Alt_Newsletter #00012 | July Mid-Month

Spilling The Beans

🏞️ Alt_Adventures is getting a facelift! We are edging back towards our core value of community and will be focusing on activities that will involve and benefit our local communities. Watch our Insta and future newsletters for upcoming adventures!

☔️ Rain is a fact of life, and in Chiang Mai the rainy season is basically the only time we get it. After a few years navigating it, and record downpours last year, we’re more prepared than ever - for us and our neighbors. In fact, Tukee tells you all about last year below!

🤝 We’ve been banging on about Chiang Mai being THE hub for nomads for years, but we are actually making more connections with other hubs to strengthen them. The latest connections? Armenia and Estonia 🥳

Has anyone been to Armenia btw? If so drop us a message here as we’ve got something cookin’ 👩‍🍳

What has happened at Alt_ this month?

What happened in Bansko, stays…

Well actually, John has a lot to share (and some that can’t be!!) from his second trip to Bansko in two years for the Nomadfest. Here’s what his thoughts were on his journey home after speaking and meeting hundreds of nomads during his week there:

2. Events that go beyond casual meet ups. The mix and spontaneity in Bansko was perfect. This year the talks were better, the production level was up. The intention was clear.

3. Ease of living. Bansko is a quiet mountain town. No big city noise. Few distractions, so a calm energy that creates space to connect and build real community. The crowd that live and pas through feels intentional. Sounds a lot like Chiang Mai now I think about it!

I also got to connect with many Alt_Fam nomads and truly inspiring souls, including Doris Dario, Juan Barbed and Mark Phillips. Go and check them and their purposes out.

Alt_ things you might have missed

Alt_Stories

There might not be ANY Alt_Stories without Tukee…

Before the foundations were laid - and even a company registered - Alt_ already had in place the person who’d make it happen.

It felt like quite a risk when I saw the position advertised, but John wanted to create something more than a business and I wanted the challenge. I thought very hard about it with my family, but I think it has been a success.

You were Alt_’s first employee, so what was your role back then?
John, Somphor, and I did everything together at the start. I helped register the company and was involved with the contruction, but even choosing the chairs, tables, beds. We did a LOT of research on that, and how to use the space. We went to a lot of places and used what we liked and brainstormed together how everything would work. I have to say - the beds are my favorite thing!

What has been the hardest thing in your roles as property and admin manager?
Managing the buildings, especially the things that affects the residents. Many of them are out of our control, but we really want to fix things without it affecting the customers so it can be difficult to get those things fixed quickly. We usually manage it without anyone realising there has been a problem. Except last year, that was a big challenge!

Of course, how did you deal with the flooding last year?
The team at Alt_PingRiver worked together really well. We raised everything higher, prepared extra food for those who didn’t want to evacuate, and prepare in case electricity went. We had a boat outside to help residents and lots of local friends who wanted to help.

The local community were helpful?
John has created something more than a business. We all helped each other. John got a truck to help the neighborhood with food, sandbags, getting down the street. This area of Wat Ket, where Alt_PingRiver is, is a really close community and one of the reasons we opened a coliving here. It’s really important for John to be part of the local community and contribute, and I spend a lot of my time with our neighbors. Our team are a good middle ground between the community and residents too.

The Alt_Team are often one of the first things residents comment on when they leave. How do you find them?
When we opened Alt_ChiangMai so to find some people who could understand our culture, and the different cultures of people visiting, was very difficult. There was nothing else like Alt_ in Chiang Mai. We got a lot of feedback from our visitors and by now have a good idea of the right people who will work at the sites. Many guests come back, even if it is just to come and say hello.

What do you think the future of Alt_ is? Are you allowed to spill the beans?
I think I can say we want more property. I don’t see myself working anywhere else because the culture John has made here means it is never boring. There is a surprise every day. Not everyone can deal with that, but I love it!

The longer the conversation with Tukee, the more important we realise she is to the experience you get at Alt_! Please say hello to her when you see her (even though she is very happy to be in the background making the Alt_Machine tick over…

If you have an Alt_ story to tell, or want to appear here and share your thing with the community, fill in this form.

Things to do at Alt_ later this month

Alt_Facts ☕️

When Alt_ was being conceived one of the most important aspects of how Alt_ChiangMai (and later Alt_PingRiver) would shape up was answering the issues that digital nomads have. That meant research and - as well as what Tukee described above - asking you all for what you wanted to see.

John conducted polls and put up posts across multiple nomads groups, and having good office chairs ranked very, very high. We took it VERY seriously, and there were multiple iterations of chairs tested, sent back, revisited, slept in (well, less of the last one!).