Raindancer

Ok let's get away from this for a while, does anybody have any knowledge of how some one can legally play here?

Can i form a music tour company and hire myself and others as performers?

How can i apply for a permit to play in my place?any tricks,advice from anyone?

If i get married,can i get a work permit? any info ,please welcome.

Ok let's forget the last one..lol

doh! and I was just starting to write me best man's speech too!

I have sent you a PM.....Hope it sheds some light on your questions.

There is a Ford Dealer in Chan Puak Road. Hope that helps.

I'm boosting my own post in hopes that a Sunday morning reader might know of some screen repair people. Sorry, and thanks for your understanding.

I believe there is a door screen replacement shop on the Sansai junction/ Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road just past the Esso filling station on the outward road from Chiang Mai.

I will check it out and get back to you this morning..

We had our rear door screen replaced last year. Just cannot remember exactly who did it.....but the place I mentioned comes to mind.

I have just found out that there is a shop opposite the Mitsubishi Car dealer that makes/repairs door screens. So if you are travelling up the 1001 towards Chiang Mai.....go through the intersection at Ruamchok Meechok Plaza. On the left hand side of the road, opposite Mitsubishi there are a number of shops ....the shop is located in that area.

Good luck

Sorry.....the directions I was give seemed to have been lost in interpretation of the word "opposite". So it is opposite the Caltex filling station. at about one o'clock next to a side road.

Failing that, there is also a new place opened up on route 3029 on the left hand side. Drive down the 1001 towards Chiang Mai....at the Ruamchok intersection , bear left in the direction of Sansai and Payap University......travel about 300/400 yards and on your left there is a 30 metre high advertising Board with 4 or 5 different coloured advertising boards.

Hope that either of those places can help you out

I'm boosting my own post in hopes that a Sunday morning reader might know of some screen repair people. Sorry, and thanks for your understanding.

I believe there is a door screen replacement shop on the Sansai junction/ Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road just past the Esso filling station on the outward road from Chiang Mai.

I will check it out and get back to you this morning..

We had our rear door screen replaced last year. Just cannot remember exactly who did it.....but the place I mentioned comes to mind.

I have just found out that there is a shop opposite the Mitsubishi Car dealer that makes/repairs door screens. So if you are travelling up the 1001 towards Chiang Mai.....go through the intersection at Ruamchok Meechok Plaza. On the left hand side of the road, opposite Mitsubishi there are a number of shops ....the shop is located in that area.

Good luck

I'm boosting my own post in hopes that a Sunday morning reader might know of some screen repair people. Sorry, and thanks for your understanding.

I believe there is a door screen replacement shop on the Sansai junction/ Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai road just past the Esso filling station on the outward road from Chiang Mai.

I will check it out and get back to you this morning..

We had our rear door screen replaced last year. Just cannot remember exactly who did it.....but the place I mentioned comes to mind.

To all who showed interest.The next meeting of Ageing Network is now Thursday 7th April at The Raintree Resource Centre At 5.30pm.

It has been moved as the 6th is a Thai holiday.

Maybe you could invite this group to answer some questions.

http://www.chiangmaicpe.org/

I checked out the website of this organization and, at first, it seemed to be an answer to many of the concerns posted on this thread. In fact, its mission overlaps that of the Ageing Network in many areas. However, the more I dug into the site, I realized that it was created just a few weeks ago. Maybe the organization has been around for a while, but the site is new. Has anyone had experience with this Chiang Mai CPE organization as a client? Not as someone who pays for their training courses and receives (guess what!) a one-year ED visa! This group is affiliated with CMU and given their history in leaving a couple hundred foreigners in their Language Institute stranded without visas, I'm doubtful about how genuine their mission "to care for the local expat community and help in times of crisis and need."

I am going to contact this organisation and arrange a meting for next week. So I will let you know what the outcome is. I have it on good authority that they were visited by the Royal Thai Police some time ago who cleared out some of the volunteers for "working" with merely a stiff warning of not having a work permit to volunteer.

Good read with great maps concerning Thailand and other SE Asian seismic zones:

http://www.docstoc.c...mic-Hazard-Maps

An excellent post! Thank you..

