Top 10 Of Biggest Eyesores In Chiang Mai

[chanchao]

Here's my short-list that I'd like to submit.

1. Saeng Tawan Buidling / Advertising covering nice stuff.

..............

Rationale: Advertising makes money which is fair enough. Like next to major highways: Perfect. But what if it's in town, completely blocks Nice Things and are overly large for the location? I wonder how much the municipality would have to pay the owners of the Saeng Tawan building to get rid of that hideous advertising billboard that covers their VERY NICE terracotta-tile façade showing traditional Northern Thai scenes. What could be one of the most attractive intersections (if there is such a thing) in Chiang Mai is now completely butt-ugly. Does anyone have a pic of the actual tile-front of that building?

2. Buildings in need of paint, or a big hammer.

Rationale: There's a lot of cheaply built 30-40 year old concrete shophouses around that look like they're falling apart. Some can be renovated nicely and have some paint added. For example see the buildings on the corners of the Moat and Loi Kroh / Ratchamankha Road, or the Thapae Starbucks building. Add paint and they honestly look a lot nicer.

3. The wooden jail on Charoen Prathet Road.

Rationale: Allegedly this is a 5 star hotel. But look at it.. It looks like a wooden jail, or a warehouse at best. Word has it that squirrels love to stay there, but people?

4. Mae Kha Canal

A lot of work was done already to beautify the banks. Now complete the job by cleaning the water as well, and remove any illegal buildings.

Feel free to continue, preferably with pictiure & rationale.

AND: No whining that this is a whining-topic! We'll do a Top-10 of most charming/beautiful locations in Chiang Mai next. Honest.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[adjan jb]

Every townhouse is an eyesore.

[chanchao]

Every shophouse you mean? I don't think so.

Starbucks at Thapae is in one that they threw some money at, and look at the result, it looks rather tidy:

[thomo]

Quite a lot of Falangs hurt my eyes.

Usually the ones who go around in oversized singlets(vests) and thus expose their aged, weathered parts that would and should otherwise be kept from my and especially the local Thai's eyes. Normaly worn with a sickly grey ponytail that's pasted into place with 10 big gobs of saliva and all the cultural awareness of a pork chop producer in Mecca.

Seeing this kinda thing hurts my eye's.

[p1p]

No photos here; the camera complains too much. But my vote for the architecture most likely to induce projectile vomiting is the big, blue roofed eyesore next to APIS Kindergarden in World Club.

This is closely followed by the massive erect male member at the junction of World Club and CM - Hang Dong road. How anybody could errect a tall, narrow (prick) lump of concrete, paint it pink, crown it with a bulbous red head and place it anywhere but outside a business specialising in errectile function is beyond my understanding.

[p1p]

The aspect of your No.2:

that most offends the idea of beauty has to be those horrible cats' cradles of telephone wires. These wiring disasters, probably more than any other sight here, tend to receive most comments from my friends when they come to visit from overseas.

[Donnyboy]

one that bugs me is the electrical cables and telephone lines that criss-cross everywhere, granted its LOS wide but Im sure with some planning (is it possible) they could at least stick them underground on the main streets around town. I heard theyre in the process along thapae and changklan. is that right?

havent got any pictures but i think you all know what im talking about

[chanchao]

> How anybody could errect a tall, narrow (prick) lump of concrete, paint it pink, crown

> it with a bulbous red head and place it anywhere but outside a business specialising

> in errectile function is beyond my understanding.

It's the flower mascot for the Flower Expo, innit? Do you get that often, that you see phallic shapes in random constructions, trees, rocks etc?

> The aspect of your No.2: that most offends the idea of beauty has to be those horrible cats' cradles of telephone wires.

HaH!!! You're right!! Would you believe I didn't even notice that?? Apparently I totally tune it out... But I totally agree. (And I thought Thapae road was supposed to get underground cabling..)

[p1p]

> How anybody could errect a tall, narrow (prick) lump of concrete, paint it pink, crown

> it with a bulbous red head and place it anywhere but outside a business specialising

> in errectile function is beyond my understanding.

It's the flower mascot for the Flower Expo, innit? Do you get that often, that you see phallic shapes in random constructions, trees, rocks etc?

