Old Curmudgeon

Agreed about Sausage King, especially for breakfast.

These are not only the best hamburgers I've had in Thailand, they are the best burgers I've ever tasted! That's quite a statement, but true. These I found at Villa Market in Bangkok, and shipped to me in Chiang Mai. Costly yes. So trying to find in CM to buy local. Rim Ping has no idea about this brand. (No interest either.) Yes, plenty of other brands, some quite good. But, so far, I've found nothing close to this brand: "Gi Beef Steak Burger". Any thoughts about where to find this specific brand of frozen burger patties in Chiang Mai?? (The Thailand flag in the photo indicates product of Thailand, so might be available, but where?)

1. I did some research on his background. Claims to be a retired cop. Maybe so, but doesn't talk like any of the cops I've ever known. Suspect he is a paid "op" of some kind, but paid by who, I have no idea. 2. Wonder what he's selling. In other words, what's his hustle to promote his story. (I think I know, but it would be politically impolite to even hint at it here.) 3. Finding "cheap living" in rural Thailand is so easy. But Thai are very xenophobic, especially against certain races. This man is of such a race. 4. It takes a certain kind of fool to claim to have found "paradise", then advertise to attract more people to go there. 5. I did not pay to get past the paywall. Just searched.

Thank you for helpful comments above. #1 - With Thai helpers, I have learned over many years to only pay by the hour. And I tell them, "Slow-slow, careful-careful, clean in all the corners." If pay "by the job" or "by the day", they rush-rush to finish and get the money. But I realize that is not the Thai way -- they are used to paid by the job or paid by the day, so it takes some adjustment for them to getting paid by the hour. #2 - Also learned from hiring all kinds of people in my business over many years, to pay about 25-30% over prevailing average in the area. Attracts better workers. And they tend to stay longer. Plus, in Thailand, they can "make big face" by bragging how much they get paid from farang. That adds extra value to the job for them. So posting here to determine prevailing wage in CM area. ... Comments and critique welcome. @Will B Good, can you send your MIL over here: Chiang Mai - Doi Saket road? My previous two maids were both age late 50's, from up-country background, and excellent at taking care of details. (I don't want any "cute young things" ... not as maids.) I'll offer free lunch, too, (catered by LineMan delivery). Work indoors with 2 fans! And all the iced coffee she might want is already getting cold in my fridge.

Valuable post, @Tropicalevo. Thank you for taking your time to write and post here. I wish this forum would open a new section specifically for scams and attempted scams that could affect expats.

Need to hire part-time maid for 3-bedroom house, 2 days/week. Is 100 per hour suitable to get a good maid? I just moved from one-bedroom condo into 3-bedroom house. In the condo maid came in 2 days every week. Paid 100/hour. She was happy with that and did very good work. Recently moved into 3-bedroom house (out Chaing Mai - Doi Saket Road). Too far away for previous maid to travel (no car, no motocy). Will 100/hour attract a good maid? Or must pay more? Not required to understand English. My Thai is not great, but enough to give instructions. Examples of work: - laundry in wash machine, then hang to dry. - fold dry clothes, put away, some ironing. - clean bathrooms - clean kitchen, refrigerator, sink, cupboards - vacuum and mop floors - empty wastebaskets & take out trash - sweep outside patio - water plants outside - help me assemble new shelves and similar moving tasks. (And, I am looking to hire now, so if anyone reading this has wife, sister-in-law, neighbour, etc, who is interested, please send private message. I can communicate by LINE in Thai.)

Thanks for posting about this, @Aurelien. I've noticed similar and was wondering, too. From recent experience in Bangkok, I can report similar problems there. Suggests the fundamental problem may be LineMan operations with CM flooding just adding to the situation.

True in the past, but that's changing. Slowly, but changing sure. I'm old enough to remember the first Japanese transistor radios and the first Japanese cars to arrive in the USA. Junk. Garbage. Cheap plastic trash. But now, some of the best quality products are Japanese. Granted Chinese manufacturing culture and business attitudes are not equal to Japanese, but I do see Chinese products improving slowly.

Thank you, @madone, for posting your shopping lists. That's very helpful. And I will have a look at Freshket.

