SooKee

Ignoring the old adage of "once (or in this case ten times) bitten, twice shy" I thought I'd give Grab Taxi a try in CM, just to see if it's better than the Bangkok experience. Absolutely not. Total waste of time.

Tried to book couple of nights ago for a next day pick up for a friend to go to the airport "Oh no, sorry, we couldn't find you a driver". Tried again next morning. Same. So, called a CM taxi hotline instead. Taxi arrived within 10 mins.

So if that's Grab Taxi's grand entry to the Chiang Mai area it's fallen flat on its face for me. I'll give it a miss. Simply not worth wasting the time and effort inputting the details. Delete again.

Sent using Tapatalk

Hmmm. Might have to look into this. Been using the Nestle packs from Makro / Tesco for ages. Gets a real pain having to regularly drop in and grab a pack on the bike.

Sent using Tapatalk

Yah. For motorbikes. Thanks. I'll go look today

Sent using Tapatalk

Thanks. I'll go take a look tomorrow

Sent using Tapatalk

Thanks. I'll have a look at those. Was just a bit worried that type of pump might take 500 pumps to put in 5 psi.

Sent using Tapatalk

Looking to buy a tyre pump for home use for Click, NMAX, CB 300F. Trekking around to fuel stations gets a bit tiresome esp when the pumps NEVER have pressure gauges so I figure doing it at home with cold tires as part of the twice weekly checks better.

No need for state of the art mega-bucks version just something that'll get the job done. Suggestions re best place to get very welcome.

Thanks

Sent using Tapatalk

Problem with Nanai for me is that I never found anywhere on it relaxing to go. Eat or drink. Too much noise from the road that almost everywhere fronts on to and is normally open to. Noise ranged generally from being a real nuisance to completely unbearable.

Sent using Tapatalk

Bastard Executioner

Don't hold your breath...

Yah. It dragged for me. Kinda I started so I'll finish. I preferred The Last Kingdom.

Sent using Tapatalk

Nikki Beach Club closed mid year reopened in mid-Dec as Dream Beach- they are having a black and gold party hosted by Ministry of Sound.

Come with plenty dough, and be prepared to mix with the arabs/ruskies.

Upscale venue with a downscale crowd.

Be interesting to see what it's like at these venues charging upscale prices this year. Got a few chums going where the entry prices are 5K plus with not a lot thrown in. Xmas and NY is nearly always busy everywhere but at least when I've been in countries at big NY Events with 5-10K baht entry fees they normally try to keep the numbers manageable so that people can at least move. Gotta funny feeling that won't be the case here, more likely than not as many folks that turn up with their 5-10k will be let in with punters inside then battling to order drinks at bars 20 deep. I'd love to be proved wrong, but.........

Upscale AND Phuket is not really something I've ever experienced. Bangla def not upscale, loadsa trash, not much cash. And Nikki, if it's anything like what it was like before, cashed up trash, but still trash. Upscale it most definitely ain't.

<snip>

I have a theory on that DrDave and that is, that Tao is neither one thing nor the other, in fact it doesn't know what sort of place it is! It really is too small to have a live band playing or at least playing at the level which will get the folk dancing, and on that note the dance area is minimal.

The layout is not conducive to any one thing in particular and they have already changed the position of the bar and it wasn't too difficult to see that it was in fact an obstruction. And then there's the TVs......... for what purpose in a place like that?

I popped into the place just before it was completed and chatted with the owner, whom I know, and he was explaining how much money he had spent on the decor, the sound system, the stage, the TVs, and so on and when I took a good look round I really couldn't see for the life of me what its market was. Then when it opened the beers were about 200 baht minimum, so it had priced itself in the upper tier, however in my mind, it didn't seem to fit there.

