CMHomeboy78

Hallelujah Brothers and Sisters we've reached the Promised Land!

Is this a farrago of nonsense or do you have some message you want to get across?

I can't make head nor tail of it.

Peace and spiritual repletion are what we should be seeking and not be beguiled by Angel trumpets and Devil trombones into thinking we are living in a land of milk and honey.

Either you get it at once or you won't get it at all...

Humour, that is.

Amen, Bro.

If recent posts on the TV Chiang Mai Forum are anything to go by it would seem that many in the expat community here are suffering from a collective form of idiocy, lunacy, or imbecility. Whatever you want to call it.

Characterized by going gaga over life in Chiang Mai and how wonderful it is.

This unrestrained enthusiasm attracts others to the city who are soon infected by it. Themselves infecting yet others and so on.

This "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" scenario being played out has reached crisis proportions. Action must be taken soon.

Otherwise our obnoxious presence here will provoke a reaction by indigenous Thais that doesn't bear thinking about.

My proposal is this: deal with it the way 18th century Londoners did in their time.

Create here in Chiang Mai a St. Mary's of Bethlehem... that's right, Bedlam!

Confining them for their own good, and hopefully isolating this mental plague before it spreads any farther.

A hospital for farang bah, farang pah-saht.

And who but OldGringo would make a better head of this new Bedlam? A sinister role played to such perfection by Boris Karloff in the old movie.

To sum-up; let us, the few remaining "somboon" types take charge and with hearts full of "tough love" consign these airheads to a true La-La Land.

have to agree with u about non sensible posts,but go on tell us who is ralph fitch?????

Ralph Fitch was the first documented European to reach Chiang Mai.

He is thought to have been preceded by European mercenaries, mostly Portugese, who served with the armies of Ava, Pegu, and Ayudhya. All of which fought against Chiang Mai at one time or another in the early or mid-16th century.

Fitch's visit was in 1587.

Lanna Thai history is a fascinating subject which can be pursued in a number of good books. Notably Dr. Andrew Forbes' recent series, Ancient Chiang Mai.

He is a TV member as well and was a great help to me in a recent topic of my own.

I hope that tells you what you want to know. Maybe it's more than you want to know.

Anyway, choke dee.

Very nice little historical cameo you've posted here.

I couldn't have said it better myself. As a matter of fact I think I did in a previous post.

Next time try rephrasing instead of using scissors and paste.

The Living Dead that now make up the majority of Chiang Mai's foreign community were preceded here by other groups of farang who came after Ralph Fitch.

I'm sure we would all just Loooove to hear about them.

But don't be verbose. I've got other things to do today.

Gringo, don't get your cojones in an uproar.

To relieve your pique I'll acknowledge you as the Numero Uno in Chiang Mai studies.

OK, feel better now?

Living Dead? Our Bro's and Ho's, Mates and Dudes and all the other flotsam and jetsam that has washed up on these shores?

Many of the historical figures must have been a rum lot as well.

After Ralph Fitch came the 17th century adventurers and Jesuits at King Narai's court.

Constantine Phaulkon, Narai's favorite being the most prominent.

Narai died, Phaulkon was snuffed, and most of the other Europeans were massacred.

Very few foreigners in Siam until the early 19th century.

English, French, and Americans being the principal players then.

King Chulalongkorn's modernization brought in many professionals. Also Italians in the arts.

In Chiang Mai missionaries, mostly Americans, began to settle here.

Some were troublemakers but others were extraordinarily gifted people. Notably the doctors and teachers among them. But unfortunately most were characterized by a pig-headed bigotry in religious matters that persists to this day among their modern counterparts.

Also at that period teak-wallahs, mostly British, founded the Gymkhana club [1897] and introduced western sports to Chiang Mai.

WWII. Japanese occupation. Regardless of what it was like in other parts of Thailand, here it was probably not too bad. My mother in law, as a small child, remembered the soldiers giving out candies. Just the same, Chiang Mai people were no doubt glad to see them go.

Post WWII it was the good ol' USA all the way until after the ignoninious defeat in Vietnam.

After that it was a mix of nationalities looking for sun, sex, and whatever else they thought they could find here.

So that's about it Gringo. In a nutshell.

