OneZero

If really needed CMU has assistants to help you.  It's just that they are not waiting at the front door expecting every customer to need such assistance.  There may be various reasons for choosing your selected vet, but in my opinion you should not be put off of CMU because you are afraid there are no assistants available to help should you really need it. 

Beautiful dog.  Looks friendly too.

What about the CMU small animal hospital?  They have professors that also see patients (animals).  How could there not be competent vets on the staff?

On 1/22/2018 at 4:33 PM, johng said:

On 1/22/2018 at 4:21 PM, B0nkers said:

I think it may just be time to pack up and leave Thailand altogether

The Pattaya/Jomtien air is not normally this bad but it does happen every year

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_(meteorology)

Temperature inversion stops atmospheric convection (which is normally present) from happening in the affected area and can lead to the air becoming stiller and murky from the collection of dust and pollutants that are no longer able to be lifted from the surface. This can become a problem in cities where many pollutants exist. Inversion effects occur frequently in big cities

 

 

The Pattaya/Jomtien air is not normally this bad but it does happen every year

Observations.  I was in Jomtien a week ago and experienced the terrible sooty air (definitely not just fog as it precipitated soot on my car).  I'm now in Chiang Mai & find the air much better here (that's a turn around isn't it). But the air quality in Chiang Mai will definitely also disintegrate by March time frame - it does so on schedule every year. Perhaps there is an annual atmospheric / ocean / land relationship that creates the inversion pollution conditions Sattahip-Bangkok during Dec-Jan+ (as some have noted).  If that is the case I will continue to spend time up north Nov-Feb and head to Jomtien Mar-May. 

Post Office use to be 2000thb for regular size (up to 200cc I think) mc anywhere in Thailand.  Add 1000thb for larger bike.

3 hours ago, Rama said:

I did the Korean Air cnx to ichenon to san fran w 8 hour layover going and 2 hour back. free showers, free places to sleep, and free wifi in 2nd floor of the intl transit terminal. slept about 3 hours on a flat surface and had a free shower. nice airport. 

Is this "Free" stuff at Inchon available for any traveler on Korean Air, or do you have to have a certain level of flying miles as part of their club?

Fredob43, thanks for this hint. I went to google maps to confirm your advice.  This is past Muang Ayuttaya, where 32 meets / merges onto 1 for a very short NE stint before 1 in turn weets / merges on to 9 heading south. (The Saraburi sign is because 1 continues NE to Saraburi if you did not then in turn merge south on to 9).  So I got it, keep left for both of those merges and look for blue airport signs leading to 9 (from 1 on to 9 south is a flyover) .

My trip from Jomtien to Chiang Mai went exceedingly well, thanks to you & Lopburi3.  820Km in 11.5 hrs to include a small diversion to check out Marlin Resort in Kampaengphet (KPP). Marlin resort is well worth the 380 Baht for a clean aircon room motel style.   By myself I wasn't tired (it was only noon, I left Jomtien 0600), but when with wife & cats I'm quite sure we'll stay there.

Speed limits were 120 km/hr  on the motorway toll roads (7 and 9) and 90 KM/hr remainder (dropping a bit near Lampuhn). It was hard not to want to exceed the speed limit on the good roads, and per your advice I was doing 105 in the 90 zones (hope no camera tickets). 

Lampang to Chiang Mai was not quite as nice for several reasons, slightly twisting road in mountains for a stretch and some parts a bit bumpy with patches.  Near Lamphun & on into Chiang Mai it really slowed down with road construction / equipment and associated traffic congestion, workers and dust.  But by then it was just a relatively few more Km to CM. 

Overall a good trip with your help. Thanks again.

I think Chiang Mai had a Bernie Sanders weekly coffee get together for awhile, about a year ago. Haven't heard about it since then. Perhaps Bernie was in town to foster further Trump Urgent Resistance Disorder.

30 minutes ago, natway09 said:

This is an age old problem.

I am a dog lover but not blind enough not to see the negative affects here which can even spread 

disease, attacks & in the end can even have a very negative affect on tourism.

Unfortunately the Thais with their over the top religious  beliefs collectively  do not even want to accept 

that there is a problem, individually only if they are directly affected eg, kid gets bitten.

Culling the old along with spaying young females would be a great thing, but no one is allowed to activate the former & who will pay for & oversee the latter.

