Money, Chiang Mai? Don't Leave Home Without It!

[Hanouf]

Wow, I can’t believe all of the shiny new Mercedes Benzes and abandoned VW vans, I am seeing around Chiang Mai, Thailand. They seem to be as numerous as the herds of digital nomads that are obsessed with monetarizing the internet and everything else in Thailand; and, maybe as numerous as the numbers of pushy, up marketed tourist from China at the Maya shopping center. It is not just filled with flash packers, there are frequent motorcades of luxury automobiles with Arabian sheiks bound for the Meridian and other five-star hotels that have sprung up in recent years. Even the behavior of the young travelers seems to have been affected. The spontaneous friendliness now seems to be lacking in the fellow travelers I am now meeting. Actually, there seems to be a more self-focused preoccupation then a more mutual/communal travel experience that is focused on meeting and learning about new people, on the part of many. It seems to be all about consumerism, and less about learning and personal growth. Gentrification has come to, or otherwise has devoured the sleepy quaint little hill town of Chiang Mai that became famous for being the end of the road of the hippie trail in the 1960s and 70s.   There used to be an old credit card television commercial that slogan was: "Don’t leave home without it." My advice to those traveling to Chiang Mai, Thailand is be certain not to leave home and come to Chiang Mai without your money! Don’t confuses nostalgia with maintaining values that focus on community and people.

Edited March 5, 2018 by Hanouf
Font corrected

[blackcab]

Did you just eat 5 cans of alphabet soup?

[canthai55]

From the OP - It seems to be all about consumerism, and less about learning and personal growth.

 

Tell me of one place - outside a monks cell, Buddhist retreat -  on this earth that is is not like that.

 

[Nick ZepTepi]

It's not just Chiang Mai that's affected by this "spirit"

It's now easy for a backpacker to travel the globe & go to all the places of personal growth & enlightenment but remain in their own world view bubble that's reinforced daily with access to their personal social media echo chamber on their iSlave device.

Step back out of your own nostalgia bubble & look at the bigger picture.

It's just part of the time line.



Sent from my mobile, please forgive the autocorrect.

[canthai55]

50 minutes ago, Nick ZepTepi said:

 remain in their own world view bubble that's reinforced daily with access to their personal social media echo chamber on their iSlave device.

555 - like your description.

Well said

[heybruce]

Somebody is nostalgic for the days of drug lords and barefoot peasants.  I don't know any Thai people who miss those days.

[elektrified]

Did you just wake up from a 20 year nap? Things change....get used to it.

 

And yes, you need money EVERYWHERE in the world.

[chiangmaiman99]

Interesting how people usually find what they’re looking for....


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[cyberfarang]

The OP has stole this rubbish from here:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-thailand/thailand/money-chiang-mai-thailand-don-t-leave-home-without-it

 

 

 

[whimsy]

10 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

The OP has stole this rubbish from here:

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-thailand/thailand/money-chiang-mai-thailand-don-t-leave-home-without-it

 

 

 

More likely has cross posted both places.  The user name is almost the same.  

[THAIJAMES]

OP, you are never going to find what you are looking for in big cities.   Chiang Mai used to be a village.  No more.

[thaibeachlovers]

22 hours ago, Hanouf said:

there are frequent motorcades of luxury automobiles with Arabian sheiks bound for the Meridian and other five-star hotels that have sprung up in recent years.

Is this a cut and paste from some publication long ago?

I pass by the Meridien ( I know that is the proper spelling ) all the time, and I've yet to see a single "luxury automobile motorcade" blocking the entrance. Come to think of it, I've never seen an Arabian sheik in Chiang Mai, and I know what they look like.

Also, I think those hotels have been there a long time.

Edited March 6, 2018 by thaibeachlovers

[sanemax]

22 hours ago, Hanouf said:

The spontaneous friendliness now seems to be lacking in the fellow travelers I am now meeting.

They probably dont want to speak to an old hippy , talking about how much better things were 20 years ago .

  "They used to have free weed in every hotel............ maaaannnnn"

[idman]

Dear Mr.OP is your hair turned gray, now pulled back in a pony tail to hide your bald spot, do you have multiple piercings, have you taken to thinking your skin is a blank canvas and should be decorated, do you still on a regular basis indulge in the drugs you favored in the peace, love, dove days of yore???  IMO you are lost in a time warp, welcome to the 21st. century you throwback hippie.