I Loooove Chiang Mai Already...After Just... can't seem to recall. O well, you remember the old saying "If you can remember Chiang Mai in the 70's you weren't there".

And I was there Baby.

have to agree with u about non sensible posts,but go on tell us who is ralph fitch?????

Ralph Fitch was the first documented European to reach Chiang Mai.

He is thought to have been preceded by European mercenaries, mostly Portugese, who served with the armies of Ava, Pegu, and Ayudhya. All of which fought against Chiang Mai at one time or another in the early or mid-16th century.

Fitch's visit was in 1587.

Lanna Thai history is a fascinating subject which can be pursued in a number of good books. Notably Dr. Andrew Forbes' recent series, Ancient Chiang Mai.

He is a TV member as well and was a great help to me in a recent topic of my own.

I hope that tells you what you want to know. Maybe it's more than you want to know.

Anyway, choke dee.

But tomorrow we will take a peek at the most talked about_ Sunday Walking Street. Does any friendly chianmai-nian here know of whereabout a clean/convienence bathroom we can used along that street?....as we plan to eat and drink a lot

Thanks in advance

Say "Boo-ut chee! Boo-ut chee!" And jump up and down a few times.

That will surely get the attention of someone who will tell you where the nearest toilet [hawng nahm] is.

Ralph Fitch must be turning over in his grave to think that he was the thin edge of the wedge that opened Chiang Mai to an invasion of imbecility like this.

You will be one more in a virtual tsunami of farangs who have flooded the cities and even spread to some rural areas of Thailand.

How you will be received depends to a large extent on how you act.

If you consider yourself a guest and respect traditional manners you will be made welcome by most Thais.

If you come weighed down with a lot of social, political, or religious baggage you will sooner or later find yourself at home in the expat community.

There's a place for everybody in the Land of Smiles.

Also the possibility of supplying the Vietnamese market didn't exist then for obvious reasons.

Right let's tell it as it is!

http://www.antieatin...-nakhon-phanom/

You took a line out of context, attached it to a horrific photo and implied that I... what? Advocate or condone the traffic of dogs to Vietnam as food?

If so, you are mistaken.

My post was an ironic comment on a time when Northern Thailand was something like the Wild West must have been. A place where only the strong survived.

Dead dogs aren't the funniest things in the world, but in those days you often found yourself in situations where if you didn't laugh you'd barf your guts out.

But times change and now we have to deal with other things.

Humourless greenhorns for instance.

Dead dogs were a common sight on country highways in Northern Thailand during the 1970's.

As time went by fewer and fewer were to be seen. Until the mid and late 80's when their numbers were reduced to about what you see today.

I've often wondered if the reason was because fewer were being killed or because roadkill was being eaten by the locals or perhaps served up as mystery-meat added to the noodles and other dishes sold to the ever increasing number of farangs coming here.

A stroll down Memory Lane with you is usually entertaining and occasionally edifying.

With dead dogs as the topic du jour you are certainly in your element.

I remember exactly the same thing. They were to be seen in all stages of putrefaction.

But as I recall, vultures and other carrion-eaters were seldom seen so the carcasses rotted away slowly.

Why the drastically reduced numbers as you mentioned?

The building of mountain roads at that time certainly made it easier for the various hilltribes to come down to the lowlands. And as is well known, many are connoisseurs of dogflesh.

But I don't think that explains it.

Also the possibility of supplying the Vietnamese market didn't exist then for obvious reasons.

The dogs probably got savvy about fast moving vehicles. The oxcart days had ended and smarter dogs had to deal with the new conditions. It was the survival of the ones who got out of the way.

But on the other hand maybe you're right about them being fed to farangs.

You remember the old Junglefood Resturant on the riverside.

Was dog on the menu?

Maybe it was but we didn't know it at the time.

"The ones who survived were the ones who got out of the way".

Sounds like a textbook example of Darwin's theory of the survival of the fittest.

Evolution in action. A species advancing.

The next thing you know they will be posting on Thai Visa.

Maybe they already are.

There have been some strange topics lately.

Dead dogs were a common sight on country highways in Northern Thailand during the 1970's.

As time went by fewer and fewer were to be seen. Until the mid and late 80's when their numbers were reduced to about what you see today.

