WinnieTheKhwai

If you ARE a retired expat living on (modest) foreign funds, then if anything this is a good thing. Throws Thailand back years, prolonging 'cheap third world banana' status.

(I'm not in that category, I actually need Thailand to develop and prosper which by the way is also something I want Thai people to enjoy, however I wanted to point this out.)

It's rather funny (if it wasn't so sad) that a couple months ago on this very forum you often had topics going "Thailand is getting expensive, there's more and more rules, the bars are closing at midnight, screw this, I'm leaving." So... I fear in the end it remains a personal choice of where you want to live, i.e. where you feel the most happy with your quality of life vs expenses.

Try a shop called Bangkok Furniture, on the Middle Ring ,just North of the underpass with the New Sankamphaeng Road. (left hand side when driving North), or alternatively take a left turn when driving East-bound on the New Sankamphaeng Road when you get to the Middle Ring.

(Note: It's close to the intersection, if you take the underpass going north you probably exit the tunnel once already past it; not sure completely but best to not take the tunnel going North.)

Nice lake, and again, no shortage of those. But also note there's no place to just sit/hang and have some food or a drink.

Where's the place 10 minutes outside the superhighway?

Here's some pics to show I have no trouble finding scenic lakes, I have trouble finding scenic lakes with some rafts or restaurants on or near them!

Maps.google.com shows you the lakes, but it doesn't show which ones have food & drink opportunities.

As long as Thai people elect him I'd applaud it.

My only concern would be that he's obviously very divisive. A national unity government including BOTH Thaksin and the Dems I'd applaud even more.

I mean it's obvious the rural poor want Thaksin, there should not be the need to play charades with people-who-would-be-suspected-to-be-proxies.

let's get it out in the open and work for the country for a change.

Personally I'd get shit scared if the PM WOULD set up office in Chiang Mai, as that would be a clear sign of a North vs South type division. That could be the start of much worse things.

Hand on your heart, do you really think they would try anything in Chiang Mai?

In the urban center of Chiang Mai there IS considerable support for the Democrat Party, and possibly even PAD. It's definitely 'possible'. Not sure if it's 'likely' but at the very least it provides an opportunity for Red minded people to do something to show THEIR voice.

The head Sheep and Leading Pinhead Against Democracy goon is spitting furiously. The AOT director has upset him and now Somchai is going to Chaing Mai and the goon squad cannot get there before him! Can somebody on the PAD stage not give him some tranquilisers, he is going to have a fit.

I wonder is ASTV will be showing the arrival of the ELECTED PM at Chaing Mai (Democratic Seat of Power in Thailand since Bangkok was over run) airport.

The PM was not elected, GET IT RIGHT.

Or, to get it really really right:

During elections, the voters elect parliament.

Then parliament elects the PM.

If a PM steps down without dissolving parliament, they can elect another PM, like they did in this case. All of this is per the military drafted constitution.

'get it right'

Besieged?! It's being PROTECTED from the same type of mob rule that's rife in Bangkok.

Well said, Winnie. My thoughts exactly....they are there to keep the airport open, not to close it. Only a PAD zombie couldn't tell the difference.

Protection is in the eye of the beholder.

Well let's see. The 'beholder' in this case is the airport that's being protected, to insure it remains OPEN.

Not sure if any other viewpoint really applies, unless you're in favor of shutting down this airport as well?

Umm in my luggage I have a few yellow and red shirts, only cos I enjoy those colours.

Given the current problems. Should I go out and buy some new shirts or just be careful where I go.

I am due in Bangkok tomorrow?

Nah, it doesn't really apply to foreigners.. I still wear red shirts on occasion.

Besieged?! It's being PROTECTED from the same type of mob rule that's rife in Bangkok.

Please see this new topic about Gen. Anupong's call for the dissolution of parliament:

www.thaivisa.com/forum/Gen-Anupong-suggests-House-dissolu-t225219.html

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Maestro

And that has /what/ to do with the airport topic?

I assume it's now okay again to have a wider debate about the situation?

If a topic is only about the airport or travel situation then there does exist a spanking Suvarnabhumi sub-forum on this site.

Just be online on Skype, fill in yer in Chiang Mai and they will come to you.

Like, where? I drove around Mae On last weekend and found several lakes, none of which had rafts or restaurants or anything else.

I'm sure I've seen that in the San Kamphaeng area, but really don't remember where, or if it's still in operation.

Easy, do whatever else it takes to trigger a coup, then stick yellow flowers on tanks again.

Yes and that about hits the nail on the head, all just memories now.

Adult night entertainments in Chiang Mai are only renants of what they used to be.

Much of the good stuff has long gone. what`s left is over priced, no thrills and standard run of the mill.

Did you read the original post?

Check it out.

> Is 3 months a norm?

There are no norms in Thailand.