It was there well before the Flower expo was ever conceived and remains there now. It was errected, or at least altered from the original arch that formed the main road entrance to World Club when the evangelican christian missionaries took over the ownership of the estate from the ficallly and morally bankrupt previous owner in about year 2000 or earlier.

[p1p]

With gratitude to the Mrs' camera; herewith the point in question:

It has recently been somewhat vasectomised by the addition of those blue bands on the shaft, however you should still be able to get the general effect.

[sceadugenga]

Sigh...... OK, so lets get some people pay some serious taxes; has to be the Farangs, the Thais aren't going to, then spend some serious money cleaning these places up...the owners aren't going to; then when it's all done it will look just like Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Sydney, San Francisco etc and then it will probably be cheaper to GO BACK THERE AND ****ING LIVE.

[Austhaied]

Sigh...... OK, so lets get some people pay some serious taxes; has to be the Farangs, the Thais aren't going to, then spend some serious money cleaning these places up...the owners aren't going to; then when it's all done it will look just like Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Sydney, San Francisco etc and then it will probably be cheaper to GO BACK THERE AND ****ING LIVE.

Take a chill pill bro.. The minute we stop complaining and stating the plain obvious is the moment we stop to give a s**t, with farangs that aint gonna happen.. Its not in our make-up.. we have been out of the jungle long enough to see the forest from the trees..Although it does not make you a good human being.. Live and let live i say..

[cdnvic]

The aspect of your No.2:

that most offends the idea of beauty has to be those horrible cats' cradles of telephone wires. These wiring disasters, probably more than any other sight here, tend to receive most comments from my friends when they come to visit from overseas.

The snarles of wire at such close proximity to the buildings is yet another impediment to cleaning or repainting even if the owners did consider it. I wouldn't want to be climbing up on, nor aiming a water stream or extention pole anywhere near alot of these buildings.

[sceadugenga]

Sigh...... OK, so lets get some people pay some serious taxes; has to be the Farangs, the Thais aren't going to, then spend some serious money cleaning these places up...the owners aren't going to; then when it's all done it will look just like Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, Sydney, San Francisco etc and then it will probably be cheaper to GO BACK THERE AND ****ING LIVE.

Take a chill pill bro.. The minute we stop complaining and stating the plain obvious is the moment we stop to give a s**t, with farangs that aint gonna happen.. Its not in our make-up.. we have been out of the jungle long enough to see the forest from the trees..Although it does not make you a good human being.. Live and let live i say..

Several bottles of Leo chill pills taken, blood pressure returned to normal.

[chanchao]

With gratitude to the Mrs' camera; herewith the point in question:

Are you getting out enough recently p1p? ;-)

[Austhaied]

Just another example of the same gripe.. It obviously does not bother the Thais or they would do something about it.. TIT..

[Ricardo]

I'd like to nominate the entire 1st-Ring-Road, or superhighway, for its semi-completed air of complete delapidation, and the uncompleted (after 3+ years !) under-passes.

They do more to make Chiang Mai look 3rd-world than even the old shophouses.

[chanchao]

Ya... I knew someone would bring that up, those tunnel construcions on the Super Highway... But consider that one day they WILL be finished, and in the end they represent *TUNNELS*, not *HIDEOUS OVERPASSES* of the type Bangkok is plagued with. So whatever it takes, I prefer a tunnel that takes 5 years to complete over a concrete overpass that's finished in 1.

BTW, it seems traffic actually flows FASTER during construction. Why: Traffic goes *around* so what they've unknowingly created is a traffic-roundabout. And they're FASTER than waiting 5 mintutes for a red light during rush hour..

So actually... it seems to me that a lot of expense could have been spared by making roundabouts where space permits instead of tunnels, which will STILL require traffic lights again for traffic going any direction except straight on on the Superhighway...

[chanchao]

Just another example of the same gripe.. It obviously does not bother the Thais or they would do something about it.. TIT..

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=24710

Hahahaha you know, this could be one for the 'You have been in Thailand too long when -list'.

"If you think this is a picture of a hideous elevated rat's nest on a concrete pole then you're still sane."

"If you think this is a picture of a small temple then you've been in Thailand too long."

[richard10365]

Road construction on the super highway gets my vote.