I've often wondered if the reason was because fewer were being killed or because roadkill was being eaten by the locals or perhaps served up as mystery-meat added to the noodles and other dishes sold to the ever increasing number of farangs coming here.

A stroll down Memory Lane with you is usually entertaining and occasionally edifying.

With dead dogs as the topic du jour you are certainly in your element.

I remember exactly the same thing. They were to be seen in all stages of putrefaction.

But as I recall, vultures and other carrion-eaters were seldom seen so the carcasses rotted away slowly.

Why the drastically reduced numbers as you mentioned?

The building of mountain roads at that time certainly made it easier for the various hilltribes to come down to the lowlands. And as is well known, many are connoisseurs of dogflesh.

But I don't think that explains it.

Also the possibility of supplying the Vietnamese market didn't exist then for obvious reasons.

The dogs probably got savvy about fast moving vehicles. The oxcart days had ended and smarter dogs had to deal with the new conditions. It was the survival of the ones who got out of the way.

But on the other hand maybe you're right about them being fed to farangs.

You remember the old Junglefood Resturant on the riverside.

Was dog on the menu?

Maybe it was but we didn't know it at the time.

The chief of police in Chiang Mai said last year that foreigners should not carry their passports with them at all times because of the danger of getting it stolen. I don't carry with me while in CM. When I venture out on CM, I carry with me. Never a problem in CM.

Very interesting to hear that the Police Chief of Chiang Mai has weighed in on this matter. Maybe we are close to getting a definitive answer.

The next time you have the Chief's ear, get him to tell you exactly what laws are on the books.

Until now, this thread has been nothing but opinion and speculation.

A diarroea of words on a subject that is as simple as it is important.

That is, does a Thai law exist that requires foreigners to carry their passports at all times?

It's easy to say "don't worry about it, no such law exists".

But many people over the years have been locked up until they were able to produce their passport.

The letter to the Bangkok Post which prompted the revival of this thread describes only the latest instance.

I can remember a magazine article some time ago where Purachai himself made reference to this and stated categorically that photocopies would not be accepted in lieu of the original passport because they were too easy to alter.

That being the case, it creates a climate of uncertainty and even fear during close encounters with the BIB.

Getting reliable information in Thailand has never been easy, but you would think that someone could find out for sure.

Well, we DID have a good time tonight and it was still happening when I left at 11:30. Nice to see Winnie the Kwai there enjoying the fun. Aussies and Brits DO like to rib each other, and any bystander could be confused into thinking they actually meant what they said. One fellow brought his young son of about 7 or 8 years old and the kid seemed to enjoy himself. I sure envy the energy of youth. They go full bore until they finally drop from exhaustion. Then they sleep like angels.

If you think the Poms and Aussies like to get stuck into each other you should see what happens when the Aussies get together with Kiwis - a lot of discussion about Kiwis sexual preference for sheep.

Also, I don't know why a Yank should be getting stuck into Australians. We have fought beside them (often foolishly) in just about every war since independence. Most R&R boys during Vietnam, the American War as the Vietnanese call it, thought Australians OK as they turned up in their thousands and were made welcome.

To claim or imply Australian involvement in the American Revolution is ridiculous and shouldn't go unchallenged.

A people who never fought for their own freedom would be unlikely to fight for anybody elses.

That is, even if their country did exist in 1776. Which it didn't.

Gringo, to give the Devil his due, was spot-on about New Holland and the Dutch.

Who was Janzoon? Who was Tasman? Who was Thijssen? Who was deVlamingh? What was New Zealand named after?

Captain Cook was late on the scene and it was only because the Dutch were in decline by the end of the 18th century that things turned out the way they did. With England acquiring a home-away-from-home for it's undesirables.

The name-change to Australia wasn't official until 1824, and it didn't become a recognizable country until the middle of the 19th century.

That was the time they should have got up off their knees and stood on their own feet.

But as pointed out earlier, a revolutionary generation didn't exist. Brains and balls were conspicuous by their abscence.

The result was a history of surly obedience and the legacy of a dismissed-lackey nastiness that persists to this day.

.

There is a short history on the web site. In addition to the short history in ABOUT, there is something in the RESOURCES with some history of the mission in Northern Thailand.

