Chiang Mai Must be the Right Place to Live

[Gonzo the Face]

This morning I had conversation with one of my guests.  We were discussing living and old age.  My guest mentioned that Methuselah lived over 900 years I mentioned that CM must be the right place to live as within two blocks of me there are two people one at 103 years and the other at 104 years of age.   Then the old adage came to me..... you know the one......  "only the good die young".    Accepting that as truth, then thinking logically, Donald Trump could live to be 2000.

[persimmon]

I could think of many better places to live - somewhere the air is clean and it isn`t unpleasantly hot for much of the year would be a start.

[Tweedle dee]

C/M is a tourist toilet...nothing more, lived there 15 years ago and i tried again 7 years ago.. SOD THAT.

[sammieuk1]

Its got the edge over Swindon but only just????

[moontang]

Chiang Mai has certainly made Hua Hin's dirty beaches and ripoff prices more attractive....there is also a much better adult play scene..and far fewer Chinese, but maybe not for long.

[flyingtlger]

This sounds like a plug for Chiang Mai......

[donnacha]

There is no doubt that particulate air pollution reduces human lifespans.

I enjoy living in Chiang Mai but only an idiot - or someone without any other options - would stay anywhere in the North between mid-January and mid-April (Songkran).

Bear in mind, however, that the smokey season, along with the lack of a beach, is part of what has kept Chiang Mai from attracting too many lower-grade tourists and developing as fast as it otherwise would have.

That is a very good thing for the expats who spend part of their year here, we can still enjoy the subtle charm and old-style Thai sweetness that, in the other major destinations, was crowded out years ago by sex tourism and other forms of trashiness.

Edited December 6, 2018 by donnacha

[sanemax]

I dont like Chang Mai, theres nothing there , cant drink or find a prostitute at 2 AM or anything, right not worth going

[donnacha]

1 minute ago, sanemax said:

I dont like Chang Mai, theres nothing there , cant drink or find a prostitute at 2 AM or anything, right not worth going

My point exactly.

[Tweedle dee]

1 hour ago, moontang said:

Chiang Mai has certainly made Hua Hin's dirty beaches and ripoff prices more attractive....there is also a much better adult play scene..and far fewer Chinese, but maybe not for long.

Far fewer Chinese ??? time you woke up !  the roads are chocked by the coach loads of em.

[totally thaied up]

During a recent drive around, I found a few other places not a crowded as Chiang Mai and realized, I could live there pretty easy. Chiang Mai is still a great place to live but I will admit, I needed to take my MIL to Hang Dong this afternoon after 4 pm and I talked her into going tomorrow morning as I did not want to face the Traffic in town. Traffic is becoming an issue that I don't like. 

 

3 minutes ago, Tweedle dee said:

Far fewer Chinese ??? time you woke up !  the roads are chocked by the coach loads of em.

Only seem to be CM, Bangkok and the beaches that have them on mass. I was in Sukhothai last week and barely saw one. Was at Phrae and Nan and saw none. Only the major places with an airport nearby seem to have them on mass. 

 

[sanemax]

24 minutes ago, donnacha said:

There is no doubt that particulate air pollution reduces human lifespans.

I enjoy living in Chiang Mai but only an idiot - or someone without any other options - would stay anywhere in the North between mid-January and mid-April (Songkran).

.

I did read that during the worst time of the smoke pollution , its the equivalent to smoking four cigarettes a day

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, persimmon said:

I could think of many better places to live - somewhere the air is clean and it isn`t unpleasantly hot for much of the year would be a start.

Places like Bangkok and Penang feels hotter, not because higher temperature but the high humidity.

[donnacha]

23 minutes ago, sanemax said:

I did read that during the worst time of the smoke pollution , its the equivalent to smoking four cigarettes a day

I am not sure of the dangers relative to tobacco, people used to say that living in London was equivalent to smoking a 20-pack per day, and you can certainly feel the effects after just a few months living there.

What makes Asian air pollution more lethal than European is the higher occurrence of large particles. I remember reading that marijuana smoke is significantly more damaging to your lungs than tobacco because it contains larger particles.

For that reason, I suspect that the air pollution here is a different category of danger from cigarettes. Some people can smoke for decades with no apparent ill-effects, whereas uncontrolled air pollution seems to increase the danger of stroke and heart attacks across the board.

Edited December 6, 2018 by donnacha

[donnacha]

42 minutes ago, Tweedle dee said:

Far fewer Chinese ??? time you woke up !  the roads are chocked by the coach loads of em.

They have certainly made the main tourist areas unpleasant and, as you say, added to the worsening traffic, but their saving grace is their tendency to flock together, leaving certain areas of the city almost untouched. I rarely come across any when I walk around my area, and the few I come across in restaurants tend to be independent travelers who shout less.
 

36 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

Traffic is becoming an issue that I don't like.

So true, becoming surprisingly bad, I feel sorry for anyone who has to commute to work.