[cmsally]

The OP has a point (its not just confined to CM), the last 20 yrs has been noticeably defined by an upsurge of consumerism. The era of brand names/celebrity/disposable.

Maybe the marketers/psychologists helped in making preservation, environment, sustainability more untrendy and undesirable. If that was the case they seem to have largely succeeded , one just hopes they have a plan regarding where to go from here!

[heybruce]

4 minutes ago, cmsally said:

The OP has a point (its not just confined to CM), the last 20 yrs has been noticeably defined by an upsurge of consumerism. The era of brand names/celebrity/disposable.

Maybe the marketers/psychologists helped in making preservation, environment, sustainability more untrendy and undesirable. If that was the case they seem to have largely succeeded , one just hopes they have a plan regarding where to go from here!

The last twenty years?  Consumerism began with the industrial revolution, when average men first could afford more than one suit and women more than one dress.  We've never looked back.

 

Chiang Mai is very different than what it was twenty years ago, and twenty years ago it was very different than it was forty years ago.  Chiang Mai is more accessible and more comfortable.  The Thai people who live here like that.  But of course an accessible, comfortable place attracts a different type of tourists than hard to reach, somewhat backwards places.

[scorecard]

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Is this a cut and paste from some publication long ago?

I pass by the Meridien ( I know that is the proper spelling ) all the time, and I've yet to see a single "luxury automobile motorcade" blocking the entrance. Come to think of it, I've never seen an Arabian sheik in Chiang Mai, and I know what they look like.

Also, I think those hotels have been there a long time.

 

In fact IMO the Meridien nowadays struggles to even make 4 stars.

 

A couple of years back some friends from Germany (parents and 3 kids) booked the meridien online, they flew into CM and we went to the Meridien to greet when they arrived at the hotel:

 

- Door staff unfocused, some guests taking care of luggage themselves

- Lobby staff unorganized and lacking in any attempt at customer service let alone international / 5 star customer service. Lots of staff chit-chat with each other in Thai and quests lost and confused what's happening.

- Reception couldn't find the booking, then after pushed by my Thai son they found the booking, then wrong size room and reception staff annoyed that the guest wouldn't accept a much smaller room.

- Took well over an hour for luggage to be delivered to the room.

- Dinner was supposed to be discounted but total confusion, guests ended up paying full price, restaurant supervisor refused to check with the lobby. 

- Second evening we joined our friends for dinner, service staff lazy, claimed they had no wine list, my Thai son looked around and found several wine list books near the service desk.Two waitresses came to take the food order, they chatted in Thai the whole time paying little attention to what the guests were saying/asking and neither could speak more than a few words in English, son had to translate everything. Many food items on the menu not available, what came was not acceptable for a place claiming to be 5 star. 

- and more...

 

My son called a friend at Shangi La and got a better deal, our friends moved to the Shangri La.

 

 

 

[elektrified]

12 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Is this a cut and paste from some publication long ago?

I pass by the Meridien ( I know that is the proper spelling ) all the time, and I've yet to see a single "luxury automobile motorcade" blocking the entrance. Come to think of it, I've never seen an Arabian sheik in Chiang Mai, and I know what they look like.

Also, I think those hotels have been there a long time.

They are definitely here. You just haven't seen them.

[Trujillo]

Fact check: Where are all the "abandoned VW vans"? 

[Dante99]

50 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

Fact check: Where are all the "abandoned VW vans"? 

Woodstock, Hermosa Beach and Bolinas.

 

[Justfine]

17 hours ago, scorecard said:

 

In fact IMO the Meridien nowadays struggles to even make 4 stars.

 

A couple of years back some friends from Germany (parents and 3 kids) booked the meridien online, they flew into CM and we went to the Meridien to greet when they arrived at the hotel:

 

- Door staff unfocused, some guests taking care of luggage themselves

- Lobby staff unorganized and lacking in any attempt at customer service let alone international / 5 star customer service. Lots of staff chit-chat with each other in Thai and quests lost and confused what's happening.

