ianf

Incidentally, my partner would be quite happy to help you with any Thai stuff.

Yes, the neighbours keep themselves to themselves by and large but they say hello and are friendly. There is a mix of nationalities here and absolutely no different attitude towards Swiss, Canadian, US and so on. I am a brit, my partner is Thai. Next door, Thai & Korean, Israeli, American, French and so on. Quite cosmopolitan! If you come to chiang mai, email me and I can show you around.

Just to finish off. Nice trees and a settled environment with good security and clean. Also not large so human scale.

The Moo Baan hat I live on is on the edge of Chiang Mai, countryside 10 minutes, city 10 minutes. Very quiet and peaceful. House rental within your price range. Expats, diplomats & Thais all live here. Lanna Tara Moo Baan. A moo bann is a private housing development. I own a house but pay 900 baht a month for services. This is the nice side of Chiang Mai (near the Night Safari).

Ian

I've got an unused one at home you can 'rent' if you like.

No probs. Cheers