mrclough

if you are resident here you will have Thai friends and they know what sort of person you are.

Don't even go down the 'I have Thai friends' route. Even Thais don't have Thai friends.

Ha ha, I know exactly where you're coming from with that.

Fair comment lol

Can't you just buy another phone and change the sim card?

Could do, but I have a phone that is fine, just needs a new battery. Why buy something new for 15,000B when what I bought is as good and only needs a new battery for 1500B?

So you can't possibly do with a 500THB Nokia or Samsung for a few days just to provide basic communication? Rather have no phone than MY phone lol.

Hope you don't get stuck in the toilet lol

Well, I've read this topic all the way through.

I'm still trying to work out which category (if any) I fall into.

I travel around as and when I feel the urge and have time. I'm based here in Chiang Mai and live a few KM out of town.

When I travel sometimes I take a train, sometimes a bus but usually opt to fly where possible as it's quicker and more comfortable, not to mention safer.

Do I use a back pack? On occasions as I may only be taking a small amount of stuff with me, say for one or two nights for example.

Usually I will use a larger holdall bag or a case if I'm going on longer journeys. This is simply due to the size and the fact I find easier to pack neatly.

When I get somewhere I can't wait to go exploring and don't often take a map or guidebook for reference, just see how it works out.

Sometimes I do like to do touristy stuff and will occasionally book on a tour.

If I'm travelling by motorcycle then I tend to plan things a little more as you have to stop for gas etc.

I never wander around without a shirt on unless I'm swimming, I couldn't subject people to that lol.

I tend not to get drunk in public very often as I'm concious of the fact I have to return home.

So, am I a back packer or one of the seemingly more hated suit case brigade?

The reason I ask is that I tend to try and not dislike someone just on what I judge their appearance is. don't judge a book by it's cover I think the saying goes. sometimes, rarely, I get a bad feeling about someone within minutes of meeting them and I'll make my excuses and leave.

I can see the point many are making about the stereotypical grungy unkempt appearance some of the younger back packing crowd have, all growing dreadlocks to express their collective individuality lol and I can understand the concern that the "bad apples" may leave the wrong lasting impression on the local Thai community of us foreigners. I think many are worrying a little too much about this though, if you are resident here you will have Thai friends and they know what sort of person you are. Good or bad.

Can't you just buy another phone and change the sim card?

That's far too easy and simple lol

The Acer repair center on Huay Kaew (which was worthless anyway) is gone.

That's the one which is now by Chiang Mai gate

Not exactly Miss Worlds at the old one are they!!!

They are from Khon Kaen if you like that look. Personally I don't find that (and the Ubon Rachathani look) very appealing. But to each their own.

I agree, it's a horrible look. Makes you wonder why folks from Khon Kaen or Kalasin don't all wear paper bags over their head.

(BTW, for anyone else, no need to rush to either location, she left a long time ago.)

I can drop onto facebook and ask her where she is and what she's up to if anyone needs though lol

I wonder when the regular price hikes and piss poor excuses for not having beers readily available in every other bar in Chiang Mai will begin.

Last time I was in No.1 in town they "apparently" still couldn't get large bottles of Singha due to BKK floods. <deleted> ?????

They could, however, supply smaller bottles and around 2/3 of the price and around half the quantity.

At the risk of sounding defensive, (^ kidding) when I was there the last time (new location) and I ordered a Leo beer, they asked if I'd like a big of a small one. I normally don't drink big bottles (just too much) but I think it does show that there is no business game going on. (I'm not doubting the old location ran out of big Singha's of course, and I'm also not doubting that a silly reason was given)

They never ran out of large Leo's to be fair lol but I find the taste of Leo a little sweet for my liking.

I don't think it was a case of running out as the occasion I mentioned was quite recent I do however think it was purely a case of not ordering / buying any as they have a larger profit option on the smaller bottles.

I wouldn't mind this so much if they just simply had taken the large ones off the list to avoid confusion. It was more the lame ass excuse they've been using since December that annoyed me more than anything, especially as I'd been to Makro and bought a case of large Singha's that morning.

Never mind, there's plenty more places to drink in town.

As a side note regarding the food, I had a few different dishes when i used to go to No.1 and can't say any of them were particularly good. Nothing bad about them either just average food to be matched or bettered in many other places.

Samsara

True exploration does not mean finding new places. It is much better thought of as exploring the world for one's own experiences, regardless of who's there or how many are there. Exploration is exploring the mind as much as anything else, and going places on a budget means gaining experiences to stimulate the mind.

I don't know how you can feel so certain about everything you say. I have already questioned your 'facts' about why places like pai, ko tao have become 'ruined'. You have seemingly a fixed idea of what a backpacker is in your head, and it perhaps reflects more on your perceptions than any reality.

You also are very against 'drugs', so i do hope you've tried them all so you know what you're talking about from experience.

