ChaiyaTH

Has zero to do with my personal preferences, it simply is dead in Chiang Mai, anyone knows that. People stating opposite are merely defending their poor positions or full of crap, like so many on this forum living under their rocks. Some lived decades in TH and are still clueless on most ends, just the other day someone tried telling us here that there are no corrupt checkpoints in Bangkok too >< Pathetic really. It's cliche too, it's the same with anything in life. If Chiang Mai in this subject actually would be just a tiny bit attractive or fun, you would have read or heard as much about it as in the good old years, and you do not. In fact, I only hear tourists being disapointed, even it's a nice city to have visited. It's a bit like they went to the best (Vietnam) to then arrive at some overpriced scam place with old muppets. Never seen such a dead expat community too, there is a few leaving every 2 weeks.

I agree entirely, having basically been in between Bangkok and Chiang Mai for the past decade aside of everywhere else in TH. There was a short momentum with hope when digital nomads was a new thing and it was super vibrant and cool ('14 - '15). Ever since it has been down, ever since covid trash. It's starts to be like Chiang Rai or Vientiene in terms of nightlife too. Boring. There is actually barely any people to be found inside any areas of places, yet there is always traffic jams due to people driving like absolute idiots stopping in the middle of the road, double lane driving, driving 20-30 where 50-80 is allowed. Then burning season. But I guess it can be good for a 'old' person who is mainly at home with AC and air purifiers, on a budget. Then again, in that scenario one could live anywhere else too on the same budget.

True that, most who smoke the garbage also need much much more in a J than I just need a few sprinkles to get high from.

Typical american answer i guess, what do you not understand about it? You think they build this huge building for the visa appointments? Obviously it's a S load of americans who need to work in there. And who will be living there, all the time.

If it was written in 2016 it would be true, those days are long gone.

Yet the biggest embassy ever was build right in Chiang Mai 😄

Never did 90 day reports in a decade, never had issues except a fine once for 1400 baht or something.

Seems nobody mentions the bomb of CM since many years: Auf der Au Garten, western buffets for peanuts... Well for those who live under rocks: https://g.co/kgs/PK1jQzw

Seems you know and do better than all these locals who pay on the spot then, or you just like to pay more than is needed? Lol. Yes under a rock for sure, you lived here almost as long as I am alive and seem to be completely unaware or ignorant about it.

You must live under a rock then, they are everywhere daily doing that, mainly to milk locals for 100-200 baht. Daily areas are between Asoke and Rama 3 as well as the road between Chong Nonsi and Rama 3, just to give one example, are like 4-5 spots there alone.

Technically speaking a bike always need to stay on the left lane, with bridge especially, it is a common trap in Bangkok for checkpoints. In fact that is how I got my first fine 12 years ago. They do this on purpose though as you have no option but to arrive at the middle or right lanes when you come down from the bridge, which is faster than going straight with a traffic light, and that's where they will be waiting for the bikers.

Happy you are not our financial advisor. The usd baht rate will stabilize around 33-35 over next months.

What is the point, and no there is no easy way for that but also not a single reason. Or is your goal to have even more monitors?

Where there is poverty there is crime.

OF course they are free, healthcare is a human right lol. Thailand just ignores those too when wanting to. It's funny how people seem to lose their sense for common western sense and reality when living here too long, forgetting these things.

Has nothing to do with cheap, it is simply expensive for inferior service and quality on top. I earn 3x median wages and I still would rather spend it elsewhere at this point. I would not have gotten to this stage and income in life, if I would think naive like yourself. Thailand is everything except cheap at this stage for the average westerner. It is just cheaper than capital cities i in the west, that are insane expensive, even for people that earn 10K USD a month, that still isn't that much there. Otherwise it is cheaper in even Spain. I mean even a decent average hotel in Bangkok costs the same nowadays lol. My breakfast, lunch, coffees too. Perhaps only for dinner I could decide to eat MSG street food cheaper instead of cooking a decent meal in europe at home. But for 6-7$ i could eat out there too. Today so far: 2 coffees 140 baht, 1 breakfast 160 baht, 1 moto taxi ride one way 55 baht, fruit juice soon 60 baht. I didn't even turn my ass yet or I already lost 415 baht today. The same used to cost me 200-250 baht all incl. here. Then go in another taxi, do some tourist activity, 1500 baht gone again. Then lunch, snack, drink 300 baht gone again. Then before it is evening even a super boring simple tourist, without any alcohol or partying, would be down by 2000 baht already. No wonder you don't see a single soul in nightlife nowdays, if you did that on top, we are now down 6000 baht by sleeping time.

If you only knew the difference between quantity and quality aside of having some taste and interest in different stones and highs... Anything under 150 baht is super reasonable for quality indoor. You pay over 250 baht for the same in Amsterdam.

Also a full bowling alley with smoking balcony that would have snacks and beers etc. Plenty of use for the building, if they had reasonable rent plenty of SME owners would go in again but the problem in Thailand is that they think you work for the landlords.

Its for auction already and should be re-opend within 1-2 years.

The fact it is still 'several years' under way does not change the fact it will happen and means I might as well move in with life today. I just saw some docu again as well where Thailand is one of the leader users if it comes to bridge projects for Central Bank Digital Currency. This all makes taxing people super easy as well as to control them much more, to such extend, Netherlands even turned it down for now by not allocating any budgets to implement it further for now. This is also for digital passports, digital vaccine passports and more. I dare to guarantee for my pinky finger that this taxing will happen within years. It is super interesting that now Trump nearly wins, and European elected parties start fighting against it, that TH now announces it could a few years more. Guess that makes the 2030 deadline very real. The big reset. Next elections if Trump wins this one. Might as well enjoy the next 5 years to come as the last 5 years of the old world.

Starts to annoy the crap out of me lately, since the fun factors are gone more and more too, which used to compensate that.

Why on earth do you complicate such simple things? Langkawi is like around the corner from where you are already but you decide to 'fly from Samui first' before going to actual Langkawi, yeah no <deleted> sherlock, obviously that would result in at least 2 flights. In terms of flights in general, it is cheaper than it has been in years. Even last minutes direct from Franfkurt with Thai airways only cost 500 euro each. Samui itself with Bangkok Airways is always 'almost sold out' no matter the season. With a few brains one would simply get the car to Phuket and then take a flight to Langkawi but hey, have fun doing 3 flights with 2 nights in between to only go to Langkawi >< Last but not least, high season? Let's see about that. All I see is cluster fks in specific areas of Thailand, while overall is in decline. Even some islands have hardly any place to stay, almost all restaurants are empty too. Guess it's called pride before the fall.

300$ for a year, just drop passport and back in X days + done.

Maybe you live in a bubble but the 'dinosaurs' are on the same team, else she wouldn't even be in power.

If you fly first class, you do not need a bar, the seating area is your bar already too.