BlackArtemis

Yet another thread about Thai driving, with a slight variation. People convincing themselves that they don't need a car. Good for you. Will absolutely save you money. You can also save money by not having A/C, eating plain rice every meal, no TV, no internet, no cable, etc., etc.

I could not live without a car. My quality of life, freedom, etc, would go straight down the toilet. I drive every single day. Every single day. Rarely a problem getting to and from. Zero stress most of the time. What are you people on about?

Surprisingly some of us may drive different routes and times than you do.

Such as I was at the Canal road/ Suthep intersection where the morons were controlling the lights as usual. Except yesterday they were giving my light 10seconds and the other lights 40-60. Thai people are not that great at starting fast from a light, so 3 cars were getting through, there was a 300-500m back up already. On my bike I got through on the second green, but barely since the girl in front of me was too afraid to filter between parked cars.

We are not convincing ourselves that we don't need the car, we just don't. If I had a small child, sure, but I and many others do not.

As for saving money, my bike is worth more than my old civic :shrug:

I ride everyday, I ride up to 10 hours, routes that I have done with a car, the bike is FAR more enjoyable, my quality of life has improved as I can go anywhere faster, avoid traffic, and park anywhere I want.

Is it better than what you have? I don't know, I am not you, but it's fantastic for me, and it seems others as well.

It means:

Lots of new friends

Lots of dates

Easy discounts

Sometimes even free stuff

Funny interactions

Random conversations

and lots of surprised faces

Learn the language and everything changes.

Got rid of the civic and now have a Ninja 650 and a Honda Dream, best. decision. ever.

The one under KSK has started to charge me 300-350B for my Ninja... I need a cheaper place in the Nimman area (But Cheap and Nimman don't mesh). I should go ask the place Junglechef mentioned as I live on the same street......

I'm with Winnie here, I've traveled fairly widely and there is nowhere else in all the places that I have been to where I have thought I'd prefer to live. I remember coming to Chiang Mai for the first time in the mid nineties and knowing this is where I wanted to spend my days. As Winnie said the only real problem is the air quality at times, I'd say if If money was no object I'd take the family away abroad for the Summer Holidays in March/April to somewhere that was a bit cold, a month in the Swiss Alps something like that.

Right, I understand what you are saying as I remember my first days here and the feeling I had at the time (and that feeling continued for years). But the development, noise, traffic, pollution, malls, over-crowding...have gotten to be too much. We always leave each March and spend a month or so at the beach to avoid the pollution so got that covered but now it's the rest of the year where I'm not as happy as I used to be.

I've been lucky to have lived in a secluded area surrounded by jungle and 2 lakes for the last 6 years. Today when I got up and came into my office I heard some noise and looked out my window only to see some large trucks filled with soil and guys with chainsaws starting to prepare a lot for development only 100 meters or so from my back window. Oh well, I knew it would happen some day.

Quick, during the middle of the night, dump a bunch of old scary looking spirit houses and wrap a tree or two with old faded cloth. To drive the fear home, maybe add a shattered amulet and some chicken bones.

Thai? Check out White House Bar.

My cure is to not get one in the first place.

When i begin to notice I am drinking a lot, I start ordering waters

Before I hit home I hit a 7-11 (within walking distance of home so a taxi or friend can drop me off there)

I then get 1 Gatorade. 1 bottle of Hang, and 2 pork filled Chinese buns.

Water to fight the dehydration, and electrolytes and B vitamins to replace those peed out, and some protein, fat, and carbs to help soak up alcohol to slow it down from quickly passing through intestinal lining.

What's the Riverside Bar like - I was thinking of heading over there later? Somewhere you can go alone and meet people, or more of a restaurant setup?

As a guy in my early 30's I love Riverside, the bar on the river gets jam packed, (meaning you can't really move) and is full of young Thai's, a handful of younger expats, and the odd tourist who managed to be lucky enough to arrive in time for a seat or standing room. The music used to be 50/50 Thai and English, but it has shifted greatly towards 90% western rock and pop, a disappointment.

