earlofwindermere

I may be mistaken but the evening flight on Bangkok Airways stops in Sukhothai on the way to Bangkok.

I just came back from the buffet. It is really great. It is nearly identical to the buffet that they offered during Loy Krathong. Sadly, the restaurant was relatively empty. After seeing the huge spread, we will definitely be back before the end of the month.

Our family went to Sripat on Jan 31st and all had the checkup (Diamond package). We were the only people there and had excellent service. No waiting at all. The total test took 1 hour for 3 of us to have all testing. We then went for breakfast and came back. We were escorted to the front of the waiting line, saw a cardiologist and were taken for echocardiograms within 15 minutes (since EKG was abnormal). The service was excellent and I would suggest going on a public holiday as nobody else seems to think to have the test done then.

We've been living in Chiang Mai for the past 5 years. I'm from BC (the Kootenays) and my wife is from Calgary. There are quite a lot of Canadians living in the city. Like others have said, many of us keep under the radar. The only time that a large group of us get together is for Canada Day. We usually organize a pancake breakfast and open it up to any other Canadians living in the city. Usually, about 70-100 show up.

Based on who I know, the type of Canadian living here ranges in age and purpose for being here. There are a lot of Canadians working for NGOs and missionary agencies. There are also quite a lot of Canadian managers of factories and businesses in the area.... and of course retirees.

My opinion is that Canadians seem to get along quite well with most of the other nationalities so we don't necessarily seek out only other Canadians. I'm sure that you'll find the same if you move here.

One warning.... I've yet to find any regular way to watch any NHL games while living here.

I agree with Puwa. I've tried cheap and they always burn out. If your toothbrush is that important for you, spend the money and get a good step down. We bought ours at Central.

I'm wondering if there is any place in Phuket that sells turkey (preferably cooked). In Chiang Mai, there are several places that will cook the turkey for you and even provide the stuffing. Does a similar place/store exist in Phuket? If not, can anyone suggest where to buy uncooked turkeys?

Thanks

Edit: I just saw the link for Don's at the top of the page. I will look into them.

I'm curious.... what exactly is the "Jewish Society of Chiang Mai?" From a legal point, there is not "society" classification for registration so I'm assuming that it's probably just an informal group?

While not Jewish myself, I have been able to celebrate several Jewish festivals over the years and enjoyed them all. Happy holidays.

I am also a fan of Sripat / Special Medical Services. I have done their package last year and am planning to do it again in about two weeks.

I have been to Bumrungrad and have had the same service for 4x the price (and a nicer looking building). However; since at least 50% of all medical tests are bloodwork, there is no reason to pay such high prices unless you know that you have something unusual.

I have been to the Loh Kroh guy. I did not find him to be anything special or better than what I've found at Sripat. In such a small clinic, I would question the accuracy of their lab capabilities but I have not actually seen the lab so this is probably not a fair judgement.

I have heard that approximately 250 tickets have already been sold in the past 3 days. The maximum number planned is 300 so it'll likely sell out today. Looking forward to meeting many of you at the breakfast.

Thanks for all of the messages. To help it easier and faster for everyone, the information (with contact numbers) has been posted at the following link:

Santa Claus Breakfast

The annual Santa Claus breakfast is gearing up again and I thought that I’d post the information on here in case some of you are not familiar with the event.

Date: Dec 12th

Time: 9:00am - noon

Location: Gymkhana Club

Santa arrives around 11:00am and hands out the presents (Parents bring their own gift and add it to the bag beforehand).

Adult (over 12 years of ag) 250 baht

Child (2-12 years) 150 baht

Child (1 years and under) free

You must get tickets before Dec 4th. I'm not sure if I can put the contact names of where to buy tickets. If I'm allowed to post phone numbers, let me know. Otherwise, pm me with the area of the city that you are in and I'll let you know where to buy.

The Santa Claus breakfast is neither a fundraiser nor a business. It has been running for quite a number of years and is organized by parents for the benefit of their kids.

I believe that there are actually quite a lot of social groups around....most of them informal though. I know that there are several Rotary clubs, Lions club (I believe), Informal Northern Thai discussion club, Toastmasters, business networking groups as well as a lot of informal men's groups around. While not all are male-only, I'm not convinced that there is a big need for another group to be organized as you proposed. Just my opinion.

Thanks for your responses.

From what I've been told, ALL foreign directors on any Foundation Board are required to show proof.

After a lot of phone calls today, it appears that if the local consulate/embassy confirms that you have been living in Thailand since the last record check, the government will actually be fine with the other documents (ie passport, visa, etc). It appears as if the Bangkok trip for the certificate may not be necessary. However; if it is, thanks for the info on how to get there Clasbyclan.

I sit on the Board of Directors of a foundation here in Chiang Mai. When I first joined, I had to submit a criminal record check from my home country. This was not a problem since I was still living there at the time.

As per our bylaws, a new Board was just voted in and I am still on it. Apparently, the government requires another criminal record check from my home country...even though I've been living in Thailand for the past 5 years. Since I have no plans to travel back to my home country in the next few months, I cannot get the check done. The local consulate and the embassy in Bangkok do not provide this service as it must be done by a police agency.

Since there are hundreds of foundations in the city, I am assuming that one or two other farang have come across this same problem. What have you done?

I was just on their site looking for flights next April. Director flights are now available. 1000 baht plus taxes.

I agree.... Huey Tung Tao and Tweenchol (Horizon Resort) are also good options.

1. Chiang Mai Night Safari on Saturday MORNINGS is a favourite with us as well. 50 baht an adult. Kids are free. It opens at 10:00 am and there is nobody ever there.

2. 700 Years Stadium has a large park that attracts a lot of families.

3. I agree with the Long Neck comments. It's not really worth seeing.

Huai Khum Resort and Chiang Dao Nest are our family favourites. There is a group of long-neck Karen living a short drive away from Huai Khum.

Check it out.

Google Translate

My Thai staff said that it was quite obvious that several of the local translation companies have been using this service and then fixing the minor grammatical errors.

TITS radio has not been around for quite a few years.

I'm not going to defend his integrity or honesty as I only met him once.

However; his foot services were realy great and he fixed a lot of problems that other skin clinics could not.

Thanks. I love the Chinese restaurant at the Holiday Inn. I didn't know that there was a buffet. I'll have to try next weekend.

To defend Zappergeck, I have been to his clinic. I was impressed with his service and would recommend them for people who have surface issues on their feet.

From my research, the only medically licensed foot doctors are in Bangkok. For example, Bumrungrad has two orthopedic surgeons who specialize in feet. This probably doesn't fit the OP's requirements but it does seem that there are few Podiatrists around.

The rates sound good compared to what I've seen. I know that Nim See Seng charge anywhere from 2-10% per MONTH for vehicle leases. Nim See Seng are the red coloured offices found on nearly every second street in the city. They are only found in the north and charge people from other regions in Thailand a higher rate. Incidently, the maximum legal interest rate that leasing companies can charge is 15%. However; nearly every company exceed this rate as there is not enforcement of the law. 13% per year is a good rate from what I've seen.

I'm in the same situation as you (but with only two kids). I also use an accounting firm. They simply entered my salary and known deductions into a spreadsheet to determine the estimated tax to pay. They then divided by 12 and that is the amount that is deducted from my salary each month. It seemed quite simple to do.