I think you're right about Tao, X. It seems that the owner spent way too much money building out a space without a clear purpose in the design. Moving the band from the back to the front was a step in the right direction, but if he had placed the stage back a little further from the new location (toward the middle) and added more tables at the front and rear, then he would have the exact same layout as the very successful Red Hot, New York and Monsoon bars. There's no shame in copying a successful formula and there's also no need for expensive big screen video units in this incarnation. I'm also wondering if the glass walls at the front are actually hurting them. Again, looking at those other bars, they're all open-air to the street for the entire width of the property. Red Hot is actually open-air to 2 streets, which I'm sure doesn't hurt.

One thing going in Tao's favor is beer pricing, which is about on a par with Monsoon, and considerably less than Red Hot and New York, plus they're still running their 99 baht promotion on Singha Light. Hopefully Tao will find its market and prosper someday.

The bar was in a dumb position from the start. Then the band was at the end and many tables had no view of them. Now the bar is out the way at the back and now the band is stuck at the front out of view of many tables. Odd floor plan considering it was a blank sheet.

My guess is it will close before it prospers. Or it will morph into something else entirely. It's a money sink at the moment.

I've lost several Phuket friends to Pattaya, but one of them to Chiang Mai. I have no problem with Chiang Mai. It's a nice place, and very relaxing.

He books flights way in advance, so get gets them on sale, or for cheap. He still visits Phuket about every 6 to 8 weeks for his dose of sun, sea and sand.

He's happy with Chiang Mai.

Yeah, that's my thinking. GF still has a condo in Phuket, albeit we might rent it out, so we'll still visit, just not so much and def NOT Patong unless it's to visit one or two restaurants we like or maybe Jungceylon. Flights seem to stick around the 2,500 (and go up closer to the time) mark with Air Asia regardless, that's direct.

As you say we find CM more relaxing, weather mostly better and without the dregs of tourism that Phuket (or at least Patong) now seems to attract. Of course we'll miss the scams and barricade lines of touts too

I think the traffic gets jammed in and into Patong often simply because its road network is too outdated to deal with anything other than minor capacity at quiet times. A problem that get's exacerbated by traffic lights being out, tuk tuks jamming up all the street parking, random stalls setting up, tourists wandering round with brain in neutral, other vehicles double parking because of the tuk tuks taking all the street parking, cops making a pig's ear of directing traffic when working lights with a proper flow dependant sequence would be much better etc etc. There were massive tail-backs half way to Kamala on the 29th too, about 8pm. But you don't need much to cause a total blockage in Phrabaramee Road (such as an ice delivery or collecting the garbage at the busiest time of day instead of the quietest) and then it backs up fast and of course from Kamala area you will have to go through Patong to get to many places so the vehicles are not necessarily GOING TO Patong.

Bangla for me is mostly just a blur of 'clone bar' mediocrity now. Probably just bored with too much of it over the years I guess but I'd been for going many years 3-4 years ago too, it just felt less crap then. As has been pointed out these Tiger complexes were struggling a few years ago to fill the bars inside, now inside some bars are lucky to get ANY customers at all. Standards across the board just seem to have dropped so much too, behavioural topping the bill. I've commented before about the fun element that Patong has just been lost for me. Now, it's all about the money, money, money.

As to Tao, I thinks it's a real shame but you could see from day one it was going to struggle. Opening days it had plenty of eye candy and a newness that got it some custom but you can't keep that kind of expenditure up for long. Just a month or two on and it was a morgue with music. As XP has said, I think the concept is just off. 8-10 it is often empty completely. 10 - 1 you maybe get a few tables of 'drift ins' who stay for a beer then go. It has been busy in the past after 3 when the band played Thai music but the customers then were mostly Thai, many being girls coming after work with free shots and such like to tempt them, somewhere different for them to try and grab a customer at no cost to themselves but no profit to the bar. Not so many farangs in there, unless they had wandered in with a TG for a look-see. Even on a good night though it was making little, and turnover is far different to profit. The beer prices it had pitched at when opening didn't help but I don't think the beer prices would have mattered even if it'd been 100 baht a bottle from day one. Just a case of why would you go there? It's got too much competition for a live music haunt (and no atmosphere because it's dead), it's also no disco, despite having a DJ playing between the band sessions, not a sports bar and certainly not a girlie bar. So people will go for what????