Same as @madone for me, too. As much as possible. I've been having very good luck with ordering on TikTok. Even ordering some grocery staples that way. Very quick delivery, too. TikTok sellers less cheating than Lazada or Shopee. Not no cheating, just less.

Good topic, @HugoFastor Exactly the same for me: exponential change. And for the better, in my view. And not just in Bangkok. After 12 years in Bangkok I returned to Chiang Mai. Same change happening here now. So much more pleasant to tap-tap the mobile phone for LineMan, Grab, and TikTok than fight the traffic around the moat and at malls. And not just for computer cable or pizza. In CM have Big-C open 24 hours (Business Park branch). Delivery 24 hours, too, as long at LineMan can find a rider who is awake. Only problem is "onLine" selection often very limited. So if you don't find what you want, just send LINE message. RimPing supermarket in CM (similar to Villa Market in Bangkok) doesn't even bother with an onLine web site. Just LINE chat with list of groceries you want. And as long as 1,000 baht minimum, delivery is Free! Now that's convenience. And @HugoFastor, I will ask you, "Where do you see this trend going in the next few years?" Any predictions?

To distill information like that, I've been experimenting with using AI. However for forums, it is very difficult at this stage in AI development. But I expect within 5-10 years, every forum (like this one) will have an AI chat bot in operation.

There is a certain “style” of restaurant in Chiang Mai, a little building, often very tiny, next to a family home, in a residential area, that specializes in home-style farang food. I’ve found exceptionally good farang food, plus friendly, welcoming service at such places. So actively looking for others to try. Examples: CM old-timers will remember 10-15 years ago, “Garden Cafe” at the end of Thapae Soi 3. Perfect breakfasts, very nice sandwiches. I still recall a USA-style Thanksgiving dinner there one year: roast turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie – excellent. Alas, Garden Cafe is long gone. My current favorite of this style is Bucoliq restaurant out SanSai way. Far down a long and winding road, past rice fields. Tiny building next to what seems to be family home. Specializing in Texas-style BBQ + perfect pancakes + the best hot dogs I’ve found in 20 years in Thailand. Where – these days – are there other such “hole in the wall” restaurants that are likely to offer good quality farang food like that?

"Chaang" in Thai language means "handyman". This post asks where to advertise for a “chaang farang”, an expat handyman? This is a delicate topic: Not illegal for me to hire, but illegal for my fellow farang to do casual work. Work permit simply impossible. So, shhhh! Don’t tell anyone about this! I am not advertising here. Only asking where to advertise in Chiang Mai. Is there some “classified ad” bulletin board for such as this? Looking to hire a handyman for small, projects around the house. If you’ve had any experience with local handymen, you’ll understand why I’m seeking a farang to do this work. Language is not the problem. My Thai ability is enough to be understood for most needs. The problem is finding good workmanship. It’s not that locals are lazy. They are willing enough. But they have no concept of what constitutes careful work. Examples of projects that I will put in the ad: drill 4 holes and and use wall anchors to mount winding reel for garden hose climb a ladder to remove solar light for battery replacement, then put it back up again. replace faucets in kitchen and bathroom sinks. extend electrical cord for kitchen fan. set up a small water fountain in front yard. set up “drip” irrigation system for outside plants. There’s more, but that’s enough for the purpose of this post. Where to post an advertisement for this purpose?? Thank you.

And not just for laughs, but "therapeutic" also, for those of us frustrated by the "local" way of doing things. To get started, here's my current favorite. I hope others will post more photos on this thread.

To understand "why", read the essays of Miles Mathis on the decline of Western culture. Does not have an essay on that specific question, but reading several will clearly explain the big picture. Search "Best Fake Event Papers" and "Miles Williams Mathis".

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No, @Flyguy330, it doesn't have to be faux-Irish. Can be any background. A good example (admittedly from 15-20 years ago) was Bie Otto in Bangkok on Sukhumwit 22. German pub, German beer, German food, German owner. And a real hoot to sit at the bar and listen to Thai students who came in speaking German. Not quite Huges, but still in the old style. With the large numbers of expats, seems to me should be someplace in Chiang Mai.

