rene123

On more than a few occasions now I have seen slim, trim Thai mothers with obese children. On each occasion the children have bags of processed, packaged food that they are stuffing their face with. It seems more common now than when I first visited Thailand in 1998. My parents in Canada always taught me to eat my fruit and veggies. I didn't get any desert if I didn't eat my veggies. Fortunately, I grew up tall and fit, and don't have to watch my weight too often. But, I still try to eat healthy food, even though I am not a fanatic about it. I remember how fat kids in school were always teased and tortured by the others. I think parents do their children a dis-service by allowing them all the junk food that they eat. The island of Okinawa near Japan has the oldest living people on the planet as far as percentages go. The people in the Himalayas rank a close second. The one thing they have in common is a healthy diet of veggies, and with limited amounts of milk products and meat.

I think that adults have the right to choose their own lifestyle, and can grow fat and lazy if that is their wish, but it's too bad they inflict it on their children. The corner stores like the 7-11 are full of products that are not good for us, and yet these seem to be the places that many Thais now shop.

The Chiang Mai sub-forum seems totally dedicated to places to eat and dine out. So, I'm sure there should be lots of replies to this topic. I enjoy Italian food but I have to watch my figure. Pasta tends to go straight to my hips if I eat too much of it.

I've never been to the night safari because I've heard too many negative reports. But, I should go at least once just to make my own mind up. I like to take photos of animals, but they are not worth it if they are always sleeping. But, contrast I was thrilled to see a tiny wild deer on a hike up Doi Sutthep the other day.

It was an interesting race made more difficult because of the fluctuating wet conditions. Button eventually won it, but a few accidents changed the results of the driver's cup and the team standings. Vettel did just enough to finally get the crown again, but with Alonso coming in a close second. Too bad it ended with the lap car leading the pack around for the final few laps.

This just proves that some men are silly. Or, should I say, most men. Gals like to get laid once in a while by a hot guy, but when they look for long term the man better have some money in the bank and a few other assets. I don't think it matters what country you live in.

Oh, and it has nothing to do with jealousy. It's just practical, good old fashioned sense. Jealousy is when you can't stand when whomever you are with even looks at another person. I've seen some men go bananas when the gal he is with even looks at another man, or says hello to him. But, there are also the women who are downright teases and think anything they do is fair play. I don't have any respect at all for them. And, some women seem to make it their goal to go after any man who is with another woman.

If you already have a multiple entry tourist visa (single, double or triple) then be sure to only use it close to its expirey date. Otherwise you will lose whatever portion is still on the visa. For example, if you have a double entry tourist visa then that entitles you to two 60 day periods of which you need to go out of the country once. If you have been in Thailand for 30 days and decide to go out of the country then you will lose that portion remaining on your first entry. In other words, your 120 day double entry tourist visa now becomes just a 90 day tourist visa.

From what I understand, you can not apply for a multiple entry tourist visa if you are already here. And, you need to fly out of Thailand to apply from another country. You can't just drive across a border into Myanmar, Laos or Cambodia and apply from there. That is to discourage the back packers and those living on the bare minimum from living in Thailand on a year-round basis.

I think people misinterpret wealth from rich. Wealth is usually defined as having a lot of money or owning a lot of valuable property or items such as gold. But, you can be rich in many ways that do not include material wealth. And, being wealthy is no guarantee of living a rich life.

Personally, I think someone who is wealthy does not have to overly concern themselves with mundane things such as what to buy, or where to go to have whatever they want. Someone else posted a question of how much is enough. When you can buy whatever you want, when ever you want, then you are wealthy.

A century ago, more than 100,000 elephants lived in Thailand, with about 20,000 of them untamed. Now, there are about 5,000, with less than half of them wild.

I could swear I saw more than that along the beach in front of Pattaya in 1998, but maybe I was mistaken. They were probably just beached whales.

Common sense is not common.

I rode my little scooter over to Pai with no problem. I just took my time and wasn't in a hurry. I stopped frequently and let all the crazy silver vans go flying by. Why they don't kill more passengers and people on motorbikes is surprising to me. The road on to Mae Hong Son is much the same, but less busy. And, the fields of sun flowers should be out pretty soon, if they aren't already.

It was a real gully washer around Loi Kroh road about 9:30 in the evening and it lasted a long time. I just parked my scooter and ducked into a nearby bar expecting to only stay half an hour. I was stuck there for several hours because I don't like riding in the rain and through flooded streets. The lights went out and the TV went off which peed off all the "footy" crowd who wanted to watch the rugby match between England and South Africa.

It's more than I've got.

I saw a wild deer today, and some wild peacocks, or do I call them peafowl? And, what makes them fowl?

I don't want one. I already posted that I enjoy the grumpy old men. It adds spice to the forum and you get to learn the various posters.

Neve mind the amusing advice about taking a songtao. Just remember to take a shower and brush your teeth yourself before getting on board !! Durian is really a no-no anywhere except in the secluded privacy of your own home (or in a field) !! Songtaos? Hike up your drawers and go for it!