The councils tend to just turn a blind eye

 

Why do the Thai's not carry out solutions used in many Western countries?

Natway09, You have identified the cultural & financial reasons; and the root cause of growth of the problem:

"Culling the old along with spaying young females would be a great thing, but no one is allowed to activate the former & who will pay for & oversee the latter."

13 hours ago, altcar bob said:

Quiet, lovable young dog, very shy, but in starvation mode, wanting a home,I would take it but have 5 mutts . Go on   give it a home

Altcar bob:  Hope the op gives you a call.

Fredob43 & Lopburi3,

I cannot thank each of you guys enough for the helpful advice.  You are life savers.  When I initially generated this thread I never anticipated I would get advice as helpful as each of you have provided. You have corrected errors in my initial plans, clarified the routes with directions and pictures (I surely would have ended up heading back into Bkk in that Hwy 9 to AH1 transition maze) and you have suggested a motel style place to stay with our cats.  Once again, thank you both.

Fredob 43,

Our 6 cats were all strays at one time too; but they are family now.  Sorry, can't take any more in our condo.  Hope you can find them good homes if you can't keep them.  Easy to get attached to them, as it's easy for them to get attached to you. 

Ref your following advice, quote: "There are places that you can stay with Cats in K.P.Phet. Most will just give you a key and leave it up to you to unload. Around 300bt for the night."

Are you aware of this just in general, or do you have some specific K,P.Phet place names / locations that we could try to check out?    Such a stay overnight would be helpful.   Any advice appreciated, thanks.

Thank you very much.

On 1/7/2018 at 11:52 AM, fredob43 said:

My last post.

Use all the other suggesting on TV if you want. But please let me reiterate the only way to go.

 

7 from Patts then 9 then 32/1 north via Ayutthaya. Ang Tong, Lop Buri, Uthai Thani, The 32 is mainly 3/4 lane duel carriageway. Taking the bypass past N/Sawan, then on to K.P.Phet, Tak, then on to Lampang, thought the mountains to C/M. After N/Sawan it's 2/3 lane duel carriageway. 

 

All the roads are in good condition except for around N/Sawan. Only last a few KM then back to the good stuff. There are plenty of places to stop for food that's till you get to Tak, after that their a bit thin on the ground.

 

Should take around 10 hours without a stop traffic permitting. Suggest that once you get to K.P.Phet see how you feel as it's another 4 hours? to C/Mai. Stopping overnight in K.P.Phet might be a good idea.

 

Re the night travel please don't, someone said that the crazy M/C Cars are not on the roads after 8/9pm I can assure you they are still plodding about without lights well into the early hours in fact even worse. Not going down the lorry route as that's when they always travel.

 

Best of luck with your trip. Let us know how you get on as it helps everyone.

 

Tip if you leave around 6am you might just make it in daylight time.

Thank you all for your suggestions.  To clarify my needs.  I am not sight seeing.  I want to make the trips in the quickest way possible (safely without speeding). I own condos in Jomtien & CM (primary residence) & while in Jomtien I bought a car which I'm taking back to CM.  In March my wife & our 6 cats (in plastic travel enclosures of course) will return to Jomtien in the car.  We will be in Jomtien 2-3 months before returning CM.  I doubt a motel would tolerate 6 cats so we desire the shortest route that is still safe, since it will be a long trip.

Fredob43: From all that that I've read so far I'm leaning toward taking your advice above. Taking route 32 north via Ayuttaya & the route 1 the rest of the way (vs the Saraburi route 1 connecting to route 11 to CM).  My thoughts are based upon your advice that the route 11 route could add another 1.0 to 1.5 hour to the total trip.  I don't want to lengthen the trip without good reason.

Question 1: Do others agree that this advice is sound / my logic sound? 

Question 2 (based upon view of google maps).  Where route 9 (north) meets route 1, I will have to turn sw (sw) for a short stretch prior to heading north on 32 (via Ayuttaya).  That intersection / transition from route 1 sw (sw) to route 32 north looks like a confusing maze on google maps.  As someone else already noted, one could easily end up heading back into Bangkok.  Any helpful hints about that transition? 

Edit: correctly label that short stretch on rt 1 as being in a sw direction.

Fantastic advice guys, all very helpful.  Thanks.

I got the link to google maps too.

Looking at my map book (a bit dated so highway numbers may not be the latest) I desire to avoid Bangkok congestion on a round trip Pattaya - Chiang Mai - Pattaya. 