I’m not Irish. And I’ve never been to Dublin. But those who are and have, will likely know of Hughes Pub. I just finished reading a eulogy to Hughes. Sounded so attractive that I’m wondering if there is anything in Chiang Mai that comes close. I’ll put the link below. But here are a few snippets of what my post here is seeking: An impossible dream?? Here's the link: https://counter-currents.com/2024/10/the-pint-glass-half-empty/

Good summary. Clearly, @Enzian understands the situation.

Nope. Not the same. Those boys on bicycles, wearing white shirts and dark ties, and with a black name badge, are Mormon missionaries. Polite people. Make good neighbors. But not long-stay expats. No interest in life here, beyond recruiting to the LDS church. The men I mentioned in my post above, looked like businessmen from a small, mid-western city (USA), who were meeting for lunch together. (I was a businessman from the mid-west, USA.) When I went over to get acquainted, it NEVER occurred to me that they would be Jevoah's Witnesses on a mission. Once they got started talking about their religious ideas, they couldn't stop themselves. I walked away and they were still talking as I walked out the door.

Silver 5 year chart (USD)

Compliments, @GammaGlobulin on your courage to post about this topic. I've often wondered, too. Some years ago I was pleasantly surprised to see four men eating lunch together who were politely dressed, had pleasant manners, and were speaking in intelligible sentences. I was very bold to go over and introduce myself. And they were very friendly in return. Too friendly. Turns out they were strident "Jehovah's Witnesses", and immediately started trying to recruit me into their cult. So disappointing. The few meetups or other public functions I've attended (eg. a speaker meeting or a "classical music" concert or some expats club) have been a complete waste of time. Sometimes, in a restaurant or at Rim Ping I look around at my fellow expats and wonder, "What am I doing here with this lot??" In blogs about expat life in Thailand, and CM in particular, some of the more honest writers comment about short-comings of life here: smog season, Chinese hordes, aggravations at Immigration, large numbers of lesbians at CMU, etc. But I've never seen anyone yet who mentions the quality of expats who wash up here. I am one of those expats. My solution? As @GammaGlobulin seems to be doing, I've become an enthusiastic hermit.

I'm in similar age range to most others on this topic. I self-medicated for this problem ... with great success. I won't say "cured", but can confidently say, problem resolved. Confident enough to throw away my last package of adult diapers. I no longer swallow any of the "medical religion" or their pills or their procedures. Since the covid hoax, I refuse to go near any hospital (unless for something "mechanical" like a broken arm). I will do whatever I can on my own, without trusting a government-licensed medical worker. For this problem (and several others), that approach has been working just fine; surprisingly well, actually. I did my own research on the Internet, and I tried several remedies (including the saw palmetto), before I was able to get the problem fixed. Now I am sleeping thru the night without getting up every 90 minutes. Washing dishes without having to run to the toilet. Standing up after a long spell at the computer, without a stream of urine starting. Riding several hours in a car without any "emergencies". And when I do urinate, it is a steady stream with a satisfying emptying of my bladder. What a relief! Never consulted any doctor. My purpose in posting is to say that you may find a solution to the problem on your own, with careful research. Operative word is "may". No, I will not post my self-remedies here on a public forum. Just the fact that I did it myself, without "official" medical sanction, will start the angry bees buzzing on this thread. Posting actual remedies would push them "over the top". And if I get banned here for "heresy of medical religion", that's no problem at all. "Burner" emails are easily available. In summary, I encourage doing one's own research, and trying some of the many self-remedies available. You may be pleasantly surprised. I was.

Hope to invigorate this thread about second hand book sellers in CM. Does any shop maintain a "wish list" for customers? Known among book lovers as a "desiderata list". When a book comes in the customer gets notified. Many on-line book sellers have that -- example "Thrift Books" in USA -- but I prefer to give my business to a local shop. I've asked DASA book store in Bangkok, but no. They have a computer database that could do it, but they don't do it. Right now I'm working my way through the fiction of Dr. Vernon Coleman; "Mrs. Caldicot" and "The Young Country Doctor" series. Very popular books, so somewhat difficult to find. A "wish list" would be a great service.