WinnieTheKhwai

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

That's why it's a bet. If it was certain one way or the other then it wouldn't be much of a bet.

And also last year the wet season went on and on in the Southern Gulf side (Samui etc), with heavy rain all the way into December. Perhaps some of that spilled to places further North once, but I don't think it was typical.

You're looking at a LOT more days like today in the next 2 months.

I would go with the Central Thailand forum for the following reasons:

1. Culturally and linguistically it's not a Northern province even though it's sometimes included in the (extended) North.

2. Chiang Mai forum gets more posts, so may drown out anything on Phitsanulok.

That said, it may also depend on the topic; like there are a lot of people here on the Chiang Mai forum, many of which will have visited Phitsanulok (like me).

So if its 'posting' something to spread information then I'd go for the Central Thailand forum, if it's a basic question (any good hotels around town) then I would also try here?

> My concern is that there may not be much of a social life for her. To this end, could

> you please advise what sort of expat community in the 25-35yr old bracket reside in Chiang Mai.

In that range you're looking at NGO workers (plenty), teachers (plenty) plus researchers, students, etc.

And then there's a few more types, like those working for respectable companies, like me. Though I just fall out of the age group.

Typically people in Chiang Mai become less ageist quickly, as they find that they may share more interests with people they'd normally not socialize with, be it younger or older.

Sounds like a bet...

I bet it won't rain until Christmas, and not significantly/prolonged until after Songkran.