Here's some more cheap counsel, anyway. Twenty baht is the common expected fare per person within the Superhighway. Otherwise, if you are worried about another 10-20 baht, you best walk!! Don't try to use a map!!! Get someone to write down your usual destinations in Thai to show the driver, at least! Even learn to pronounce them !!!!!!!!!!! Learn how to read a map yourself, but absolutely don't expect to use a map effectively with the mass of drivers! It is not their strength nor do they have the time or interest to share your interest in maps of Chiang Mai. Otherwise, they have a dependable local GPS system built in! They, after all, know where they are. You don't !!

To help yourself further, get an Thai-English (or just Thai) map! There are some. Go to a bookstore! Go to UG's place. He probably has some. Come to think of it, no doubt UG would be willing to help you personally! Maybe he can even make a baht by creating an aide for expats with popular destinations (except soapy massage parlors, of course !!) Oh, don;t forget to ask him where the "dirty books" room is in back. He even has D.H. Lawrence !!!!

For traveling beyond the Superhighway, I found this wonderful gift to TV Chiang Mai: http://www.openchian...283.html . It is a beaut!

Happy peregrinations!!!

Where is the laughter button when you need it? Your comment about maps and Thais is spot on. It's been my experience that many Thais do NOT understand the concept of maps and locations. I remember being frustrated on our pack trips trying to get directions from a local when showing them a map WRITTEN IN THAI! I knew where we were on the map, but could not get the Thai person to understand a simple map. That has happened so often that I have just given up showing maps to Thai people. I don't know how Thais are taught in school, but they certainly ignored geography lessons and understanding maps.

Ba-guay-gaew and Bak-Sida are Northern and Isan for Guava, respectively. They're just word plays, often spoken in jest but common enough.

Thankyou, that is good to know.

Bad shit happens everywhere.

No apologies, just my observation.

Patagonia is always an option.

I agree. It is less safe in my home town of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, depending on where you go. There are drug deals going on nightly in some of the local bars. And, the local police have a heavy handed bully boy attitude and treat everyone like they are a criminal.

It would help to know what your interests are before we just start guessing. That way someone with a bit of local knowledge could point you in the right direction. Some people like zoos and others hate them. Some people only want to shop and eat.

There's a helicopter charter place on the middle ring road, to the east of Big C, Hangdong road. I think that would be a brilliant way to go

The Guy has only posted 13 times and is new why would you be so un kind Grow Up

Unkind? Take a chill pill & get a sense of humour. What do you think the smiley indicates? IMHO, UG is being unkind by recommending the bus

There is no such thing as humour on Thaivisa. If you want that you need to go to the jokes section or the entertainment section, and even then you might get your butt chewed off by the sour pusses.

Farang.

You hear Falang because there is a tendency for Thais to pronounce Rs as Ls out of laziness. They will revert back to pronouncing Rs properly when in a formal situation.

Its not exactly rude, but its not quite polite either. Its place is among friends, close associates and on the street. If you want to sound colloquial you can say Rs as Ls too.

It's just a Thai word for westerner, polite or the way it is said has nothing much to do with it, it's just a dialect thing.

As I understand the Bangkok educated southern bread Thai people pronounce the ' r ' and the further you go north of Thailand they pronounce as an ' l ' as in there dialect.

If I may dissent

Up North it's pronounced "Ba/Ma Gairw" or "Ba Guey Gar" (Lanna)

Out East it's pronounced "Baak See Daa" (Issan)

Only in Central or South is it "Farang"

How far north or how far east are you talking about. In Nan I never heard anything but "fah-lang". The same with Sakhon Nakhon, it was always fah-lang. I heard the school kids saying it when pointing at me and my red hair. They weren't being derogatory. It is the same in Fang and MaeSai. Maybe in the rural villages they say Baak See Daa or Ba Guey Gar, but I've never heard it, and I listen closely.

I had one of those guys lean his hot exhaust against my leg and I got a nasty burn that got infected. I'm a lot more careful now.

You spell it like it is printed in the Thai-English books: Farang.

You can pronounce it like: - fah-lang, or anything similar. Even the most simple minded people will understand you.

You certainly don't pronounce it like: fah-rang, but properly pronouced there is a rolling of the "r" so it almost sounds like an "L"

This topic is much to do about nothing. It was explained to me the first time I came to Thailand in 1998 and I haven't forgotten. And, only the paranoid think it is a derogatory term used by Thais to put down white people. There seems to be a lot of paranoid people on thaivisa.

If I'm not mistaken, the woman is Indian so that would explain the fluent English. Any idea what the thread count is on the cotton sheets for 700 THB? For that price I can't imagine its very high.

One thing I learned the hard way is to never buy a "set" of sheets in Thailand. A set in Thailand means one sheet and 3 or 4 pillow cases. I expected a top sheet and a bottom sheet and 2 pillow cases. I have no use for those bolster things that look like laundry bags. I was able to get a separate sheet in the Warowat market, and at much less than I paid at Tesco.

Check Greenside's map of Chiang Mai at the top of page in the saved section. It helps to orient yourself. The moat around the inner city is a mile square, or about 1.6 km per side. It gives you some perspective of size and distance.

There is a small lake/reservoir to the north west of Chiang Mai called Huay Tung Thao. It is about 4 km on a paved road around the lake and there are places to eat in various spots. There is also a bush road at the north end that connects up with roads behind Doi Sutthep. The lake is about 12 km from the moat and is suitable for swimming. At least the Thais swim there.