Paagai

If it was Chinese New Year rather than Thai New Year you could be forgiven for thinking they were burning it down for the insurance

How does Akha Ama Coffee compare to the rest of the cafe's mentions?

Award winning Akha Ama is in a whole league above a lot of the places mentioned in this old thread. Same would be true for Impresso, Ristr8to and Bakerista to name a few good one's. All in the Nimmanheminda/Santitham areas - just Google to find out more.

Fortunately Akha Ama's location is well hidden so this well kept secret is safe for a while

This is quite an old thread that's been bumped. Given the number of new coffee places opened in CM in the last year or so it's quite out of date. IIRC there are at least a couple of more recent threads with good coffee suggestions so I won't repeat here.

I got a business visa from the Chiang Mai India consulate less than a year ago.

Took a week.

(I don't have permanent residency)

Interesting, the last one I had was just over a year ago and they were adamant they could no longer do it in Chiang Mai (I've had several from the consulate here in previous years). Did they actually do the processing themselves or send it to BKK? Time to renew so the topic is of interest to me

Believe it depends on the purpose of travel. Maybe can still get a simple tourist visa, but Business or similar now have to apply in BKK unless you have permanent residency here. They use a separate company to handle applications now: http://www.ivac-th.com/ have to apply online then send passport.

^{I sent my report by Express Mail on March 26. It was delivered to CM Immigration March 27. I have not received as of today, April 2.}

^MSPain

Curious why you sent it to CM immigration? Last time I reported by mail had to send to BKK. According to the government immigration website http://www.immigration.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php?page=90days :

90 DAYS REGISTRATION,

IMMIGRATION DIVISION 1

120 MOO 3, CHAENGWATTANA ROAD,SOI 7,

LAKSI, BANGKOK. 10210

Was surprised by the next day return considering it was during the floods. Impressive service!

I thought Dr Dr. Somchai Maikaengraeng andDr. Ekkarin Fugmyleksomboon did a great job in this story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/544861-thailand-cracks-down-on-viagra-for-foreigners/ good value not just for the story but for the outraged comments from those who swallowed it hook line and sinker!

Hat tip to TV for that one.

Hey soi chang khain has a temple festival on tonight for a bit of light entertainment it finishes at 12 midnight i had a really good time last night and the whole road came alive the last night is tonight but maybe it's not your thing but i like mixing my self within the culture just drop me a pm if you wanna go .

Is that the Burmese Festival? I can't picture Soi Chang Khain. Can you give some rough directions? Thanks.

Poy Sang Long Festival - Shan (Tai Yai) ordination of novice monks is running this weekend at Wat Ku Tao Very colourful: see the pics here on citynow http://www.city-now....ge=1#rank351312 Not a drinking festival of course as alcohol is not allowed in the Temple grounds, but plenty goes on in the surrounding streets.

Thanks for that Paagai. I thought that was the festival. Went last year. Does it still run Sunday night? Actually I'm wrong we went to Wat Pa Pao last year but it was not very good. I've heard Wat Ku Tao is better.

I'm not certain about the dates, though have seen posters saying 30/3 - 1/4 so something should be happening today, might be winding down by the evening though. Was on my way over last night and aborted due to the rain (which, as it turned out, was the wrong decision ). I heard Wat Ku Tao was packed!

Believe Wat Pa Pao Poy Sang long is around 5-6 April and agree, IMO not as good too.

Hey soi chang khain has a temple festival on tonight for a bit of light entertainment it finishes at 12 midnight i had a really good time last night and the whole road came alive the last night is tonight but maybe it's not your thing but i like mixing my self within the culture just drop me a pm if you wanna go .

Is that the Burmese Festival? I can't picture Soi Chang Khain. Can you give some rough directions? Thanks.

Poy Sang Long Festival - Shan (Tai Yai) ordination of novice monks is running this weekend at Wat Ku Tao Very colourful: see the pics here on citynow http://www.city-now.com/comment.php?cid=351312〈=English&page=1#rank351312 Not a drinking festival of course as alcohol is not allowed in the Temple grounds, but plenty goes on in the surrounding streets.

yeah right come to a tropical climate and then sit in an aircon room...what's wrong with this pic??? ...Just another whine from the "why don't they" brigade..as someone said "get out of the kitchen"....!!!

Grab a beer and find a shade tree or a reasonable beach and enjoy!!

The only heat problem is sleeping sometimes.... but what the hell ...got lots of time to sleep when your dead!

Nothing wrong with sucking back a beer or iced scotch at 4am..unless of course you actually have to WORK for a living....ouch!

If your contribution to Thai society is buying a few Changs from the local M&P store and spending the afternoon drinking them under a tree I'm sure that's very admirable.

But, just for a moment, consider those here who do WORK and run SERIOUS businesses, employing Thai staff in an office environment. Is your answer to them "get out of the kitchen"? Perhaps providing such staff with the benefits of a decent working environment (including A/C) is a much more admirable approach?

IMHO those who spend their lives in Thailand drinking beer under trees, or "iced scotch at 4am", are really the pot calling the kettle when they come out with phrases like: "another whine from the "why don't they" brigade".

IIRC it's DJ Aum (Rak Chiang Mai 51) V the Mayor's crowd. Same Same but different?

Elections next Sunday I believe. With that and the royal funeral we are in fro a few dry days! Guess everyone's gotta build up a thirst before Songkran?

I also use the 121 almost everyday and have never seen such a roadblock there. Seemed to be more than just a tax disk or whatever check but who knows!

