TheSiemReaper

That video; what a pair of clowns but if it stops Chiang Mai from becoming infested with vegan cyclists - who am I to stand in their way? (Though one suspects if you did stand in their way, they'd try and edge carefully past you and hope that you didn't pull a cockroach out on them).

If anyone ever wants to know the pathetic state of affairs of expatriate life in Thailand the responses to this post will be highly illuminating. Yet more cheap skatery dressed up as "it's the principle". No, it's not the principle.

Any Thai Buddhist visiting a temple will naturally make a donation (to make merit and because it's the "right thing to do" culturally). Foreigners, on the other hand, are likely to feel no such compulsion (in general - there always exceptions but you don't right rules to pander to exceptions but rather to cater to general cases). They cause wear and tear on the building and asking them to contribute a little to the upkeep is not racist but rather fair.

It is worth noting that regarding the UK comparison: Yes, churches and cathedrals often ask for a donation but it's actually not mandatory to pay it. Just tell the person on the door you've come to worship/pray and you'll be allowed to enter for free (because they are after all a Christian place of worship). This is something that most British Christians know and take for granted but that foreigners (Christian or not) are most likely to be blissfully unaware of.

I don't think a tasty quiche would tempt these people back... https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293917-d7368230-r355313036-L_opera_French_Bakery-Chiang_Mai.html#CHECK_RATES_CONT

Yeah, I think I could be persuaded to visit less violent establishments too.

100% agree that Backstreet and Lost Bookshop are the two best and I'd put Shaman Books ahead of Gecko too. I'm a voracious reader and it's clear that there's serious effort to create a book lover's paradise in Backstreet and Lost; folio editions of great travel writing, for example, simply couldn't be found elsewhere in town. I like the recent refit at Gecko's branch behind Boot's and Starbucks but they still have a way to go to match the quality of the books in other stores in town.

I liked Cambo food when I was there. Our driver picked good places. Got to meet his family and friends. Had dinner at his place one night.

Be sure to have "happy" pizza.

When I was there last year were no happy pizzas, apparently it's been like that for a few years now.

Not sure who told you that - you can find happy pizza in Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh on nearly every street corner.

What makes it "happy" ?

The addition of an ingredient that people normally associate with Amsterdam...

I find the OP's response to be quite Zen. I hope he enjoys his bargain basement walking and wish him well in his endeavors.

There are 8 full on second hand bookstores, that I can think of, in Chiang Mai. I have no idea what they "used to be like" (something I suspect which varies from person to person) but they are without a doubt, between them, the best secondhand bookshops I have come across in nearly 20 years in Asia. The e-book vs paper book argument is daft; I'm a huge fan of e-books (you will pry my Kindle from my cold, dead hands) but I'm also quite happy with paper too (my book collection grows alarmingly quickly, unless those books are mating - much of that is due to this town's secondhand bookshops).

Amazon is opening physical bookstores. Amazon's own figures for e-book sales show a plateau has been reached and that "real" book sales are on the increase. It turns out that there's room for both in this brave new world; just as there is room for Spotify and vinyl collecting (which is huge business now even if it's not at the peak glories on the 1970s when there were no other choices available).

Borders failed because it spread too far and too wide and way too quickly for its own good; when the economic storm hit back during the real estate collapse - it couldn't hold on. Many other once successful retailers have failed for much the same reasons both in the US and in Europe. It has very little to do with the overall popularity of the written word.

Can anyone tell me what kind of price Iam looking at Shangri La?

They have seafood lunch this sunday and also evening BBQ buffet

The Shangri-La's evening BBQ buffet was dreadful when we went - in fact, we've been to the Shangri-La a few times and it all feels like its on a downward trajectory. I think it's about 1,200++ for the evening buffet - it wasn't worth 199++. It was the first time I've had to complain to management in a 5 star hotel in Asia.

I don't get it. He arrived in November and only now, six months later, he was found?

You don't know his story, you weren't walking in his shoes, it's not even worth speculating about.

He made his decision, it obviously worked for him as it does for many others.

He may have had a six month ball before checking out.

I read it's a peaceful way to go if done correctly.

There are definitely worse ways to go but it's not quite a painless way to go out. During the first few minutes when you begin recycling the carbon dioxide into your lungs; it would be quite painful (though admittedly if you're unconscious through booze and/or pills - you might not notice). Our lungs are programmed to panic if the levels of carbon dioxide get too high in them and they do that through the transmission of pain.

I'm spanking a Sinet connection for 300-500 GB a month (I work with a lot of video) and having no issues. So while theoretically they might throttle you for massive data use; in reality - you'd really have to be going some to reach that point.

New Le Meridien Sunday Brunch in the lobby is not good value any more. The "all you can drink" has been replaced by "here's a drink" or "unlimited Bloody Mary's" and the quality of food and the amount of choice have both been degraded too.

The Four Seasons and the Dhara Dhevi are both good (though I don't think you get free drinks at the Dhara Dhevi).

I liked Cambo food when I was there. Our driver picked good places. Got to meet his family and friends. Had dinner at his place one night.

Be sure to have "happy" pizza.

