uptoyoumyfriend

I'd like to get on the wagon as the topic is already going.

i am looking for a long term lease that will have to be recorded at the land office.

i also wonder how much i will have to shell out?

on tha phae soi 1 coming from loi kroh opposite the meridian if you walk (north) or drive slow and look to the left (west) there is an outfit where they print banners,big,really big in the backyard. i would check there.

makes me wonder if all the people here that call for the axe would talk the same way if it was an Aussie or a Brit!

pun pun who opened the restaurant at sun dok might know-i think he's specializing in seeds for organic farming so he would know the farmers. you can google him.

need a two week visa for feb here in chiang mai-where and for how much -anybody?

i would try with the vegetarian society on mahidol rdthey had some king of recycling /thriftstore going on last time i ate there

The missus wants to rent out the cm-bungalow

i did craigslist and t-visa any other bright ideas?

A guide? Like a tour guide? You don't need anyone to go to the bank with you to open an account and I would suggest to you to never consider taking a stranger with you to open a bank account!

As for a condo, why don't you research on-line? When you are here you can take a taxi to the addresses of the places you are interested in.

As far as silver jewelry is concerned, there are some shops on Thanon Wu Lai that sell this.

Really, it is not advisable to have a complete stranger with you when you are conducting this extremely personal business like opening bank accounts, purchasing quantities of jewelry, etc. You just never know...

however-

while i agree that you could do it all by yourself ,it will save a lot of time and you might get better results with somebody to show you around.like for example getting the condo first so you can give the bank an address where you're staying.

doing research online before coming is a good idea though.but you might look at a lot of condos in the wrong part of cm.i don't know a lot of apartments but could show you how to find them by pointing out a few.

places for silver are another thing .you might get lucky with a tuk tuk driver but then again you might not.i have done it before.

i have been in cm for more than seven years and it took time to find it all ,although people here om thai visa can give you a lot of info.

if you're interested i would show you some stuff and answer other quests you might have.as guiding is strictly for thais any westerner like myself can only do it for free.i did on other occasions though shop for people in the west and ship it out to them with their trusted and established shippers. my wife here has a business at the night bazaar and many good connections for wholesale. you can pm me when you're here and if i have the time i point out some stuff to you or i can give you some phonenumbers of thai guides that are trustworthy. we will see how it works out-up to you my friend-

Anyone spotted Skippy Natural Peanut Butter in Chiang Mai lately? It has no hydrogonated oils, but stays solid because it is mixed with natuaral palm oil.

Bangkok and Pattaya sell it everywhere, but I can't find it in CM now. Have you seen it around?

honestly,do you really come all the way to chiang mai to get skippy peanutbutter ???

With all due respects to everything Thai, if you want a quality job done you have got to have (absolutley essential) to have an expat controlling the work.

I don't care whether it's someone's brother in law or the maid's boyfriend, you are doomed to failure if you go it alone with a Thai company.

Quality / reliabilty are not in the Thai dictionary.

They will arrive (if they arrive at all) anywhere between 09.00 - 10.00. - 11.00. You will fnd them sleeping under trees (on your $) They will mix concrete that is no better than soup.

The design (I think that you said that you have some drawings) will if it is double storey have stairs at a minimum rake of 45 degrees.

I disagree to an extent. Having an influential Thai overseeing things certainly worked for two properties I have had the misfortune to find myself living next to during their construction. Neither site was anything to do with expats - land owned by Thais, houses built by Thais, houses sold to Thais.

I can tell you exactly what time they started work. 8am on the nail for one, 9 for the other. They worked through to 6 every day including Saturday, and usually Sunday too. Mostly workers imported from Surin. A couple of times 'slackers' were given just hours to leave if their work wasn't up to scratch... no notice in Thailand.

one thing has nothing to do with the other.

it doesn't matter if thai or falang but somebody must check the work.i build my own house in cm and we had to sit there and count the buckets of sand and stone that went into the mixer with one bag of cement.insist on the right steel and dimensions and so forth.everything that costs money will be held short,safety is not a concern and if they work for a falang cost isn't either.and no matter how much you try they will always find a way to <deleted> you unless you are there and rule with a strong hand with a smile and and with money.make sure never to pay upfront.who has the cash has the power.i cannot remember how many things needed to be done twice,and there is no planning for to morrow either.and no cleaning of the site.never.sorry.but that is how it is. good luck.

i am happy i am done. two storey 90 sqm each and a big porch and carpark for one milion total. can't beat the price.

and by the way ,it will be 90% burmese labor.

12 $ rolex and some 3 $ ray bans

some nice handicrafts and other presents at low prices if you bargain ,which is easy enough.

my friends were always happy with the stuff i brought back

me ,me!

i'm off to loi kroh right now-see you there.

salads are everywhere-it is the thai's favorite.

just ask for dam thai don't be shy (or dumbthai if you're american like me)

tell them to hold the msg ( mai sai choorook)

and the crab (boo),just in case

or go for dam taeng,cucumber or mamuan-mango.

deliciuos ,fresh, cheap everywhere-thai.

Just maybe it's got nothing to do with regional heritage, but everything with hiring a bunch of hilltribe chicks fresh off a mountain for a 100 baht/hour local massage shop, because at those prices you can't really afford people with any kind of experience or training.

So instead of trying to find a person from a particular region, I'd try to change the type of establishment where you go for massages? (Something that's very long running and not a typical tourist place. The Old Medicine Hospital on Wualai comes to mind.)

while i think that you unduly discriminate against hilltribe people and regular 100 bt massage shops ,where a lot of the practitioners have not only training but also experience and deliver a good massage-well-that said-i must say that old medicine hospital .which is a little out of the way there just across from the old chiang mai cultural center i think it's called-anway-

old medicine hospital does give a really great massage,just tell them first if you prefer soft or strong .the place is clean too.

it is just 250 for 2 hours and a tip of course.

