WinnieTheKhwai

On 2/13/2018 at 12:22 AM, mat999 said:

Just in time for a quick escape from the worst of the smog perhaps. Isn't an airline also flying to an airport in the center of Vietnam? I assume less smog than CM with it being coastal.  I was thinking of the other one to check out Hoi Ann (already visited) or Da Nang as a place to live. 

Are you sure that Hanoi isn't worse than Chiang Mai in March?

You may be able to do a 10 year lease if the owner is up for that sort of commitment. 

Or just buy it, to be owned by a Thai person of your choice and then do the lease and other paperwork.  That way your rent money (and renovation budget) doesn't just evaporate but the asset eventually goes to a person you know and like.

Renovating is fun by the way.

And then after: 

Looks nice, and i like the Xiaomi brand.   Do make sure that you can easily order replacement filters when deciding on any air filter. 

Also there is a Toshiba unit on Lazada right now for a good price, around 3600 Baht.  Not quite as fancy but it does the job.   (I've had one for a couple years.)

Toshiba air purifier on Lazada

^  Burning ban starts March 1st. 

Daily AQI averages are out of the red by mid April.

Regularly scheduled rain begins in May or so.

19 hours ago, TheScribe said:

The real smog is starting now.  This website is a good place to track it:- 

 

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/chiangmai---cmis/

 

Also Air4Thai app on your smartphone.

 

I don't recommend using the Air4Thai app because it doesn't take PM2.5 levels into account.  It goes by the old/current PM10 based standard.   

I like the aqicn.org site, but keep in mind it converts everything to the US EPA AQI index so you cannot compare those numbers with either the raw PM2.5 or PM10 figures you see in the Air4Thai app; it's literally not the same scale/thing that's being shown. 

Also keep in mind that the aqicn.org site will happily show stations on the map that have different capabilities.  So then Mae Hong Son ends up looking relatively good... only because it only measures PM10 and the aqicn site doesn't clearly indicate this. (You can see it by clicking on it and then checking the graphs, and notice that the number is based on the PM10 reading.   Which is still useful (you can guess a PM2.5 concentration based on PM10), but doesn't make it easy to compare.

The short version:  between now and Songkran is a really good time for a holiday South. Like Andaman-south, the pollution is equally bad currently in Bangkok and only a little better in the Pattaya area.  Although it will come and go a bit, it's very possible for next week to be pretty good again.  (Somehow, every time I decide to leave the air quality improves.. it's a little like causing rain by washing your car..)

And air filters help inside the house, either the 3M filters for your air conditioners, or get a dedicated air filter from Home Pro or Siam TV or something.  

Oh, and smokers don't get to complain about air quality, no matter what it is you're smoking.  Smoking even a small number of cigarettes is WAY worse than anything you breathe in naturally.  Just being in the same area with a person who smokes sends the numbers sky-high.

12 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

That link appears to go to a dead page...

 

And everything else I'm seeing elsewhere on the site appears to be exclusively in Thai language -- even on the supposed EN portion of the website.

I tried it, I think it's because the extra space at the end.  Let me put it as a clickable link: http://aqnis.pcd.go.th/en/data

And yes it's in Thai.  We're in Thailand. :)   It's not super difficult to make sense of though, the columns are the years in Buddhist Era, the rows are the monitoring stations throughout the country.  So you can pick a Bangkok based station that has a PM2.5 capability.  (Ideally one that has had this for the longest time) and then the PDF pages shows the levels per month, January to December.

For example, this is the Din Daeng station for 2015: Din Daeng Pollution Summary 2015

In that year, the average PM2.5 value for January and February was around 60, so that translates to a value of 153 (Red) on the US EPA AQI index, and on the AirVisual App that uses the same index. (Not sure if the app existed back then, but PCD data collection definitely existed.)

The highest value in that year was 101 as a daily average.  (174 US AQI)

This year (I think the Din Daeng station moved.. didn't know that so I'm picking one of the new ones at Rama 4 )  This year the average for the year to date (Jan/Feb) is 45, so that's a bit lower.