Edited December 6, 2018 by donnacha

[Tweedle dee]

3 minutes ago, donnacha said:

They have certainly made the main tourist areas unpleasant and, as you say, added to the worsening traffic, but their saving grace is their tendency to flock together, leaving certain areas of the city almost untouched. I rarely come across any when I walk around my area, and the few I come across in restaurants tend to be independent travelers who shout less.
 

So true, becoming surprisingly bad, I feel sorry for anyone who has to commute to work.

I dread to think of how Sang kam peng craft village copes with them it was chaos way back years ago.

[donnacha]

3 minutes ago, Tweedle dee said:

I dread to think of how Sang kam peng craft village copes with them it was chaos way back years ago.

What I'm hearing is that the Chinese have been terrific for anyone selling that sort of stuff, buying stuff they cannot find easily at home seems to be the main attraction of travel for them.

The Chinese do spend, they just don't spend on the same things as the Westerners they are pushing out.

[moontang]

On a per capita basis, what area has been most damaged by the Chinese?  Possibly Chiang Rai, but their roots are deep there.  I would say the Old City of Chiang Mai.  Very few in my area of BKK, but they are never far...Pattaya?  who isn't an undesirable in Patts?

[canthai55]

3 hours ago, sanemax said:

I dont like Chang Mai, theres nothing there , cant drink or find a prostitute at 2 AM or anything, right not worth going

You do not know how to go about it if this is your experience

[Tweedle dee]

52 minutes ago, canthai55 said:

You do not know how to go about it if this is your experience

This guy should sighn up with Pattaya addicts. 

[sanemax]

1 hour ago, canthai55 said:

You do not know how to go about it if this is your experience

I didnt mean that literally , I was suggesting a reason as to why some people may not like CM

[searcher22]

With rising global temperatures, Chiang Mai seems to have lost a key advantage...its cool season. Add the ever-increasing traffic (even between 9am-3pm), Immigration woes, an ever-expanding smog season and a strong baht and you've got people starting to ask themselves if this is really the best place to be.

[sanemax]

9 minutes ago, searcher22 said:

With rising global temperatures, Chiang Mai seems to have lost a key advantage...its cool season. Add the ever-increasing traffic (even between 9am-3pm), Immigration woes, an ever-expanding smog season and a strong baht and you've got people starting to ask themselves if this is really the best place to be.

The rise in temperature wouldnt be noticeable on  day to day basis , many towns have traffic problems , immigration seems to be just a bit more troublesome then other places , the smog season is actually getting lesser and the strong Thai Baht effects all of Thailand

[canthai55]

1 hour ago, Tweedle dee said:

This guy should sighn up with Pattaya addicts. 

I am happily married. But lived here when single. Bar girl scene been on its way out for years. All on social media now.

Unless middle aged 'Been Around the Bend' does it for you.

[madmen]

I am happily married. But lived here when single. Bar girl scene been on its way out for years. All on social media now.
Unless middle aged 'Been Around the Bend' does it for you.

I avoid beer bar girls everywhere.

Where you from
Where you stay
You have lady
You like thai lady
Buy me drink!

After that the English stops for many. How expats can find this remotely interesting let alone Stimulating is beyond me.

[zzaa09]

7 hours ago, persimmon said:

I could think of many better places to live - somewhere the air is clean and it isn`t unpleasantly hot for much of the year would be a start.

Prime examples, close by, might be:

Chiang Rai

Nan

Phayao

Phrae 

Lampang 

 

I sincerely believe that many instinctively choose CM because of the dense Farang population and associated offerings - like most Farang ghettos. That reasoning might be a turn off for some...

[thaiguzzi]

5 hours ago, sanemax said:

I did read that during the worst time of the smoke pollution , its the equivalent to smoking four cigarettes a day

Ex smoker here.

Where do i sign up?

[totally thaied up]

4 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

Prime examples, close by, might be:

Chiang Rai

Nan

Phayao

Phrae 

Lampang 

 

I sincerely believe that many instinctively choose CM because of the dense Farang population and associated offerings - like most Farang ghettos. That reasoning might be a turn off for some...

Was at these destinations last week and can tell you, most are nicer now then Chiang Mai. I like Nan and Phrae (Long area was nice as well).

 

Spoke to a couple of bar girls last night that I knew from years ago. They are telling me the strong baht sucks as it has kept away many regulars this year. They were very unhappy about it all (the strong baht) saying this high season in Chiang Mai is almost as slow as the low season. I was pretty surprised. Most are getting work now on social media and not so much from the bars.

[eyecatcher]

Where you live is personal choice. I have been here 8 years and never once in that time have I considered going to live anywhere else.

Places that suit some, don't suit others, just like condos suit some, houses suit others.

 

But at least whilst we are here, we can support and defend the place we have chosen to live in. After all you wouldnt tell your friends and family you chose to live in a shti hole.

 

We are all here because we made that choice, and if you don't like it choose somewhere else.

 

[lust]

not ideal for anyone who likes the beach.