Ella, I was employed, so I had a work permit at the time. Would love to go back, though, on some type of visa. We loved living there. Recommendations in terms of Mae Hon Son? Or something else? It has been 10 years, so my recommendations in terms of hotels, etc will be out of date. But the place was awesome. Everywhere is great: Krabi and Hua Hin are beach resorts that are not as touristy as Samui, Phuket, or Pattaya (if you never go to Pattaya, you aren't missing anything). We also loved Koh Chang, Ayutthaya just north of Bangkok. Plus a bit further out we loved Ankor Wat in Cambodia and everything about Laos. You can even take a train from Bangkok to Laos, or probably fly from Chiang Mai. SE Asia is a great place to explore. I'm jealous!