angelal

My husband and I have been in Chiang Mai for 8 months now. Today, when we went to Kad Suan Kaew for a little shopping, we decided to try to find lunch outside the mall. I'm glad we did! We stumbled upon the new location of Salsa Kitchen. Neither of us had been to the old location, so we had no prior experience or knowledge to go on.

For an appetizer, we ordered the vegetarian nachos. For my entree, I ordered the jerked chicken, which came with rice-n-beans, mango chutney (?), corn on the cob, potato salad, and salsa. My husband ordered the chicken burritos, which included rice, a salad, and something else (I can't remember). If we had known how generous the portions were before we ordered, we probably would have opted to split an entree. As it was, we left feeling pretty stuffed!

The nachos were fantastic!! The jerked chicken was the best chicken I've had in 8 months. The potato salad was delicious, and all my other sides were very good, as well. My husband said his burritos were "as good as a burrito can be with black beans." High praise from him! (He prefers pinto beans.)

As far as atmosphere is concerned, I found the music to be pleasant in both type and volume; the AC was comfortable; and the service was prompt.

All in all, we had a great meal. I'd even go so far as to say that it was the best food I've had here in Thailand. We are both very happy we discovered this restaurant today. I foresee many visits in the remaining 6 weeks before we head back to Texas.

Quick question from someone who would LOVE to use this service: If I call to confirm my order, will I be able to speak to someone who speaks English? I haven't figured out how to describe my condo's location in Thai! Thanks.

Hi Angelal,

I'm the guy who answers the phone and have lived over 30 years in the UK so no prob's with the English

Super!

Is there anywhere in CM to buy gold coins?

Thanks.

Quick question from someone who would LOVE to use this service: If I call to confirm my order, will I be able to speak to someone who speaks English? I haven't figured out how to describe my condo's location in Thai! Thanks.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I have a better idea now of what to do.

Thanks for the suggestions. Onnut, are there any particular restaurants you'd recommend?

My husband and I have been living in Chiang Mai since March. On Thursday we will be going to Bangkok for the first time. We arrive Thursday mid-morning, and we'll fly out of Bangkok on Saturday afternoon. (We're going to Cambodia for a few days; we'll be back in Chiang Mai the following week.)

My question is this: What are the must-sees in Bangkok? I imagine most tourists want to hit all the cool Thai cultural things, see the Wats, and so on, but since we've been in Thailand for 7 months now, both of us are accustomed to Thai culture and pretty templed-out. (One Wat looks much like another, when you've seen a hundred or so.) I do think we'll go see the Grand Palace, but other than that, I have no idea!

I feel like a very shallow American for saying this, but we like good food, shopping (window shopping, more than actually spending money), animals, people-watching, and movies.

What areas, sites, and/or restaurants would you recommend? We'll be staying at the Park Plaza Sukhumvit, if that makes any difference.

Thanks in advance!

Mine hasn't shown up yet. I sent in the request about a month ago. Is it really time to panic?

Wish I'd known about her before! I tried two different tailors here (one male, one female), and the shirts they made were all square and boxy, cut for a man (I'm a woman). And when I told them to put in darts and make the shirts fitted, BOTH of the tailors said, "Well, your hips are bigger than your waist, so we can't make the shirt fit." What?? Silly me, I though fabric was cut-able.

I was going to swear off tailors, but maybe before I leave Chiang Mai I'll try out your seamstress.

PunPun Guesthouse. Awesome pancakes! My husband swears by their "Superman Breakfast". It's great!

I cook probably once/month. The rest of our meals come from the guesthouse next door (Thai and Farang food) or Subway in the Night Bazaar. Back in the U.S, I cooked 5 nights/week, so this is a big change for us.

What puts me off is I have heard some bad stories re the pollution in CM.

Is it so bad?

Well, if your mode of transportation is a car, then the pollution probably won't bother you. If, however, you rely on tuk-tuks, song-taews, or your own two feet, then yes, the pollution is bad here. I do not own a car, and so I walk or take a tuk-tuk most places I go, and I always come home with stench of car exhaust and motor oil infused throughout my clothes and hair, and lingering on my skin. It's disgusting. In addition to the smell, I have developed chronic sinus problems here. Perhaps others aren't bothered by these things, but in my 6 months' of experience here, the pollution has had a definite negative effect on my enjoyment of this city.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll check them out.

Sadly, I wear a women's size 10 US (42). My only pair of brown sandals died last month, and I have searched all the shoe stores at Kad Suan Kaew for a replacement pair. None of the stores carry my size except Bata, and they had a total of ONE pair of women's sandals in a 42. I bought them because I was desparate, but they aren't really what I needed. Is there anywhere else in town that I might be able to find sandals my size? Thanks!

I stayed at Viangbua 3 times for a total of 12 weeks in 2005 while I was visiting Chiang Mai to prepare for when I moved here in 2006. From that, you will understand that I liked it a lot - very good quality rooms, service and friendly/helpful staff......... it's as good as a hotel.

Just a comment on Viangbua. Perhaps it's changed since you stayed there in '05? I stayed there for one night a few months ago. The bed was painfully hard (I think it was just a boxspring - no mattress) and the walls were paper thin. I was unable to sleep most of the night because the person in the room next door was snoring, and the walls did nothing to muffle the sound. So, although the rooms look nice, I wouldn't recommend it if you actually want to get any sleep.

