Oscar2

It's good to know that at least there is a positive side to what must be the ugliest architectural eyesore in Northern Thailand.

 

I have to look away every time I pass by, particularly the montrous side view with that horrendous concrete car park fully exposed.

 

I will continue shopping at Rimping thanks ...

i agree and if Tops Festival Market wasn't in there, I would never go there. i haven't found one restaurant i like there and the boutique shops are not my thing. for cheese Festival Tops can't be beat. but that is about all i buy there; sometimes some bread but recently i noticed that the taste of the bread has changed since it first opened. it is now much sweeter, no doubt not enough was being consumed by Thais so the recipes changed.
 

The food court is abysmal. Bad food, and not much selection. I go several times a week, and have learned to eat somewhere else before arriving.

i got food poisoning at the food court. it was quite severe and required medication.

Fine. so who are buying all the houses i see for sale on TV CM Classifieds, which are directed towards expats, at least english readers?

And i did hear that i, along with others and perhaps Thais , could make a corporation and thus 'buy' a house. Is this true?

Thanks for the 'rent only' advice. I suppose a long term lease, maybe 10 years, on a nice rental house would be ok too.

it is illegal to form a Thai company for the sole purpose of buying property.

Don't knock`em they probably account for 60/70% of Thailands tourist economy.

probably closer to the 70% mark and soon there will be many more of them here so business should be fine for you. as of 1 August they will receive free visas for 3 months to celebrate 40 years of good relations between China and Thailand. Prayuth mentioned this in his address to the nation the other night. Chinese will be the only tourists who will get the free visas during the upcoming high season. so one can see how valuable to the tourist economy they are.

I go past it often, always empty.

I'm thinking a reflection on their cooking.

MaeJo is a bit lacking for reasonable food at reasonable prices.

Sausage King is the nearest and best, but two more places opening near SK very soon.

Home and Country (I think it was called) looks good, big and new, may be expensive, 200m before SK.

Also a new wine restaurent opening 20m before SK.

Also Coffee and Hobby, is a new coffee and cake shop, way off the beaten path.

Right at the lights before 1001/1001, left at lights after 7/11, 100m up on the right.

Sausage king is very nice...Especially the 99 baht breakfast. Closed on Tuesday, and Buffet only on Sunday (I Think). Nice outdoor, garden, relaxing place. And very nice service.

Sausage King is closed on Tuesday? is that something new?

i support this 100%. been in 2 accidents here (1 very serious). neither one my fault. drivers here need to be fined heavily, maybe that will wake them up.

indeed, get yourself a paper map and find where you want to go. do you really think that people are going to change the way they have been giving directions as they have been doing here for hundreds of years just for you? not likely. this is a small city, it's not Bangkok and it's not that difficult to find places by using landmarks and then just asking around for where you are looking for.

it may be a "very inefficient way of doing things  esp for newcomers but I guess it's not going to change any time soon and for me a real downside of CM." for you, but it is part of life here. get used to it.

the crackdown has applied to the postal service as well. many packages are now being opened and taxes applied.

thanks guys. I read that it had closed, and couldn't locate it. Facebook and Google Earth both gave different locations.

closed? i think business is booming. i see the drivers everywhere. they must have a huge staff.

If you cannot 100% identify a snake then treat it as DEADLY I invested in 2 snake sticks so anyone can handle any snake safely by using these I have had 5 visits so far but non venomous so far

.

DK, where can you buy these snake sticks? i'm aware that you can make them from PVC and rope as shown on the internet but i don't have a drill to make the holes in the caps.

we often get those green tree snakes (maybe 5X per year), often quite large, and i'm not afraid of them and usually grab them with a pair of those tongs they sell in Thai markets but i wouldn't mind having something a little more safe in the event of finding something i don't know if dangerous or not.

thanks for everyone's replies!

BKK

i've overheard the reps at True, DTAC tell farangs that they can only get a monthly account with them if 1) you are Thai; 2) are a foreigner with a work permit. one time a Thai friend asked at dtac when a Malaysian business associate was here on business for a few months and she was told the same. that would make sense since foreigners could rack up a large bill and skip out. same in Europe.

I dunno. The bands don't go all the way to the tail? Possible common bridle snake? ??

