Postcard from Chiang Mai #5

Closed today. Maybe tomorrow. Or not.

Sawạsdii from Chiang Mai,

One thing I’ve learned living here: you should never get too attached to a plan. Or a rooftop bar.

We had big dreams—cocktails with a view, sunsets over the Old City walls, maybe even jazz. But on more than one occasion, we climbed to the top only to find the bar closed. Why? No one’s quite sure. Sometimes it’s rain. Sometimes a royal birthday. Sometimes an election. All of which mean: no alcohol sales, and no exceptions.

Then there’s “sabai sabai,” a phrase I now hear daily. It floats in the air like jasmine: relaxed, reassuring, a gentle nudge to stop rushing. Our neighbor said it when I struggled to back into a tight driveway. “Sabai sabai!” he smiled, as if to say: no need for stress—whatever happens is probably fine.

These “unofficial holidays” are beautifully unpredictable. They remind you: in Thailand, rules have nuance, and time is a little… bendy. It's part of the charm. Unless you were really counting on that Negroni.

Do we actually like rooftop bars? We like the idea of them. But here, we’ve learned to enjoy the ground floor just as much—and always check Google Maps and ask a human and have a backup plan.

Cheers to whatever's open. Russell