I was at the computer and as soon as the house began to float back and forth, I was reminded that, while I don't worry about serious earthquakes here, I need to teach my family earthquake survival techniques sooner than later.

http://earthquakecou...ropcoverholdon/

My wife insists she felt more shudders this morning but I didn't feel them. I kind of like the sensation of what we consider solid ground becoming liquid on a moment's notice..

Thanks Dustoff....great link.....I have never been in a tremor before despite all my years of travelling to many countries......It is something I will teach my Thai wife about and I will benefit from the good advice on this website you have posted.

Thanks

There is also the problem of mental health. Deteriorating mental health, like for example alzheimers, also means one loses the ability to speak a foreign language. For non native English speakers that will be a problem, as they can't communicate in English any more and will be totaly depended on people who can take care of them and talk with them in their own language.

I'm afraid the number of Thais speaking decent French for example is very limited and some people will be better off in their home country.

This is not last stop for the internationally pennyless ,aged, failing farangs! .This is Thailand which is for Thai people, we are visitors and when there is no funds and you are unable to take care of yourself.... it is time to go home to your own country since your vacation is over.

That is easy for you to say. Some of these people have not been in their 'home' countries for many, many years, have no family left, no friends there, no resources to get there and once there, to live. Some were self-employed all their lives and never paid in to the Social Security fund in order to receive benefits when they get old.

Yes, that's easy to say for some.

For those farangs that decided to make their Retirement-Home in Thailand when the Thai- Bath took the big dive (was it in 1997?, not sure) and were assuming that this favorable Exchange-Rate, Thai-Baht versus "western-currencies" would last forever, got hit hard in the meantime. (If one's pension-money buys 25 % less Bath than before, AND inflation in Thailand was on the increase ever since, of course this can make any financial retirement planning that was based on calculations of the past obsolete by todays standarts.)

AND: When in financial dire-straits, where would a person rather live? In warm and friendly Thailand or in cold and unfriendly Europe, under the same circumstances? Especially if there are no friends and relatives left in Europe ? You figure.

Cheers.

Well said Swissie..........especially your last paragraph. This topic is now highlighting many of the unspoken or unknown/not thought through reasons by other posters, who seem to post negative and less compassionate posts.....Maybe they really need to concentrate on others of Asia hit by disasters and realise that every human in need, wherever they are and particularly those who live in the same country as we do, is our responsibility in some ways as humans. It is a small world.

7:23 here in Chiang Rai, just felt a 7 second aftershock. It's so quiet here, I heard it come on up the hill from the north - to my house.

Hi Brahm,

Good to hear you are ok and no damage from quake there in CR. As a long term resident of CR and not living so far away from the Mekong, I wanted to sound you out if anyone up there is talking about or has ever speculated on, what would happen if one of these periodic quakes that the general region north of you receives, were to damage one of the dams the Chinese have built or are building on the Lancang- Mekong. For example, Jinghong can't be too far away from the epicentre.

While the press immediately report that there are no risks of a tsunami from this quake, they fail to report on the status and condition of the dams in the region. If one of those behemoths on the upper Mekong were to crack and burst, then it would cause a destructive riverine tsunami of biblical proportions downstream. The potential for a cascade effect of bursting dams increases with each new dam added to the river, which is a risk posed downstream which so far has not been given a lot of airing, compared to say the effect on biodiversity, fisheries and livelihoods of people depending on the river. The prospect of a riverine tsunami running all the way down to Vientiane and possibly beyond is something that disaster mitigation planners should be considering for the future I would have thought. It is also another argument for not building the Sayaboury Dam and others in the Lower Mekong Basin countries, given the geological instability of the wider region. There is additionally the risk of reservoir-induced seismicity, something that a massive reservoir like Xiaowan just completed could trigger - and if that went, then heaven help those living downstream to the Delta, I would imagine.

Any discussion going on to your knowledge about this aspect of the dams?

yes.....there has just been a 10 minute TV report on CNN and TAN on the proposed new dam on the Mekong......Not only for the reasons you refer to, but the disastrous ecological effect on all insect, plant and marine life. They also included the negative effects on the indigenous population living around the area, who would lose their livelihood and in some cases their daily food intake from fish/marine life that have been caught by these villagers for as far as back as is historically recorded

now USGS saying 7.0 with epicenter 111 km from CM

http://earthquake.us.../pt11083001.php

That should be 111 KMs from Chiang Rai .....not Chiang Mai

Yes, you beat me on this one. 30seconds ago in Padet (sp?)

