properjob

I've heard that there are weekly traditional music nights at a couple of bars in Chiang Mai. By that I mean traditional Irish/Folk acoustic music sessions where people are welcome to bring along their own instruments and join in.

Can anyone point me to such nights in town?

pj

Thanks to everyone for the additional sources and tips.

pj

Thanks for the rapid responses. Much appreciated.

pj

I haven't found it live on TV. I have True Visions Gold (not Platinum) package, and can't find the racing. Is it on anywhere, even on a Thai channel?

Thanks in advance.

pj

I'm an author, and am sorry to see that so many people think it is perfectly OK to steal copyright materials over the Web. There is a giant misconception out there that all published authors are minting their own money. That's the case if you're Dan Brown or J.K. Rowling, but the vast majority of published authors make next to nothing from their books - and so long as people insist on bypassing legitimate download sites such as Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble and iTunes, the reward for people putting thousands of hours into producing a book will only fall ever lower.

If you download a $5 book by an author whose work is published through a legitimate publisher, the author, if he/she is lucky, might see about one-fifth, so maybe $1. It's not much, but it's the only payback for what might be thousands of hours of work. (Royalties on printed books are considerably lower - more like 30 or 40 cents per $5 book.)

There are plenty of books available for free on Amazon and elsewhere; they are free because the authors agree to them being free for 24 hours in the hope of driving their books up the sales rankings, thereby generating a sales 'bounce' even after they are no longer free. That's fine. That's the author (who is usually also the publisher) engaging in marketing. I recommend you try downloading a few. You'll quickly find out another reason why they are free. They are utter cr@p, mostly self-published by wannabe authors who would never have a hope of seeing their work published if they weren't doing it themselves. Of course there are success stories among self-published download authors, but as a percentage of the total, we are talking an infinitesimally small slice, perhaps one book in fifty thousand. No, really.

Traditional publishers have a lot to answer for, and are being slow to meet the market's demands for reasonably-priced downloads, but bypassing legitimate purchasing routes is only going to drive more and more publishers to the wall, and more and more authors out of writing.

pj

Just as a quick follow-up for the benefit of anyone who finds this thread via the search function.

I visited Khun Sumalee this morning, and she was the ideal professional and a delight to deal with. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to others here.

Her office is in the ground floor of Punna Residence, which is on the south side of Huay Kaew Road, between the Phu Come Hotel and Chiang Mai University. There is a Mac Coffee shop out front.

229 Huay Kaew Road

Suthep

Chiang Mai 50200

053 142 366

Don't confuse Punna Residence with Punna Five (Punna 5?) which is on the same road.

pj

Thanks for the numbers and the other advice.

pj

Thanks for all the help on this. Ideally I'd get about sixty days to keep me going until an appointment I have in the UK in June, so a single entry visa would do me.

Lots of good info here. Much appreciated.

pj

Thinking now about the Udon Thani/Vientiane option. I actually quite like a travelling challenge, so long as it isn't TOO much of an ordeal.

Is the Udon Thani trip a one-day affair? I'd much rather do that in daytime - don't like overnight bus trips for danger reasons.

I gather it is easy to get from Udon Thani to Vientiane - but that there might be a need for a visa for Laos that makes certain express buses impossible to use if you don't have the visa already?

If anyone has recent experience of the overland trip to Vientiane I'd appreciate any inside tips RE bus companies/visas border crossings, etc.

pj

Thanks for the help. BR, I don't quite understand the Brisbane tip. How can I apply for a business visa and come back the same day? (Even if you didn't mean it literally). I have had multi-entry non-immig B visas up until now - I get them in the U.K. very easily, so I know the visa you mean (and will get another in a few weeks when I go to Britain).

The Udon Thani/Vientiane option is another one worth thinking about, I guess. Get the double entry and do the whole trip backpacker style, overland. Rough but doable (and maybe character forming).

pj

KL with Air Asia..................Costs.......... check their web site they vary from day to day.

