angelbat

Well darn, I can't find any friends or friends of friends who live in that area. Maybe you can find a neighbor or another expat in the area who would be willing help with blocking the bats' entrance? I hope so. Good luck!

Paul,

Where do you live? (Generally speaking, I mean.) I can see if I know a caver type person in your area who might be able to help with the problem.

Angela

Well, being a caver and all, I know a lot about bats.... The best thing to do to get them out of your house is to determine their point(s) of entry and block that while they are out feeding at night, so they can't get back in. Bats eat massive quantities of insects and are highly beneficial to humans. Please don't kill them! It's true that some percentage of bats have rabies, but bats are not aggressive at all. The only way you would get bitten by a bat is by picking it up (and even then it probably wouldn't bite you). If you do need to pick up any bats in order to move the stragglers out of your attic, be sure to wear gloves.

Bats are your friend! But you definitely don't want them living in your attic!

Angela

When I lived in Chiang Mai, sometimes Thai men (shopkeepers, songthaew drivers, etc.) would use "ka" when speaking to me. I always wondered why they did that.

Angela

My advice is to do your TEFL in Thailand, in the city where you want to live. I did mine in Chiang Mai, at SEE TEFL on Kaew Nawarat Road. In my class were several non-NES and they all got work through SEE TEFL. Not only was it a terrific course but the school does a great job of finding work for their graduates. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Angela

I taught English 2012-2013 in Chiang Mai, when I was age 50-51. I taught students of all ages from kindergarten through adult, and my age was never an issue. There were several foreign teaachers older than me (both male and female) who were also getting their teaching assignments through my language school. I know that over-50 discrimination does happen, but there are plenty of schools out there who are happy to hire older teachers. Regarding difficulty of getting work permits over 55, that could be, but I haven't heard anything about it yet from my over-50 teacher friends in Chiang Mai. Keep looking, and good luck!

Angela

Is it really wise to be discussing this on a public forum? Just sayin'....

Since I quit drinking (1 1/2 years ago), I've discovered that many of my "friends" and acquaintances who drink are uncomfortable when I'm around because I'm not drinking. It's clear that some of them think that my choice not to drink somehow translates into my passing judgment on them, which is nuts! i don't give a darn what anyone else does, it's none of my concern. I quit drinking because it wasn't good for ME. End of story. So I distance myself from the people who have this attitude (it's not enjoyable to hang out with them, after all), and spend time with my friends who are respectful of my decision not to drink.

Angela

FWIW: While living in Chiang Mai for 13 months I had dengue once (a moderate case) in spite of always taking precautions like wearing long pants and long sleeves, using insect repellent, and being careful to keep mosquitoes out of my house. Several expats I know in Chiang Mai have had dengue at one time or another. As others have already said, just protect yourself as best as you can, and be prepared for the possibility that you might get dengue.

Angela

I am an American woman. I lived for 13 months in Thailand (Chiang Mai), and during that time traveled extensively (often in rural areas) around SE Asia and China. In my life I have also spent a great deal of time in remote parts of Mexico. I don't know how you normally dress, but.... My advice for traveling anywhere off the beaten path (or anywhere, really) is to be very mindful of the clothing you wear, and dress modestly. No shorts, short skirts, tank tops, low cut blouses etc. Essentially you want to dress so as not to attract attention to yourself. Keeping a low profile, not attracting attention to yourself, in any foreign country will go a long toward avoiding unwanted attention of all kinds. Sure you will attract some attention just because you are a foreigner, but not as much sexually oriented attention if you are dressed very modestly. Hope this helps.

Angela

Congratulations to anyone here who has decided to quit taking benzo's!

When I quit benzo's in July 2012 I quit cold turkey since I had been taking a very small dose and figured it wouldn't be any problem. Big mistake. I had protracted withdrawal symptoms for almost a year.

Then I quit drinking alcohol in March 2013, and had protracted withdrawal symptoms for 8 - 9 months. The alcohol withdrawal is very similar to benzo withdrawal.

Now that I am past all of this I am happier and healthier than ever before in my life!

Based on my own experience I highly recommend doing a long slow taper of the Xanax. If you want to quit alcohol too, wait till you are finished with the Xanax taper / withdrawal.

Good luck!

I resided in Thailand from end of March 2012 - beginning of May 2013 on a 1-year multiple entry non-immigrant B visa sponsored by the language school where I did my TEFL in May 2012. During this time I left Thailand a few times (traveling around, with only one actual "visa run") and got a new 90-day stamp each time I returned. I worked part time (teaching English) through the language school. They started the paperwork to get a work permit for me, but did not actually get the work permit I assume because I was not working full time. I did not realize it at the time but now I know that I was working illegally.

My question:

Will this past history affect my ability to return to Thailand in the future:

1. on a tourist visa for a short visit
2. on a retirement visa for a long stay
3. on an education visa (to legitimately study Thai) for a long stay

Thank you.

From my USA bank account I transfer via my Internet banking using "Personal Pay" (aka PopMonay) to Bangkok Bank in New York, and then they do the transfer to Bangkok Bank in Thailand. Whopping $1 fee. Takes a few days to a week for the money to make it into the Thai bank account. Hope this helps.

Angela

I very often would drink more than I wanted to, couldn't stop after one or two drinks like I intended. That is why I quit altogether. I simply can't drink in moderation. Obviously, not everyone has this problem with alcohol.