10 hours ago, speedtripler said:

My independent  phone app Says the bkk air is at "dangerous"  levels and advised I should close the windows and wear a mask.... I've been living  in this air for decades but I think the app thinks it's not like this everyday lol

 

 

The app is independent but the Thai government makes the data available.  The app then converts to the US EPA AQI index. 

Which ends up at 'Unhealthy.'  'Dangerous' (or "Hazardous" actually) is the most severe level.  At unhealthy you could wear a mask when going outside, but the advisory for this one is: 

Quote

The following groups should avoid prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion:

 

• People with lung disease, such as asthma

• Children and older adults

• People who are active outdoors

 

Everyone else should limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

So it's not a good time to go for marathon.    Not sure the AirVisual app icons actually indicate a recommendation, but the EPA scale is made by the EPA, who of course also wrote the advisory associated with it.  It's here: US EPA AQI Information

6 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

PM2.5 is either measured precisely or is calculated on the basis of the PM10 measurement, the latter being really quite accurate - this has been known for years in Thailand and on this forum, the excuse has always been that the measuring equipment is too expensive, today it's not and the argument is irrelevant anyway.

^ No.   Directly measuring PM2.5 is preferred, because the PM2.5 component of a PM10 reading varies depending on the origin of the pollution.    And the Thai PCD of course measures this for more and more locations, but not all stations have this capabilty.  (They will by 2022 I think, I don't remember which year exactly but it's in progress, press releases are on the PCD site.)

4 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

It would be interesting to go back and see year by year how the numbers for Bangkok have changed, or not, using the same AQI index, for whatever period of years comparable data is available.

 

You can, the PCD makes both real-time as well as historical data available.   It's at http://aqnis.pcd.go.th/en/data  

That's raw PM2.5 numbers, but you can of course convert that to any AQI you prefer. (Like the USA one for example; many people seem to like it.  I've been doing that myself for the past couple years for Chiang Mai.)

3 hours ago, Jonmarleesco said:

Ah, there is the crux of the matter.

 

WHO safe limit <25. Thai safe limit <50. Current levels, in the three-figure range. And forget China; there are international monitors that dispute the Thai interpretation.

Hmmmmm.... No.   You can read the 2006 publication by the WHO on this.  '25' is a long term strategic goal to try and get as close to that as possible.  It's not intended as a limit that's feasible or achievable for almost anywhere in the world and especially not land-locked Asia.   There are interim goals defined in that paper too, I guess to make it somewhat more feasible.     The proposed Thai PM2.5 limit is at 50 microns, which is pretty strict, that's 137 US EPA AQI (Orange).   It's stricter than China, and less strict than the current USA standard.    However even 50 microns is readily exceeded in some seasons/locations in Thailand so making it any stricter just means they'll go over a lot more.   I think it's fine, and a huge improvement over the old PM10 based limit.

10 hours ago, salween said:

Amazing we have to rely on China to get the truth out. Thainess in a nutshell, as real-time data's available for all--journalists too should they choose to look beyond what the government puts out.  

Newsflash (apparently..) :  all the PM2.5 based data you see, including the US EPA AQI numbers in pretty orange and red colors on Aqicn.org all originate from the Thai government, which has been excellent in making this available in an automated feed.   You can also look this up on the aqmthai website if you like. 

I liked the dealer past Promenada on the New Sankamphaeng Road.

They had one (the XV) and went on a much longer test drive than usual at car dealers.   I really liked the vehicle too; it would be my choice by far for anything Corolla-size. 

In the end needed something bigger, but the XV is a really nice car.  Likely easy to pick up second hand these days too.

Does anyone know if Rimping and Riverside management are okay with shorter-term rentals, like holiday rentals?  (not sure there is a whole lot they can even do about it, but okay.)

2 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

It seems to ebb & flow and go in cycles.....Sometimes the contributors are mostly unpleasant - other times it goes pretty nicely....

Hmm.. I think web forums are kind of over.  Mostly Facebook groups now. 

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

Anonymous forums seem to be a thing of the past though .

Just part of the naturally evolving internet , began with E-mail groups , message boards, forums and now its facebook and twitter

And Usenet, yes..  soc.culture.thai and all those. 

Huge misconception on the part of Facebook that lack of anonymity makes things better.   It actually makes it worse, by a lot.