Here in sansai too near Payap Uni. About 40 seconds or so. Some tremor!!!!!

Thanks for the concern,There is already an operation underway in Chiangmai to address this problem,most Consuls and other groups are already on board.

It is still in its very early days,if you are interested in helping contact the British Consul.Ben Thompson who is co-ordinating the effort our next meeting will be at the Raintree Resource Centre on 6th April.This is becoming a serious problem in Chiangmai and requires urgent attention,not stupid comments .

Several of us have been working on this project or some time. Ben Svasti-Thompson has managed to draw many disparate groups together to try to get a co-ordinated approach to this issue. Many of these guys came here years ago with adequate resources, but have seen these whittled away by inflation and dwindling exchange rates. Many are elderly and have no family or ties back to their own countries. In many countries, as expats, they would have gained citizenship by now and would have access to the social welfare systems of the country they settled in. Thailand only has an embryonic social welfare system and those who make the decisions have never accepted that some foreigners who live in their midst are part of their society. This leaves a number of elderley and impecunious foreigners sick or dying with little support, compassion or help.

At the last meeting of what is tentatively called 'The Caring Network' , UK Hon Consul Ben as well as US consul general Susan Stevenson, The Swedish Honorary Consul and representatives from the Royal British Legion, Help Age International, the Chiang Mai foreign cemetary, McKean Hospital & several Japanese expat organisations discussed possible ways to help. although unable to be present the French and German consuls sent in very helpful submissions.

It is not sufficent to say these people should look after themselves or that better medical insurance is the answer. These people are becoming a burden on Thai social services and that is unacceptable. We have a duty to look after our own elderley and infirm, just as surely as if we lived back home. We are not yet sure what can be done, but we are trying and we need all expats, regardless of nationality to support us!

Some excellent observations to explain more about the elderly and some of the reasons for their situations. And your last paragraph sums up my feelings exactly. I hope that more people will get involved rather than sit in front of their PCs and suggest that "these people should go home", or even those who seem horrified at these old people coming to Chiang Mai and upsetting the vie or suggesting that they make the city look untidy..

I really cannot understand some of the less compassionate posts on this subject. Maybe now that they have read your post, they might understand a little better, rather than branding these unfortunate people with the names that they have.

Thanks for such an apt post ,you have hit the nail right on the head.I could not agree with you more ,hopefully very soon we will be able to co-ordinate all of the various groups and interested parties into one organized operation that can deal with the various Thai departments concerned with the backing of all Embassies and Consulates to solve this problem.We have already made some very successful moves towards this.Will be delighted to meet you at our next meeting at the Raintree Resource Centre 6th April 5.30pm.Regards MAJORUS

Personally, I don't think that those of us that are living here, whether comfortably or otherwise for many years, should feel obligated to, or be asked to pay for or subsidize in any way, the bad luck or poor decisions of someone they have never met. Having said that, misfortune can strike any of us at any time, so we must never forget that we are all human beings and as such, we should maintain the ability to feel sympathy or at least some understanding, towards anyone who is in obvious need of help. Possibly many of these aging or disadvantaged people, do have the financial assets or income to enable them to live here, but for many various different reasons, they are unable to take care of themselves properly or lack the ability to do so. I personally think, that as these very same people in need here, would be a financial burden on the Government or medical institutions of their home country, were they living there, and that as the cost of living and medical expenses here are so much cheaper than it would be back home, it would not hurt the major embassies here too much and may cost whichever government less in the long run in fact, to set aside funds - perhaps all donate to a common pool - to assist anyone in dire need of assistance. One of the many things I love about Thai culture, is the way Thai families tend to take care and responsibility for the elderly. Unlike us, who in most cases, toss our elderly at some "rest home" or "Palliative care center" and try to forget them. I don't say we all do this, but do some research, the facts will shock you/or not. How hard would it be, to employ someone or some group, to keep track of these needy disadvantaged people, make sure that they are getting medical treatment, inform their families back home if any, of their situation, make sure they have made a will, liaise with the Thai family if there are any and find out any special needs the person may have, that the Thai family can not deal with. I personally know of a couple of cases where the Thai family is happily and lovingly caring for an elderly Westerner at their own expense. The mans wife in another case I know of, is still selling jewelery at a local market, to take care of her Falang husband, when she could have gotten rid of him ages ago. This guy has no income from home so is a total burden! Though I am in no position financially to help anyone else, I do speak fluent Thai(married for 8 years to Thai wife), know the medical system well and have the spare time, so I would happily take on a position like this, to give something back to the system which supported me, if it would genuinely help and make a difference to the quality of life, or especially save the life of someone like this in need.That there is obviously a need, is without a doubt if you look around most major cities.

