Our Pad Thai: Apartment Living in Chiang Mai

We are, indeed, ensconced in our new apartment in Chiang Mai--it is now over a week so that we feel as if we're really "into" city life. We're living in one of the few high rises--so far anyway-- in the city. The Embassy Condo is twelve stories high and our apartment is located on the seventh floor. On our floor there are four apartments--I'm sure ours is one of the smallest but I don't know how many total apartments there are in the building. The first floor is a reception and security area and on the second floor is a lovely swimming pool which we haven't yet tested since although the weather here is hot and humid, the pool water so far has been very very cold (and I like swimming in cold water although perhaps you might have to make that "I used to....")
Luckily there ARE elevators. Don't snicker and presume -- in Thailand we have been told that it's against the law to have an elevator in any building that has three floors or less! Not too easy for the old or disabled! And at Payap, Tom climbs three steep series of stairs to get to his office.
Our apartment is small but fairly luxurious by Thai standards. You enter through double front doors into an "L" shaped living and dining area. To one side is a very (very) small galley kitchen with two range burners (often lacking in Thai "kitchens") next to a small counter with a sink and cabinets above and below. No oven. But as I have said before, it's cheaper to go out to eat than to buy groceries and cook. Believe me, I really like this arrangement : ))
There are two good sized bedrooms and two full baths--the look is pretty modern--a bit minimalist--but not "too" for our tastes. The best thing about the apartment is the large balcony that wraps around one corner of the apartment and looks out over a green residential area and on the other side, a bit of the Mae Ping River. The BACK of the high rise is what you saw in the previous picture as it is on the river. The front of the condo faces a not so beautiful jumble of tin roofed ugly buildings, a mansion, and ugly concrete apartments. This reminds me to tell you that there are NO zoning laws at least in this city and often like much of the rest of Asia, first floors of buildings may be a business that spills out onto the sidewalks if there are any--and the upper floors are living quarters. Our road is a busy one and tuk tuks and motorcycles zoom busily by all night. There is also a neighborhood chorus of dogs that throw themselves into a concert of barkings and yips and then a refrain of *all-out* howling at least several times a night. Even I hear them.
We are also lucky because we have air conditioning AND a tv with at least several English speaking stations (CNBC, ESPN, CNN and stations that show English "B" run comedies from 10-20 years ago.) We're busy--but not watching much TV.