It is loud, but the locals are friendly and willing to talk, especially if you can speak Thai. But the amount of locals willing to speak English is higher than many other bars.

Goodview is much the same, loud and packed at night, quieter but full of families or friends eating dinner during the earlier hours.

in short, not a place you are looking for.

Someone mentioned Sangdee, I practically live next door to this place, I don't know the schedule of this place, sometimes it's dead other times it is full of expats from 30-70yrs of age. I've stopped in a few times and I think this is much closer to what you want.

If you want to meet an older Thai crowd, check out White House bar, a bit past Duke's and practically next to Tara bar along the river. They play older Thai hits.

Not in you age bracket but maybe we have similar thoughts

I am 32, been here for 6 of the last 9 years and will go home to the US for family reasons. I want to move back to Thailand in the future, but the air quality, growth, and lack of good job prospects (I am a certified teacher in in the US, but Prem is the only really good salary in town) have me looking elsewhere.

I fell in love with Nan and Phayao, but I have a feeling Nan's burning season is bad too, and both have worse salaries than Chiang Mai.

I really dislike Bangkok, and I love Thailand, and nearly fluent in spoken Thai and my reading is advancing quickly. I feel highly invested in this country and it's hard to imagine working in Malaysia or Brunei strictly for monetary reasons. I plan on a Masters or PHD in the next years while back home, this may open up new jobs, but it won't help with the growing traffic and pollution and what appears to be a lack of concern at a local and governmental level.

I hope we all find what were are looking for!

Yesterday I arrived at 7:05, was number 58. I got number 508 (8) for 90 days and after they started at 8:30 I was done at 8:45. The curly haired girl was there and started listening to some American hardcore bands, when i looked over, she said "Sorry, it makes me work faster" Awesome girl. I laughed and told her some band names as I also work faster with heavy metal blaring.

Yet many of us do find these girls.

My exwife reads like a TV fantasy story. Chinese/Thai with an MS in teaching English, Father is a high ranking government official. Met her at work where she was a teacher, now she runs her own tutoring center and pulls in over 100,000/month before expenses.

2nd was a 100% Chinese girl but born and raised in Thailand. with degrees in both English and Italian (fluent in both) a Master's in fashion design from Sweden, interned in London and spent her free time traveling Europe.

My gf now is finishing up her BA in tourism/hotel management and has decent English, is 100% Thai and not the milk white Chinese/Thai. I'm with her because she makes me happy, not because she has to help me win some internet pissing contest.

But every girl I decide to be with does have to be intelligent and have plans for their lives. I don't want someone who just wants to coast through life, I want a partner.

One was a coworker

Another I met through a coworker

Now I am with a girl I met off ThaiFriendly. I got bored one night and made an account and met about 6-7 girls and talked to about 50-60. All the girls I chose to meet were sane and I remain friends with some of them.

The girl I met, we had no plans for romance actually, we both found ourselves alone online on a Friday because friends changed plans.

At the very least that website let me meet some new people and my reading and writing ability in Thai has increased dramatically.

i think once a thai woman hits the farang market that means shes finshed

with thai men or theyre finsihed with her or she knows she has no chance with a good one (with money etc )

i dont know many thai men who would marry a girl whos damaged goods (divorced or with previous children )

and there certaintly woiuldnt be massive sin-sods and gold and stuff involved if a thai man were taking her on

Utter Cobblers, unless it became publicly known she's a brass (or a former brass) then maybe. What are these Thai men going to do? Run a full background check of all her previous lovers? How about if she was a former karaoke girl servicing fat old Thai men? Would that be OK in the eyes of these Thai men or are you just making shit up?

