yaely

Hi everyone,

We had entered Thailand Jan 29th, and now wish to use our second entry (no need for the 30-day extension). I guess this means we need to head out around March 27th or 28th?

And which border crossing would be the easiest, from Chanthaburi?

Thanks.

Thanks MJMTB, that's good to know. Another friend of a friend suggested the west side of town, Around the Zoo and Maya Shopping Center. Anyone has experience there? Perhaps a bit close to the Airport/city? Though city proximity is indeed useful so long as the place is quiet and air is clean. i see there are many more hotels there, is it possible to get decent ones (hot water, toilet etc) for 250-350?

I agree with ES, Whalepark is very pleasant, I've hired a bungalow there, and I've used the pool many times.

Short-term accom?

How short?

Mae Rim isn't really a place for tourists to stay, so not much tourist type accom. (that I noticed)

If you are wealthy, Four Seasons is nice.

Short Term as in stay in the neighborhood for a week to test out the waters, then try and find a nice 30 or 60 days deal, for starters. 600 for a Bungalow? We're looking for half that price, say 250-300 a night, even if the place is falangless and not as nice, so long as it's not trashy. Any ideas?

Maejo tips would be appreciated as well, (and is there a decent supermarket there..?) thanks.

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We'd checked out Google Maps, but it never tells the whole story

But seriously, Google Maps tells EXACTLY the whole story. For greenery you pretty much depend on forested hills, as all the flat stuff gets built on. (Or, is rice fields which are barren many months of the year and not very green.)

10 - 15 Km out from town is best. If you ride a bike 10 is better. Once you have narrowed things down I would run it by this forum again.

Thanks a lot Winnie, Luther and everyone else.

Judging by the smoke situation, we're still about a month away, anyways right now I am looking at Mae Rim - specifically close to Makro ... right now we are right by Makro (Chanthaburi) and enjoy the convinience of picking up our fresh lunches and dinners with ease...hopefully that one is as good..? Then hoping Mae Rim isn't as problematic as MJMTB suggested, and that it is in fact nice and clean as it seems on the map, hopefully has a couple falangs in it and possible to get a fairly cheap place for short term (testing out). Any newbie tips/links for finding a cheap short-term place?
Another option we'll be looking at is MaeJo, as a few friends of friends live there (and I know they like it fairly quiet as well.)
Thanks again.

In that case I would wait until the rainy season starts in May orune. Wait until we have at least one big storm which lasts for more than one day. Then the sky will be beautiful.

Will it really? What about the small fires people make in their backyards? Here in Chanthaburi we are yet to find neighborhood where one can breatthe freely. I'm assuming it's the same around CR and CM?

Thanks - Definitely not intended for any bashing, for us we're really looking forward to visiting Northern Thailand but first need to make sure our baby gets clean air.

Hi again,

This might belong to the Weather thread, or the N95 thread ... But wanted to make sure this is discussed ...

How is the smoke situation in Chiang Rai these days? I'm reading in the CM forum things are pretty bad there right now. CR too?

Hi all,

We'll be heading to Chiang Rai around April, and would like to know if there is a farmers market/wholesale market in Chiang Rai/CR Province. Here in Chanthaburi we go twice a week to the wholesale market, where they have piles of fruits and cheap prices. We've heard Muang Mai Market in CM is good, and were hoping to find something like that around Chiang Rai. Any tips?

P.S. Does anyone know the average price for Mangosteens and Passionfruits over there, in season?

Hi everyone,

We'd like to know about some of the greener areas of Chiang Mai. I know many health/environment-minded people like to stay in CM despite the pollution, are there specific 'green', recommended areas to rent at? Preferably with easy access to town, say 20km TOPS.
We'd checked out Google Maps, but it never tells the whole story, ie noise/pollution/the people/prices etc. Any ideas? Thanks.

Hi all,

Any chance to find such deals in this area? We are a young couple looking for a 1 or 2-room unit, either by itself or part of a house/complex. Right now we're in Chanthaburi but heard good things about Rayong as well. Anyone knows anything/anyone? We do not speak any Thai just yet, which makes the search almost impossible... We're looking for some fresh air but remote enough for food, market..
Otherwise, a really nice and cheap hotel/resort bargain would also help. Thanks!