Thanks for that. I'll check that option.

pj

My visa situation is in a pickle, and I need to get at least 30 days more (British Passport), which now means I have to fly out and back (I've exhausted the 15 days on entry option at Mae Sai already).

So now I need to fly out and back, possibly even on the same day - but possibly to stay out for long enough to apply for a tourist visa at a Thai embassy abroad.

Does anyone have any tips on the cheapest international return flights out of Chiang Mai? The options seem rather limited and not very cheap.

pj

Thanks for the tips. Does anyone have a phone number for Khun Sumalee?

The help is appreciated.

pj

There's another store with a very mixed bag of bikes on Rattana Kosin Rd. Coming from the superhighway travelling west along Kaeo Nawarat Rd, turn right (north) into Rattana Kosin. The road takes a sharp left after a short while, and the bike shop (more of a covered open space by the side of the road) is on the right side. We bought a very decent tandem there, and I recall they had quite a few older bikes.

pj

Can anyone recommend a Chiang Mai lawyer who will quickly (and not too expensively) notarise a copy of my passport that I need for a bank application in the U.K.?

Any quick responses would be greatly appreciated.

pj

There's a big second-hand bike shop on the east side of highway 1001, a couple of hundred metres south of MaeJo University intersection. There is a smaller store on the other side, the west side, also quite near that traffic light intersection.

The big junk shop on the Lamphun Road, about half a mile south of the Holiday Inn intersection, on the left (east) side just before you get to the superhighway, has some old bikes like the ones that maybe used to be post office bikes.

I have an Olympus digital camera that needs repaired. Can anyone tell me if Olympus have an official repair centre in Chiang Mai?

It is no longer under warranty, so if there is no Olympus repair centre in town, can anyone recommend a decent camera repair technician?

Thanks in advance.

pj

I remember Lantus prices in Bangkok were also very high. Luckily I have a stock of Lantus to do me for a while. Now I need a supply of fast-acting 'daytime' insulin. Ideally Humulin, but Actrapid would do for now.

I'm going to try one or two of the places recommended today.

ron

I use Lantus witch I pay 1250 bath per pen and Apidra witch I pay 450 bath for at Chiang Mai Ram hospital, and I have a VIP medicine card witch gives me 10% discount.

Still it is very expensive compared to Denmark where I come from. :-(((((

So it cost's me about 4500 bath pr month.

So if anyone know where it can be bought cheaper please tell :-)

//

Goy

Thanks for these replies. I'll get myself over to Sriphat soon then. I need 3ml penfill cartridges. They are available in Bangkok, so I expect they will either have them here or be able to get them pretty quickly.

pj

I'm a bit surprised that there are no answers so far.

pj

I've managed to avoid reaching type 2 status, but I'd suggest you try a Boots Pharmacy, and see what they suggest.

I think you might mean Type 1 (insulin dependent). I'm hoping to find a professional-grade pharmacist. There will be some around, and I'd appreciate hearing from anyone else who has found one.

pj

I used to be able to rely on getting insulin from a particular pharmacy in Bangkok, but now I need to know if anyone recommends a well-managed pharmacy in Chiang Mai that has good stocks of insulin.

I did a search for threads with 'insulin', but only turned up discussions about diet drinks

Thanks,

pj

I'll make a special trip in to the restaurant some time to view the whole range of goodies. Thanks again.

pj

I'm always on the lookout for celiac-friendly products. Do you make anything else that is gluten-free, such as bread or pizzas or breakfast cereal?

pj

We do make gluten free bread. Also gluten free pies and cookies. Flourless chocolate cake and a cake called Dacquoise which is my personal favorite of all the cakes we make. These cakes and cookies run in rotation so it's best to check in advance before you make a special run for them. At the restaurant we offer 2 kinds of gluten free pancakes, regular and buckwheat.

Thanks for the detailed response. I'd certainly be interested in some of those products. I see from your website your products are stocked at the Meechok Plaza Rimping Supermarket. I've been in there many times, but not seen your goods. Must look more closely.

Thanks again,

pj