habfan

I use TOT as well and about 4 days ago I started getting the "spinning rainbow wheel" (I have an iMac) when trying to stream movies or network tv. I've been doing this for close to 3 years with no problem and felt thet my luck had finally run out and visiting these sites had infected my pc but good. Your post has given me some small hope in that the problem may actually be with TOT.

Tried to take my family there one night....dinner time and all the tables taken by 1 - 2 people drinking - no food to be seen - watching TV....waited about 20 minutes - nothing changed and no food arrived... took my dissappointed family and left....won't be back soon if ever....especially with the bar types smoking up the sidewalk....

What do you expect considering that the Mad Dog is located in a bar type touristy area.

My guess is that these establishments, including the Red Lion and the Beer Stube, have a steady flow of first timer tourist clientele and couldn`t give a rat`s behind about a few semi regular ex-pat customers and have a take it or leave it attitude.

These days I never venture into these places, I find them totally unappealing, expensive and prefer to visit the various shopping malls if I fancy a farangy type meal. Cleaner, friendlier and better value for money.

Please don't lump the Beer Stube into your rat's behind apathy statement unless you have experienced it for a fact. I have always been greeted with a smile and the upmost kindness and courtesy from the owners and staff since the first time I ever walked in to this restaurant. Still top notch IMHO.

Lampang is very hazy and very hot!

I have never seen anyone like that In Gecko Garden - more the cheap drunken expat crowd.

I resemble that!

Haha, good morning to you too. Actually there's nothing self-righteous in my advice. I don't refer to myself at all. Perhaps you would like to infer that my underlying attitude, if not my particular words, is self-righteous. That's your choice, but my intention was straightforward: to suggest that someone who giddily, breathlessly, boasts to a collection of complete strangers that he succeeded in buying two bottles and one can of beer, then capped this domestic triumph by guzzling a can in situ, might have a problematic relationship with alcohol. A man with a drinking problem usually needs it pointed out to them, irrespective of the chorus cheering the demise of his liver.

Now, as to your calling me a jerk, telling me to get a life, I am not offended. We could all spend a whole days dreaming up schoolyard insults, and a web forum makes it easy. So easy that it can be hard to resist. One might pop off an insult on the spot, when the better course is to discretely put those thoughts on ice and chill.

I love stopping at my particular favorite "mom and pop" when I'm in Chiang Mai. Many will have a small table and a few chairs in front as mine does. Many's a time I've sat and knocked back a quick small can at the table before continuing on with a couple of purchased bottles in a bag. Thank you for pointing out that this may be a sign of perhaps a problematic relationship with alcohol but hey. I've been in worse relationships.

Thanks as well arawan! I found that through Google which is what I should have done at first but thanks to you both for putting my mind at ease.

You can close this topic Mods.

Thank you for the quick reply Mario! It's what I thought but for some reason I always get stressed out the night before and start to think the slightest mistake and the application will get it thrown back in my face. Lol

Any idea if there is a filled out sample TM 7 application anywhere on Thai Visa so I can have a look and see if I screwed any thing else up?

I'm going for my yearly marriage extension tomorrow and I can't remember from last year but on the TM 7 Application where it says… I wish to apply for an extension of temporary stay in the Kingdom for another period of…………….days. Do I put 90 or 365 days? Thanks for the help if anyone knows.

Was there for a 90 day myself on Monday. It was a zoo, no denying.

Arrived at 11:15 finished at 3:30 that includes the hour or so break they took for lunch which I understand and accept. This was the first time in over 2 years of doing them that I had a wait like this all the others 15 minutes half hour tops.

I figured out approximately how long it was taking to process each report by the next number board (about 3 mins. I was 42 ahead).To kill the time I wandered around airport plaza had some lunch at the food bazaar even had a beer at that hotel apartment place right beside the plaza as you walk back to immigration. Not a bad afternoon really. Wouldn't want to do it every time though.

Yep, we like the food court in the Airport Plaza basement as well. The other food court we like is at the Big C Extra, old Carrefour. It's hard to find a place to sit at either of these places at lunchtime.

Grin

The only thing I don't like are those little stalls around the Kao Soi place.....have to sit sideways, so I wait until it's quiet.

So funny…. love the kao soi and the giggles when this farang attempts to sit down.

We run a small Mom and Pop in my Wife's rice farming village in Lampang Province and the amount of Mama noodles we go through is frightening. I've even caught my step-son eating it out of the package as a snack, no water he just sprinkles the flavour packet over the dry noodles and eats it like a bag of chips.

