Update: A local in Chiang Mai called my work setup 'sad' and it's been stuck in my head for a week.

I was working from a cafe on Nimman Road last Tuesday, just doing my normal thing with my laptop and noise-cancelling headphones. This older Thai man who owned the place came over to clear my empty coffee cup, looked at my screen full of spreadsheets, and just shook his head. He said, 'You come all this way to sit inside and look at a box. My nephew in Bangkok does the same. It is a sad way to see the world.' He wasn't mean about it, just matter-of-fact, and then he walked away. I've been here for three months, and I realized I've barely left this neighborhood except for visa runs. My entire view of Thailand is a series of coffee shops and coworking spaces. That one comment made me feel like a tourist in my own life. How do you guys balance actually experiencing a place with the need to get your paid work done?

3 comments

3 Comments

murray.betty3mo ago

Wow, that would get to me too. I used to think working from cool places was the experience, but hearing it from a local hits different. Maybe we have to actually close the laptop sometimes.

lucas631mo ago

Did you actually pack up and leave right then, or did you just sit there feeling awkward for a while before finishing up? Sounds like one of those moments where you either commit to the change or just feel like a total phony. I had a similar thing happen in a coffee shop in Thailand, and I just stared at my screen for 20 minutes before finally closing it and walking around. Did you end up changing your whole approach to work travel after that, or was it more of a slow shift?

evah403mo ago

Right? That comment would haunt me too. I got the same look from a street food vendor in Lisbon once and it totally changed how I plan my work days.