I'm sure there will not be signs that say "Go this way to avoid Bangkok on your way to Chiang Mai / Pattaya".  So any advice is appreciated with respect to what I should be alert to be looking for on highway signs I encounter.

From my map book I desire to use the new highway "7" out of Pattaya and hook up with highway "11" somewhere north of Bangkok.

Appreciate your advice ref the best way to go around Bkk to make this connection (highway "7" to highway "11").

My map book shows that on "7", just north of Suvannapohm airport, I should be looking for highway "9" to head north (thus avoiding Bkk).

1.  Is there now a better connection heading north to avoid BKK?

Once heading north to bypass BKK my mapbook shows I should be looking for either:

 - Highway "1" in direction of Saraburi & Lopburi,  or

 - Highway "A-2" in direction of Ayuttaya, Ang Thong, Singburi, 

Both of which ultimately connect to highway "11".

2.  Which of these two routes ("1" or "A-2") would you recommend to make the connection to highway "11"?

PS,

Perhaps it's due to my ignorance, but I have not been successful in downloading helpful maps, GPS, etc to clarify this for me.  If anyone can provide a helpful link I would appreciate that as well.  Thanks.

I am buying a used car from a farang resident in Pattaya and will register it in my wife's name.  My wife & I live in Chiang Mai most of year & our / her house registration ref blue book is Chiang Mai.  We will visit Jomtien in March to pick up car & stay at a condo I own while there. 

My questions relate to ensuring that we have all required paperwork / signatures etc before returning to Chiang Mai & be told at CM transport office that something is missing and the seller (a resident of Pattaya) may have to appear for some reason (signatures in right document / location, etc whatever).  Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

1. I doubt this is the case, but want to ask: If my wife takes her Chiang Mai blue book house registration with her to Pattaya can she go to Pattaya transport office with the seller to register the car, either as a Chiang Mai or as a ChonBuri registered vehicle?

I intend to at least visit one of Pattaya's commercial satellite registration locations to ask what exactly is required but am suspect of advise a disinterested person may provide. 

2.  If she cannot do #1, what do you suggest we do to ensure that all required paperwork (for example, to include sellers correct signature on proxy document) is included and signed in proper locations prior to leaving Pattaya to return to Chiang Mai?   

23 hours ago, cerox said:

Thank you, I also just asked someone here who is from Pattaya and she confirmed there were no issues.

 

Back to topic / Chiang Mai I looked in my calendar I noted it down for 2017 when the air became not so good for me, it was February 10 - May 09. Just a guideline / opinion, I know everybody feels it differently and every year is different :)

Good guidelines for you (since you are sensitive to the effects of the bad air),

Suggestion: Get some place close to the beach to take advantage of the sea breezes and the ocean location higher humidity won't be oppressive. 

That way you may want to extend your stay through May because prior to the cloud cover in the rainy season the hot sun / heat in CM can be more oppressive than the humidity near the ocean.  Get too far away from the beach however and the humidity without the sea breezes may not be comfortable for you.

Thank you for your kindness and efforts.

Pattaya Jomtien is fine.  Definitely better than CM.

If you do go to LTO don't wear shorts that the knob greeter when you enter the admin area reception considers too short for his taste.  He'll turn you away.  Small shops across road rent 2nd hand long leg blue jeans out for that very reason. It was 50thb 3 years ago.

My God this turning into a soap opera. But based upon other stories I've heard I sure as hell would not give benefit of the doubt to the RTP or a legal system willing to work hand in glove with them.

9 hours ago, CMBob said:

Immediately left, out of the picture.  The dirt lane you see there on the right will become the new turn lane to turn south on Nimman.

The one in the right background is the one that leaves westerly Huey Kaew turning left onto Nimman heading south.  

The one on the right foreground turns left off of northbound Nimman & heads west on Huey kaew toward Doi Suthep.

KittenKong,

As usual your observations are spot on.  Fifteen nyears ago (probably as recently as 10 years ago) prior to the condo boom the appalling traffic was not noticable.  Folks were constantly bragging on the internet about how great Chiang Mai was (& it was) & the mass migration to Chiang Mai started.  

PS, Yes avoid Chiang Mai in March for the pollution, and probably in April as well for the heat without cloud cover, & especially so if you are not fond of the insane Chiang Mai Songkran madness.