James T

No word in the article about the passengers in the taxi, so presumably they were unhurt? Great start to their holiday though, hey?

Mmmm.....let's see....

Boy racer.....girls in the car...been clubbing...drunk....showing off...oops!

Yep, sounds like completely normal 'civilized' behavior to me?

Just wondering if this was tourists in a hire car....or someone who lives there, but still think they know better? If a hire car, they'll be getting presented with a nice little bill when the Insurer's say they aren't interested!

Mmmm....let's get ready for the usual onslaught of "It's dangerous doing ********** in Thailand, so nobody should go there......"

The guy driving was obviously drunk, as were his passengers, so they shouldn't have been driving in ANY country! Thank God nobody died......they got off lucky!

It might be worth your while doing a 'search' on this site...sure there was a similar thread, and I believe there are some bi-lingual schools there who do extra English lessons as well?

First question - why Nakhon Sawan? Presumably you have work or family there?

Second question - are you looking for a school where your child will learn to speak, read and write Thai.....if not you should be checking out locations of International schools in that region....

If you can't find any schools teaching English or American Curriculum (or maybe one which does the International Baccalaureate), you might want to re-think on where you locate to....

Ok....quick 'voyeur' shot, with a mobile phone, taken JUST at the right angle?

In a normal shoe shop, we see ladies shoes...and behind, out of shot, is probably the men's section...where these monks MAY have been waiting to try on sandals? (YES...they are allowed to wear shoes!)

Or, possibly...monks have families....which presumably include sisters, mothers, etc...who DO go shopping? Waiting for them?

Come on guys, let's give these guys the benefit of the doubt - they give up a hell of a lot to live the way they do, and the last thing they need is ignorant and sarcastic Farangs jumping to stupid conclusions!

The fastest way is called Internet banking....you'll need a computer.

Failing that, a telephone?

If you have windows 7 or 8 on your pc, you have access to the 'Windows essentials' Suite. This includes a free program called 'Movie Maker', which you can load all your clips into. You can then edit them, join them all together as one movie file and save them.

Easy to use? Yes...my son (12) has been using it for school projects, using video clips and photos to make a movie trailer!

Your cheapest alternative...depending on the speed of your internet connection...would be to hook up your laptop to the TV and use a website/app called Filmon.tv which will give you access to all the UK channels, and many others from around the world.

Movies can either be streamed, or done by subscription through Netflix....

Always find it hard to believe that the cry of 'drought' goes out every year, in an area where we get at least 4 months with more rain than we can handle! Maybe they should look at the long, yearly 'flooding' season and work out ways to store all that water!

The Govvies might also want to check out how all the Mid-East countries (desert climate) always manage - they build desalination plants!

Middlesbrough ???? Says it all..

Lots of these Chav Types going around..

disgrace...deserves all he gets, hope they deport him...

Not happy going to ''Blackpool'' thought he would give ''Pattaya'' a go...

Speaking as a Boro expat and 'law-abiding-citizen' who's lived in LOS for over 15 years....not ALL of us are Chavs!

So you're the one, I'd heard there was one but never believed it, did you have to leave Boro for being different ?

Pretty much....that's why I left...and idiots like this thug are one of the reasons I don't plan on going back...

Middlesbrough ???? Says it all..

Lots of these Chav Types going around..

disgrace...deserves all he gets, hope they deport him...

Not happy going to ''Blackpool'' thought he would give ''Pattaya'' a go...

Speaking as a Boro expat and 'law-abiding-citizen' who's lived in LOS for over 15 years....not ALL of us are Chavs!

...and just for the record, smart-ass, it's spelt MIDDLESBROUGH...

As with everyone else, I can recommend Dr Chanakarn 100%....

He did an arthroscopy on my right knee for a cartilage tear, and the results were 100% - in fact, he did such a good job that only 8 hours after the op, I was walking and weight bearing on it!

No need to go to the Rajavej for appointment...I just rocked up at the Clinic and made an appointment for initial consultation, and everything went from there. He recommended the best MRI scan centre, then performed the op within weeks at the Rajavej.

After 4 months, I've had no post-op issues at all, and am busy building up the joint strength.

No reservations - go see the guy, he's good!

Damn, I hate being hated by people on the Internet...but like the others, I was just trying to offer some light-hearted advice...which was obviously mis-construed...

In the Chiang mai area, you have a mix of people from all over Thailand. You also have a huge mix of small restaurants serving them - doing Bangkok style, Chiang Mai style, Issan, Lanna, Mae Hong Son, southern seafood, etc.

A lot of these smaller places DON'T carry signage in English, as they cater primarily for regular Thai patrons. I'd suggest, therefore, that if you speak any Thai, ask the local people (from different provinces) where they like to eat. Better still, invite them to go with you!

Happy hunting....

