JoshMyPickle

Why haven't the moderators removed the picture that clearly shows the license plate?

Klong @ the back of Nimman Promenade serves Dark, somewhere in the range of 65-75, I think. They also have a rather impressive collection of Absolut vodkas and a "Drinko" drinking game/shot glass display (think of the Price is Right game Plinko but with liquor involved), although all that's just for show...

Been noticing intermittent police roadblocks at night around the moat as of late, and it seems like the inner corner near Chiang Mai Ram is a popular spot for the 30-odd <police officers> and their shiny-new big black paddy wagon... a few rumors are spreading that they may be piss testing on-the-spot? Has anyone been stopped by one of these setups and can you elaborate on the situation?

The last AirAsia flight from CNX to BKK can be /notorious/ for delays, upwards of 2 hours or more. Previously, I took this flight in late December and didn't arrive into BKK until after 2am... is your international flight the following morning, or one of those redeyes that leaves after midnight?

7-11 sells these imported pseudo-goldfish snacks called Cracko!

2 flavours--spicy red chili and regular (salted/buttered)

They are /really/ good too but can be a bit difficult to find in the store... look around the imported products section--probably on a lower shelf.

If you are into fashion accessories, ie bags/stationeries and the like, there are /lots/ of kitschy products around; the best I've seen thus far is the nursing student carrying a "Capsule Children" japanimation handbag. The Korean schoolboy notebook of a panda bear dry-humping a pillow with the caption "try it, you'll like it" comes a close second, though.

Where are the used video game stores/shantytowns around Chiang Mai?

I have all-but explored the bowels and netherregions of Kad Suan Kaew but was pretty underwhelmed by the offerings... any suggestions on where else to look? Specifically, I'm seeking those ##-in-1 old-school cartridge games (Famicom) that you often see being sold as part of a package deal at random places like Kad Cherng Doi or Carrefour.

Thanks for y'alls help.

Be forewarned, the VIP bus can be /very cold/ so consider sporting a sweater (or jumper, for all y'all europeons) for the ride.

Can't say I have lived in Chiang Mai for nearly as long as some of the sketchpats lurking around here, but after 6 months, I definitely thought that Santitham was the next big prime area for gentrification, once Canal Road is developed. I give it 5 years, not 10.

Nimmanhaemin's renaissance is going to plateau sooner than later, but when exactly ultimately depends on how fast CNX air traffic builds up... the disturbances created by the current flight path directly overhead will only worsen as additional international flights arrive and long-overdue direct R/T connections are finally made to Krabi/Phuket/etc. And inevitably, one of those jets will eventually crash into a nearby condo--I predict the "103" building--or maybe even the mountain...

...then again, I've also heard talk of building a new airport?

Is that British slang or American?

I would guess British.

/Sketchpat/ is definitely American slang, as coined by yours truly.

Southerners always have a knack for blunt honesty

A Thai chum recently informed me that Chiang Mai is the #4 most popular tourist (or /terrorist/, depending on the extent of the accent) destination in all of Asia...

Once the pollution problem is resolved, let's hope the ridding the country from the black plague of sketchpats and sexpats is next on the Thai government to-do-list; the visa restrictions were a good start, but background checks should be requisite for any intermediate/long-stayers and non-degree-holding English teachers should be banned altogether. Of course, providing antipsychotic meds for the population of virile Thai/Isaan women could also be an excellent public health initiative to explore.

All the local rags in this town are full of total drudgery, with occasional moments of brilliance; at least the best ones--i.e. COMPASS and CityLife--have decent English diction.

GOO is my new favourite print at the moment, even if it's just for the suggestive title.

I /desperately/ want to find a publication that lists weekly court records and arrest reports; apparently Pattaya Mail may have something to that effect... with all the Vietnam vet sketchpats and sexpats festering there, reckon there's bound to be some good dish coming out of that holidaze cesspool.

Nice surroundings at Iberry, indeed, but the last time I walked inside the shop, it /seriously/ smelled like cum.

A couple of years ago it was possible to hire a four seater light aircraft and pilot from the Chiang Mai Flying Club for private trips. If they are really really loaded and like flying then a quick hop to Pai followed by a trip Mae Hong Song and, perhaps, back via Chiang Rai might fit the bill.

The beloved SGA Airlines (completely safe flying record, save for that time when we hit a big bird during the ascent) has a special charter-only incentive as well. Three flights daily to/from Pai too, on the weekends anyway; should be BKK-PAI flights once the runway is extended another 200m.