Dam_n, if the cinema offerings of the last month have not been the biggest pile of horse sh*t ever.

No doubt. Yesterday, out of desperation, I made the mistake of going to see Zohan. Ugh.

It also seems like the good movies disappear within 2 weeks, but the crappy ones linger forever.

Sawadee Kup Angel, I sent a reply to your PM but it got eaten by the

fiends that lurk in the electron superhighway. I have no idea where you are from but from your post and PM I feel for you. I felt the same

when I first visited Thailand. I wanted to run away too. My post was a

way of telling new folks that it is not the pristine life we were used to.

Those of us who have been here for a number of years know this town and the many wonderful things it has to explore and enjoy. Yes, please stay until November and the Loy Krathong Festival. If you are a woman, I like the smell of gasoline and oil on a woman Sawadee Kup

Thanks for the reply. I will be here 'til late December. No choice in that, as my U.S. employer has me on contract over here. So, I'll make the best of it while I'm here, and once I get back to the U.S., I'm sure my system will go into shock at the lack of pollutants in the air.

If you DO NOT have a respiratory health condition, you will probably be very comfortable in Chiang Mai at any time of the year. People who do may want to avoid Chiang Mai during the first month or so of hot season.

Well, obviously different people have different ideas about what is comfortable. I arrived here in March. March - May were brutally hot. June 'til now have been not quite as hot but oppressively humid. I think there has been one week in the six months I've been here when it actually felt nice outside. Weather-wise, I'm looking forward to November and December, which I've heard are pleasant.

And although I do not have a respiratory condition, the pollution here is really getting to me. Perhaps it's because the only transportation options available to me all involve being in amongst the clouds of vehicle exhaust, not "safely" cooped up in a car. If I take a 5-minute walk to the corner market, I come back smelling like gasoline and motor oil.

I teach at one of the universities here in town, and my students recently told me that if you ask a girl from one of the poorer farming communities what she wants to be when she grows up, chances are good that she'll say, "A foreigner's wife".

You shouldn't have a problem finding a female companion.

that's what I thought when I first came here. if you are Thai you'll have no probs, but sadly most of the girls don't like caucasians. People say that Issaan girls are keener on white guys.

Just to follow up: My husband and I joined the gym at the Centara Duangawan (located in the Night Bazaar). The price was alright, the facilities are good, and it takes us about a 35-minute fast walk to get there. We're pleased.

Doesn't say you need them, so probably no. Normaly a visa on arrival is just a stamp.

For your Thai visa they will just give you a 90 days when you return and reset the clock. No need for re-entry permit.

Thank you for the clarification!

As an amariucan you can get a visa on arrival for Indonesia and do not need to apply for it in advance. Your 6 day visit will cost $10.

http://www.kbri-bangkok.com/tourism/travel_info_01.html

Thanks. Will I need to take along extra passport photos to Indonesia?

Just to clarify:

1) If you have a one year multiple entry non immigrant B visa, then you must make a border run every 90 days or less. In this situation you will get a new non B 90 day stamp when you re-enter Thailand, provided you return before the 'enter before ' date on you visa. Your work permit's permission also has to be extended every 90 days, as it is synchronised with your visa stamp. So please remember that when you get a new 90 day stamp, you will then have to get your work permit renewed to your new 90 day exit date.

2) If you are an 'Extension of Permission to Stay' (so called visa extension) where you report your address to local immigration every 90 days, then you will require a re-entry permit to keep your extension of stay alive.

It is a one year multiple entry non immigrant B visa, and at the first 90-day mark (June 16) I went to Mae Sai and did the border crossing into Myanmar. Upon re-entering Thailand, I got a 90-day permission to stay stamp. Will there be a problem that I'm leaving the country again before my current 90-day stamp expires? Or will they just give me a new one and re-set the 90-day clock to when I come back from Bali?

My work permit has an expiration date of December 31, 2008. I will be returning to the U.S. on December 24.

Thanks for the replies. I decided to just go with the Concorde. I found a booking site listing rooms for $51, so I booked one.

I am an American living in Thailand this year, and I have a 1-year multiple entry Non-Immigrant B visa, which doesn't expire until March of '09. (I'm teaching at a university here.) I am going to Indonesia this week on vacation. It's a last-minute trip, and I was just wondering if I need to be concerned about traveling outside of Thailand while I'm here on this type of visa. Someone told me that if I travel outside of Thailand without buying some sort of re-entry permit, then my visa will be reset to a tourist visa when I re-enter the country. Is this true?

Also, separate question, what are the requirements for me to enter Indonesia for 6 days as a tourist? I've looked around online, and I've found a lot of disparity in what's required. For example, one site says just, "Most nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival for a fee of US$10 for seven days." Another one lists half a dozen requirements including "Valid green card or US visa." Yet another says two passport photos are required along with "Completed Cover Page and Credit Card Authorization forms, copy of most recent bank statement required, letter from employer verifying employment or leave of absence, and letter explaining purpose of trip to Indonesia." I'm confused and don't know what to expect. Can you help clear this up?

Thanks.

Angela