Excellent post and absolutely on the mark. I will be one of those joining the new organisation to lend or give whatever support I can to hep these other people on a downturn in their lives.

NEVER,NEVER, NEVER ,NEVER use a contract post office. Always use the main Thai Post.

Absolutely right. I use the local post office and some examples...........Normal letter 27 Baht.....arrived in 7 days in the UK. Recorded A4 letter 90 baht....arrived UK 7 days.

Registered A4 letter 800 baht Fed Ex.........3 days arrived in UK. Slightly annoying how a similar registered A4 letter sent from UK To CNX cost £48.00 through the British Post office and took 8 days to arrive.

Oh dear........Another one who claims irish lineage......I do not need to rethink anything as I was born and bred in the island of Ireland and would never make fun of another race, creed, religion or mistaken gossipy ideas of culture just because others had made up their minds about the behaviour of a different society.

No help on this one.

No hard feelings Gotlost...

Winnie is spot on. Northern Ireland is not part of Britain but is presently part of 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

And Pedr, are we to take it that only people from Northern Ireland with UK passports are welcome to your St. Patrick's Day event?

Perhaps it would be better to go where everyone is welcome regardless of their politics or religion or nationality?

What a question to ask!

Some people eh?

:jerk:

hear hear and what a sad comment by "gotlost" ...... lets leave out the typical preconception about races or creeds until you have actually lived with them for a period of time that qualifies you to make a judgement...and even then...it is still impolite and discourteous, apart from being offensive, to label people with sly remarks that you might find funny and then place these comments in a public forum.

BTW I have lived with more Irish than you can imaging with Irish in my blood you are out of line and they comment stands. You are the individual that need to rethink.

Oh dear........Another one who claims irish lineage......I do not need to rethink anything as I was born and bred in the island of Ireland and would never make fun of another race, creed, religion or mistaken gossipy ideas of culture just because others had made up their minds about the behaviour of a different society.

Winnie is spot on. Northern Ireland is not part of Britain but is presently part of 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".

And Pedr, are we to take it that only people from Northern Ireland with UK passports are welcome to your St. Patrick's Day event?

Perhaps it would be better to go where everyone is welcome regardless of their politics or religion or nationality?

What a question to ask!

Some people eh?

:jerk:

hear hear and what a sad comment by "gotlost" ...... lets leave out the typical preconception about races or creeds until you have actually lived with them for a period of time that qualifies you to make a judgement...and even then...it is still impolite and discourteous, apart from being offensive, to label people with sly remarks that you might find funny and then place these comments in a public forum.

Panthip Plaza....Enter doors from NIght Bazaar....turn right and go to shop about 20 metres on your right. Very knowledgeable and costs 700 baht to restore and purge your laptop. They will also put on for free the Avast anti Virus programme onto your laptop.

If you go to the first floor on the elevator and turn right, immediately on your left is the Toshiba shop.....they are absolutely useless and cannot even provide you with an AC plug adaptor unless you have brought your own. Again another typical story of so called Brand agents and engineers who are yet another example of "qualified brand name technicians" who just put up a sign with some high flying brand name like Sony/ Toshiba/Dell HP etc etc, but do not have licenses from the host company to repair or sell their products as qualified and trained personnel.

This is no different to the TOSHIBA agents I encountered in BKK......."methinks a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". They really are not qualified to do anything. But they all believe they are experts. God help us if Thailand move forward on their nuclear power programme!!!

Everything in Thailand is a copy including so called expert engineers in any specified field quoting a world wide brand name.

Good luck

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun Jackers,

Welcome to Chiang Mai !

If you give us a hint about what you'd like to find here (or what you imagined you'd find), and share with us where you went, and what you did on your first day: You just might get some useful reactions, and ideas, from the many of us here on this forum who've lived here for years, found "home," here, and love Chiang Mai.

best, ~o:37;

"Spot on"as we say where I come from....Don't come here and criticise until you have done the whole thing in CM and outlying areas.. Do not know where you come from ...but do not criticise...what you do not understand, based upon your western ideals of life!!!