When I was there last year were no happy pizzas, apparently it's been like that for a few years now.

Not sure who told you that - you can find happy pizza in Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh on nearly every street corner.

If it were Chinese investors buying property here, and it's not - Chinese investors with any money head West to Europe and America, South to Australia, or to places like Cambodia where any amount of dirty money can be washed clean, then the long-term outlook for the property market here would be sub-zero. China is in serious financial trouble.

Its internal debt has tripled in 5 years and it wasn't healthy 5 years ago. More than 40% of internal loans (those given by Chinese banks to provincial authorities) being written today are being used to pay interest on previous loans (the equivalent of taking a new credit card to pay the minimum payments on the old one). The remainder of the money is being spent foolishly on projects which add no value (anyone see what's happening in Gansu Province - another whole city constructed with no-one wanting to live in it - for example?) to the economy long-term.In essence China's economy is slowly collapsing; the insane growth from the 1980s until the late 2000s is done.

If the Communist party doesn't address the problems in the economy now - a crash lurks around the corner. Sadly, this is no reason for anyone to celebrate an "official" crash in China will sink pretty much every struggling economy on earth. The good news is that sinking economies can always stimulate themselves back into recovery. How? By having a good war. I wonder which countries China could invade? Investing in South East Asia... time to roll the dynamite filled dice.

Most travel agents offer tours of the Angkor complex. For your $13 or so dollars you get an aircon van, drinking water and a knowledgeable guide. Much better than a tuk tuk.

A couple of years ago 'arrived for the first time and sort of got "adopted" by a taxi driver at the airport who turned out to be very knowledgeable and a great tourguide for the entire 3-day stay. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but it turned out great. His Camry was reasonably comfortable, he spoke English well, knew his way around, 'would've taken us wherever we asked, but was most valuable for optimizing the visit itinerary over the 3-day stay. At each site, he provided an informed brief and was able to answer questions on what we were seeing, then let us do the actual walk-arounds on our own with simply an agreed meeting time & place. To me, that was much preferable to a group tour. 'Can't remember what he charged per day, but I do remember thinking it was reasonable.

I'm definitely not a fan of tuk-tuk travel and don't really recommend them for temple-hopping in Siem Reap.

And I'm the opposite; I love Siem Reap's tuk-tuks (and loathe them in Laos and some parts of Thailand). They're usually good English speakers, hard workers and nothing beats being able to see clearly out of a tuk-tuk when driving round the temples rather than trying to crane your neck in a car or minivan. I've taken dozens of people around the temples and while many were nervous of tuk-tuks to begin with they usually found they fell in love with the experience when it was over. Even my wife, who was not a fan of anything much in Cambodia, said; "the one thing I will miss from here is the tuk-tuks" when we left.

LOL! You and your wife must luv abuse ...I lived and worked in SR for a year...the people were very nice ..the tuk drivers were HUGE @#$#Q#$S! CONSTANT HARASSMENT! .''massage, boom boom ,heroin, smoke, meth, etc...etc..'' most vile ,annoying and obnoxious I've ever dealt w/ in all of Asia

Garbage. Total garbage. That's Phnom Penh's tuk-tuk drivers to a T. In Siem Reap, unless all you did was hang out outside of Molly Malone's that's completely not the case at all. My local tuk-tuk drivers were awesome people. My regular driver from town to my home was a genuine friend and an incredibly decent human being.

Good Time Club is on Chang Klan Road; it's a KTV.

I just read where Subway now has the most outlets of any fast food chain in America.

World wide it is McDonalds.

I guess Americans have not been able to share the expertise found on Thai Visa.

Because in the world's eyes Americans are the most discerning consumers of food? No, in the world's eyes Americans are the least discerning consumers of food which is why almost all fast food chains originate there. It's also why (along with the UK and Australia) America leads the world in obesity too.

I think you've got that wrong. Americans are generally the most inventive and takes products to market in order to 'cash in'...... I think that's why most countries try to copy what America has.....

Lol. Nobody tries to copy American food - as much as anything else because there's nothing to copy; it's just a mish-mash of other cultures' food and usually done badly. I like America and my visits to the US have always been pleasant and enjoyable but as a nation your food is worse than 1970s British food in the main. You just add more food colouring and sugar than we used to do.

Most travel agents offer tours of the Angkor complex. For your $13 or so dollars you get an aircon van, drinking water and a knowledgeable guide. Much better than a tuk tuk.

A couple of years ago 'arrived for the first time and sort of got "adopted" by a taxi driver at the airport who turned out to be very knowledgeable and a great tourguide for the entire 3-day stay. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but it turned out great. His Camry was reasonably comfortable, he spoke English well, knew his way around, 'would've taken us wherever we asked, but was most valuable for optimizing the visit itinerary over the 3-day stay. At each site, he provided an informed brief and was able to answer questions on what we were seeing, then let us do the actual walk-arounds on our own with simply an agreed meeting time & place. To me, that was much preferable to a group tour. 'Can't remember what he charged per day, but I do remember thinking it was reasonable.