Could some locals kindly disclose the locations of the White Temple and Muse Bar up in y'alls neck of the woods?

I also here there is a temple/building/gallery made out of animal bones in the C'Rai?

Thank you

I agree about the Golden Ball--really decent food at good prices and the boys are handsome. I also like Gallery Bar across from the entrance from the Imperial Mae Ping hotel. Beautiful garden courtyard setting, good food, and lower drink prices than the night bazaar. The waiters are handsome, and seem to be football players. .......

The Tianzi restaurant next to Gallery Bar is the best thing around; have a (healthy) dinner there--try the brown rice salad!--and then go digest with the boys next door.

The worst/most dangerous intersections BY FAR are the cross-streets between Nimmanhaemin and Srimunkalajarn--it's so bad there that I refer to them as the intersections of death. The soi (#9) where Monkey Club and Starbucks lie is the worst one of all.

I need to tell P'Gai to start making/sending biscuits over at Nimmanhaemin--most Westside folk (like me) are just too lazy to venture over to the frenetic touristland side of town.

It's the restaurant that was closed for remodelling and just opened back up today at noon. A new menu, small but some great items on it.

Check it out sometime.

The Sojos?

...small menu, eh?

they better still have southern-style biscuits dammit.

and maybe they /finally/ found a decent recipe for sausage gravy--the old mix was raunchy.

I've heard 530pm on the 24th from folks who went last year and are also attending this year.

My pals + I weren't all that impressed with this backpacker-gone-louis vuitton bistro -- the salmon steak was overcooked, the ratatouille (sp?) was underwhelming, the baked potato was tasteless and dehydrated, and the chicken liver (??) salad looked absolutely nauseating. The duck breast was ok, but the best part was the /minuscule/ portion of onion jam. The apple tart dessert was not the ideal way to conclude an overpriced set meal either. The eclair was amazing even if it was a bit stale, however.

...but we'll be back once the upstairs bar opens.

...still waiting for a bottomless sunday brunch in chiang mai.

...speaking of, this place /really/ needs a sunday brunch.

It's a top secret disco, run by the gov't, hidden behind the Hmong village up on Doi Suthep mountain.

Just kidding.

Wing 41 is the Royal Thai Airforce airbase, located adjacent to CNX (CM International Airport).

If you have the sticker, you can transit across the base, and cut a lot of time off a journey from the NW part of town, to the S.

It really only serves a purpose for people who live in that part of town.

McG

It's a fantastic shortcut to get to CNX and Central Plaza from the CMU/Nimmanhaemin area in ~5 minutes rather than 20+ circumnavigating the moat... great for those of us who are running late for a flight and/or absolutely detest sitting around at the terminal. The sticker is a must-have for all Westside jetsetters and trendy fashionistas.

Rumor has it that the Drunken Flower will soon be closing, as the property-owner has a recently-graduated daughter who wants to "do something" with the place... reckon the resident NGhO denizens have put a bit of a blemish on the prestigious Nimmanhaemin Soi 1 and she wants to clean the place up?

If by rumour you mean the one on the big notice in the Drunken Flower that announces they are moving to new premises then you are correct. This is not new nor is it unknown, it is something that the owners have planned.

Sorry to upset your conspiracy theory

regards

CB

No worries at all, thanks for the clarification! ...but (involuntarily) relocating from the most-enviable Soi 1 address should be somewhat disconcerting for the DF loyalists and neighbourly drunks.

Rumor has it that the Drunken Flower will soon be closing, as the property-owner has a recently-graduated daughter who wants to "do something" with the place... reckon the resident NGhO denizens have put a bit of a blemish on the prestigious Nimmanhaemin Soi 1 and she wants to clean the place up?

Perhaps then the gang's appearance was the Flower swan song.

Thanks for the censuring, by the way... guess that sort of local gossip is best saved for print media like Chiang Mai Mail, Expat Newsletter and City Life.

Anyone know a good place in/around the Old City where a chap could make a few color copies and laminations during his lunch hour? Thank you kindly for your help.

Some years ago I was attacked by a group of Katoeys outside 7/11 on Moon Muang. I was just going to work at 6am and was stabbed in the thigh by a syringe needle.

So, is this how the local tranny gangs are anaesthestizing their victims before robbing them?! That's hardcore.