On 1/9/2018 at 8:37 AM, Jai Dee said:

I think you are correct... 9naliga is the name of the business that my friends use.

 

May be good to have the link in the old post removed or corrected;  it links to a site with fakes/replicas. 

As for Papaya, their prices are really, REALLY competitive. To the point that it's borderline suspicious, as it's readily 25% lower than what you see internationally for used Rolex.   Yet not so low that they'd be obvious fakes. 

I think they're very likely legitimate, especially as they're in business so long, but I still wonder how it's possible.

http://papayawatch.com/productextra.php?id=new 

11 minutes ago, evenstevens said:

I  was asking Nancy L,   not you

You may want to look up what a discussion forum is.

41 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Far as I know it's not illegal to move to a guesthouse, as long as you can prove you are living there. I get a letter from the management and copy of the TM 30 and that works for me.

The key words would be LIVING THERE.

Right, that's why I would prefer that my house owner just processes a TM30 registration for a very recent arrival back at my main residence.   Which the house owner is obliged to do anyway, regardless of any other business you may have to take care of at immigration.

25 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

Moving back and forth to a guest house? Leave town for a day or two?

I find it interesting that people will go to such lengths to avoid a 1600 baht fine...

It's not my fine, and the fine is not related to applying for anything at immigration.   The house owner may want to avoid a fine of course, that's up to her.   My wife for example is pretty good at getting out of such things. I think she ended up paying 800 and that's after years of 'neglecting' to process TM30's for loads of tenants.  ('Neglecting' in quote marks because immigration only decided they cared about this not too long ago. )

Government in this country is real good at moving goal posts on people and then claiming it's the law all along. :)   Also noting that there are loads of other laws on the books that would be pretty damned inconvenient if they ever get around to caring about those.  Like.. showing that you've paid income tax when leaving the country. Or registering at every #$(&#$^ police station in every province you pass through.  Anyway, digressing.

Maybe one more thing would be good to make clear: a TM30 registration makes no claim *at all* about the duration of the stay, if it's a main residence or not, etc.  The only claim made is that a specific person checked in to stay at a particular house or apartment on a particular day.   This is why I have so much trouble with people claiming any of this could be taken as a false statement.   If anyone of yous shows up at one of my wife's places to stay for a night then she will process a TM30 whether you like it or not.  (It's her obligation to do so.)

This is separate from any other things a foreigner might apply for at immigration that does require a copy of a rental contract or some other registration of his residence.  (90 day report perhaps). Although I've done those too with the address as some holiday apartment I happened to be at the time.

8 hours ago, Socky said:

Much time already pass......

Well, in fact my wife don´t bought that land in San Patong. So, right now we are still looking for a new Plot. If anybody know something nice....let me know.

How about here?  https://goo.gl/NjckMC  

Close to the Canal Road which is going to be a nice separate lane highway real soon, making it easier to get into town.  And some nice areas nearby like Ob Khan NP, the Mae Wang area, etc. 

19 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

I assume you are NOT advocating that the person just stays in the GH for just one day to get the TM30 into the "system" and that he then reports to IMM pretending to be still staying there.  That would be illegal!

LOL.   Keep in mind that nobody is claiming anything, and nobody is even asking.  Immigration just wants to go through the motions (almost all of the time) and someone has decided that a TM30 is required now, sometimes.  You're not making any claims whatsoever other than that you were at the guesthouse on the date indicated, and there is a receipt to go with that. 

On 1/29/2018 at 8:06 AM, scottiejohn said:

I am amazed that you are suggesting that someone commit a crime by making a false declaration that will be spotted the minute Imm ask for his rent agreement at his next retirement renewal

Commit a crime..   fals declararion.. were you out of meds this morning?

21 hours ago, Bill97 said:

All the reasons you give are lies. Don't you think it is illegal to knowingly make false statements to the police?

Oh gawd another one..  (Nobody is making false statements. And chances are nobody will even ask, for a typical visa extension.)