I'm definitely not a fan of tuk-tuk travel and don't really recommend them for temple-hopping in Siem Reap.

And I'm the opposite; I love Siem Reap's tuk-tuks (and loathe them in Laos and some parts of Thailand). They're usually good English speakers, hard workers and nothing beats being able to see clearly out of a tuk-tuk when driving round the temples rather than trying to crane your neck in a car or minivan. I've taken dozens of people around the temples and while many were nervous of tuk-tuks to begin with they usually found they fell in love with the experience when it was over. Even my wife, who was not a fan of anything much in Cambodia, said; "the one thing I will miss from here is the tuk-tuks" when we left.

Thanks...

We are thinking about a street food tour in the evening, bit over priced but good way to get to know the local offerings..

I really wouldn't bother. 4 years in Siem Reap and never found any street food worth consuming there. It's not Thailand; Khmer street food is abject crap. Better to do Cuisine Wat Damnak which is also not cheap but very, very good.

There will some sort of guest house or home stay on the ground but I doubt you'd want to stay there... that's a proper backwater border crossing and gets very little traffic indeed. Why Kamrieng? Staying in Poipet (and then going back in at Poipet and travelling inside Thailand) would be much easier; though Poipet is a bit of a dump. Battambang is nice and you can find something cheap. You'll almost certainly need a taxi to the border from either Poipet or Battambang.

I did not go to Poipet, but if it is worse than Battambang, I can only say "WOW". I rode thru Cambodia on my motorbike 3 years ago. Battambang streets had 2 feet of trash everywhere. I did find a new, cheap, hotel, outside the city that will have someone guard your bike from theft 24/7.

I don't think you looked at Battambang proper then. It's one of the cleaner places in Cambodia. The river front is charming and there are plenty of decent places to stay.

There will some sort of guest house or home stay on the ground but I doubt you'd want to stay there... that's a proper backwater border crossing and gets very little traffic indeed. Why Kamrieng? Staying in Poipet (and then going back in at Poipet and travelling inside Thailand) would be much easier; though Poipet is a bit of a dump. Battambang is nice and you can find something cheap. You'll almost certainly need a taxi to the border from either Poipet or Battambang.

Thanks

How much would the taxi be from Battambang? And wheres best place to get one?

i heard theres a bus that goes to Pailin (40km south of Kamrieng) but i haven't got any details on that.

Ask in your guesthouse. Normally,you'd pay about $25-$35 to Poipet but no idea to Kamrieng. It may be more because the driver may not be able to find a return fare from there (whereas in Poipet it would be guaranteed).

Pailin is an OK place (full of ex-KR though) but getting a taxi there might be very challenging indeed.

4,500 Baht this month. Higher than it's been since I came to Thailand. I can't imagine running an a/c on 28... I'd sweat to death. 21-22 is more like it for me. The energy efficiency labels on my a/c units tell me that mine are fuel guzzling animal a/c units (lowest level of efficiency) but as long as they keep the place cool.. I'll be fine. :-)

I just read where Subway now has the most outlets of any fast food chain in America.

World wide it is McDonalds.

I guess Americans have not been able to share the expertise found on Thai Visa.

Because in the world's eyes Americans are the most discerning consumers of food? No, in the world's eyes Americans are the least discerning consumers of food which is why almost all fast food chains originate there. It's also why (along with the UK and Australia) America leads the world in obesity too.

No. If you pass through immigration - you need a visa. Depending on your nationality; you may be able to get a visa on arrival for 48/72 hours (can't remember which) but no visa = no hotel.

You can roll back the Windows 10 update if you want to - Google for it; it's an easy thing to do. While Windows 10 is a very good operating system there are privacy concerns with it, it certainly is a form of adware and it can "break" older programs and bespoke programs.

However, an update shouldn't change the connection to the internet. Have you tried deleting the old connection and re-entering your password, etc?

Children, can we please get back to the topic at hand?

I have always suffered heavily from allergies (sneezing, coughing, burning eyes etc). When I moved to Thailand, no allergies in the first year. Now, they are back and back with a vengeance. No longer sneezing or coughing but skin rashes instead (all over). The (reasonably cost effective) medication that seems to work for me right now is Atarax 10mg. I was in Europe a while back, no itchy skin, so the "culprit" must be something that is in the food or different kinds of plants (I am not used to). If anyone has any herbal or other suggestions, much appreciated!

If the allergies are relatively mild - then you will normally find over the counter antihistamines will do the job nicely. Brand names such as Piriton and Zirtec are common choices. (Look up the generic drug names if you don't care about branded pharmaceuticals - most people don't but some do).

If they are not treatable using antihistamines (and 99% of allergies can be treated this way) then the next "option" is either a.) elimination - find out what you are allergic to (you can get skin tests at a hospital for this) and completely eliminate it from your environment, and yes this might mean moving in some cases or b.) talking to an allergy specialist at a hospital who may recommend a different set of antihistamines or possibly steroidal treatment (which unlike antihistamines has nasty side effects - so think very carefully before taking this up).

Herbal remedies, homeopathic remedies, etc. may provide some short-term relief due to the placebo effect but are generally worse than useless.