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don't know. it's possible. i'm just nervous of the b/w banded kraits after the story on the Thai news about 4 months ago when the little girl was bitten while sleeping in her bed. even though she got to a hospital within 30 minutes and the father brought the snake (after killing it) with him for a positive ID, she almost died.

although just a baby, i found this right by the front door today. is this one of the dreaded banded krait's? does anyone know? they come in white and black and yellow and black. i believe the white and black variety is the, or one of the, deadliest snakes in Thailand. i searched all around for more of them or a mother but didn't see any in our garden.

thanks.

I have a friend who used the services of a lawyer on Huai Kaeo to obtain a Non immigration visa for his Father.

If you have no luck I will ask for details.

5-6 k seems about price and certainly less stress full for older folks.

john

turning 50 and we're already "older folks"?

That gets back to the purpose of this post, I'm curious if there is a wine buffet with a drinkable wine. So far none have been identified, and writing that a wine buffet has an undrinkable wine might cross that defamation line.

there is a place on the corner of Nimmanhaemann and Huay Kaew across from Maya. it's called Kafe Vino. i just checked their facebook and i'm sure this is the same company that used to be in Sansai (where another wine restaurant with a buffet is located now). i also can't recall the name of the new place in Sansai and don't think the quality of the wine is much good there so can't recommend it. anyway i can definitely recommend Kafe Vino as i went there many times when it was in Sansai. their facebook shows they still have the buffet at 333 Baht from 17:00-21:00 https://www.facebook.com/kafevino

I think this should be priority number one for the Junta, things need to change- now!

in case you missed Prayuth's address to the nation the other night, he did say something about Thais watching too many soap opera television shows are harmful to young Thai people.

foam peanuts. the wife ships all around the world. she has weighed every packing material imaginable to find the safest and the lightest. newspaper is one of the heaviest.

also...why not use a smaller box???

The crackdown on border runs will be short lived because too many people will be losing big baht on a lucrative illegal business.

Give these shady operators a few weeks at most to pay off the right people and the visa runs will resume as of they never had stopped.

rubbish.

who would want to go to Ubon Ratchathani???

Well as a clue, it takes its name from the Nana Plaza and those in the know don't want all the other handsome men coming to spoil it for us.

There's nothing quite like being part of the popular minority in santhitham plaza.

I think the majority of us (including me) won't be spoiling it for you or the 100's of young Thai guys on the pull around Santitham Plaza!

Also, where is there a go-go in Santitham? I lived next to Santitham for 4 years and never saw one, apart from the little place that has just been knocked down and that was for Thai's anyway.

I would say Santitham is really for Thai's or younger guys and those that speak Thai, although nice to go for a cheap beer and look at pretty things!

i agree. older falangs look ridiculous hanging out in that part of town trying to pick up students. it's for students and younger people.

I think Spotlight has Grab-a-Granny night every night now.

there are usually unattractive hill-tribes there these days.

my favorite new coffee places are:

1. (just opened about 2 weeks ago) is inside the mini shopping center on the Super Highway in front of Arcade bus station. can't recall the name (has an Italian ring to it) but it is fantastic. i get the feeling that the very nice owner is a coffee aficionado and not particularly in it for the money alone. i believe he does the roasting. they sell beans, and all kinds of coffee gadgets, although some are priced way OTT. nice people who run it and great coffee. not expensive - around 45-55 Bath for coffee and it beats the pants off the expensive (and terrible tasting coffee) Korean chain in the same shopping center. probably a BKK chain but I believe the only one in C.M. small place with only about 5 tables and already very popular so can be very busy. its near the Super Highway exit . there is a motorcycle shop on the corner and its the 4th? shop up.

2. not new but inside Promenada upstairs right near Dukes. A Swiss company that you can't miss as it's the only coffee shop/travel agency in there! just look for the Swiss flag. really great coffee, not quite as dark a roast as the shop above but also very good coffee and also in the same price range 50-65 Baht.

sorry i'm bad with names of coffee shops are there are hundreds here...

i was wrong about #2, it's a Thai company http://www.amitcoffee.com/index.htm with a Swiss partner but they have Cuban style coffee, Turkish, Brazilian style, doppio, espresso con panna and some other interesting cups of coffee not usually found around here.

by the iron bridge surely must be number 2 in size.

JJ location and in front of Arcade bus station the smallest. don't bother with them. they seldom have much of anything.

if it's what i'm thinking of, it's used clothing.