For the most part though our cooked village food is quite healthy consisting of a large amount of fish and vegtables. I must admit to a fondness though for cap moo and sticky rice but I try to keep it in moderation.

As said in a few posts...... the sun beating down on your roof all day is going to cause you the most problems with heat inside your house. IMHO this is where you should focus your heat reduction solutions.

My wifes cousins have an old Thai teak house surrounded by massive old trees completly shading the roof and come hot season here in the sticks of Lampang province their house and property is like walking into the Big C (temperture wise).

Queens Garden or Thong Ta… nothing special, good price, close and both will pick you up and take you back to Swampy.

To me, Gecko Garden has a good burger for the price - considering where we are. It is charcoal grilled and that covers up the taste of the lousy Thai beef. They can be overly dry, but IMO are usually OK with cheese, pickles and lots of condiments.

…… order it after your 2nd large Chang and then wash it done with the 3rd on the 3 large beer promo and you'll be raving about it for weeks. This has been my experience anyway.

If you've ever played golf at Lanna Golf Club you'll know that there are 2 holes that intersect the race track on one of the 9 hole courses and require you to clear a portion of the width of the track off the tee. Good luck finding your ball if you you duff it into the sand on the track.

Not figuring in the cost of the appliances and buying from Thai markets you can probably eat for 50 baht a day.

So, it's 8 months of hell for 4 months of comfortable weather?? We all must be fools to endure that and after almost 15 years here, I wonder why I suffer.

I do envy the 'snowbirds' that can escape the heat and smoke and only spend Nov-Feb here, but with kids that are going to school, it's not practical.

On what basis were you expecting it to be cool here?

A lot of tourism websites propagate the myth that October to February is the "cool season" in Chiang Mai. But it's only "cool" at night, and only for about eight weeks. Who cares if it's a comfortable 15C/60F at 3 o'clock in the morning? It's the day temperatures that count, and it's almost always 30C by noon during the "cool" season.

Here's an excerpt from a birding website that is more in line with the truth: "Many people head to Chiang Mai in search of the legendary "cool" weather, however, arriving in the city I think that most people will be disappointed to find it almost as hot as Bangkok."

Another website states "The cool season runs from December to March, although there's usually just one week in December when temperatures are actually comfortable."

I too am looking forward to the winter months in Chiang Mai, because the heat is more bearable due to the lower humidity. But please don't call it the "cool season." Call it the less-hot-but-still-hot season.

I agree with this for most years but the last less-hot-but-still-hot season was was pretty chilly from the middle of December till the middle of January out in the sticks of Lampang province.Even the afternoons were a comfortable 25 to 28c in the sun. It was heaven.

So, it's 8 months of hell for 4 months of comfortable weather?? We all must be fools to endure that and after almost 15 years here, I wonder why I suffer.

I do envy the 'snowbirds' that can escape the heat and smoke and only spend Nov-Feb here, but with kids that are going to school, it's not practical.

I don't really mind rainy season, although it took a while to acclimate. March through May is the only time the weather really bothers me, but it is the best time for fresh fruit, so I try to concentrate on the upside.

Have to agree UG, in fact I think rainy season is my favorite. Everything is so green and lush and it very seldom rains all day.

As you said some dandy fruit (mangos being my favorite)come into season during the hot season and I think the mosquitoes aren't as bad during the really hot months. That's what I tell myself anyway.

We got a call about a week after our interview requesting we bring someone from the village who was not a relative in for a interview. Nothing much to it they just want conformation that everything is as your claiming. Inconvenient though if you live a fair bit from the immigration office. We brought our neighbor and where not allowed to be present during the questioning (took about 10 minutes) by the officer. On the ride home my neighbor said they just asked her if really did live in the village with my wife and if I was liked and not a disruptive influence in the village.

Ragu at Promenada. Nothing in town comes close.

i have to agree. after Ragu opened, every other Italian restaurant in town was left in the dust... Ragu. it is arguably the best Italian restaurant in town. quality, fresh ingredients, flavor, presentation, authenticity, serving size... fantastic restaurant. warning: you could get fat eating there often! i've never tried the dessert...too full after a meal! but it looks good.

Not wishing to take sides in an slag fest I'm guiltily enjoying however I do find these 2 posts extremely biased.

I can't believe there is no longer any need to visit any another Italian restaurants in Chiangmai now that Ragu has opened.

Humiliating and sometimes dangerous initiation rituals.

I don't mean to attack you OP and I understand a certain amount of frustration but an extra half hour wait to get your passport returned is peanuts in the world of immigration visits.

Phew! At least they've left retirement extensions alone ...

So far.