robinhoodlum

Hello and thanks in advance for any info you might have

Looking for a Homeopathic doctor in Chiang Rai, or a good Chinese herbal practitioner that someone has used in the past.

Hi Chiang Rai

Has anyone have or know of a good Pediatric Doctor in Chiang Rai as well as a good dentist? Also can anyone make a recommendation for a good hospital?

I’m also interested to find out if anyone here sends there kids to any after school activities like Taekwondo and Dance/ballet type classes in Chaing rai?

Any contact details for any of the above would be most welcome

Hi All,

I am amazed at all the response and just how useful all of the info has been. I just got back from CR and visited four schools with my kids in tow. Trapped in a car for five days with two bored kids and a wife who does not read maps (this I found out for the first time), now I understand why man invented GPS!

Anyway the schools were

Meereuk or (st Mary's School) I saw two schools under this name. The Kindergarten and the Primary.

The Kindergarten was in a much smaller area than I had hoped, with little space for exercise and large classes. I found the staff to be friendly and the kids looked to be happy. I did notice that some of the kids were ill with face masks, with the smaller less ventilated area, it crossed my mind that children may spread illness quicker, and why didn't the school just ask them to stay at home till better?

The Primary school was a different story, my kids are not old enough for that school, but it was a nicely laid out, open school and I found a chap called Stuart there who has been very helpful to me, and his colleges who also seemed very nice. I think this is a school worth considering if your kids are that age. I did not find an over emphasis on Catholicism but it was present.

The next school was Tassaban 7 school, which as I read in a previous post, has a good well organized clean feel about it, the classes still on the large size 30-40. The staff were friendly and both my children took a competency test (kind of) and we were told they did have submissions. I would also say this school is worth a visit. Downsides would be, no native english speakers, actually for anyone who has a half thai half brit kid who wants to keep his kids on top of English WITHOUT having a Philippine accent there is only one school which I will get to in a few lines.

The next school was Wassaporn (or something like that) Its a new school, recently built, looks pretty cool on first impressions, it has a swimming pool for the kids and some new innovative designs for the school itself. It looked like a contemporary school, with lots of potential.

Downside was a very strange vibe from the staff, was not allowed to take a quick trip round the school, and felt unwelcome or at best awkward trying to interact with the staff.

We were told there were places and invited to fill out a rather lengthy application form, which too me was not a typical form, there was an emphasis I think on parents occupation wage bracket, sort of stuff that rang an alarm bell in my head. Anyway they called the next day to say the school was full, so I'm not sure what was going on there. I have heard since that this school is an offshoot from a disgruntled doctor duo from the Pitta Suka (Montessori) who fell out with the owners and started their own school.

The Pitta Suka was on my list, but it was struck off after almost everyone I spoke to told me it was a bad place to go, not so much on the educational front, but just the attitude of the school itself. It seemed the high costs of schooling there comes with some pretty lofty ego issues amongst the staff. Also from an earlier post I have read that this school is used as a kinda of gateway for missionary types, who, paid for by their ministries "volunteer" themselves at no cost to the school. So last report was only two actual "qualified" Montessori school teachers and the rest kind of self financing volunteers who I am sure would have all the required qualifications to be teachers. also on the radar was largish classes of mixed age??

I took a look round the school that has not been finished yet the CRIS school, and yes it does look impressive although being in the construction industry here in Thailand, I am pretty sure that only a tiny percentage will be completed by August, other cool stuff that it provides (as mentioned in an earlier post) like the pools and other amenities will be finished in the next year or two, so for me, no kids schooling on a building site if possible, and access to those amenities of course are a few years away. Also I did a little sniffing around the ownership, not much except they are Korean Christians, how hard core I don't know.

The last school was the AMEC school, First impressions were it was run down and badly needed some basic upkeep, the costs for this school was higher than the others, so it was tough on first impression to see where the money was going. But after arriving at the school, we were met by a farang chap that was one of the senior teachers there and he walked me round. What I saw slowly began to grow on me, and the crappy classrooms became less important.

Each class maxed out at about 15-20 tops, I did not see one class with more than 20 kids. In that class were two teachers one either Europe or the US. Second an English speaking Thai. This does not exist in any other school that I saw.

The next pleasant surprise was that for the first time the kids at the school came to greet my children and invite them to play which ended in them all having lunch together. talking in both thai and English, I have to say for the first time since being there, I saw something akin to my own schooling, perhaps a sense that the kids were developing as individuals rather than the conformity of a typical Thai school like Tassaban 7. I saw my kids having fun, and I saw a good interaction between the staff and the kids. Not so regimented. This for me is the best place for half Thai half Brit kids who need to experience and learn Thai, and its culture, without losing that vital spark of being individual as well as keeping English part of their daily lives.

