kurushektra

Why so confusing This is Thailand as soon you make some money you need a work permit.

And those who work under the radar they are fine until the the they get caught ups.

This is the way it is.

Enjoy your paintings though. Had some falang friends who did an art exhibit in

Chiang Mai.; But they were very afraid to get caught./ The rules are very precise

However you have a nice pic of HMThe King... Should you find the right person or donate this to the right insittute perhaps you could get an exception....

All rules are made to be bent and found exceptions for...

Flying to CR is possible. There is a connecting bus to the bus terminal. The drive to Mae Sai is 1 hour. The last bus back to CM leaves Mae Sai at 330. Usually.

There used to be an expat van that went from CM to Mae Sai and back. Took 3.5 hrs each way. The driver waited 30 mins for visa business. One stop on the way up.

Then there is a bus at Arcade. Very wonderful bus. It's air-con and the seats are extra wide and extremely comfortable. You get to MS around 11AM. ( Bus leaves around 8/830. from CM. 330B one way I think. Very very comfortable. Stops in CR for 5 mins and drops you at MS bus terminal. Truck to the border was 10B.

Driving yourself up could be fun as well.

They did'nt use to do that. It's been happening for 2 yrs now.

Was the lady taking the money and serving you the owner or just a worker. Is it a farang run resto or Thai. Is it in a guesthouse area or not.

Thais generally do not tip. ( Unless that has changed)

My experience is Thais now begin to thing the farang should pay a tip. Like we owed it to them.

Seems like this lady was trying to have one over on you, a newcomer. 'Polite' restos won't do that.

Would be interested to hear from others their experience.

So the question has been answered if anyone had added info, Neilrob did that, so what is the point in keeping this "maybe..could have..not sure ..." thread open?

So we need to know more. This may be the only 'news outlet' that keeps the disparate farang community informed. Sometimes the info is good, sometimes not. However perhaps we should keep the thread open for further info.

Anyone know this person's country of origin? Is his family back home involved. Are his friends trying to help out.

The problem with living in Chiang Mai is, if something happens there really is no one to depend on, no safety net. You are virtually alone.

Thais have their wonderful family network, but we who live among them, have nothing. SOS Chiang Mai ( is this the name?) one possibility. Dont know if that is still working.

The expat community should come together to create a 'safety network', because you never know when disater will strike.

It happened to me and I was left alone and bereft of resources. There was no one to turn to. This happened to friends and acquaintaces over the years. Never thought it would happen to me. Ha Ha.

After 16 yrs in Thailand, I am now reestablishing myself in Canada. That being said, I would like to see some kind of 'safety net' ( for wont of words) being set up to offer some kind of resource in times of need.

It could really happen to you.

Best to all of you from Montreal.

( I'll be back, never fear, Chiang Mai is in my blood.)

I TAKE IT ALL BACK CHARLIE

I've reviewed the couse outline from the link in this stream. The course 4 hrs a week for 45 weeks sounds wonderful. 30000 B is a great price. If you want to stay in CM and learn Thai and Thai culture this is the best Thai course I've seen. With the one year visa, it's a great deal.

They will provide the paperwork and probably even have someone go with you if you need to get the extension. They are very helpful overall.

All schools provide this though. I would look at the price and compare price and curriculum with the other places that offer these courses.

The language Institutes Thai classes are relatively new, but they are a professional outfit.

I don't know what the heck Kurushekta is talking about. The Director of the Language Institute is Kuhn Sansanee. Dr. Mathew Kay is the Vice Director and was in charge of the TEFL program that they have.

I have never heard about a Dr. Ian. He must be new.

Sorry. Meant Mathew. and the courses seem to be great.

Education visa is super easy to apply for when you study anything. So don't let that weigh into your decision to do it just for the visa! I could sign up for a Yoga course and get a Non Imm education visa!

Could one? Where.

What about Thai massage?

Help. What kind of help. Will they get it for you? Provide all the papers. Be careful and clear with what they say they will provide. This is the Language Institute? Dr Ian is still in charge, or the farange face of the program? He's OK.

How much do they charge?

How many hours a week do you study?

Are there exams?

Maybe sent the link....

You'll be inundated by minivan drivers hustling for business (1) before you go across the bridge and (2) as soon as you've passed the Thai immigration checkpoint.

200 baht will be the price.

I usually get a van on the Laos side of the bridge. You may have to wait a while for them to fill up the van.

Can you get that in town at the Morning Market or do you have to wait till you get to the Lao check point.,

Coming from the airport, they are just outside.

Thought there was a bus that went direct from BKK to Vientiane.....

