Why Chiang Mai?

[Just1Voice]

6 minutes ago, sanemax said:

 

   What does BKK have that CM doesnt have ?

Where do you want to start?  
The traffic?  Especially at rush hours. BKK is horrendous. 

The crime rate?  No comparison.
The overall price of things?  Got a friend who is a real estate agent in BKK.  He told me that my house, valued at 3.5m baht in CM, couldn't be touched in a comparable neighborhood in BKK for LESS than 7m baht. 

 

[blackhorse]

@ sanemax

 

I went to a few but they were all pretty dead apart from the beer bar grannies begging for drinks.

Even the backpackers choose to stay at their hostels and party.

 

Chiang mai is great for the quiet life and nothing wrong with that if your quite

 

 

[blackhorse]

 
   What does BKK have that CM doesnt have ?

Summed up in a few words.

It has atmosphere, it's vibrant, pulsating, Alive, cosmopolitan.. Everything that chiang mai, gods waiting room isn't.

[ChangMaiSausage]

Again it depends what you want out of life, for me CM ticks most of the boxes. 

 

Comparing CM to Bangkok not possible two different animals (well one of them can be an animal) 

 

Retiring in CM makes sense to many people as it has a bit of everything, all within easy access and cheaper than most places.

 

Not wanting to upset (some) people but as you get older there are things that excite you now that will become low on the priority list later.  Based on this if you have any doubts about moving to CM I would try somewhere different first. 

 

Each to their own, some people will disagree but I will be CM bound in the not so distant future.

 

Edited October 2, 2018 by ChangMaiSausage

[Unify]

1 hour ago, Just1Voice said:

I have been here 10 years, and I can't think of any other city I would rather live in.  We live on the "outskirts" east of the city, and haven't had the smoke problem in our area in the past 7 or eight years.  

 

I find that CM has everything BKK has, but at much lower prices, and no where near the crime.  

 

We live in an extremely quiet, middle class moo bahn with most 2 story houses in the 3-5 million baht range.  On our soi, everyone is in bed before 9:00.  Couple of houses have small kids, but they aren't out running the streets, yelling & screaming.  

 

For 6 years I took motorcycle trips all over the North, Northeast, and Central Thailand, and have yet to find a city I would prefer over CM.  Overall, the people are much friendlier and accommodating.  

 

CM city is getting worse on the traffic at certain hour of the day, but if you look close, you'll see a good one-fourth of the cars sporting license plates from BKK.  And with the upgrades to the airport, now you never have to go to BKK for a flight any where you want to go.

 

My only complaint: Too damn many farangs moving here. lol

 

Care to tell me exactly, where, so I can become one of the farangs you don't want living there?

[Sophon]

2 hours ago, simoh1490 said:

Having lived in CM for the past 16 years I am relying on experience, plus, I'm also relying on stats. rather than impressions! So please, post something factual by way of evidence to support your claim.

 

CM is hotter during the day but cooler during the night compared to BKK, hence the higher average temperature. If you look at average highs and lows instead of just average temperature, you will see that CM does actually get hotter during the summer months.

 

From your own links:

 

 

However, personally I do find the climate more pleasant in CM due to the cooling off at night. The higher humidity in BKK combined with less greenery also makes the heat feel more oppressive.

 

Sophon

[Formaleins]

Mainly as the family is from out this way. The city is a run down dump, it has nothing to offer especially if you have to walk or are in any way disabled. Most of the nearby towns hold nothing of interest either, and are pretty run down and a bit grotty. The saving grace is the people and th

e places that are a bit further out.

If you can get with the dialect it will help, but they are pretty laid back and friendly up here and do not generally look down on others unlike many of the yellow shirt hiso snobs from Bangkok.

The weather is generally reasonable although you do get some smoke in the spring and temperatures can get just as hot as anywhere else here.

You do have the cool period which has just started and lasts about 3 or 4 months. If you travel out of town into the hills it can get pretty cold especially at night.

Chiang Mai food is nothing to write home about in fact some of the local dishes would turn a dog's nose up, especially the raw blood slop, laarb. Best avoided for various reasons.

The immigration offices in Chiang Mai are almost enough reason not to come here to live. It has to be the absolute worst immigration in Thailand if not the entire world. It is a terrible place that will drain your soul and turn you very bitter. You would be a lot better off simply moving a few hundred yards across the river Ping and live in Lamphun, I wish I had done that. Lamphun has a lot going for it, it is growing every year but not too quickly, it is a lot nicer than Chiang Mai whilst still having the same sort of friendly people.