So I think St Mary's Primary (not kindergarten) school and Amec were the best schools. On another note, I warn others that accommodation is not is easy as one would imagine, so once you find a school, then get cracking on accommodation.

Once again many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread, I am sure it will be a very useful guide to others in the future. I will update this thread after a month of them starting at AMEC and share any issues on whether my choice was correct.

Thankyou for sorting out the difference, I'm not sure how but I seem to have been led from one sit to another in error anyway thanks again for sorting that out. I would be very interested to hear about your experiences if you go to have a look at the place, maybe find out more about who is operating it.

I agree, I too am not bothered by this issue of religion, as long as it is not forced upon those that are too young to understand. An understanding of peace, love and respect for others exist in all religions, these are the elements I am happy for my children to be taught.

many thanks skybluestu for you comment regarding Mareeruk, and as you rightly say a visit to the school is a must and I will of course do this when I get up there in a couple of weeks. But I do find comments such as yours very valuable, it gives me a chance to get a feel of a place before I visit, and of course its hard to tell what really goes on in any school except by talking to those that already have children there.

It really is perhaps the most crucial element in any family relocation, and ideally i would like not make wrong decisions and start yanking them around =different schools due to lack of due diligence.

Thanks again for the info

Many thanks Tim,

You are correct they are on the CRIS website, I overlooked them. The costs per term are reasonable and the facilities look good, but I've been scared off by the religious aspect, it seems the people running it are really focused on schooling for missionaries who are working in Northern Thailand. The bit that did for me was finding a video on a staff recruitment website, which gave a run down for the school, then went on to mention that the school would be open to other Thai and Non Christian children and that this was an evangelical opportunity to share the word. Its those words that kind of scare me about schools in CR, its tough to get through to just education and a healthy tolerance towards all religions without the need to "evangelicalise" a child.

I find that the Thai Buddhist school best suits this purpose, and while I see many things about Buddhism that I disagree with, its certainly a religion that doesn't scare me

The schools so far I can identify has having some kind of shadow religion attached to their curriculum is: (please correct me if I am wrong)

mareeruk = st Marys roman catholic school

Chiang Rai International school = Christian Missionary school

The montessori school, www.pitisuksa.org = some other kind of missionary based school

The schools that are Thai and offer the Thai curriculum with additional English are

2.AMEC a Bi-Lingual Thai school (is this a christian school?)

3.Tessaban 7 (any contact details welcome)

4.Anuban Chiang Rai ( near Tessaban market) (also any contact details welcome)

Again many thanks to all of you who have taken the time to contribute, this really is a fantastic help. I have a feeling there will be alot more like me in the coming years coming to make a new life in chaing rai. If any of you know of a financial guru called Marc Faber (who lives in Chiang Mai) then you'll know why!

Thanks again and any additional info most welcome.

I've done some checking around, and it seems alot of the schools in Chiang rai have some kind of religious element to them, for example the CRIS school (Chiang Rai International School) also seem to be the CRICS school (Chiang Rai International Christian School) and the mareeruk school is also called St Mary's School.

What I am looking for is a good Thai School, (that adhere to the standard customs and culture of Thailand) with programs in English. Are there any Thai people reading this that know of a Thai School with a good reputation amongst Thais in Chiang rai?

kind regards

robin

Hi Tim,

Many thanks for your reply, it was very useful. I just went to the CRIS site and saw the school and its progress. Looks impressive, do you have an idea on a cost per term? Also did you get to find out anything about the people who will operate the school?

Do they also teach Thai here too? I don't plan on moving back to the UK, so Thailand will be their home and first language so to speak. Tim are you still living in Bangkok till the school nears completion? How did you find the rental situation up there, I was planning on renting till I could find some land and start on my house.

regard

robin

I'm not sure how, but I've messed something up on this editor

Hello and many thanks for your quick reply.

I have a 5 year old and a three year old. I was looking for a school that was fairly central. Does Amec teach a Thai curriculum? Do you have a preference based on experience or knowledge from others?

Hello Chiang Rai! I will be sending my kids to school in Chaing Rai this year, and wanted to ask if anyone knew of a good Thai School that has an English Program as well. I'm not interested in the International Schools, or any schools that have affiliations with a specific religion. Just a school that is well respected within the Thai community. I'd also appreciate any contact details and an idea on their location to Chaing Rai City Centre, although I suspect it may be located within the city itself. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Sorry, I am not fully clear, did you describe the true story (about demand for 2000 bath) or this is a bad scenario in your mind?