<snip> There is also a market behind Carrefour in the Chiang Mai Business park but I'm not sure which day it is (weekend) catering mostly to young Thais - fashion and accesories. One of my many sisters will be here in a few weeks time so I imagine I'm going to find myself being dragged around such places - it's the only time I ever see Walking street.

I *still* haven't seen the Sunday walking Street market that everyone talks about. Unfortunately I have not been able to avoid two other markets because they are close to home:

The One behind Carfour that you mention is open Thursdays Fridays and I think has now been extended to include Saturdays. Now that you mention it, yes indeed most of the products are trendy things—clothes, fashion accessories, shoes, earrings. I had completely failed to notice this and now understand why my daughters keep wanting to go there! I sit at a place called Dink (yes, Dink!) while they shop. Cold beer (hence the name?) and over-priced, small portion 'fusion' snacks while I wait.

A falang selling belts. Amazing. Probably because it was a smaller place, different from Walking Street at Tapae. Ordinary Thais dont care about those rules. Dink is of course world famous. ( There is no r sound in Thai).

There's another market (Mondays, Tuesdays) at the Meechok Plaza, the open area around Rimping. When this market first opened about two years ago, I'd asked one of the vendors and was told she'd paid 50 baht a day for her stall. I once saw a Farang selling belts there.

I'd be surprised if there weren't waiting lists of vendors at any of these temporary markets.

PM me and I'll check at the office tomorrow. We've changed the Board of our foundation. It is a rather lengthy process and it is not something that can be done right away with ease. I would understand that the original application would probably have just continued and then the names changed once it was registered. The hassle to change the name in the middle of the application would have been next to impossible. (It is very possible that the application took 13 months to get approved. Ours took 9 months).

Your name will likely always be on the certificate (which must be posted at the legally registered office of the foundation). However; the government will have on file the name of the current Board members. Our foundation is registered in Sansai and all documents (including changes in Board members) must be submitted to the Amphur office. I am not sure if this is the case for those registered in the city.

From what I know, it would be pointless to try to get your name off the original application. The best you could do is to ensure that you are not a current Board member.

Very interested in this post. Congrats on your responding immediately. That is the best way to cover you reputation.

Is it possible to get more info on your experience in setting up the Foundation. I'm interested in setting up one. Have a lawyer who is quite good, howevery she says it may take 1 to 2 yrs.

If I could communicate directly somehow that would be great. Thanks.

On the first point, I think he may be referring to Kad Muang Mai (Talad Muang Mai), the wholesale market on the river, near the US consulate.

I think it's a good place, and cheap, but that area is really hard to park a car.. so for all intends and purposes, any casual market (talad nat) around the outskirts have equally cheap prices. Often it's up country / hilltribe folk coming to selll produce at these markets that are schedule a couple times a week in various places.

The one I visit a lot is walking distance from the gated community where I live, which, as almost any gated community, is a bit 'artificialish' and has lots of foreigners renting there, but the fun thing is that when you walk to that market you instantly teleport into 'The Real Thailand' ™, with people smiling and elbowing each other to note the big Farang coming to shop.. It's brilliant. And between us, I think that also sums up why Chiang Mai is the place: you have the Western amenities and conveniences, but at the core the genuine local hospitality just surrounds you.

Thanks so much for your comments.

No interrnational flights??? Malaysia, Korea, Japan, Taiwan going East and West. Plenty of international flights

Agree: The pollution is quite the problem....

Agree; Befriend Thai people. They know where the good places are.

To the man who;s been there 23 yrs. Lucky you. I managed 16. Will be back

Thanks so much for all your help. My vague memory. Doi Chang and Art Shop is indeed the place. Lovely to get the addresses.

I call Doi Chang the center of 'community life' because when I visited there I saw so many falangs sitting around. It was a chummy place.

As the the resto, I think that is the place. Willl have to check my map. Didn't know they had a second floor...

Washing glasses in warm water. Really Thailand is one of the cleanest places I've ever visited. I never had any problems with food poisoning etc. ( My only problem was in an Italian resto in Chiang Mai).

So folks, what is your favourite place to visit in CR?

Cheers from Canada.

Well CM can be dicidedly bucholic vis culture and books and very exciting night life.. This is true. Good for a family settling in. A quieter place certainly. All the food you could want at Carrefour, Makro Big C. Rimping and Top just got tooo expensive. There are one or two farmers markets for fresh veggies. The market at CMU on Thursdays... there are two. Fresh veggies everywhere. All those open air markets. There's the everyday farmers market wholesale place all around the Tessaban. It's supperb.

The flowers at the flower market next to the river are really out of this world.

Indian resto. Just outside the South gate of the city. Small place. Great.

Chinese.... welll Warrorot and across form Kasem's near there. ( You do know Kasems dont you?)

