Oscar2

we paid 890 for the same thing, about 5 days ago. don't see how 1290 is news?

Have 2 Panasonic 3.6k which are hopeless,even with the low water pressure barely warm now.

3.6K is not enough.

can't recommend a specific model but we have all Panasonic heaters in our house. they all work perfectly, produce really hot water, and the one time we had a problem with one of them, we were so surprised when the service center looked in the computer and told us the warranty was still good (2 months remaining) after almost 4 years! they ordered parts from Bangkok and when it was repaired the manager called to say they would deliver it and re-install it for us since we had to wait 3 weeks for the parts. great support by Panasonic.

watching the guy re-install the unit with bare feet on a soaking wet floor with 240 volts live was an experience as well!

does anyone have any further information on the accident? this is really big news not only in Chiang Mai but on the national news as well. just looking at the photos makes us nervous to drive our car which is what is being said in the Thai media too.

It's an Ag school.....condos are four story building suitable for students or teachers.....advertised on at least two websites...14 km from Super Highway.

You will find that it is not just an Ag school but rather one with a lot of majors offered if you look further.

yes lots of majors offered, business, marketing, economics, etc.

Many condos around if you look and lots more bring built. The building that Mama Mia Pizzeria, though a bit out from Mae Jo is a good example of the type of nice buildings one can live in around the area. Hang Dong has airplanes flying low overhear while Mae Jo has more water buffalos.

lots of condos being built here in the Mae Jo area, dare I say some are asking 4 to 5.9 million Bath which i doubt they will ever get as they are in remote areas no where near the main roads.

I am walking around because I'm travelling alone and have to go buy food. Thats what I have limited my walking to. I will get a tuk tuk there. Unfortunately I don't have access to a wheel chair.

What about the Loi Kroh clinic, that is close to where I am staying.

i would go to Sripat 13 Floor or one of the larger hospitals like Rajavej near Holiday Inn. nothing wrong with the Doc at Loy Kroh Clinic but he probably doesn't have what is needed to diagnose your problem. go to a bigger hospital where they have all the equipment and orthopedic doctors available.

same problem in Sansai. speed as slow as molasses for days now. have to keep turning the router on and off but even that does not help much.

you won't find "wool woven in Italy" here! maybe woven in China

I have never been to the restaurant mentioned, but have walked passed it. Like so many threads on TV, readers are off on another goose chase.

Say you are circling the moat on the outside. You hit the northeast corner and could turn right towards Miquels and Tha Phae gate. There's a big screen t.v. at the intersection. Turn left instead. Proceed past Nana Screw, 7-11, cross Sanamkela rd (stop light) and cross Muan-dan-pra-kot road (stoplight). You are getting close to Kamtieng market, the super highway, and Tesco.

JJ market and the miniature Rimping are on the left. The first time you'll probably miss the sign and the turn, but you can park on the street. It's all on the inside, not on the street. It's worth a look. There are many new businesses opening up there and I wish them well, but have my doubts.

A little further on, almost to the super highway is the best kept secret post office in Chiang Mai. If you hit it right, the parking lot is empty and the number you take is instantly called.

thanks for the restaurant recommendation, will have to try it. good directions from luther. i agree that is a terrible location as nothing ever seems to make it in there. i hope this restaurant does well though. don't know what it is but parking could be one of the issues and all the bars at night dominate the entire street. i believe you can only use the street to park until 3:30 p.m.

the Kamthieng post office used to be one of the best kept secrets. have you been there recently? it is popular with sellers as they have many carts to transport packages of high volume sellers, ramps, etc. the wife shipped all her things from her websites there for about 18 months. she said the last 4 times she was there that the wait was close to an hour in the queue as there were as many as 35+ high volume shippers ahead of her.

thanks for the replies.

iainiain101 "Its a good time of year to grow your own". i'm open to growing some but we have had terrible luck with growing vegetables of any type, and even papayas and bananas as we are surrounded by jungle and every time the insects or caterpillars of every type (some i have no idea what they are) devour our crop every time. we don't want to spray any pesticides so we have given up. if the insects don't get them, the birds or squirrels do.

CMfoodie thanks for that. i know the market by Royal Flora you are talking about. been by there a couple of times but must have been off on timing as employees said to us "market not open now." will try tomorrow before 11:00.

thx again.

anyone know where I can buy a decent supply of jalapenos? have looked around the markets, Rimping, etc. but didn't see them. seem to remember reading on this forum that someone sold them but a search comes up less than fruitful. thanks.

we used to go to a place a few times a year that was really good. the clientele was 90% Korean. you walk across the street from the front enterence of the Central Department Store on Huay Kaew and go up the stairs and it was on the right. i am fairly certain it is still there. absolutely authentic. beef is imported - i think from New Zealand or Australia but not sure. you choose the cut of beef and a large plate is about 600-900 Baht as I recall (depending on the cut) along with a very large assortment of salads and things that they keep topping up. no English or Thai spoken - only Korean.

there are billboards everywhere (suggesting people should bring "those that have not been saved yet") along with them with all the info as well as a website being advertised. have fun.

.....

Meanwhile, we encourage everyone to enroll. It's a good "back-up" insurance for catastrophic events for those who would otherwise prefer the convenience of paying out-of-pocket at a private hospital where you can make appointments and be seen quickly. If you have a limited budget, patience and perhaps some Thai language skills, the plan covers some unexpected things like take-home medication for blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, enlarged prostrate; dental care, cataract surgery, etc, etc. Even if you never use the insurance, I think it shows support for the Thai government to go up to Nakorn Ping and enroll in the insurance scheme.