 

Cost of living is not bad, I haven't lived in Bangkok only visited, so cannot really comment on that, but prices are definitely not too bad up here, but given current exchange rates will probably make all of us feel the pinch. But looking at it from a Baht point of view, inflation on many things does not seem too bad, you can get a plate of food and a drink at very reasonable prices if you stick to the locals kind of places.

All in all where I am it is extremely quiet, I am way out of the city and prefer it like that. In my earlier days I spent a lot of time in the city but it just cannot be compared to Bangkok or Pattaya (I actually prefer the nightlife in Chiang Mai over Pattaya)

 

If you are looking for a more lively expat scene then you will definitely need to be closer to the city, and then you have to put up with living in the place which is a bit of a run down one horse town dump.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, blackhorse said:

Booked a month and left a week early and would have kissed the ground arriving back in bangkok if it wasn't so grimy

If you want to be tucked in bed by 9 pm reading a book then chiang mai is for you!

You obviously had no clue where to go in CM.

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, SpeakeasyThai said:

If you like Chinese spitting on the street and poor air quality CM is for you.

 

Is that all you got from CM? Not even a sawasdee djao

[Lacessit]

The main advantages of Chiang Mai are the wide range of restaurants, plenty of access to female company if you know where to look, and the cost of food and rent is significantly cheaper than Bangkok. It's also well served by hospital infrastructure and shopping malls.

Apart from the obvious tourist traps of Pattaya and Phuket, it's also the second largest city in Thailand. While smaller cities such as Chiang Rai, Phayao and Nan may have some attractions, they are very limited in their long-term appeal to expats. Nan is virtually dead at night.

Chiang Rai is actually more central to a number of interesting places; however, it has nowhere near the same range of infrastructure expats would be looking for.

[Lacessit]

29 minutes ago, Formaleins said:

Chiang Mai food is nothing to write home about in fact some of the local dishes would turn a dog's nose up, especially the raw blood slop, laarb. Best avoided for various reasons.

The immigration offices in Chiang Mai are almost enough reason not to come here to live. It has to be the absolute worst immigration in Thailand if not the entire world. It is a terrible place that will drain your soul and turn you very bitter. You would be a lot better off simply moving a few hundred yards across the river Ping and live in Lamphun, I wish I had done that. Lamphun has a lot going for it, it is growing every year but not too quickly, it is a lot nicer than Chiang Mai whilst still having the same sort of friendly people.

 

 

There are plenty of good local restaurants around that make inexpensive pad thai, pad siew and Western dishes. There's the Alpaca cafe out on the 1318 which makes the best spaghetti marinara anywhere for a bit more - 150 baht.

I keep hearing how horrible Immigration is in CM. I employ an agent, and for the last 8 years it's been a breeze.

[Boon Mee]

That's a good question  Plenty of other locations in Thailand that are not as expensive and traffic chocked. 

[Airalee]

The only negative about Chiang Mai (for me) was the air quality 2-3 months out of the year.  Pure torture and even more so at night when the cool air would have the smoke settle closer to the ground.  In this picture, the tree line disappearing into the smoke is 220 meters from where I took the picture March 21, 2014.

 

[simoh1490]

2 hours ago, Sophon said:

 

CM is hotter during the day but cooler during the night compared to BKK, hence the higher average temperature. If you look at average highs and lows instead of just average temperature, you will see that CM does actually get hotter during the summer months.

 

From your own links:

 

 

However, personally I do find the climate more pleasant in CM due to the cooling off at night. The higher humidity in BKK combined with less greenery also makes the heat feel more oppressive.

 

Sophon

What you've written is correct but I don't think it really answers the question of which is truly hotter, it looks like swings and roundabouts to be honest.

[nickmondo]

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I like rivers, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, jungle trails, fast internet modern amenities, never been anywhere that can match Chiang Mai. These photos were taken in the last two weeks while cycling and walking around.

 

third picture, near the dam.  one of my favourite places in CM.  Cycle there a lot.  New bridge is very impressive.  some great eateries there also, and now the road has been re surfaced, not so many punctures!

[sawadee1947]

The best is to stay in CM During rain season up to beginning February. Air quality is OK then. The rest of the year we spend either at Khao Lak. around Hua Hin or overseas. Feb to July stay away. No fun at all. 

[sanemax]

4 hours ago, blackhorse said:

@ sanemax

 

I went to a few but they were all pretty dead apart from the beer bar grannies begging for drinks.

Even the backpackers choose to stay at their hostels and party.

Chiang mai is great for the quiet life and nothing wrong with that if your quite

 

 

   Yes, I do prefer the quiet life .