Now I guess it's the Xmas peak and foot traffic will be up. Inevitable, it will be everywhere. I wonder how it will look after 4th or 5th of Jan and the run up to Songkran. Not as busy as it is now I guess.

In terms of restaurants up and around Nanai (aside from the fact that for my liking it's just too noisy up there to enjoy having a meal at all on a regular basis unless inside or at a quiet(er) time of day) I really do enjoy the occasional fill at Saxony, a small cafe style place on the right on the way to Makro if you're coming from Prabaramee Rd. Can't recall which Soi it's next too, 7 I think??? The beef goulash soup is really superb as are their pork chops. Quite partial to their homemade hamburgers with salad too. The Thai food is also OK. Very good prices too, most around 150 - 200 baht.

Whenever I am held back when waiting to board a domestic flight here, to let a monk board first, I think: "is he not supposed to walk it?".

Yah. They don't like waiting in queues at taxi ranks at big bus stations either. Straight to the front, round the other side and into the first taxi that comes along. Don't worry, the 30 + folks who've been waiting for 40 mins already don't mind waiting longer. Self-serving in my book. They'll get f all from me that's for sure.

Sent using Tapatalk

I'm still waiting for a CM meter taxi to turn the meter on.

It is apprently compulsory to have a meter fitted otherwise no licence to operate.

It is however not compulsory to actually turn it on...makes complete sense.

I use taxis in CM regularly. But I have never had the same difficultly negotiating a reasonable fare as I have experienced in BKK where they do have meters but almost always refuse to use them. I simply refuse to take a cab on BKK if they can't be arsed using the meter. I have a couple of drivers in CM on speed dial, and pass their numbers on to overseas visitors too. I have not heard any complaints from them. However I can't say that I've had any luck calling the cab company direct. It's definitely worth keeping a good drivers number if you are going to be a regular customer in CM!

would you kindly PM those Numbers to me? Thank you.

And the Grabtaxi guy just bangs his head on the wall while reading this............................

My experience exactly. Complete waste of time. Ended up deleting the app along with EaziTaxi.

Short trips or jams, never any response. Very picky about the fares that they respond to. Ended up wasting more time piddling about inputting info into GT than I benefited getting taxis from it.

Finally another day I tried to pre-book a taxi at 10:00 to go to the Airport at 11:40. No chance. After more piddling about inputting info I got the response that pre-booked taxis must be booked two hour in advance. Deleted the app after that. Useless. Instead I called down to condo reception and got the guys there to call a taxi up from the radios they have. Sure a phone call might be less techy than a flashy app but at least it bleedin' works!!

Sent using Tapatalk

I know a few people who no longer include Phuket on their Thai trips. For the Bangla style stuff they go to Patts and for anything else they go anywhere else.

Part of it for a couple of them for sure has to do with their favourite haunts shutting down but it's all part of the same cocktail I guess.

I've been coming to Phuket for 10 years. Living here more permanently the last few. But will be pulling the plug in January. Will still be in Thailand but Phuket has lost its appeal for me

Sent using Tapatalk

Where are you moving to?

Chiang Mai

The folks I know that no longer come to Phuket do so specifically because of changes in Phuket. A few people that I knew here and used to socialise with have gone or are in the process of going and those I know that stay because of their businesses are contemplating selling up. I'll still visit I guess but not Patong.

Sent using Tapatalk

I know a few people who no longer include Phuket on their Thai trips. For the Bangla style stuff they go to Patts and for anything else they go anywhere else.

Part of it for a couple of them for sure has to do with their favourite haunts shutting down but it's all part of the same cocktail I guess.