Indeed, the more people who enroll but don't use it, or use it very little, the lower premiums will end up being in the long run. The system will end up out of soem people's price range if the only people who enroll are those with heavy utilization and frequent hospitalization. SO all you healthy folk -- enroll, enroll!! You never know when you may be in an accident, and if you aren't, you will still have helped keep costs reasonable ofr everyone else.

good point. i went ahead and enrolled even though i have private insurance but i agree and before i even read this last post i had thought the same thing - show support for the program as you never know when it might come in handy. i would not go there for routine medical check ups as i could not be bothered but it is a good back up plan to have. took me all of 40 minutes to complete the entire process.

anybody? thanks again.

we keep a close eye on how may stamps we are owed. just a guess but i would estimate that we spend 150-250 Baht per day at 7-11 so that is a lot of money in stamps.

i heard somewhere they sold cheese by 100 gram or more pieces but when i went to ask, the waitress didn't know anything about it. anyone know anything about it?

looking to buy some quality cushions for the sofa. we already have the material and will have the covers made so don't care about design, just need good quality, firm, comfortable cushions made from good material - filled material, duck feather, etc. or whatever. we bought some from Big C or Home Pro or somewhere a number of years ago and within about 3 months there was some disgusting mold like white hair growing all over them! another set we bought i think in a factory somewhere near San Kampaeng that were not cheap turned into mush and the material - foam? disintegrated and there was brown powder all over the place within a year. so looking for quality, probably not cheap foam. thanks.

First thing I would like to give junglechef a big round of applause. As he says it really dosen't matter to the kids they are just happy not to be hungry.

Junglechef how did it go?

what do you care about what happened with someone you don't even know? maybe use facebook and add him to social network with.

I wonder how many of these farangs now queuing up at the Thai government hospitals were until recently moaning over their jars about all the immigrants using the health facilities in the home countries- especially those doing so with out contributing any taxes.

This is really an amazing development.

I can't say I agree with it all. Look how over burdened the British, Italian, etc health systems are because of the policies like this. It will cost a fortune and I see no moral reason got Thai tax payers to have to provide for retired farangs health care; especially those who live very unhealthy life styles, diabetics, obesity and alcohol related problems. Terrible.

At least there should be a minimum length of stay before being allowed to claim this for farang retires- 5 or 10years maybe. Perhapse an exemption for those married with children.

Obviously people are out for themselves- its understandable- but come let's have a bit of objectivity.

Only the meds cost money, and most of those are produced very cheaply within Thailand.

to give you an idea, most of the pills (but not all, such as imported brand name drugs) cost the pharmacies on average less than 25 Satang each if they buy them from the factories direct in Bangkok. if a distributer (middle man) is involved, their cost might be 30-50 Satang per pill. they turn around and sell them retail for 10 Baht per pill. do the math. that is why pharmaceuticals are the some of the most profitable commodities in the world.

Which stores in Chiang Mai have oysters?

Try Rimping Supermarket at The Promenade shopping centre, they have a dedicated Oyster and wine bar there.

but as one poster mentioned, a bottle of wine and oysters for 2 will set you back 7500 baht.

One problem is that the hospital that serves Amphur Muang is said to be Nakorn Ping hospital, which is quite a distance from the center of town. It's not convenient for the many older expats who live long-term in the many guesthouses in and near the Old City. I'll ask if another hospital, closer to the center of town, is available.

beggars can't be choosers.

^where is anyone talking about food stalls? or 30 baht meals? were comparing one dukes to another...

as for the location and ambiance of promeneda...the location is awful and the ambiance is being destroyed more and more by the month, with all the cheap-o inner stalls, noise, etc. bottom line, the "resort style mall" has missed its mark by a long shot. its 10% high-end and 90% fluff right now. dukes is charging (perhaps forced to do so) a premium for an atmosphere and offerings that simply aren't present.

my feeling exactly. i don't understand who these vendors think their target customers are. tourists? not a chance. what tourist would go to a shopping mall while on vacation? and at a location out in the boonies of the San Kampheng Road? is the tourist the target for the 188,000 Bahts furniture too? can they get it home in their backpack? the mall is a flop in my opinion. the cheapo stalls are terrible, the ridiculous amount of expensive coffee bars (more than half of them haven't had a single customers on the occasions i have been there to shop at Rimping), the cheapo mobile shops, snack bars, etc. nothing against Dukes Restaurant ( i happen to really enjoy their fare and the family does as well) but everyone who lives here knows that from what appears to be happening here, the prices are far far less at the location near the river Mae Ping. personally i don't know any local Thais or falangs who have been to the night bazaar location because everyone knows the prices are higher there. sure they get the tourists because they don't know and it is in the middle of the tourist area. nothing wrong with that. but again who are the targeted customers at this new mall selling at Bangkok prices?

90% fluff, for sure and some vendors desperate to make a sale. when i was there last an Israeli woman (i overheard her speaking Hebrew) was trying to pawn some expensive skin care products to my wife. she told her flat out "not interested". the Thai girl helping told the wife that she couldn't give away free samples. didn't anyone do market research?

There are several Italian restaurants in Chiang Mai, I have tried them nearly all, but no one is really good. The owner is mostly an Italian male, the staff in the kitschen is Thai, they don't know even to make spaghettis or a good pizza. High prices by thai standard, but low quality.

some do have an Italian chef in the kitchen. agree that the majority are only "so-so". one place i went to, the owner even told me that he was not a chef in Italy but he's Italian and can open an Italian restaurant in Thailand. he also said the majority of tourists don't know good from bad.

there are a few that are o.k. but i have not found a great one.