However, I do differ slightly with Nancy on what I would do, I think I would stay the night in a guesthouse somewhere (Lamphun or Pai, ideally :) ) come back to what my actual residence is and then let the house owner process the TM30 for the place I stay at most of the time, with today or yesterday as the arrival date.   In this case nobody is doing anything but follow the letter of the law, *extremely* closely.

Yes yes yes.. if the planets align badly and you have an officer who's being a dick then yes, it could result in a 1600 Baht fine.  (Or 800 Baht.. fines seem negotiable in this country).  Chances are however that nobody gives a $#($&.

Quote

.took us home close to mae raem shooting range,83 baht,unbelievable!

I don't think 83 baht is all that unreasonable.  Not as affordable as the Mae Rim songthaews, but overall it seems pretty fair for your own aircon vehicle.

I don't think this is even in doubt, on average you *drastically* reduce life expectancy just by general safety risk: primarily traffic related, but also anything else for which safety guidelines exist in the Western world but are absent or unenforced here.

So the above would be the number 1 cause by far, and then there are smaller factors like food safety (both bacteria or pesticides) and air quality which anywhere in Asia is far worse than in Europe or North America.

And somewhere in between will be personal causes... people are a lot more likely to fall into alcohol abuse and other self-destructing behavior.

But... ITS WORTH IT!! :D

1 hour ago, MaeJoMTB said:

Met a 50 year old DN from Mongolia last week, moving here with his wife and kids.

Recons it's cheaper than Mongolia ..........

And less cold in January.

On 1/19/2017 at 12:48 PM, alex8912 said:

I don't think tons of people from the states came here because of her article. I personally rarely even meet tourists from there.

Because they're all younger.  20-something, or 30-something with kids, or digital nomads. 

There are really a lot of Americans showing up in Chiang Mai.  And Canadians and some Mexicans even; I guess cheap flights via China helps.

I like Cathay.   Quick flight direct to Hong Kong, then on to Vancouver or Toronto direct.

Thank God we have Coconuts to teach Thai people Western morals.

On 1/12/2018 at 10:32 AM, Mark1066 said:

What if you leave the country and come back to the same address in Thailand, less than 24 hours after you left?

Then you will have a new Arrival/Departure card number, and your landlord needs to resubmit your TM30 form.

12 hours ago, sfokevin said:

I’m curious... If someone has not been in compliance and wants to register... could they not just sign a new rental lease with their landlord and then have the landlord go and apply for the TM30?

You don't even need to show a rental agreement or lease contract.  Keep in mind that this is just the basic reporting of where a foreigner is, same as what hotels do.  Hotels also don't worry about where tourists have been before they show up on their doorstep; they don't care and it's not expected of them.

8 hours ago, rumak said:

a much nicer way to put it is :   Immigration CM will see that you had no previous record of reporting

your address (TM 30) and fine you.   Going to a hotel for a few nights will also not work as they will

see when you first entered the country .... Can always try, but few win.

Like others have said, you're not the one reporting.  I also doubt they check as long as you're not on overstay, etc.   "A hotel will see when you first entered the country"... yes they will.  So?    Ever been quizzed at a hotel where you were before and providing a full list?  Hotels can't see this information even if there were several other hotels or landlords who did a TM30 report on you.

6 hours ago, sfokevin said:

If the Thai owner shows up at Immigration with a completed TM30 and a lease that was executed in the last 7/days would it not be accepted without a fine?...

The Thai owner needs to report within 1 day, not 7 days.   And the lease has nothing to do with it, you can lease something anytime, but as soon as a foreigners stays at a place then a TM30 report must be made before the end of the next day.  

4 hours ago, narkeddiver said:

My brother in law owns a guesthouse

 

When he does the reporting for his guests about half the time Immigration try and sting him for guests who haven’t had a TM30 since they’ve been in the country

That's very strange. Are you sure you understood correctly?  It's not the hotel's responsibility to check on where guests may have been before walking in the door.

1 hour ago, narkeddiver said:

He has asked about using the online service but they told him it wasn’t worth it for him as he only has 9 rooms - I’ll get him to ask again when he goes out there next

That's also very strange. I know of a place with 4 rooms that reports online just fine.   As with many bureaucracy-related things though: it often depends on who you ask.  But 9 rooms is plenty, that's several new guests every day.