I don't remember what I saw when I was at the palace in Mae Rim, but there may be something there also.

MSPain

Thanks for the input.

I'll check them all out.

Incidentally, by "palace in Mae Rim" do you mean the Darapirom Mansion? I only recentely heard of this place and I'm looking forward to a visit.

Chao Dara Rasmi's life is very interesting and well worth study, But what relation she had to the Consulate buildings I don't know.

Thanks again.

I have some questions concerning the compound and buildings now occupied by the U.S. Consulate.

1. Was it originally built by the ruling family [Chaos] of Chiang Mai?

2. Approximately when was it built? The older buildings seem to date from the reign of Rama V. Were they built for Chao Dara Rasmi? Or is there evidence that they date from before her time?

3. What year did it become the U.S. Consulate?

4. Was it occupied and used by the Japanese High Command in Chiang Mai during WWII? If so, how many years were they there?

Answers to these questions and any other pertinent information would be appreciated.

My own recollection from the late 70's is that it was a lovely place.

With one Thai guard at the open gate. After a smiling glance at your passport you were in among beautifully preserved old buildings and well tended gardens.

There was a lumyai orchard whose yearly revenue provided a fund for interest-free loans to Americans in difficulty here. In one of my early years in Chiang Mai, carelessness on my part resulted in the theft of my travellers checks. So I became the grateful recipient of $300., which I repaid in due course.

All in all a very nice place and, with a few exceptions, courteous people who were pleasant to deal with.

But even swans must die.

Now, a visit is an experience that would have given the likes of George Orwell and Franz Kafka some good material for their dark prophetic writings.

But be that as it may, the history of this Chiang Mai landmark is surely of interest to many.

Thanks for any information.

Anything done to prevent floods in Chiang Mai will have to be initiated by the people of Chiang Mai.

It is not in the interest of anybody in Bangkok to help with that.

The more water that floods and disperses elsewhere, the less that is channeled down to them.

Waiting and hoping for the central goverment to do something is probably the reason why nothing effective has ever been done.

Is Dwarf Tossing legal in Thailand?

To answer your question, OldGringo, no.

Back in the mid 1990's some drunken Australian yobbo was at a late night after closing party at the Huay Kaew waterfall with some of the staff from John's Place/Cosy Corner. He decided to throw one of the doormen off the waterfall, the little fellah was thrown to his death. The yobbo was consequently locked up and eventually his family raised funds sufficient to expedite his release and soothe things over with the deceased's family. Sad but true.

Thanks for the input Blinky Bill.

I never heard the story. Otherwise I wouldn't have made a facetious reference to what I understood to be a bar game originating Down Under.

Perennial adolescence has it's comic side which lends itself easily to satire. Except when carried too far, as in the case you mention.

Australia has many unique things that can be regarded as Darwinian conundrums of evolution in isolation.

Some of them should never leave their homeland.

Dwarf Tossing and the people who get off on it are good examples.

But hey, I was born in the USA and that's a place of omnipresent weirdness that makes the Land of Oz look normal.

Happy Australia Day mates.

What's this Gringo, dissing Aussies again?

"Yer no mate of ours" I can just hear them say that.

We should start a topic asking for a complete list of insults used in the Language of Oz.

Then we'd have some ammunition to defend ourselves against your own gratuitous insults and snide comments.

Perennial adolescence and lack of emotional restraint characterize you to a "T".

So much so that you could be considered an Honorary Austrailian and be fully accepted among the Brotherhood of Mates all over the world.

G'Day Old Bro.

Australia Day!

A new holiday for us!

What cultural events are being planned?

There will be cultural events aplenty, enough to satisfy even the most demanding culture-vulture from Down Under.

The festivities will will kick off with mud-wrestling on the banks of the Ping River and be followed by a "Funny Haircut" contest.

Organizers will then challenge everybody to find a way to Tha Phae Gate "without passing a pub". A bumper of Foster's being the prize upon arrival.

The multitude, savvy as only a crowd of Australians could be, will suss it out immediately. You don't pass them. You GO IN!

After the last of this horde has staggered in to Tha Phae and been declared winners they will be greeted with the Grand Finale. An immense tableau vivant representing "The Triumph of the Middle Class". With scenes symbolic of of the collective accomplishments of Australians.

