The Ada House journal
Stories from Chiang Mai
Local culture, hidden corners and practical tips — from the people who actually live here.
Bua Tong Sticky Waterfalls: The Cascade You Can Climb
An hour north of the city sits a waterfall you climb up rather than admire from below. The limestone grips your bare feet, entry is free, and almost no one warns you how good it is.
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Same Same But Different: A Love Letter to Tinglish
Three words on a market T-shirt explain an entire country: same same, but different. Come laugh with us — five five five.
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Thai Superstitions: A Newcomer's Friendly Field Guide to Luck, Ghosts and Good Timing
Why won't the barber cut your hair on a Wednesday, and what is that gecko trying to tell you? A fond, respectful guide to the beliefs you'll bump into in Chiang Mai.
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Why everyone in Thailand has a nickname (and it might be 'Benz')
Spoiler: the cheerful woman who pours your morning coffee probably isn't really called Apple. Welcome to the wonderful world of the Thai nickname.
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Thai ghosts and spirits: a friendly guide to the spookier side
Don't whistle at night, and never sleep with your feet to the window. In Thailand the spirit world isn't a horror trope — it's a neighbour worth meeting.
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Thai day colours: why Monday is yellow — and what your birth day says
Born on a Tuesday? That makes you pink. Thailand quietly assigns every day of the week its own lucky colour — and once you notice it, you can't stop.
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Taxes for expats and digital nomads in Thailand: a calm overview
Tax talk makes most of us tense up. Here is a calm, careful map of the landscape — not advice, but a place to start before you call a professional.
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Chiang Mai Street Food: A Local's Guide to Eating Well for Pennies
Smoke curling off a charcoal grill, a queue of locals, a bowl handed over for the price of a coffee back home. This is how we eat in Chiang Mai, and we'd love to show you the ropes.
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Starting a business and getting a work permit in Thailand
Thinking of building something here? Here's the honest shape of work permits, companies and visas in Thailand — before you sign a single document.
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Spirit Mediums of Northern Thailand: The Living Tradition of the Ma Khi
Beneath the gilded calm of Lanna's temples runs an older current: a tradition in which ancestral spirits are said to 'ride' the living. Meet the ma khi.
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The legend behind Songkran: the riddle, the severed head and the Nang Songkran
Before the water fights, there was a riddle, a god who lost his head, and seven sisters who must never let it touch the earth. Here is the story we love to tell.
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The Royal Project: From Poppy Fields to Doi Kham Shops
That gold Doi Kham logo on the supermarket honey hides a half-century story: a king, an opium problem, and the highland farms that replaced the poppies. Here is the history, and where to shop it.
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