Viking7113

Some one has his rose colored  glasses on. ???????? Has he been in the  city in April - May?

  You may want to try Denchai Trading co on 11/2 Rattanakosin rd.  It is  beside the Mercedes Benz   dealership.   I had  a camera  repaired there.  It  was quick and relatively cheap. 

   I was just in Index shopping Mall on the superhighway.  I noticed they had curtains but i can't  say if they will fit your needs.

Chiang Mai-- Incheon- Vancouver

     I have  flown this  route on Korean  Air.   I have never had a complaint.  Incheon  airport is regularly ranked among  the best airports in the world. There  are  free services on the  second floor  to use -- massage, shower,  reclining seats etc.  There  are lounges one can access depending on airline, points or credit cards.  One can take a free  tour into the city too.  Lots of food and restaurants  too. 

The new  mall in Lamphun is now open for business.  It is on route 114 Wangkawa  Rd as you leave the city. Its about 1 kilometer past the bridge over the river but before  the turn toward Pa Sang.  Its  a small building two stories.   There is a small  department store, a cinema, Dunkin donuts,  ice cream store, Watson's  pharmacy, SE-ed  bookstore, KFC and a food court  open.  There many  stores which  may open in the future-- Starbucks  and Dukes to name a few signs I saw.  There is a grocery at the rear of the complex.    Nothing outstanding  but useful for the locals.

Lampang

          I  live  in the Mae Tha   Lamphun area close to Lampang province.    we drive on occasion to Lampeng and pass through it often.   It has  most of the  big  box stores-Big C, Tesco-Lotus, Makro etc.  There are a couple interesting places to visit  - famous  temple WAt  PhraThat Luang etc.   The mountainous areas are  great  for touring.  Lampang  gets  bad air  during the burning season. I would  renting first as small  town Thailand can  be an acquired  taste.    Also  if you  rely on internet  connection  check it out  first before  setting  down roots.    Some rural areas  are  not served well  to put it mildly.

A good dentist!!

     I have just used  a dental office that I can recommend  whole heartedly.   The  Friendly Dental Clinic on Prakkplao  Road is awesome  as far as dentists go.    The  office is  on the corner of Prakklao road and the moat  next  to the  moat.  The office hours are monday to friday 100pm - 800pm  monday to friday.  I am not familiar with the weekend hours. The dentists  were thorough and consulted  extensively and gave me  some options and issues to be aware of.  I found the dentists to have good english skills and answered my question.  The charges were reasonable-- fillings 600baht- cleaning  600 baht-  tooth extraction--500 baht  to 1000 baht depending on complexity.  A good sign is that the  office is usually very busy.

I will  second  trainman's recommendation for  shopping in Lamphun.  There is a large area which is devoted to furniture making and sales.  Some of the  warehouses there have their  own factories  at the rear  of the building.  The quality was good and the prices  reasonable.  One time we ordered  furniture and were shocked to have it arrive  before we got home.

  I like to watch the CNET On Cars  site on youtube.   Its very informative and interesting. On day I had a question so I emailed it off and thought nothing of it.  I was  watching episode 97 today. I got a real shock  as I saw my question answered in elaborate detail.  Its around the 16 minute mark. It was great  safety info  to have and raises  some serious questions.  the video link ----

I was watching one of  my favorite youtube  sites and one day I had what I thought was an interesting question  about cars in Thailand.  Today I got  a real shock when my question was answered  in elaborate detail.    Lots of things  I learned to say the least.  The thailand quest ion is at around 16:10 minutes.  I am going to  link the video here-  

I travel on the highway 11 to Lamphun regularly. There are few good restaurants to stop off on the highway and I dont want to include Amazon Coffee. I finally found one that I can recommend. Next to the PPT gas station in Saraphi Is the Be Beyond cafe. It has a huge sign that has a small tuk tuk and a coffee cup on it. The restaurant is of medium size. When you enter the restaurant, you see a beautiful gardens with pools and koi fish. If you enter the building you notice the high class quality chairs and tables. The chairs are either plush leather or high end rattan chairs. the restaurant is beautiful and some one let the designer go wild. it was very impressive. The food was excellent and very delicious. For a couple, the meal set us back a modest 250 Baht. It is the only restaurant that I could recommend driving out to try it out. The restaurant hours are 7:oo am to 6:00 pm.

I just completed transferring my visa to my new passport. I picked up my passport and arrived at the old Immigration office at around 10 am. I was promptly informed that there was no time availble for me on the Wednesday I arrived there. I had to come back at 7 am to get an appointment. I was # 6 in line and I waited for near 4 hours. The transfer took about 15 minutes max. I am guessing that it may be due to increased checks due to the Bangkok bombing.

I just got back from the Lanna Expo. The convention center is huge. It must cover a couple football fields> It is interesting from a design stand point. There were a huge number of exhibits covering a vast assortment of goods and services. There are concerts, dancers and lots of music. There is an incredible selection of food to view and sample. Its a great way to spend a couple hours.

Sorry to hear about your problems with the D750. I have used the Denchai for service on my Nikon with excellent results. You ay want to drop by the Camera Bug shop on Chang Pruek rd and ask for suggestions

Doi Angkhang is well worth the trip. there are two routes-- On one that I recommend is drive north on route 107 past Chiang Dao then look for a left turn onto a secondary highway. It is well marked and this heads off into the country side. It is an alternate route friends recommended. It is relatively quiet and off the beaten track. Id recommend this option in a heartbeat as you really get a tour through small villages etc. The other option involves heading toward Fang and looking for the turn off. This route is really steep and winding roads...not for the faint of heart or to be travelled at night.