Yes, its one of those "what if" situations that especially worries me when you have the missus and kids in tow. I don't know about other readers, but with the worsening situation economically, i notice in the news and hear of alot more crime against farang, in most cases not violent, just a greater increase in burglary, and other "opportunistic" crimes, like car breakins, bag snatching, motorbike holdups, I'm just thinking what about "boat hold ups"

I remember a while back before Christmas, farang were having an unusual amount of trouble with the Kamala checkpoint. The general sentiment was that they were being targeted because of their car (ie. fortuner, or other type that would suggest wealth I guess) and having passports taken and held at ransom (some up to 50-60 thousand thb).

So to sum up, is it safe to be messing around on a boat, with your family? Or am I just a sitting duck

Also does everyone reading this have their boat registered with the authorities? And how did that go?

Thanks for your advice, and I will PM if I may, I am grateful for any knowledge on can get on this,before I grab that cooler full of bears, drop the kids and the missus on the beach and go fishing!!

The parking issue ended in the family beaten by umbrella pole, it was the fare scam that got the punches to the face. Your getting your "tuk tuks using violence against tourists" stories mixed up....I don't blame you, they are hard to keep track of.

You're quite right, I do have the Tuk Tuk stories mixed up, the punch in the face was the Indian guy that didn't pay his agreed fare, and the parking space was a Norwegian family who parked in a tuk tuk space. It almost rhymes!

Sometimes I wonder if its best the Tuk Tuk guys come up with a side-street "menu" of what punishment they offer for each possible grievance against them!

No Pay Check Bin, then I hit you with beach umbrella or you not pay jet ski, I shoot you with BB gun!

http://www.southeastasiapilot.com/

It is your best guide as well as GPS plotter with deep sounder.

Thanks for the advice, I have a depth sounder/fish finder and thought that would be enough, but you think its really that quick? I have the Phuket to Kantang chart, which although a little scant on depths (due to area covered) does give me a fairly good idea of depths, is that not enough, coupled with a fishfinder? would be interested to know your thoughts.

GPS plotters used to be expensive, have they come down a lot in price, can anyone recommend one that can be purchased in Thailand and includes the data for this area?

There are no fees for stopping at any beach, as all beaches are public property.

Yeah like public parking isnt only for tuktuks..

I know a few boat owners and users that have had problems Kata to Kamala.. So much so they only launch east coast now as its not worth the stress.

Yeah like public parking isnt only for tuktuks.. and getting punched in the face for parking in a tuk tuk "place"

Yes, it is a bit of a worry, farang guy with family in a boat no one around, two dudes rock up in a longtail, and tell me I owe them 2000 baht. I'm thinking a VHF radio even as I write this, but would that do any good anyway, its just a worry, not so much with a fishing posse, but a guy and his family makes these issues harder to deal with, and quite frankly a big risk unless I'm prepared to pay anyone who asks me for money, and even then, they would still ask for more???!

When I've been out on a day trip with a private Thai day trip boat, i see a few hundred baht change hands for stopping here and there, or a beach bar that has some chairs and a toilet, but what about the little Islands that no tourists go to on day trips. If anyone has had an experience going on their own to an small unoccupied Island that isn't Bond tourist Island then I'd appreciate them replying.

I would recommend Ao Po, as you can launch/recover at all but the very lowest low tide. Cost is 500 baht. They also have fuel available there. Good location for getting to the islands around Phang Nga bay, and try the islands around Koh Hong on the eastern side of Koh Yao Noi.

You have to be very careful of the tides, and don't get caught with no water beneath the keel (it can happen very quickly). I'd strongly recommend getting a decent GPS chart plotter, with one that shows depth also.

There are no fees for stopping at any beach, as all beaches are public property.

PM me if you want more specific information, I keep a trailer boat at Ao Po year round.

Hi and many thanks for the info, I'll send you a PM as I would be grateful for some more info on Ao Po, really need to get a good idea of whats going on, before I bring all the kids. Ideally it would be great to go with someone who knows that little patch so i can see the safest place and times to be there.

Hello,

Just got myself a trailer boat, little 6m 40hp fishing and day boat, and wanted to know what options there were for the east coast as well as west coast for getting a trailer boat into the water via a ramp.

I've done a little research and found that there is a ramp at the Yaht haven, Boat lagoon and Ao Po for Trailer boats, but does anyone know which is best, easiest etc. Also I've had many conflicting comments on price for using the ramp, ranging from 500 thb to 1500 thb.

Also am I right in understanding that there are no ramps on the west coast, except maybe pushing it over the beach in layan or Bang Tao somewhere, is this correct?

Also has anyone ever had any issues with Thai Islanders charging fees or anything like that for stopping on or around an Island, or can anyone recommend an Island that's possible to hang out on and around that doesn't upset anyone?

I think the Islands that are within reach are

Ko Rang Yai

ko khai nai

ko khai nok

ko nakka yai

ko nakha noi

can anyone point me in the right direction for the best, safest, kid friendly route to one of these or another Island that you'd recommend. If anyone can help I'd be grateful.

