masuk

I haven't had a great cup of coffee in any retail shop in Chiang mai ever

Try the little one-man coffee shop next to the Samsung Service centre. (Sri pum Rd - north side of the canal)

He grinds it while you wait and it's the nicest coffee I've had a long time. I think it was 90baht.

Research in Scandinavia shows there is some concern about living under or close to high voltage transmission lines.

Here are a few opinions:

Australia: What can be Concluded from the Research Studies? The studies indicate that if there is a link between long term, low level EMF exposure and cancer, it is a very weak one. That is, the excess risk of cancer from living near power lines is at best zero, and at worst very low. This very low risk must be balanced against the high cost of modifying existing power systems and designing new ones to minimise EMFs. The option of putting power lines underground is not the complete solution, as many people suppose, because the magnetic field remains largely unaffected by this measure. Research evidence must be firmly established before expensive decisions based on health concerns are made. The process of making such decisions is greatly assisted by the international expert bodies which review and assess research findings.

http://emwatch.com/power-line-emf/

http://hps.org/hpspublications/articles/powerlines.html

The consensus is that nothing can be proved, and placing cables underground certainly does not improve the situation.

Maybe we have a few Thais who object to their skyline being cluttered with cables, and good luck to them!

As a diving instructor associated with a respectable Dive company it seems to me they are approaching this the wrong way.

99% of qualified instructors/divemasters always follow safety procedures.

In my experience boat/jet ski drivers do not.

That is where they should be looking!

I presume the speed boat driver is still running....

Are boats numbered for identification in Thailand? i.e. thumping great big numbers painted on the hull, both sides.

Can anyone make sense of this news post?

At a wild guess, maybe someone was fiddling the system?

Otherwise known as fingers in the till.

An "under-covered policeman"???

It might well have been an "uncovered" policeman.

Internet a bit dodgy last night in Chiang Mai. No access for quite a while.

A good time to clean up old files.

Endemic and systemic.

sounds more like parasitic to me.

and what about my "rebar" ? also beautiful?

modern art??

High altitude ice crystals.

yes,it's nice.

Have never been to Pern's but on account of the reviews here will be stopping by. Is there a day in the week that they close? Thanks in advance.

Mondays and they don't stay open late,shut around 10oclock ish.

thanks

Half price wine Wednesday nights.

I think the blowing nose means covering one nostril and bleing the snot out the other, which is pretty gross but who wants to walk around with a handkerchief full of snot sitting in their pocket in this climate?

I saw my first instance of nose blowing onto the road just a few days ago. Totally disgusting.

It was banned in Western countries a century ago for one main reason.

When spit/snot dries up, the particles carry in the wind, and at the time, it was thought that TB was spread this way. Maybe this is the case, and a durned good reason to discourage it.

What's wrong with tissues and binning them?

photo this evening

I'm amazed that there seem to be so few eaves or verandahs here. After all, it is a tropical country.

I've done this drive a couple of times, and scared the hell out of me with some of the driving habits. The road is very winding in parts, and the double yellow lines don't seem to mean a lot to some folk. Keep well to the left!

There are interesting hot springs along the way, and worth having a look at.

There is a Cambodian-style temple on the left near one of the hot springs, but work seems to have stopped on the temple. Maybe someone on TV knows the history.

On the outskirts of Chiang Rai, is the well-known White Temple. It's worth at least one visit.

I hired a travel guide for one day, and he took me to quite a few places I'd have never found.

The Golden Triangle overlooking two other countries is quite spectacular with its large statues.

I have stayed over at this place on two occasions. Cheap, comfortable for 2 people. Car parked in front.

http://www.agoda.com/en-au/new-maleena-ville-hotel/hotel/chiang-rai-th.html

Sounds like the situation In Indonesia during the Suharto reign.

Local villains, proved or un-proved, were ending up on front lawns in body bags, hands tied, extra ventilation to the head.

It put the fear of hell into a lot of the bad lads, and the crime rate dropped drastically.

Until Thailand becomes a true meritocracy, nothing will change.

High governmental positions are bought (police ranks, governorships etc) and it's only natural that the winning bidders want to not only recoup their principle, but, also accumulate more money on their investment.

In the Thai mentality, anything done for the "family" is right and correct........even corruption.

I read somewhere that even to get into government service, appropriate 'gifts' must be paid made to those who decide.

Future promotions are not always decided on efficiency.

It's hardly a good start to a career of zero corruption if the above is correct.

Congratulations to the 2 students. But honestly, I cannot see where the invention is. The use of LED lights for rearing corals is not new.

more information and references need to back up your comments.

Just in case it's not excema, ankles are a favourite place for mosquitoes to feast. It sure causes a lot of itching on my ankles if I forget the repellent.

A good garden centre is behind Tesco Lotus, on the Super Highway. Yes, you do a U turn under the highway just before it passes over the river.

You could try RAM hospital. Not the cheapest place, but the dentistry section is open on Sundays.

Can't fault Chiang Mai taxis.

When making the booking the night before, the operator will tell you what the cost will be.

This is one creepy crawly I dislike. Snakes I know, just want to get away.

Last year I found one about 7 ye olde inches (18cm) long under a pot plant.

Sadly I felt it best to do away with the beast. We even had a smallish cobra in the front garden which got the same treatment at my landlady's insistence.

It's wouldn't just be in CM, I think this is quite a complicated problem.

Towns and cities in the west are carefully planned, to place hospitals with maximum access routes.

We all know in the west that when we see a blue flashing light it means someone is in trouble - and it's against the law to obstruct. I don't even think there is a law here concerning emergency vehicles.

Who are these people that drive - trained professionals ? - I doubt it. They could be fire crews or police - but also there is a chance they are private individuals with some flashing lights who thinks he's more important than anyone else. How many times is it some local government official with a hired police escort. If it's an emergency vehicle, then is it a over-melodramatic rescue vehicle or a private ambulance who just wants to get the job over, collect his commission and chase the next auto accident. There are equally probably no laws against the use of flashing lights, sirens and accident liability here.

Procedure, congestion tax, no right turns - who are you kidding, these people can't even stop at a red light, that's not hard is it - red in nature means danger / stop - in Thailand it means three cars have just driven through, if I tag on the end I should get through, no worries.

On the subject of a lot of folk not really knowing the traffic rules,: I have just read the latest edition of Chiang Mai City Life. There is a large article on Thai road safety.

The editor of the magazine states that she didn't even know until now that there is a 60km speed limit in the city.

In countries where we have been taught to observe traffic laws, we know that the speed limit in most cities is 60km, and in residential areas in Australia it is 50kmh.

Highways out of the city are often 90kmh (I have seen a single, solitary sign in Chiang Mai to this effect), and 110kmh on the open road.

I feel that correctly controlled and policed traffic has a higher priority than moving umbrellas off beaches in the south.

Is this just conversation or do you, Mapguy, intend to take a recommendation to the government? How many of your oft posted recommendations for the government have you actually taken to them?

Everything we write is noted and recorded.

Any news yet on the Immigration shift to Promenada?