I just returned from a trip to Doi Angkhang near Fang in Chiang mai province. one of the big surprises for the trip was seeing some donkeys or mules in some of the villages.

Trip to Doi Angkhang

Doi Angkhang is the second highest mountain in Thailand. It is close to the small city of Fang and is about 150 km from Chiang Mai.Google maps claims the trip can be done in 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Its very optimistic to put it mildly. One should check their vehicle carefully before going on this trip as it not a place you want a brake failure. The roads up to Doi Angkhang are steep with many sharp turns. The route we drove was Highway 107. About 2 or 3 kilometers past the Chiang Dao caves turn left as the sign says. This route is probably the easier route up the hills. This route goes through rural Thailand. The small towns here are mainly Chinese and some may be descendents from the losing Nationalist forces in China which settled in northern Thailand. The scenery here is incredible. You may see corn crops growing up the sides of mountains. The final 50 kilometers are definitely uphill and it is steep to put it mildly. Many of the villages and farms cling to the side of the mountains. Some of the villages are poor to put it mildly. The village of Doi Angkhang is nestled in a valley amidst the mountains. Its simply awesome. There is a Royal Agricultural Station in the village. It is one of the highlights for the trip. There are flower gardens which includes orchids, roses and geraniums to name a few. There are lots of fruit and vegetables grown here from rhubarb, chives, brussel sprouts, peaches kiwi and apricots. I was shocked to see a huge catus garden here and a geodesic dome . We stayed at the very first resort as you drive in to the village. Its a modest 3 star place. It has a million dollar view and the lady provides some excellent food in their restaurant. The cabins are modest and basic and a bit overpriced at 1000 baht a night. You should check the rooms before you pay. The village gets very cool at night and its a bit chilly for Thais. I have heard via friends the village can be noisy at nights. On the drive you may have to pass a couple police or military checkpoints so be prepared. The drive down toward is very steep. There are really sharp curves and steep hills to deal with. I would only do this road in the day time.. You can park at the base and take a sontaew (truck taxi) which I would suggest on the Fang route. You have been warned!!! I would recommend this trip for the beauty and the fact that you are off the beaten path for tourists. It can be done as a day trip or you might enjoy at least one night stay. I have posted photos on my flicker account. There is a tent campng area too!

If you have a vehicle you may want to make a trip out to Lamphun. Drive south on the superhiway, drive past the second major turnoff in to town. (Currently under construction) Look for a yellow gas station ,( i forget the name Cosmos?) then turn on the first left down the road.. There are huge amount of furniture factories on the road- some build their furniture out the back end. They may deliver the furniture depends on location/ Be choosy and negotiate hard.

There is a lot to see in Lamphun. Thebig temple in Lamphun is Wat Haripunchai. Its interesting. there is a covered bridge over the river across from the temple. the bridge is used as a site for selling local goods. There is a local museum in downtown Lamphun-- interesting as the city dates back to 800 AD. Id definitely stop at the Elephant Conservation Center. there is a huge temple in lampang south of the city-- That Luang?--- Its very old and totally different from most temples. You can take a horse carriage ride around the surrounding town that i found very interesting.

I movesd to Thailand about ten year ago. I cant give any real recommendation about a company. My enquiries found that shipping was expensive. I used the post office to ship some books out. I was warned that customs and duties in Thailand was a real pain by some colleagues at work. You can usually buy most things cheaper here than shipping it out. hope this helps and welcome to thailand.

what are some options?

Ok I will admit that I am no expert. One option is a freeware program named "Miro"

It is open source and allows you to derownload video to your computer. I have been able to download a huge variety of videos from news to movie reviews etc. some will be podcasts while there are videocasts too. It has an option to use torrents but to be honest I have not used this option. It also has an option to download youtube video to watch. Its very flexible program. another option is to look at the documentaries that you can find here---http://www.howtogeek.com/118650/the-best-websites-for-watching-free-documentaries/ It will not replace every thing but its a start.

I live In Mae Tha. I would suggest taking the # 1 highway way via Nakon Sawan and Tak. Its a dual lane separated highway and relatively easy drive. Not much scenery though. The alternate route via Uttaradit and Den Chai is a lot more scenic but its crowded and you often get slowed down by slower drivers as parts are only two lanes. Some parts were under construction the last time I drove on it.You also drive through some very hilly countryside. Once you get stuck behind a truck, you get a lot of suicidal passing attempts.

One of the interesting sites I have found is the TED video site which has a great set of speeches. There is a local version TEDX Thapaegate on january 21 at Chiang Mai University ---- check out---http://www.tedxthapaegate.com/index.php for complete info

I live down the road from the doi Khun Tan Hotel and golf Course. I am not a golfer so I cant comment on the course..... It is way out in the sticks to put it mildly. It is seldom busy but they seem to get a fair number of golf tours. There is not a whole lot to do in the area unless you like watching rice grow....

I was out at the Royal Flora today. Its great but bring an umbrella/ hat or sunscreen. it gets hot out there due to all the cement. Lots of transport out there. The site was not that crowded as its a huge plot of land. I recommend bringing a very comfortable pair of shoes. Make sure you bring a fully charged camera/video recorder.