The creation of an entirely new language not mutually comprehensible with the mother-tongue.

Civility fighting for her life against the overwhelming strength of Dame Edna Everidge.

Noblesse Oblige utterly vanquished by the populace.

The Muses wandering and totally lost in the Outback.

And that is just to name a few.

The fun will be brought to an end with a raffle drawing for the lucky winner of the Grand Prize.

A romantic evening with Julia Gillard

All the Thai guys I've know and have seen with their fighting cocks take very good care of them to the point that some people take care of the pets (dogs,cats).

Some of those birds can be very expensive.

The fights that I visited have been very tame (lots of feathers flying) but never seen one that has any type of injury to the birds involed.

I'm sure that this thread will get all the animal rights folks up in arms...

I consider myself a right thinking person by the way.

Has anyone else been to any of the beetle fights? Those get intence.

I'm glad you weren't blinded by those flying feathers and could see all that special care they receive.

It sounds just great.

You should get together with Michael Vick and talk about how he pampers his dogs.

Your first post and a combative one!

You're going to fit right in here.

But let me give you a piece of advice. Don't go too far. There are forces above us always watching and vigilant.

Imagine a nanny with a bamboo rod, ever-ready and only too happy to whack ass.

You get the idea.

Love your sign. I'd like to get one for my Wife's car.

So as not to seem to be off-topic, what was it? Oh yes, cockfighting.

I was taken to a fight by an uncle of one of my early girlfriends. A cop, wearing civvies on the occasion. He seemed to be a regular and spoke to many of the people [all men] there.

I tried to show an interest but I was bored and felt that the whole thing was a deplorable waste of time. For me anyway, but it was definitely a part of their culture then. So I didn;t, and don't, pass judgement.

The notice on the building was the polite request.

What will follow is anybody's guess.

As I predicted on an earlier thread it will be peasants with pitchforks and torches.

What's your success rate on predictions Gringo?

The notice on the building was the polite request.

What will follow is anybody's guess.

Sorry, my reply was interrupted.

...As far as I know it's not available here.

I would recommend Zirieng on Ratchawithi Rd., but that sounds like the place you've already been to.

You might try the following:

Likisin on Sri Poom Rd.

B2S in Robinson, Airport Plaza.

Central Dept. Store, Kad Suan Kaew.

Hope you find what you want.

Chiang Mai is not a great place for art supplies in general and canvas in particular. Good quality things tend to be over-priced and sometimes hard to find.

I use a heavy Belgian linen which I bring from the US.

This is a subject that is of abiding interest to me, but I was somewhat surprised to see it revived by julesdick with his somewhat cryptic reply of "Imfao" to a facetious and off-the-cuff reply of my own to WinnietheKwai in a thread that has been dormant for many weeks now.

Imfao, as far as I know, means "In my own f****** arrogant opinion. Are you feeling OK man? But maybe I'm just too arrogant to see the connection.

This was followed by SausageKing's interesting piece on the the railway. I have read some accounts of the excavation of Khun Tan tunnel and it would make a very good topic of it's own, but hardly relevant to to the early Europeans in Chiang Mai. But thanks anyway.

davehowden's link to the SOAS Bulletin of Burma Research is of great value and was totally unknown to me. Many thanks indeed. I am now trying to get the Ancient Chiang Mai series. Andrew Forbes. Cognoscenti Books. I'm sure they would be of interest to you too. Thanks again for your valuable contribution.

Gringo, you've surpassed yourself. First good laugh I've had all day.

There are worse people in the world than Jehovah's Witnesses.

As zany as they are they take their place with the rest of us. Times have changed since Thais just saw certain types of farang. Now it's the complete spectrum of humanity. The whole banquet, everything from fruit to nuts.

They have made a lot of converts in the USA among blacks and poor whites, many of whom are receptive to their silly fables.

They are persistent because they have learned the age-old lesson that persistence pays.

My experience has been that if you tell them politely but firmly that you are not interested they will leave you alone. It's not necessary to appear naked at your door or invoke the ghost of Christopher Hitchens to scare them away.

Merry Christmas Gringo.

It means that you've been in Thailand too long.