- Reception couldn't find the booking, then after pushed by my Thai son they found the booking, then wrong size room and reception staff annoyed that the guest wouldn't accept a much smaller room.

- Took well over an hour for luggage to be delivered to the room.

- Dinner was supposed to be discounted but total confusion, guests ended up paying full price, restaurant supervisor refused to check with the lobby. 

- Second evening we joined our friends for dinner, service staff lazy, claimed they had no wine list, my Thai son looked around and found several wine list books near the service desk.Two waitresses came to take the food order, they chatted in Thai the whole time paying little attention to what the guests were saying/asking and neither could speak more than a few words in English, son had to translate everything. Many food items on the menu not available, what came was not acceptable for a place claiming to be 5 star. 

- and more...

 

My son called a friend at Shangi La and got a better deal, our friends moved to the Shangri La.

 

 

 

I avoid 5 stars. Paying a lot extra for not much. Plenty of 3-4 star rooms for less than 2000 baht. Prefer to carry luggage myself. Nothing wrong with exercise and can shower straight away. Id never wait more than 5 minutes. Would be down in lobby picking it up.

 

 

[VillageIdiot]

2 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Fact check: Where are all the "abandoned VW vans"? 

 

1 hour ago, Dante99 said:

Woodstock, Hermosa Beach and Bolinas.

 

There are more in Bisbee, Arizona than those places put together.

You'd be lucky to find more than a few in Chiang Mai.

 

[NancyL]

Hubby and I came here in the 70s on holidays, but not as backpackers.  We brought money with us even then, so we could stay at the Amari Rincome and hire a tour guide and private driver to take us to what passed for tourist attractions in that era.  It was very pathetic to go to long-neck village and see all the men stoned out on heroin and the countryside denuded for poppy production.  The snake show and orchid farm were high points.  It's way better now.

 

The main reason we were here was for Rotary projects where the average Thai village didn't have access to potable water and relied on charity organizations to implement water access.  As I said, it's way better now.  

[heybruce]

4 hours ago, Trujillo said:

Fact check: Where are all the "abandoned VW vans"? 

I thought all the local ones were turned into mobile restaurants and bars.

[Hanouf]

We can argue the purpose and benefit of foreign travel in educating young people all day. But, truly believe that in the broader community, must would agree with my understanding of travel in encoraging understanding, peace, and cooperation. 

 

PS.:

 

I find it just a bit freaky that less than a few hours after I post on this website that does not use HTTPS encryption, I have some old timer of this forum with more than 4000 posts; I need to watch my words, so I will not say stalking, but following me around the internet to dig up additional information on me at other website!!! Yikes, that is really freaky...

[moe666]

Iam still looking for the VW vans spoken about

[rumak]

We live out in the countryside.   Peace and love still evident .  You are welcome to come and help till the

orchard in exchange for good vibes and a nice view.   As other posters note:  cities anywhere are not the

spiritual meccas of the world.   They are where you buy your MePhone and drink cappuchinos.

 

[elektrified]

1 hour ago, rumak said:

We live out in the countryside.   Peace and love still evident .  You are welcome to come and help till the

orchard in exchange for good vibes and a nice view.   As other posters note:  cities anywhere are not the

spiritual meccas of the world.   They are where you buy your MePhone and drink cappuchinos.

 

That's true. But I do have to say that there was something nice about coming to Thailand years back and in the morning going out to  the street or to the beach and buying a 10 Baht cafe boran or two, an entire papaya for 10 Baht (they were long and kind of pink - never see them anymore), and just taking in the scenery and relaxing before starting the day. Now it's much more like anywhere else.... Some of the charm is gone.

[rumak]

ah, those were the days !  i probably was the first to bring my mountain bike....going on the dirt road past the strawberry fields on the way to huay tung tao.    Of course nobody could understand why i would want to ride a bike. ha ha.   Now you gotta have the full clothing outfit to be acceptable.

So much for nostalgia.......

[heybruce]

6 hours ago, Hanouf said:

We can argue the purpose and benefit of foreign travel in educating young people all day. But, truly believe that in the broader community, must would agree with my understanding of travel in encoraging understanding, peace, and cooperation. 

 

Is that what your original post was about?  It somehow got lost in the word salad.