Will be returning for my 3rd visit to Chaing Mai in December and I am looking forward to going there once again.

As you say its now a respectable place to visit, are you telling me it never used to be????

Right. In the nineties it used to be a Go-go bar. Then it morphed into a regular bar when the place next door became the go-go, then that morphed into a regular bar, then that was sold to the Naga boutique hotel behind it, and now there's just Cosy Corner again, but still as a regular respectable bar.

That concludes the history lesson.

And here is another recommendation:

There's always some kind of change or remoddeling or name-changing going on at Cosy Corner, but the latest change works really well and it's now a very respectable bar to visit.

Especially the roof top is VERY nice. You have a view of the town, the cheapest drinks prices by tourist/expat bar standards and the food (yes) deserves special mention, specifically the Thai food. It's very well done, as good as any proper restaurant and prices are reasonable.

I went out with a visiting friend yesterday, and I'm sharing an experience I found noteworthy.

As you may know, being tasked with 'showing virbrant nightlife' in Chiang Mai is not easy. Often people want to see the aspects of nightlife that Thailand is famous for, but to be honest none of it is very exciting. We all know the establishment on Kotchasarn, and the one near the D2 hotel. Ho hum.

Oh, and then there's that dark, dank, mostly-Thai rip-off place near that boxing ring center of bars near the Mae Ping hotel.

This particular one however, has CHANGED! I went in there as a last resort, because I hadn't been there in YEARS and was out of options. Well guess what. It wasn't too dark, it wasn't wall to wall with drunk Thais, it wasn't pushy and there were no ladyboys. Most importantly, they actually have a pretty tasteful and interesting show now. I can't go into detail but I'll leave you with noting that 'tasteful' is a word that I would NEVER have thought to use referring to that place! There's still a cover charge (150 baht) which includes one drink.

Show starts at 11pm, and there's a reprise at 12:30am (I asked)

Go have a look if you're into that on occasion, or have friends or family visiting that need to be shown what they consider 'Thai nightlife'. (If you're not into that (and mostly I am not either) then you're obviously not missing much; please skip this topic in that case.

The boxing ring area was also remarkably busy, I mean compared to the bottom end of Loi Kroh. So overall that area might actually WORK if you have one night to show people around from a tourism point of view, as pretty much everything is there in one location. And Guitarman is a short walk away.

Did anyone of you ever thought you'd move to Thailand to be discussing washing machines?

That as an aside.

Anyway, I have a new Electrolux front loading machine and indeed it also uses very little water. I'm happy to read that that's okay. Clothes do come out clean just fine.

If you're based more or less permanently in Thailand (i.e. not an expat at Nikhom or Embassy employee and here for a couple years if that) then I don't think international schools make sense at all.

So what if you scrape all your money together to send them to Prem or Grace et al.. And then what when they get out of there.. They will find they can't even get into CMU or Chula in Thailand because nobody ever bothered to teach them the basics of what Thai schools teach (language and their version of Thai history.. Not saying that knowledge of their version of Thai history is worth two rusty satangs, but you need that to get into mainstream higher Thai universities.)

So then you're stuck. Your kid is 16 or 18 or whatever, and he/she has no option but to move abroad for even higher expenses because there's no path to CMU or Chula. Your kid may not even be able to read and write Thai! That to me is not a balanced education for families who have made the choice to make Thailand their home.

My opinion :

Wualai road 'traditionally' has a lot of shops that sell silverwares. (Any day of the week). The Saturday market adds to that; I bet the silver shops remain open for that.

I think those shops are very sad; prime examples of a completely fading industry; most shops are family run with the families having more than enough money, and just keeping their dusty shops open for 'Asian reasons' such as it being bad luck to close them down.

Face it, silver is a cheap material and currenlty not very sought after by Thai people. (Gold is king, silver is nothing).

However, I do have a recommendation to make for silver stuff and it's NOT on Wualai: On Thapae Road there is a shop called 'Angel' I believe (not sure about the name) and the guy there is really quite good, and the prices reasonable. When driving it's on the right hand side not too far before you hit Thapae Gate. (Or when walking from the gate, then it'd be on the left)

> I speak pretty good Thai and would like a someone who doesn't cater to Farangs only.

Frankly, as most Thais don't give two sh*ts about silver, you will find the most talented people designing and crafting stuff with an international audience in mind. It's a Good Thing.

I prefer to turn that statement around. What you see on the Internet ARE their rates. "Walk-in / Rack rate" is some kind of LSD infused fantasy on the part of the management, but it isn't a price anyone in their right mind should do anything but laugh at.

I saw morning fog yesterday. Is that okay to talk about?

here are all the tourists going to spend their money on breakfast in soi 2 moonmuang road at 11 30 AM Today.

That's... scary. I mean, Moon Muang Soi 2, the motor of the Chiang Mai economy...

WTK