Books true. But try George at Backstreet. He's got the best resources, but the small one near Tapae Gate, outside the inner city just south of Tapae.... White run. Great guy.

There is lots of classical music at Payab. Get on their mailing list. CMU has some as well. The North Gate is supperb for Jazz. At least their house band is.

And there's plenty of small thai restos here and there, like th Joke place on innner moat road north at corner of Wat Chiang Man. it;s a national treasure. The veggie place near 3 Kings is superb. Takeaway if you like. And the evening eating places along the road leading south from Wat Pra Singh. And the pad Thai place first discovered by the Lonley PLanet guy, that later moved to the road behind Kasem just mentioned.

Cheap stuff comes in the form of the japanese discount stores 65B for anything in the store. What a find that was. In the shopping mall with thr Rimping near Airport.

God there are so many good places. But you have to go on your own and find them. If it looks too nice, then it will be expensive.

There's a whole eating trip in the evenings in the center of CMU and veggies during the day.

But it is true, prices have gone up and politeness has gone down since more falangs come into town and really dont know how to fit in and dont really care. Thais dont like that.

Thats a river that comes from the NW of the city, into the mountain. You can follow these for quite a few miles up the hill. Maybe there's no water on the mountain. Its been getting dryer and dryer. If the Mountain is more brown, then this is probably what's happening.

Not quite. This stream (Mae Khaa canal) has been a stinking black cesspool forever - all year long. It isn't brown it is black, and it stinks. I've never seen it flow beyond a trickle. I'm not sure where it originates, but it comes from the North of Lanna hospital.

I guess there is only one way to confirm its content, other than source, and thats to don some rubber gloves, get a sample and take to one of the universities for testing . Any volunteers ? My info was that it was sewage seepage from old tanks and the like

Welll they had it flowing last year some time for 2 or 3 months. It was quite nice. But did'nt last and soon returned to its usual situation... Sometimes it;s been almost dry. Maybe it's a seasonal thing. Why dont youi take a sample in to one of the offices of the Tambun ( next to White Chedi) or take it to Chiang Mai friends.

But note, Thais will not appreciate your showing them up. Howver if you went through a Thai friend, then you'd at least make it to step two. Good luck.

Thats a river that comes from the NW of the city, into the mountain. You can follow these for quite a few miles up the hill. Maybe there's no water on the mountain. Its been getting dryer and dryer. If the Mountain is more brown, then this is probably what's happening.

Agree completely. Lived there 16 yrs and loved it. Many housing estates 15-20 mins from town. Good series of ring roads that get you anywhere fast. Super stores very well placed. You dont even have to go into town. I lived in town. But was single and loved that. 5 or more international schools. Good bus service with the red, green etc trucks. And then you have Thai culture to learn from and live with to broaden your views and fined peace. Good travel by plane to BKK Myanmar and other points. You'll love it.

9 months ago you only had to go to the border itself. Sign out of Thailand., Walk across the bridge to the Myanmar office, sign in, pay money and you could return to T or spend some time in Tachelik's market. Did'nt have to stop off at an office.

But things change all the time. The year before that we had to stop off at the office about 2 kms before the border.

Check with local Immigration about the process. They can be very helpful. If you speak to the right person.

Hi there Chiang Rai:

Your fabulous city is one I hope to get back to soon. Please help me out. I'm trying to find the name and address of that fab restaurant, Chinese style (?) that sets on a corner with a rounded wall completely open, across from a wonderful gift shop with two paintings by Tawan, the national painter who has Ban Damm, North of CR a little.

Next, I'm trying to find the name and location of that wonderful coffee shop, that seems to be a center of community life. Sets on a corner, with two or three other shops attached. Across from a church I think. Has a garden entrance that's inclosed and stairs leading to second floor. Great coffee from one hill tribe.... Doi.....

If anyone can help me with these, it would be great. Lost all my contacts in a fire. Cheers.

Hi again. Well if your partner Thai then go through her. Sure go to Amphur office next to White Chedi and do it that way. Can't think that it would cost 1000B a day. But if you have a Thai sitting there you could also. It just has to appear that falangs are not taking jobs away from Thais. Always go through your Thai contacts to get things done. It's quicker, and I think Thais think that you are acting appropriately in their eyes. This is always important to take the polite appropriate way thus avoiding any possible personal conflict or creating disturbance, possibly putting anyone in a position to lose face. This is most important in Thai society. If you follow this rule you will always be accepted and loved because you really respect and follow one of Thailand's deeply held 'ways of being'.

You wont be allowed to. You're not Thai. Also dont have work permit. And work permits dont allow competition with Thais in this sector ( crafts). However perhaps you can befriend one vendor and rent part of his stall. Be careful of inspectors though..... Might screw up your visa!!!!