Maybe thats because I am quiet .

I take it that you are quite noisy and this enjoy noisy Bangkok

Are you a partyman ?

Out clubbing and dancing most nights until the early hours ?

Life  & soul of the party ?

[simoh1490]

27 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

The best is to stay in CM During rain season up to beginning February. Air quality is OK then. The rest of the year we spend either at Khao Lak. around Hua Hin or overseas. Feb to July stay away. No fun at all. 

+1 except I would say from Feb thru. April/May when the rains start

Edited October 2, 2018 by simoh1490

[georgegeorgia]

Can i ask when the smoke period is in and where i cimes from?

 

is it back burning ?

[HHTel]

11 hours ago, stillhereandlovinit said:

Because big Chang's are only 150 baht

Surely that's a reason not to go!!

[simoh1490]

1 hour ago, georgegeorgia said:

Can i ask when the smoke period is in and where i cimes from?

 

is it back burning ?

It starts as early as November but only becomes a problem in February when the hot season starts, that can last until April/May when the rains come - some years it's OK, some tears it's bad, some years it's dire.  The cause is farmers burning the ground/stubble in anticipation of the rains and the planting season..... ALL OVER SE Asia. Some of the pollution is homegrown, some is blown in from Myanmar, China and Cambodia, Southern Thailand suffers from blown in pollution from Malaysia but mostly from Indonesia, nowhere is spared.

[Scott]

A post has been reported and removed.

[jij]

Every time I'm asked about Chiang Mai, "livable" is the word I use to describe it. It lacks in many of the world class shopping or eating experiences, but it is very "livable". I am outside the city, so I only deal with the traffic once or twice a week and yes, it may be hotter than Bangkok, but it considerably drier, which makes a great deal of difference. I lived in Bali before here and when it hit 86 degrees there, it was miserable. 

[chicowoodduck]

It is up to you....to try it out for a few months and test the waters....????

[bkk6060]

I am in CM now and live in Pattaya.

There is plenty to do here and I think the "overall lifestyle" is better then Pats or BKK especially for retired.

Lots of good golf, mountain and lakes.  But city things also malls, etc.

If you do not care about having an ocean close by or a great number of sex venues and sex opportunities and want a more laid back life, I would say CM is better then both.

[blackhorse]

 
   Yes, I do prefer the quiet life .
Maybe thats because I am quiet .
I take it that you are quite noisy and this enjoy noisy Bangkok
Are you a partyman ?
Out clubbing and dancing most nights until the early hours ?
Life  & soul of the party ?

What is wrong with you? Your being childish

[NaamGin]

12 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I am in CM now and live in Pattaya.

There is plenty to do here and I think the "overall lifestyle" is better then Pats or BKK especially for retired.

Lots of good golf, mountain and lakes.  But city things also malls, etc.

If you do not care about having an ocean close by or a great number of sex venues and sex opportunities and want a more laid back life, I would say CM is better then both.

 

That is the one thing that CM is missing, the ocean / sea. Fortunately air fare in Thailand is dirt cheap, so we head somewhere with a beach every month or two for a few days, then climb on the big bird back to CM. Plus this allows us to visit a variety of sea side locations and not have to live there full time. 

 

[orang37]

9 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Can i ask when the smoke period is in and where i cimes from?

Like mortality itself, it is an open-ended question that does not end with a period. It begins when you aware of it, and does not end when you are not aware of it.

 

It comes from burning of crop remnants, and, in the mountains, from hill-tribe people burning forest so that when the rainy season comes there is a good crop of mushrooms on rotting logs to harvest and sell for cash. imho it is amplified in cm by vehicle emissions.

 

~~o:37;

[wwest5829]

George, came to Thailand in twice 2009, twice 2010 visiting a month each time. Traveled around and found that I think, I could live in a few northern cities but Chiang Mai just it my needs in retirement. Sold all in the US and moved here in the summer of 2011. Now aged 71 (well, that is what the birthdate says), I truly feel the aging process has slowed considerably but that may be the lack of stress. NYJoe sums it up fine. Recommend a minimum monthlong visit to get the feel of the place, and stay in different parts of the city, also come to the Chiang Mai Expats Breakfast 1st and 3rd Saturday every month and talk to retirees already here, ask questions. Best time of the year is coming on nicely, air off at night. Direct sun at midday and you can still hear the skin crackling!

[elgenon]

23 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I like rivers, mountains, lakes, waterfalls, jungle trails, fast internet modern amenities, never been anywhere that can match Chiang Mai. These photos were taken in the last two weeks while cycling and walking around.

 

Where is that?