It all depends on where you have spent your time in CM...If you spend it around the city centre of the "Moat"....indeed you will find it touristy..

But if you take the time to explore the outlying areas of where the average Farang lives and visits for recreational purposes ....you might find it to be different...But you cannot post a constructive report of CM with only a limited experience and time in CM , based upon a snapshot of a limited time in this fair city.

THis is a typical report of a Farang to this city by an unexperienced traveller who does not really understand Thai culture and has different experiences of those of us who live here.. Around CM there is so much to offer. But I must add that these differ from the indigenous collection of Farangs to the views of the visitor from the west.

Too bad he does not have a place downtown

It sure does, this place is crying out for someone who does really good Fish and Chips, but as been indicated earlier specialist restaurants in town struggle.

However, if Kelly's is as good as people are saying, it might be wise to take self and family out there when the F&C fancy comes along. After all we don't eat it every day, so going out there once in a while isn't too bad.

Your comment of "we don't eat it every day" is why specialty restaurants do not last in Chiang Mai. To survive you have to offer more than a gold fish.

Absolutely and that leaves us with very little choice unfortunately.

Give it a try...Kelly's doe not just rely on F&C... He seems to be astute enough to offer a variety of choices and specials including his lasagna, shepherds pie and other assorted menus. His burgers are succulent and his panini s are too die for. He always has something different on his "specials menu" including his latest venture to provide for his customers , spicy beef Goulash with a choice of side dishes. Quality, quality, quality and indeed value for money for the customer.

So, without starting a new poll - who does (in people's opinion) now serve the best Fish and Chips in CM, taking into account both quality and value for money?

I have tried them all and I must say "Kelly's" certainly is the best quality I have ever tasted and better value than the others. The owner is dedicated to quality and uses good fish and extremely light batter. Not only is he particular about the quality of the food, but also about his company hygiene; his kitchen and restaurant are spotlessly clean.

Not surprising with his twenty years in the restaurant business!! NIce guy , great staff and homely atmosphere and he also has AC for those hotter days, to keep his customers in a convivial atmosphere.

There is a Bangkok Bank ATM outside McCormick hospital just down from the Food stalls. Just opposite there on the other side of the road are cobblers who will repair anything like that. They are between the two entrances to McCormick hospital. Hope that helps.

Greenside, all I can say is thank you for the very well written heads-up. I'll certainly avoid the place.

On another note, I fortunately discovered the new salad place (admittedly a copy of the infamous A Salad Concept on Neminhaemin) called Coco's Salad, which is located on the second floor of the newly refurbished Mee Chock Plaza. Great salad, I picked the fantastic homemade creamy balsamic dressing from a number of dressing choices. Choice of 8 toppings for 70 baht. The choices are not as extensive as at A Salad Concept. Furthermore the choices of lettuce are included in the 8 choices (unlike at A Salad Concept) which limits the choices of extras, but on the other hand, allows one to enjoy exclusively the type of lettuce one prefers. But the great news for those of us that live in San Sai is that we no longer have to venture clear out to Neminhaemin to enjoy a healthy salad.

It appears to be a Thai family business which opened 3 days ago and they are open 7 days a week.

Thanks for that. I will try out the salad bar you refer to in Mee Chok Plaza.

I should also add that I asked a large real estate company for info on their latest project and they ignored several emails. Any ideas what the problem might be?

Hi. I don't know where you come from or even whether you live in Thailand. But I assume from your questions and frustrations that you do not live here. I say that because this is normal Thai behaviour with estate agencies. My first piece of advice is never buy property in Thailand for many obvious reasons, unless of course you are buying it to rent out. But even then, I would advise against it as the market is flooded with properties for rent, especially here in Chiang Mai.

It might be better if you visited CM and found the area you intend to live or rent in and then strike a deal.

But a word of caution....make sure that the person selling the property, even through a so called Estate Agent actually owns the property and is legally entitled to sell it. You would be amazes at some of the hearttbreaking Scams that have been perpetrated, not only to Farangs, but also Thai people.

Good luck with your venture.

If you want any more assistance, please feel free to PM me