How do you account for the fact that so many of the girls in the 'farang market' have Thai boyfriends? Back to your bar stool and come back when you've got some facts to share instead of spurious nonsense.

come on ,be honest

how many thai men will take a farang throwaway or a divorcee with kids ?

why do they always marry girls as young as possible ?

its a loss of face here and your either denying it or its a touchy subject for you personally ?

ps - i dont even have a barstool

You mean like the Thai guy with my ex wife. He's making very good money insurance and she runs a tutoring center, making above 100k/month. They have purchased a house together new car and planning on trying for a kid. I've met him multiple times and he's great. (We're separated because we don't work well as a couple, but make great friends).

I read post after post on this forum about preconceived notions and ideas about relationships, money, and education of Thais on this forum, and all i see are a bunch of people who need to stop slumming it with shitty people.

Today was the first time I rode this road to work, I had been sleeping elsewhere for the past week.

I hit the first light a vision and like I knew I would, I just blew by ont he shoulder with a bunch of other bikes, but got caught at the policebox light.

Man these lights cause a fustercluck of traffic. My ride to work used to be great, 3 lights, just get a head of the pack and you don't have to worry about riding in traffic with morons. But now it's just herds of moving buffalo on the road.

I would also like to add that, by saying you (in general, not OP) want to find this type of girl, or a girl with big breasts, or maybe a cute university student.

What you are saying is you want an object. It's not about forming a relationship with someone, but obtaining something desirable to use it and show it off, much like a new car or phone.

And much like those objects, you begin to look around for something prettier and shinier the second some of the luster fades away.

Of course we all want an attractive mate, but my setting certain objectives, you are probably setting yourself up for failure.

If it's just to bag and tag, then just go off and pay for it, less headache and heartache in the end.

The MSX has a 200cc upbore kit too.

Personally, I would like to take the msx and upbore kit and better shocks and a disc brake and throw them on this:

Just to surprise the crap out of the little fino racer boys.

I sent it with the Thai post and the bike never had a greenbook to begin with.

Just wanted to pop in and say that, I know you didn't want to go to Chiang Rai saddlebags. But I had them ship me down a set of Givi pannier cases for my ninja and I got them in 2 days in perfect condition.

Coocase: Keep up this attitude and outlook on customer service!

I sent the purple Chaly in my avatar by post in 2011 from CM to Songkhla, no problems.

I test drove one by renting it for 24hrs. Man did I hate that seat. I either sat too far forward and had problems with the clutch and foot position or I sat on that little hump and hurt my ass. The power was OK for 125cc, but I don't see why it is 30,000B more than my friend's zoomer x.

I know this is tongue in cheek, but as an honest answer:

I met my 1 ex (half Chinese/Thai) at work. She was a school teacher with an MA in TESOL. Her family was well off and educated.

My other ex was full chinese and got her MA in fashion design from Sweden. I met her through a friend at work.

I have always preferred the Chinese/Thai complexion and I want to be with a girl who is educated and does well by herself. So I was picky and those relationships lasted multiple years.

Now I am dating a Thai girl from Phayao who isn't a white princess and has a BA in tourism, because she is who I click with, Beauty is nice, but it's not the end all be all and if you adhere to a specific "spec" you're whole life you are essentially wearing blinders and will miss out on a lot of good things you might have missed otherwise.

tl;dr They're out there, and many are willing to date foreigners But holding out for a specific type of girl is foolish.

I drive this road daily to work, so happy to have 2 more lights to deal with. But the real annoyance? In the last 2 years of driving out there, I have NEVER seen a survey crew there to calculate traffic flow so they can determine the appropriate timings of these light. Just another another one of the myriad of examples of shit planning in Thailand. Oh well, rant over and back to just letting it roll off my back.

Because let's be honest, the one after Vision pub is a 3 way and everyone on motorcycles is just going to ignore it and ride in the far lane, albeit a bit slower.

Oh, they ordered like 200 new planes, I believe more than any other airline this year. Still won't make me risk them to save an extra 500-2500Baht. I mean poor quality is one thing, but when a coalition of countries ban your ass... I tend to be a bit cautious.