My two top choices would be:

Khun Churn - veg food restaurant tho. But great food, great price, great setting, and a mix of clientele.

Sorry, where can I find this (and other veggie places) in CM?

soi 1 nimmah.rd?

i remember there was a huge blog about vegetarian food here in the chiang mai section, should be easy to search.

although i am not vegetarian myself i find more and more a lot of the thai food tastes best without the meats.

for example the kao soi, a very good one just three buildings west of chiang mai gate at the vegetarian place there.big portion too and just 25 batzkies.

onemans choice:

.......If I'm quoted, say, 150 baht to go to my destination, I'll hand the driver 200, with a smile and a thank you.

I hold my right hand up, palm facing out, to signal that I don't want any change.

What a wonderful smile I get in return.

Now I will add another more name to my "Ignore User List" on this forum, (but I won't mention any name specifically).

If anyone has questions about using the "Ignore", you are welcome to contact me..........

however,

I could not agree more that passing out money for nothing will give you smiles all around, not just in thailand,

but since i am now on your shitlist you wont

even read this anyway ,what a nice way to avoid otherness -

don't worry though -i love you too-

the fuel cost claim by the driver shows just how they bullshit you ,they have almost no cost at all as far as fuel is concerned since they almost entirely use the government subsidized lp gas if not the even cheaper compressed natural gas.

i am not sure how it works but thai taxi and tuk tuk and songtheaw drivers are for the most part the worst thai society has to offer.they are rednecks and redshirts,their mafia will keep chiang mai forever choking from pollution and free of real public transportation .

they are the people you saw blowing the asian meeting in pattaya earlier this year.thugs whenever they get the chance.

meter my ass-forget that.

Take the road to the Ping River/Ban Tawai/Hang Dong. About 200 m before Wat Pha Dua and the bridge on the Ping River (you cant' miss that one), take the small road on your right. Go for about about 1 km, you'll see the sign (J & S Bakery) on your right hand side. The bakery and the baker's house are down below. He also has fresh beers.

BREAD AND BEER!

now you're talking - i will find it fer sure-thanks again--uptymfr--

thanks everybody-

obviously there is jj, kasem and rimping,i knew that,there is also lotus.

but they all share the lack of something in the product that makes bread really delicious. even the little place near cm gate that mekes really nice croissants.

i will try to find that german baker in serapi,however a phone number would have been great since it is not easy to find anything by the address alone. but i will try.and i if i strike gold i will post it here

i know the pain and i have a couple good mechanics.one

is called dam ,on left side cm lampun rd in nongpuen.only thai is spoken.

the other one however did like 10 years in vegas and his english is great.

forgot his name but it goes something like that:

on the same road ,after nonghoi after miguels, near the turnoff to wiang cum come on the same right side coming from cm there is a guy selling pots and plants and stuff for gardening.he is friendly looking always wearing a big hat.

you turn in to the right just at his place and see big buses in front of you.look to the right and there is a car mechanic with all the right telltale signs in english-voila. if you can't find it pm me and i go get the number.

i take my isuzu pickup to dam simply because me thinks he is cheepa...

came back recently from overseas and brought along an appetite fro a nice loaf.

where to?i live in serapi but will travel.i know carrefour has it but it is far and a little overpriced.

any other suggestions? thanks-i am sure they will rain down on me here pretty quick.

the best is

dental 4 u

i believe they have a website too but the office is on tha phae road right side just before tp-gate.the guy is just excellent,i have a few crowns and a root canal done there.

i sent a number of my american friends there and they all swear by it.

i had work done at kitcha-chiang mai gate too,but got pissed off as they always quoted 300 for the cleaning and then charged 600 reasoning my teeth were dirty.the dental work was very good though.

had some minor work done at funsabai on loi kroh rd,also very good.

i am very worried about not having a dentist at hand at any given time that is why i try new ones all the time ,cleaning and little stuff first.

dental 4 u is the best but a little more money than the others.but still cheap ,especially compared to some of your quotes....

no takers???

if you buy me a beer at john's bar i consider it.

however

after changing continents twice in my life and now 8 years of chiang mai which has actually nothing to do with the point i want to make.

you should be honestly questioning yourself,if you want all the same lifestyle and amenities you have in canada,why leave?

after years there is a big challenge to find purpose in your life for many if you're not the Gypsy type and get off on the otherness ,at least or even better the oriental lifestyle .i don't make many friends here in the expat circle because of finding it hard to be with people always trying to find pizza and hamburgers,complaining about the heat and the thai idiots. why are they here ?

i think most of them just to get laid,although many also complain about their thai partners. there is mail order for that,is there not?

however there is the$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ i guess....

you could ship it but it will not get through customs because of the epa .you will need a certificate from the manufacturer that, and exactly how it complies with us standards and emissions.that certificate is not obtainable to my knowledge. you also need a title which seemed a little easier.i had the same idea ,get a few and spare parts for me and my friends.i think if you are clever and persistent you might get the papers somehow or the certificate and you will have a great business opportunity in the us. then again you might not. you could try to ship it in parts and build your "own".also there is exemptions for bikes 20 years and older.

i think the real hurdle is that honda in america is not interested for what ever reason.

however-

make sure you let me know if you succeed- i will buy one of you here in the states.

i will also send you spare parts from thailand if you should need them