Fishenough

Any advice on the car and truck sales by the Mee Chok plaza, north of Chiang Mai?

Was browsing for a pickup truck this weekend; found that it felt like a dealership and not the private sales I was told were there. Also they did want to give very much leeway for negotiating. Find it's not in my to buy a used vehicle unless; the price has a little breathing or can bid at auctions. Spent many a year buying my vehicles from Japanese auctions, gonna miss that.

Cheers

Have you tried LA bike near the Si Phum corner?

but their service is extremly poor

We found the opposite, but they adore our son and try to be very helpful. Also helps that he understands far more Thai then myself.

Two stores selling used bike on Assadathorn road north of the Si Phum corner, but before the car dealers and located on the west side of the road. Greenside is right about the value of said bikes; considering one for my son from there, only as he's growing like a weed right now.

Have you tried LA bike near the Si Phum corner? We compared prices on good mountain bikes and found them right on par to everybodies best deal - and theu offered to through in fenders, water bottle cage, lock and light.

Where is the location on ChangKlan Road?

About 10 metres from where they are building the new ATM Station, diagonally opposite Panthip Plaza. On the corner of an alley that leads to a parking lot.

Thank for sharing the new local; just dicovered the discovered it a few weeks back and had thought we'd lost it.

Cheers

Thanks for the tips gents. We grabbed a two bedroom apartment for six months; until we find that perfect little house in the town center.

The last twenty years of small town BC living, with driving such long distances almost every day, we look forward to being close to it all. We have traveled plenty for the last three years, and Chiang Mai just fit the bill the best.

Best Regards,

Kevin

Hello,

We are looking for a small house in central Chiang Mai for the three of us; myself, my wife and 12 year old son. A 1 year agreement is great.

We'd love something small and simple, we always like to live in an area before considering buying to get a better feel of different neighborhoods. Have already viewed several 1 and 2 bedroom condos in different areas, from 5 to 20 minute drives from the central. Would just love to live close to everthing.

Thank you for any tips or leads sent way!

Best regards,

Kevin

Hello Bagan68,

Thanks for posting, the responses here have answered a couple of questions I had. We'll test out some of this accomodation advice when we arrive in Chiang Mai i this October.

Will happily provide feed back on what we learn!

Best Regards,

Kev

From another link it shows that Thailand is the world's 14th largest importer of oil. Not a good portend for the near term future of the Thai economy as its oil import needs are large compared to the size of its economy so its going to be hit hard by the rise in the oil price.

Lets hope that the agricultural boom earns enough money to pay for all that oil

Unfortunatly... no.

Total value of energy imports (crude, gas, coal, etc.) (source EPPO)

2007 = 874 billions THB

2006 = 919 billions THB

Total value of agricultural + fishery exports (source BOT)

2007 = 493 billions THB

2006 = 474 billions THB

There is no escape.

Thailand has a very high oil Intensity (amount of oil required to produce a unit of economic output). Like in China (source UNDP report)

No need to be Einstein to understand that Thailand (and most of asian countries) are and will suffer a lot from energy prices, compare to western countries.

-because of higher oil intensity

-and because their population is much poorer (it means, proportionally, any hike have much greater impact)

It's a very dangerous cisor effect.

The optimistic people think that everything will be okay, and that energy efficiency will increase in Asia. Sure. But on the long term.

It's impossible to imagine Thailand switching in a few years to a services economy, increasing a lot its energy efficiency, or switching to nuclear and solar energy, or increasing the purchasing power of all of its population. Day dreaming.

Therefore, it's not gloom and doom... just the harsh reality : we are on a bumpy road.

I see...what about wvo (waste vegie oil) processing used oil into fuel?

What about alternate fuel such as vegie oil ?? Any of that going on?