Sorry, mate...you are in Chiang mai, and the last time I looked that's in Thailand!

The restaurants in Chiang mai - from street barrows to 5 star - serve Thai food, cooked and served as eaten by the Chiang mai Thai people!

If you want different, you might need to try a different city...province...or country!

oh...and not sure about different, but if you want good quality cooking....watch the restaurants and check out where the Thais go to eat. If it's full, the food will be good!

I've lived in Chiang Mai 15 years, used Chiang Mai Ram many times for minor appointments...and I've NEVER had to wait for more than 20-30 minutes to see a doctor!

What may have caused a problem for you could have been that the relevant specialist wasn't available for your needs (many doctors and specialists have Clinics there at certain times of the day, as they work at Govvie Hospitals as well)

Call the Ram in advance, and ask what time the Ear/Nose/Throat clinic is available - arrive at the appropriate time and you shouldn't have any problem.

Like everyone, I agree that this is an issue that needs to be improved....and I do worry about the effects on the health of myself and my family.

Remember though, that the smog is a result of the burning of NATURAL materials (wood, crops and vegetation). I therefore wonder, too, if the effects are any more harmful than our daily (12 months a year) exposure to cigarette smoke, pollution from traffic exhaust fumes and 'acid rain' caused by remote industrial pollution.

Does the crop-burning make Chiang Mai a worse place to be than the continually polluted streets of Bangkok/London/New York, etc? I don't think so....

Good turnout at yesterdays meeting with hundreds of people turning up, the majority of whom were against the highway completely.All present had a chance to vote for their choice.

No final answer yet but hopefully,and a good one, by the end of the month.

Banwangtan was well represented taking up about 20 per cent of the venue and delivered 537 anti highway signatures to the authority.

One downside was the lack of foreigners who are affected by the proposed highway, many of whom live and own property in BWT. I was told before that there would be an apathetic response from the Thai's and that was completely the opposite, they were there in force and the pathetic response from the foreigners was 4!

Great news about the strong turn-out, the 'negative' vote (which, it is hoped, will produce the result we all want) and the great representation of the BWT residents....

Don't be so quick to judge the expats for their 'apathy' though - I for one feel just as strongly as many others do, and would have been happy to attend these meetings and express my opinions. However, I have this nbecessity which prevents me from being there....something called WORK! I'm paying for my little slice of heaven by working in Kazakhstan, and I didn't get to the meeting because the Taxi ride was too long! Please forgive me....

Haha genuine lady in Chiang Mai? you would be the first one to find..

alternative medicine? thats one hobby I share

Have you ever actually BEEN to Chiang Mai? (Other than the odd nite trawling bars on Loi Kroh, I mean...)

I've been married to a Chiang Mai girl for 15 years, and trust me - the city is FULL of genuine girls! Sounds like the opinion of someone who's only mixed with bargirls - and 90% of them don't even come from Chiang Mai, they just go there for the work!

If someone wants to meet real (genuine) girls, forget the bars - try shopping malls, markets...and try learning to speak Thai - not difficult, and it helps!

Any chance of more directions, or better still, the name of the restaurant? The Hang Dong road is a long one, and there's more than one hospital!

Are we talking the Klaimor Hospital (next to Tescos) or are we further out than that?

after advise from uptheos i can say i got my booking last night.1201.a.m.maybe very lucky but done none the less...why does it have to be stressy.(well for me anyway)...is it payback time for us..or a sense of superiority.for them you decide..thanks for the advise uptheos.a happy but tired man today.

Nope.....no stress, no 'payback', no 'sense of superiority'....

We, as expats, are guests in Thailand, and that is the system that Immigration use. It obviously works for them, so it's up to us to go with it!

You needed advice...you got it...acted upon it...and got your appointment! Where's the stress in that?

I think considering that the OP has only received 3 replies to his post since yesterday, says a lot about what there is to do in Chiang Mai.

Try this site here:

http://www.chiangmailocator.com/

It may help.

THere are a LOT of great things to do in Chiang Mai (which DON'T involve alchohol or girls)...and a hundred and one tourism websites that tell us what the possibilities are...

....all you need to do is READ THEM! That way, you don't get loads of sarcastic comments when you raise the subject!

Easy answer...to stop the karaoke bars doing this? Just don't use them!

Unknowing, naive tourists coming from Malaysia/China/Korea? Most of them holiday through Travel agents and tour companies who know EXACTLY what goes on in those places, so they should be warned before they arrive! They also stay in hotels, where receptionists and concierge will happily tell them not to go there!

Dodgy toilets in Hang Dong? Well, I spend 4-5 hours on the course, and maybe 1 minute in the toilets, so I don't worry about them too much! Anyway...If you like you toilet trips a little bit more frsh and clean, you could always sneak behind a tree! Watch out for the ants and snakes though....