Life

    What it actually costs, where to live, what the burn season does to the year, and how the day runs. From someone based here rather than passing through.

    • Cost of living
    • Apartments & accommodation
    • Weather & seasons
    • Food & cafés
    • Day-to-day lifestyle
    • Local culture & customs
  2. Pai, northern Thailand
    A few hours north

    Pai Life

    The mountain town north of Chiang Mai, reached by a road that is genuinely unpleasant. Still the place I compare others against.

    • The road
    • The town
    • Bikes
    • When to go
  3. Chiang Dao mountain
    Closer than you think

    Chiang Dao Life

    A mountain and a very small town about an hour and a half out. The easiest real escape from the city.

    • Getting there
    • The mountain
    • Staying
    • Weather

Pai and Chiang Dao are photo essays rather than pillar pages. One place, one URL.

The life
  1. A room of people, Chiang Mai
    The hard part

    Building a Life Abroad

    Making friends, handling loneliness, and building routines that survive a move. The logistics of living abroad are solvable admin — this is the part that actually breaks people.

    • Loneliness
    • Making friends
    • Routines
    • Productivity
    • Long-term planning
  2. Laptop set up to work from
    The kit

    Tech & Digital Nomad

    The gear that travels, how to handle internet and banking before you leave, and the AI tooling that makes a one-person operation work from anywhere.

    • Gear
    • Internet & connectivity
    • AI tools while travelling
    • Productivity setups
    • Remote work tips
  3. Models by Mark Manson
    Field notes

    Dating

    Cross-cultural relationships, apps, and social dynamics as a foreigner in Thailand — written with a constraint most writing on this topic ignores.

    • The editorial rule
Writing from here · 04

Thin, and honestly so — this pillar is new and most of what I've written until now has been about building rather than about living here. That's the gap this section exists to close.