Hi

I'm looking for a great beach bungalow getaway that's either just north of Phang nga, not in Khao Lak or just north of there up towards Ranong. I've got this picture in my mind that there's a nice mid market beach bungalow resort where I can bring the family (maybe even the dogs if anyone knows a place like that) where I can let them go crazy for a couple of days that's clean and safe with a place to BBQ if you want, or eat if there's somewhere close enough by that's okay.

I'm looking to spend around 5,000 thb a night for a room that's got clean beds and sheets type stuff, maybe even a pool and a place to bicycle for the kids, or canoe to rent etc. Stuff to do. Ideally a place where the staff understands what a nightmare it is entertaining kids and don't mind helping out a bit to accommodate that.

I've looked at the websites and tried a few blogs, but just can't seem to find the right one without a reliable source. So would appreciate if any of you family people have stumbled on this idyllic place to drop a line below on where it is, or a link maybe. Many Thanks

Let us know when you get back of the name you stayed at so I can go somewhere else..doggy dos is not my idea fun at the beach, or do you run around behind them with a placcy bag ! Hope so !

I will definatly get back to you once I have found a great place to stay.

Hi

I'm looking for a great beach bungalow getaway that’s either just north of Phang nga, not in Khao Lak or just north of there up towards Ranong. I've got this picture in my mind that there’s a nice mid market beach bungalow resort where I can bring the family (maybe even the dogs if anyone knows a place like that) where I can let them go crazy for a couple of days that’s clean and safe with a place to BBQ if you want, or eat if there’s somewhere close enough by that’s okay.

I’m looking to spend around 5,000 thb a night for a room that’s got clean beds and sheets type stuff, maybe even a pool and a place to bicycle for the kids, or canoe to rent etc. Stuff to do. Ideally a place where the staff understands what a nightmare it is entertaining kids and don't mind helping out a bit to accommodate that.

I've looked at the websites and tried a few blogs, but just can't seem to find the right one without a reliable source. So would appreciate if any of you family people have stumbled on this idyllic place to drop a line below on where it is, or a link maybe. Many Thanks

Don,

From Dons Cafe, well well I had hear you moved up to Chaing Mai, didn't realise you had gone a little further north. Last time we met was in Samui at Grahams "the deck" (you may not remember me but my name is Robin you might also know Wally and Lory all of us built Phuket Fantasy) a while back he was building a big place there with a stage,(I think its all gone now is that right?) thats why I was there to help with the install on the sound equipment. Is your brother also with still?

Don, I am coming up to visit just after SongKran, and will be looking to buy a patch of land somewhere high, with power (ideally) but definatly good water source. Would you know of anyone I can trust to help me?

will come and see you if thats okay when I'm there, catch up and say Hi

thanks for your reply and great to hear from you!

robin

Chiang Rai is sure not Phuket and you will miss everything but the traffic.

Regarding building and schools you need to find out by visiting. Chiang Rai is just one step away from heaven. After you adjust a bit I think that you will love it there.

The first Saturday night of each month we have a great farang and Thai get together at Don's Cafe in Doi Hang. A great opportunity to meet people.

Any building you do you will have to stand over the work or you will really be disappointed. However, this is the case in most of Thailand.

The Thai people are very friendly and kind and stick to the traditional Lanna Lifestyle.

Best wishes.

Don also from Phuket

Hello to you all in Chaing Rai.

I have been living in Phuket for the past eleven years, and I am now looking for a new home in the North of Thailand. I have always been looking at moving to Chaing Mai, but recently issues of pollutuion and traffic has put me off, and for some reason I can't get Chaing Rai out of my head.

So I'm hoping if anyone has the time, to answer a few questions, as I will be coming up to Chaing Rai after songkran to have alook round.

I really need to know about the schools there, i read the post on schools just a minute ago, and apart from peoples suspicions (rightly or wrongly) of the motasori school I couldn't work out which ones were best for what ages

I have a 3 and half year old and a 15 month baby, what would be the best school for under 5's

Is it possible to find land high up with a chanote? What prices can I expect to pay for land with a good water supply/ running water ideally and access to sigle phase power. Is this possible or am I dreaming

I built my home here in Phuket, and was thinking of doing the same up there, are there some construction companies up there you might be able to recommend.

Is there a growing expat community there or do people pretty much keep themselves to themselves.

Do you have a business association in Chaing Rai, are there meeting groups of any kind that aren't religeous.

What kind of issues do you think might cause me problems for me and my family after moving to Chaing Rai

Does the city have places to buy weekly food (big c? tesco lotus?)

Do you know of any property developers, who are building, is this a growing market?

lots of questions my apoligies, keen to find out more

many thanks to anyone who can take the time to answer a few of these questions.