Backpackers that i'm talking about do indeed travel around with a rucksack for very functional reasons. As for shaving, or not, so what either way?

I see two kinds of young people in thailand traveling around: those with rucksacks and those with suitcases they wheel around. I do my own generalising and call the first travelers and the latter tourists. I have my own problems with the 'tourists' due to most of them having a dstinct lack of respect for the space of other travelers and the locals.

Interesting line. In moving forward with technology etc would it be fair to include the "virtual backpacker" Who gains experience and expands their minds through reading and studying various places from the privacy of their own home on their computers?

Very cheap for tobacco products too if memory serves me well.

I think you may struggle with this, Acer phones are not that popular from what I can tell. Don't know why as they are just HTC's in a different shell lol.

You may have more luck with some of the mobile phone stores in central.

Bearing in mind the comment about HTC's, that could also be an option as there's a good chance the battery is the same too.

I wonder when the regular price hikes and piss poor excuses for not having beers readily available in every other bar in Chiang Mai will begin.

Last time I was in No.1 in town they "apparently" still couldn't get large bottles of Singha due to BKK floods. <deleted> ?????

They could, however, supply smaller bottles and around 2/3 of the price and around half the quantity.

I don't mind a genuine reason for not stocking a local beer that everyone else has but that along with the attitude of a couple of the staff (only a couple to be fair) means my money will be spent elsewhere.

Good luck to Joy & Fred and I'm sure they will do well.

There's a couple of places on Hai Keaw road.

Try Robinsons

Try Big C

Try Tesco Lotus

Try Google?

You may get better information posting this in the motorcycling forum

Agree that 99% of the time booking direct is cheaper. Quite often if you sign up to their loyalty / frequent flyer memberships you usually get extra luggage allowance too. This is free with all airlines I think, best to check though.

I also find www.asiatravelmarket.com to be a good place to start checking prices. Not always the cheapest but good for a general idea before searching deeper.

I guess you mean to say you currently are staying in Thailand on an extension of stay based on employement, instead of based on marriage as before.

In that case, If your employement ends, your permission to stay in Thailand also ends that day and you have cancel your extension of stay based on employement and to leave the country. But, when you go to cancel your permission to stay, you can then ask for a new extension of stay based on your marriage. (If you can show an income of 40,000 a month OR 400,000 in the bank in Thailand for 2 months. If not, you can get a 60 day extension without proof of finances).

" For 3 out of the last 5 years I have just had a Marriage Visa but this year I have the choice of either a Marriage Visa or getting a Visa with a work permit."

Doesn't read that way to me.

As far as I'm aware you can have a marriage visa and a work permit with that visa.

Best bet is to probably take a trip to immigration down by the airport and ask the question.

The people there are more helpful than they get credit for on most forums.

And here was me thinking Wigan was only famous for rugby league and pies lol

I think what the Op is wanting is somewhere without progress and where time stands still.

Maybe things have moved forward faster than you can deal with them.

Maybe as a multi-cultural and developing city Chiang Mai (and the rest of the country) are moving in a direction and at a pace that is too much for you to cope with.

No matter how much you don't like it, it's going to continue this way regardless.

As you say, you have travelled as a back packer, by the sounds of things, for quite a lot of years. This kind of travelling is usually students taking a year from studies who then return to education or work. I'm presuming by the number of years travelling you do not fall into this category.

Could it be that your "loss in status" has made you a little jealous of the people who spend their years working and not travelling backpack / hippie and made a decent living?

I'm not saying you haven't but it's quite easy to make that presumption from your comments.

I only just read your previous post boasting how you've seen lots of bands and artists and lived in a one room place.

Saw no reference to you're standard of education at all.

Maybe this post refers to another previous post along the same lines, pass?

I will say though, unless it's some really special place that 16000 is way over priced for a one room house / apartment / studio in Chiang Mai.

Caution! No floor ahead!

Budget enema clinic ahead?

Very nice Naan breads too.

I find their Madras to be a little on the mild side if I'm honest. There is also Vindaloo in their range which IS hot and also Phaal? (forgive the spelling) which I've heard is about as hot as curry gets. Given this a miss as I know it will be too hot for me.

Strange the difference between hot Thai food which I like and hot Indian which I cannot eat at all.

There's a guy walking around Night Market who will sell you one a lot cheaper. And I'm sure it's "authentic". But I forgot - you can't get counterfeit goods in Thailand, right?

Authentic!!!! hahaha, from the picture I dont see that it is equipped with several gadget's by Q branch, such as the intense magnetic field powerful enough unzip a Bond girl's gown and a buzz saw no less.

If you see him make sure its a Rolex for a start.

Most places in town, the zips will start to come down if you're flashing a thousand baht around

Nice watch but don't think I'll be shelling out all that money on one.