I've been coming to Phuket for 10 years. Living here more permanently the last few. But will be pulling the plug in January. Will still be in Thailand but Phuket has lost its appeal for me

Sent using Tapatalk

If I was in the market now for a bike of this style it would be a tough call between a PCX and an N-Max

Sent using Tapatalk

IMHO Indian restaurants in CM are very poor and not a patch on a decent Indian in England.

The nearest curry to the British palate is 'Curry Nights'.It's not a restaurant but their curries are available in Rimping for 99 Baht (annoyingly they are 169 Baht in Bangkok, where I live. Their Chicken Vindaloo is the nearest to my curry house in London. They also do a good British- Chinese style curry that I like. The owner is a white Brit form Bradford who learned how to cook from Indians. The result is the best British Curry this side of Yorkshire!

I take it Curry Nights is a brand name then (as opposed to an outlet / stall or whatever), presumably frozen containers in Rimping? Be chuffed if I could get a few for the freezer. Used to love the Chinese takeaway style curries with fried rice

anyone know if i can you get 5 year renewal license on the new 6 month multi entry visa ...or do i have to get the 1 year multi entry o visa again to get 5 year renewal license ..thanks

Interesting question. I was hoping some other member would answer.

I'm sure that a tourist type visa will only be granted a one year DL. I'm guessing that when you say 'new 6 month multi visa' then that's a tourist visa.

I'm also sure (nearly) that a one year multi non immigrant visa will get you the 5 year DL.

My apologies - these days tourist visa will get you a 2 year DL. Seems like there is no 1 year anymore.

Yah As of March 2015. All first time licences are 2 years.

Yah. Thanks. In fairness if we hadn't got biking days and long 2-4 hour runs to wherever I wouldn't be trying to put her off. For town use and a general runabout that's at least a bit different to the auto scoots the MSX would likely my top choice, or maybe the Kawa.

Problem is I will be picking up a CB#00 and will be planning to use it a lot. Round town and on the runs. That's the only part where the MSX falls down. Wouldn't want to do 3 hours on one any more than I'd want to do three hours on my Click.

Nice enough though the Click is, it's a utility bike for me, hence opting for the floorboard design over say a more stable Nouvo. I wouldn't go far on a Nouvo either so I see no point giving up the carriage capacity for extra stability for the 30-40 kph runs to the 7 that I do on it. But I never think, hey it's a great day, let's take the Click for a spin. That's why I'm going for a CB. So it's a non auto for longer runs that makes more sense to me rather than another town run about be it Click, Nouvo, PCX or MSX. Just don't see the point in another town bike. And like I say MSX I think is almost same price as a CB 150.

Sent using Tapatalk

Nah. PCX definitely not in the running. Nice bikes but as per original post, not interested in autos.

Sent using Tapatalk

Phuket:

Extensions: 2-3 hours at Immigration. Could be less if you're early. No need to get there before 8. Maybe have to come back in afternoon if you get there very late. Pick up passport next day normally. Not sure how many they do a day. But seem to call next one up every 15-20 mins.

90 day in person: Easy. Especially at Patong. Girl I normally see there blitzed through a dozen or so in about 20 mins.

I also went for Cert of Residence last time. Waited about 15 mins why they cleared the 90 day reports waiting at the time. Then, in and done in 10 mins. And even that was down to the computer taking ages to load. COR issued there and then. Even gave me two. No charge.

So, yep, nowhere near as bad.

Sent using Tapatalk

Thanks. But practicality wise it's in the same boat as an MSX. I'm not really looking for alternatives to the MSX in the same style.

Sent using Tapatalk

Yah. I'm figuring if it's not a bike that's useful for carrying stuff she will be better off on something that can be used both in town and on longer runs. And as she def wants a full manual I think a CBR or equivalent will prove much more useful. And looks good too

Sent using Tapatalk

My point to my girlfriend exactly. At least the regular scoots serve a practical purpose. These, no good for shopping or on a run. And they ain't cheap either. I was shocked to to find they are over 10k more than the top Click.

Sent using Tapatalk