Pseudoephedrine pills perhaps?

Tonight also a major check at Nawarat Bridge, where Thapae Road starts. A million billion police there. :/

Big fundraising event going on in Santitham last night too

As a mod, every time this year, like clockwork....I see tempers frayed, and people just totally pissed off about one thing or another on this forum.

Not to mention the threads about police traffic enforcement and stops that always start a couple of weeks before Songkran. I really can't understand why the BIB wait until it get's so hot to put in their best effort. Amazing

What's a 'Mykonos Grill Plate'.......obviously something Greek........no?

Given Mykonos reputation this should be worth checking out

Oh, second thoughts, someone said this is a family place

But for that to be feasible, as well as for many other sensible ideas, the population numbers would have to be stabilized.

Let's start with the most obnoxious and offensive group here... pogrom, anyone?

Short of drastic measures like that, your verbal attacks, combined with respiritory problems from breathing the salubrious Chiang Mai air might start a reduction in their numbers that would be welcomed by most Thais and the farangs who try to live among them in harmony.

That's impressive......... One giant leap from what type of air-con to xenophobic trolling.

If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.

Better yet, get out of Thailand altogether. You're always complaining about something.

You're as ill-suited to the climate as you are to the culture.

The concrete boxes most of you live in make ideal solar ovens but very poor habitats in a tropical country.

Wooden houses with plenty of cross-ventilation, raised on posts with a circulation of air underneath make sense.

Traditional designs could be combined with some sensible modern innovations to free you from air-conditioning and the the general kawk-moo lifestyle you're in now.

You've had your foreign experience. Your horizions have been broadened. Now go home.

What's up? Suffering from heatstroke in your wooden house, or just wake up on the wrong side of your bamboo floor mat?

I have a laminated floor and to protect the floor when I am sat at my desk, I purchased a 2 x 1.5 carpet from Tesco

Approx cost 400baht

Works well and cheap

Can second that recommendation. All our office chairs have the same on wooden parquet floor. Still going strong after several years.

One word of caution - don't rely on Sat Nav if going there, at least not Toyota's. The Fortuner's had us driving round in circles around the small lanes below the dam last time we were there! Hillarious, as we could see the dam and have been many times before so knew the way. A little data glitch me thinks!

Is the "Lavender Lanna" still in business? Very strange op, ........

Nope! Lavender Lanna is about as dead as it's owner (sorry, I know that's bad taste, though AFAIK he' still on ice at Suan Dok)

I would recommend the old Free Guy Bar and Grill. They do a great line in sausages of all sizes.

Hidden away down Chang Puek Soi 5 (The Soi opposite the entrance to Mecure Hotel) is a large bathroom supplies showroom and warehouse. They have a good selection of brands. Both prices and service are much better than Home Pro and all. There is a small hole in the wall place next door selling toilets very cheaply too. IIRC you can pick up a basic pot for only a few hundred Baht.

It sounds like you are talking about Home Sukkapan, but yesterday it was all boarded up...so they have moved or shut down now

Maybe, I don't recall the name. The large tile store on the corner of the soi and Chang Puek road was boarded up and looked like it had closed about three weeks ago, but I thought the bathroom place was still open. Maybe not Shame as it was local for us and, as canukamuck put it, "an awsome shop". Over by Payap is more of a trek

Hidden away down Chang Puek Soi 5 (The Soi opposite the entrance to Mecure Hotel) is a large bathroom supplies showroom and warehouse. They have a good selection of brands. Both prices and service are much better than Home Pro and all. There is a small hole in the wall place next door selling toilets very cheaply too. IIRC you can pick up a basic pot for only a few hundred Baht.

Swampy - Newcastle 36,000 May/June with KLMTHB 30,650 per Adult

Sadly KLM are changing their flight times from 25 March and dropping the onward leg to Taipei. Great shame as the pricing for this was excellent. The old routing gave good flight times from a jet leg avoidance viewpoint as both ways were overnight. AMS-BKK will now arrive around 9 a.m. (that's 2-3- a.m. U.K.) and the return is a daytime flight Believe AF are doing something similar though don't recall the times).

Air India trails a distant second place to Jet. State-owned, over-staffed (largely with poorly trained, poorly motivated folk) and with little desire to provide a service, Air India is not a good option.

Jet is far preferable. The only issue is that they use single-aisle 737-800s from India to BKK and if you can route via DEL rather than BOM you will save yourself a huge amount of hassle, as DEL is modern and super-efficient in comparison to the hell-hole of BOM.

Have used Jet a lot to India - they offer some great business class fares on the 737-800s to India and with decent 2+2 seating it's not much different to wide-bodied for sometimes less than half the price of Thai, Cathay etc who operate that route. Only downside is the flight time is about 20 mins more for the 737. Wouldn't use that route for long haul to Europe though, many much better direct options; unless your budget is so tight that you don't object to spending time in an Indian airport. Even though the new DEL is a major improvement it's still India though the upgraded BOM is not that bad (the old one was HELL)!

As to Air India, NEVER NEVER! I flew BOM to BKK with their sister/relative Indian Airlines once; my worst flying experience ever...... Business Class has second hand seats, they were hand painted (you could see the brush marks), and had a piece of plywood screwed over the hole where, in a previous life, the entertainment console used to be. Service was atrocious. Forget it! N.B. back then flights were always full, but with the advent of Jet etc competition has freed things up a lot.