[Ajarn]

Ya... I knew someone would bring that up, those tunnel construcions on the Super Highway... But consider that one day they WILL be finished, and in the end they represent *TUNNELS*, not *HIDEOUS OVERPASSES* of the type Bangkok is plagued with. So whatever it takes, I prefer a tunnel that takes 5 years to complete over a concrete overpass that's finished in 1.

BTW, it seems traffic actually flows FASTER during construction. Why: Traffic goes *around* so what they've unknowingly created is a traffic-roundabout. And they're FASTER than waiting 5 mintutes for a red light during rush hour..

So actually... it seems to me that a lot of expense could have been spared by making roundabouts where space permits instead of tunnels, which will STILL require traffic lights again for traffic going any direction except straight on on the Superhighway...

Traffic is NOT faster, it's only that there are fewer vehicles, since people like me avoid the area, fearing the traffic mess. The middle ring road is a dream.

Edited February 16, 2007 by Ajarn

[chanchao]

> The middle ring road is a dream

Yes, and the Superhighway will be just like it in a mere few years time. I still support the decision to make the effort of putting in tunnels, where cities like Bangkok can't manage anything underground unless it's a parking lot under a department store.

[Austhaied]

Ya... I knew someone would bring that up, those tunnel construcions on the Super Highway... But consider that one day they WILL be finished, and in the end they represent *TUNNELS*, not *HIDEOUS OVERPASSES* of the type Bangkok is plagued with. So whatever it takes, I prefer a tunnel that takes 5 years to complete over a concrete overpass that's finished in 1.

BTW, it seems traffic actually flows FASTER during construction. Why: Traffic goes *around* so what they've unknowingly created is a traffic-roundabout. And they're FASTER than waiting 5 mintutes for a red light during rush hour..

So actually... it seems to me that a lot of expense could have been spared by making roundabouts where space permits instead of tunnels, which will STILL require traffic lights again for traffic going any direction except straight on on the Superhighway...

Traffic is NOT faster, it's only that there are fewer vehicles, since people like me avoid the area, fearing the traffic mess. The middle ring road is a dream.

It doesn't matter anyway, cause in 310 years they will have a mass (mess) transit system and there will be no more problems.. And besides like the sign in Wat Umong says...

[chanchao]

> where cities like Bangkok can't manage anything underground

> unless it's a parking lot under a department store.

Oh wait, I forgot the obvious ones. The MRT subway, and Thermae.

Scratch that comment.

[meadish_sweetball]

Just another example of the same gripe.. It obviously does not bother the Thais or they would do something about it.. TIT..

I think they have...

[lannarebirth]

I would love to see a chain of implosions done to the 10-12, 15-20 story white boxes/condos/apartments that are on the khlong road, 1 kilometer either side of Huay Kaew

[Austhaied]

Just another example of the same gripe.. It obviously does not bother the Thais or they would do something about it.. TIT..

I think they have...

Top job.. Will you be running for CM governer ??

[Austhaied]

> The middle ring road is a dream

Yes, and the Superhighway will be just like it in a mere few years time. I still support the decision to make the effort of putting in tunnels, where cities like Bangkok can't manage anything underground unless it's a parking lot under a department store.

Or a casino..

[Donnyboy]

Ya... I knew someone would bring that up, those tunnel construcions on the Super Highway... But consider that one day they WILL be finished, and in the end they represent *TUNNELS*, not *HIDEOUS OVERPASSES* of the type Bangkok is plagued with. So whatever it takes, I prefer a tunnel that takes 5 years to complete over a concrete overpass that's finished in 1.

BTW, it seems traffic actually flows FASTER during construction. Why: Traffic goes *around* so what they've unknowingly created is a traffic-roundabout. And they're FASTER than waiting 5 mintutes for a red light during rush hour..

So actually... it seems to me that a lot of expense could have been spared by making roundabouts where space permits instead of tunnels, which will STILL require traffic lights again for traffic going any direction except straight on on the Superhighway...

not when the motosais start going opposite to the traffic flow

[Austhaied]

The souveneir (trash) vendors inside the grounds of Wat Phraharat Doi Suthep. IMO should not be allowed..Thats an eyesore..