Someone said the OP was too young to quit drinking - not true at all! I wish I had quit when I was younger. Would have bypassed a 20-year struggle with depression and lots of other bad stuff attributable to my drinking. But I was in denial about the impact my drinking was having on my health and my life. 8 months sober my life is so much better in every way that there's no way I'd ever take another drink and risk wrecking it again.

In case the OP is interested in the very real health risks of alcohol consumption:

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/alcohol-abuse/features/12-health-risks-of-chronic-heavy-drinking

When I lived in Chiang Mai I'd wear shorts (or go naked) when alone at home. In public I'd wear long pants made of performance fabric (not jeans!) and long sleeved shirts too for practical reasons - protection from dengue-carrying mosquitoes, and sun protection. Gotta preserve the beautiful white white skin!

Angela

p.s. Certainly not all farang guys look "hideous" in shorts but a lot of them do!

While living in Thailand I had to be really careful when purchasing skin care products since practically everything on the shelves was whitening! I have a friend who works in the Asia Pacific region for one of the cosmetics/skincare industry giants, and she told me that most skin whitening products don't work anyway - it is just a marketing ploy.

I'm guessing that the concept of the "Like" button was originally conceived by the NSA, to aid in their goal of collecting and storing and analyzing data on everyone who does anything on the Internet.

After living in Thailand 13 months then returning to the U.S. a few months ago, I experienced culture shock in three main areas. One of these was the level of fear and paranoia that pervades American society. There's no freedom of speech or expression in the U.S. any more; everyone's afraid to say what they think. This gradual erosion of personal freedoms isn't unique to the U.S. or Thailand or any particular country, it's happening in "free" societies throughout the world. The work of activists and whistle blowers might slow it down just a bit, but it can't be stopped. Enjoy the freedoms of today because tomorrow they will be fewer.

Before I moved to Thailand in March 2012 I applied for "Global Medical Insurance" with IMGlobal.

http://www.imglobal.com/img-insurance/international-health-insurance/global-medical-insurance.aspx

They flat turned me down, said I didn't meet their underwriting requirements, but wouldn't provide any details. I was surprised. I was used to being turned down in the U.S., but I thought it was a U.S. thing.

At the time I was age 49, in good health, with conditions that required treatment in the past but no longer require any treatment.

So, I lived 13 months in Thailand with no health insurance (or, "self insured"). I am back in the U.S. right now (uninsured here as well - I can't get individual health insurance in the U.S. at any cost), but plan to return to Thailand in the near future. I would like to have some health insurance, in the U.S. as well as abroad.

It sounds like I should try Healthcare International. Anyone here have success getting coverage with this company despite preexisting conditions? If so, are the preexisting conditions covered, or excluded?

Thanks!

I love train travel. I have taken the Bangkok <-> Chiang Mai sleeper several times and always enjoyed it, always slept like a baby. Now however, after all these derailments, I think I'd be too tense to sleep, and probably won't be taking the train any more. It's a shame that the Thai rail system is so poorly maintained.

When it comes to what I consider a REAL Southern American breakfast in all its fat-laden gut-bombing glory, I don't think it actually exists in Chiang Mai, or anywhere in Thailand. This is Thailand after all, not America! There are, however, a few places in Chiang Mai that come pretty close to the elusive target. I don't have any new restaurants to add to the discussion, but would like to add my vote to a few that other posters have already mentioned: Bake 'n Bite (the one off Kaew Nawarat), UN Irish Pub, Gecko Garden, Blue Diamond. My favorite is Bake 'n Bite, however it doesn't meet the OP's criteria since it's not what I would call inexpensive. Less expensive are Gecko Garden and Blue Diamond. UN Irish Pub doesn't do what I call a real American breakfast, but I've been able to cobble something acceptable together by ordering a la carte. Again - doesn't qualify as inexpensive! But a nice place to linger and "watch the world go by." When I first moved to Chiang Mai it was my favorite place to go for a leisurely breakfast. After getting a place with a kitchen I mainly would make breakfast at home, but splurge on Bake 'n Bite from time to time.

I am in the States right now, but when I get back to Chiang Mai I'll have some new places to check out!

Angela

Forget about guns - the real menace is the pressure cooker.

Ajahn Pi divides his time between Bangkok and Chiang Mai (Mae Rim), and occasionally visits Singapore, according to info found on his FB page and the Sak Yant Foundation website.

Probably best to call the phone numbers listed on those sites to find out when he will be in Chiang Mai.

There's a lot of good info here, thanks to everyone who has contributed.

I live in Chiang Mai and would like to get a sak yan (my first) from an ajarn in the Chiang Mai area. Sabaijai - I was just wondering if you (or anyone else in this topic) has gotten sak yan from Ajarn Pi?

Also, I am wondering if anyone here can tell me about a personal experience with other sak yan Ajarn in northern Thailand, within a few hours of Chiang Mai?

Feel free to PM. Thanks in advance!

Angela

I need a female-friendly gym on the *east* side of town. Mainly I need free weights and Smith rack; some machines such as leg press, leg extension, calf raise, pec/rear delt, cable crossover would be nice. Don't care about pool, sauna, group classes, etc.

I would appreciate any recent first-hand info about gyms (hotel or otherwise) in the Changklan / Night Bazaar and Watkate areas.

Also, I haven't seen the Sports Association Sports Club (on Tung Hotel Road) mentioned here. I would appreciate any first-hand info about that as well.

Thanks!